Parish History:

In 1981, the Archdiocese of Atlanta purchased the facilities of Kennesaw United Methodist Church on Cherokee St. and St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church was born. Archbishop Donnellan appointed Fr. Leo P. Herbert as the founding Pastor. Ninety families registered for the newly formed parish. The first Mass was celebrated on June 13, 1981. A Parish Council and Finance Committee were established, as well as a Ladies’Guild and a Men’s Club.

At the October 1983 Parish council meeting, Fr. Herbert reported that St. Catherine’s was the fastest growing parish in the Archdiocese and, based on this rapid growth, expressed the need for a Building Committee to begin looking at a larger facility for St. Catherine’s.

On October 4, 1986, Archbishop Donnellan celebrated an outdoor Mass on the current St. Catherine’s location and on September 16, 1987 Monsignor John F. Donoghue, P.A., V.G., consecrated the new building, designed to hold over 1100 parishioners.

In June of 1990 Fr. Terence Kane became the parish’s second Pastor. Under Fr. Kane, St. Catherine’s membership grew to over 2,600 families.

In April 1997, Fr. James Harrison became St. Catherine’s third Pastor and St. Catherine’s growth mirrored the growth of Cobb County. Under Fr. Jim’s direction, the Parish embarked on a building fund campaign to build the Our Lady of Grace Parish Center to house the Parish School of Religion (PSR) classes, the Preschool and the church administrative offices. Ground was broken in the fall of 1998 and construction was completed in September 1999. Archbishop John F. Donoghue dedicated the new parish center on February 27, 2000.

Since that time our Parish has continued to grow with over 3,500 registered families, over 2,000 children in our Religious Education program, 45 ministries, 6 Sunday Masses, 2 daily Masses, a preschool and a perpetual adoration chapel. December 2001 saw even more changes for St. Catherine’s with the approval of an elementary school (K-3, adding a grade each year) that began in the fall of 2002. In 2003 St. Catherines purchased over 14 acres of property on Ben King Road, allowing for future parish growth.

Our parish has continued to grow with over 3,500 registered families, over 2,000 children in our Religious Education program, over 300 students in our preschool and elementary schools, 50 ministries, 6 Sunday Masses, 2 daily Masses, and a perpetual adoration chapel.

In 2005 three generous benefactors offered to give the church a stained glass window.

In the summer of 2005 Father N. Brendan Doyle became the fourth pastor of St. Catherine's.

After only three years, St. Catherine's Catholic School successfully completed the initial accreditation process with Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS).