About St. Thomas More · Decatur, Georgia
St. Thomas More Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of Atlanta located on the western edge of downtown Decatur, Georgia, at 636 West Ponce de Leon Avenue. Founded on April 13, 1941, the parish is sponsored by the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) of the Maryland Province and is staffed by Jesuits working alongside lay colleagues — the first time in its history the parish has been led by a religious order rather than a diocesan priest. It serves roughly 4,000 parishioners, operates an award-winning Pre-K4 through 8th grade parish school (founded 1950, twice awarded the U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon), and is the Jesuit community home for priests who serve the parish, Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School, and the Ignatius House Retreat Center.
- Established
- 1941
- Patron
- St. Thomas More
- Rector
- Fr. Bob Hussey, SJ
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Atlanta
Why belong here
St. Thomas More is a Jesuit-sponsored parish that combines the warmth and tradition of a 1941-founded Decatur community with the distinctive gifts of Ignatian spirituality — finding God in all things, a preferential love of the poor, and lay-clergy collaboration. With five weekend Masses (including a contemporary liturgy and an outdoor option when weather permits), daily 12:15 pm Mass, weekday adoration in the chapel, Saturday confessions, an OCIA/RCIA process, a vibrant youth faith-formation program called Spark, the award-winning Blue Ribbon parish school, and active ministries spanning social justice, music, athletics, and family life, the parish offers deep spiritual formation and a strong sense of belonging. It is also the Jesuit community home for Atlanta-area Jesuit ministries, which gives parishioners a unique window into the wider work of Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School and Ignatius House Retreat Center.
Mass times at St. Thomas More
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm in the Family Room (church narthex)
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Chapel open for prayer and adoration: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday
- Community prayer and adoration: every Wednesday evening, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm in the Chapel
Parish Identity and Jesuit Sponsorship
St. Thomas More is a Roman Catholic community in the Archdiocese of Atlanta sponsored by the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) of the Maryland Province and staffed by Jesuits alongside lay colleagues. It is the newest Jesuit parish of the Maryland Province and serves as the Jesuit community home for the entire Atlanta area — the men in the brick rectory also minister at Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School and Ignatius House Retreat Center. The parish embraces core Jesuit priorities: evangelization by outreach, collaboration between clergy and laity, a 'preferential love of the poor,' and Ignatian spirituality that finds God in all things.
- Sponsored by the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus since February 2016
- Six Jesuits live in community in the brick rectory
- Welcomes those 'having trouble finding a home in the Catholic Church'
History and Milestones
Founded April 13, 1941 in the (then) Diocese of Atlanta, St. Thomas More grew with post-war Atlanta and gave rise to three daughter parishes: Immaculate Heart of Mary, Saints Peter and Paul, and Corpus Christi. The parish school opened in 1950 under the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, expanded with a kindergarten building in 1955, added Mulhern Hall and additional classrooms through the 1980s–1990s, and converted its convent into parish offices in 2000–2002. The Jesuit transition came in February 2016 under Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory, and the parish is now in the middle of a long-term STM Renewed master plan completed in 2023.
- 1941 — Parish founded (April 13)
- 1950 — School opens with 140 students in grades 1–5
- 1955 — Kindergarten building added
- 1987–1999 — Fr. Patrick Mulhern serves as pastor
- 1994 — Mulhern Hall dedicated; A Simple Twist of Faith filmed on campus
- 2000–2002 — Convent becomes parish offices; Notre Dame de Namur Center adds gym, stage, music rooms
- 2016 — Pastoral care transferred to the Maryland Province Jesuits; Fr. Mark Horak installed
- 2021 — Fr. Bob Hussey, SJ becomes pastor; Pre-K4 added at the school
- 2023 — STM Renewed master plan completed
- 2025 — New K–5 classroom building opens; campus renovated; first Catholic school in Georgia to go solar; 75th anniversary of the school
Sacraments
St. Thomas More prepares parishioners of every age for the sacraments of initiation and offers marriage preparation and the Anointing of the Sick. Baptism is celebrated during Sunday Mass, First Communion is received in second grade through Spark, Confirmation is generally celebrated in tenth grade (Archdiocese of Atlanta norm), and teens and adults enter through the OCIA process. Reconciliation is offered Saturday afternoons and by appointment, with First Reconciliation in 2nd grade.
