Cathedral of Christ the King

Beauty draws people to God, the author and creator of all that is beautiful. That's why Mass is the way it is. It is designed to echo the beauty of Heaven, to draw us closer to the throne of God. Beautiful music is one of the chief ways a Mass can inspire people. That's why this Giving Tuesday, we want to support our music program, expanding its capacity to inspire worshipers to draw closer to God. 

We invite you to join us in a twofold endeavor that will:

1. Expand our abilities to provide beautiful music at liturgies and other events, and
2. Elevate the profile and dignity of our adult and children's choirs.

The hallmark of the Cathedral's music program is its organ, whose nearly 4,000 pipes thunder through the Cathedral on any given Sunday. We want to extend the majesty of that instrument to all of our prayer spaces with the purchase of a continuo organ, a portable instrument that can be maneuvered around campus to bring the sounds of the organ to any event, including liturgies in Kenny Hall, ceremonies in the d'Youville chapel, or even concerts and liturgies presented at the front of the Cathedral. It can also be used for rehearsals and practice when the Cathedral is in use. 

A continuo organ commonly features four-five stops, 54 notes, and a retractable keyboard set into a gorgeous, carved case. Continuo organs are not mass-produced; they are bespoke, hand-crafted instruments made to order. 

The robes our choirs wear are...historic. The missing buttons, the torn seams, the frayed collars, and the faded colors all speak to generations of inspired worshipers. They are an unusual blemish in a music and liturgy program dedicated to inspiring people through beauty. Our renowned choirs deserve better: vestments whose quality represents the incredible value of our music program, robes whose dignity matches the beauty of both their voices and of our Cathedral.

We want to acquire eighty new robes, forty for our adult choir, and forty for our children's choir. 

Exceeding our Goal

Our parish community is a generous one. Any donations that we receive over our goal will support our music maintenance fund, which finances the ongoing care, repair, and maintenance of our musical instruments, including the organ, pianos, and (we expect) our new continuo organ.

Who We Are

CTK was formed in 1936 as the country descended into the Great Depression. The parish took as its motto: Christus Vincit, Christus Regnat, Christus Imperat, i.e., Christ is Victorious, Christ Reigns and Christ Commands. These words summarize the name chosen for the parish as Christ is King of all.

The first Eucharistic Celebration of Christ the King Parish was held on August 15, 1936 in celebration of the Feast of The Assumption. The first pastor was Father Joseph P. Moylan. There were about 250 families at the time; whereas today we have about 5,000 families registered. Christ the King was formed and designed as a parish. During construction it was named as a co-cathedral with Savannah and later it was named as the cathedral for the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

A special year for the parish occurred in 1956. On July 2, the Diocese of Atlanta was created. The Co-Cathedral was raised to the status of the Cathedral of Christ the King with the most Reverend Francis E. Hyland installed in the fall as first Bishop of Atlanta. He brought with him from Philadelphia Fr. Michael Regan to be his secretary. Fr. James Boyce became the first Chancellor of the new diocese. Sr. St. Raphael became principal for both high school and primary school.

Today, our Cathedral Family consists of well over 5,700 registered families who are deeply involved in the over 100 Ministries in service at the Cathedral.