Photo Courtesy of St. Theresa of the Little Child Jesus Church

DOUGLASVILLE—The community at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Church marked its 40th anniversary on Aug. 10 with a special Mass and picnic.  

Bishop John N. Tran celebrated the Mass, along with many other priests.  

The roots of the parish go back to 1973 when St. John Vianney Church opened in Lithia Springs and Catholics in Douglasville worshipped there. The numbers of Catholics in Douglasville, some 20 miles west of Atlanta, continued to grow. 

Happy parishioners serving at the 40th anniversary celebration at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Church.

Scenes from 40th anniversary celebration at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Church.

Priests joined the celebration at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Church.

Ten years later, families approached Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan to open a new parish in Douglasville. On Aug. 8, 1985, the parish was established. Father Edward O’Connor was its first pastor. 

A funeral home chapel hosted its first Mass. The church was dedicated within four years after the parish was established. Its stained-glass windows were created at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers. In a window of Jesus with children, there is a shamrock that honors Father O’Connor, who came to serve in the Archdiocese of Atlanta from Ireland.