- Baptism — infant through adult, celebrated at Sunday Mass
- First Communion / First Reconciliation — 2nd grade via Spark
- Confirmation — generally 10th grade, or via OCIA
- Matrimony — parish marriage preparation program
- Anointing of the Sick — communal celebrations twice yearly plus by appointment
Faith Formation and School
St. Thomas More Catholic School, affectionately known as 'STM,' has educated children of the parish and beyond since 1950 and is a two-time U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. Today it offers Pre-K4 through 8th grade on a campus that pairs rigorous academics with Jesuit values: academic excellence, service of faith, promotion of justice, and education of the whole child. The Spark youth faith formation program is the engine for sacramental prep for elementary-age children.
- Pre-K4 through 8th grade
- Twice-awarded Blue Ribbon of Excellence (U.S. Department of Education)
- Spark youth faith formation
- OCIA for adults and teens
- Capped at 516 students under the 2023 master plan
- 2025 — became the first Catholic school in Georgia to go solar
Jesuit Community and Wider Atlanta Ministries
The six Jesuits who live in the rectory at St. Thomas More also staff neighboring Jesuit apostolates in the Atlanta area. The parish is thus the spiritual and community hub for the Maryland Province's work in Georgia, linking parishioners to the broader Ignatian network.
- Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School — Fr. Michael Lamanna, SJ (Campus Minister/Chaplain) and Fr. Jim Fleming, SJ (Theology Instructor) live at STM
- Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center — Fr. Bill Noe, SJ (Retreat Director) and Fr. Ricardo Perkins, SJ (Director of Mission Outreach)
- Catholic Charities — Fr. Perard Monestime, SJ
- Fr. Thomas Kenny, SJ — Vice President for Mission and Ministry at Cristo Rey (noted in 2016 Jesuit Friends and Alumni coverage)
STM Renewed: Master Plan and Capital Campaign
STM Renewed is the parish's long-range master plan, designed by Atlanta-based Houser Walker Architecture (with Parrish Construction Group, Flippo Civil Design, and Shear Structural) and completed in 2023. The first phase — a 12-classroom, two-story building for kindergarten through fifth grade — broke ground in August 2023, topped out in early 2024, and opened in fall 2025 at an estimated cost of $15 million. Subsequent phases envision a striking two-story 600–700-seat worship building prominently facing Ponce de Leon Avenue, conversion of the existing worship space into a parish commons and administration building, athletic-field improvements with stormwater detention, and new parallel on-street parking.
- Master plan completed 2023 (Houser Walker Architecture)
- Phase 1: 12-classroom K–5 building — broke ground August 2023, opened fall 2025
- Future phase: new 600–700-seat worship building facing Ponce de Leon
- Existing worship space to be converted to parish commons; third floor to parish offices
- On-site parking capped at 120 spaces + ~20 on-street parallel spaces (≈140 total)
- Athletic fields to be renovated (natural or synthetic turf) with stormwater detention
- Project supported by STM Renewed capital campaign
Clergy, Staff, and Pastoral Team
The parish is led by a Jesuit pastor supported by a parochial vicar, a senior priest, and a robust lay staff in communications, music and liturgy, youth faith formation, athletics, facilities, and administration. The school principal and parish administrator round out the leadership team. Staff can be reached at @stmga.org email addresses listed on the parish website.
- Pastor: Fr. Bob Hussey, SJ ([email protected])
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. Bruce Steggert, SJ ([email protected])
- Senior Priest: Fr. Jim Stormes, SJ ([email protected])
- School Principal: Charlie Seamans ([email protected])
- Director of Parish Communications: Elias Benn ([email protected])
- Director of Music and Liturgy ([email protected])
- Youth Minister ([email protected])
- Director of Youth Faith Formation ([email protected])
- Director of Athletics (g [email protected])
- Pastoral Associate for Adult Faith Formation | OCIA Coordinator | Marriage Prep Coordinator ([email protected])
- Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds: Todd Hines ([email protected])
- Interim Parish Administrator ([email protected])
- Account Manager ([email protected])
- Liturgy Coordinator, Sacristan, Nursery Coordinator on staff
Visiting, Events, and Community Life
St. Thomas More runs a busy calendar of parish-wide events including book studies (e.g., 'Practicing the Way'), film screenings (such as 'The Mission' and the Laudato Si' documentary 'The Letter: A Message for Our Earth'), and Jesuit Friends and Alumni gatherings. The parish publishes homily podcasts and maintains a calendar of upcoming Masses, devotions, and formation events on its website.
- Practicing the Way book study (Tuesday evenings)
- Screening of 'The Mission'
- Screening of 'The Letter: A Message for Our Earth'
- Jesuit Friends and Alumni receptions
- Weekly homily/audio reflections by the pastoral team
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Founding pastor (1941)1941–
Parish established April 13, 1941 under the (then) Diocese of Atlanta; specific founding pastor's name not surfaced in available sources.
- Monsignor Paul Fogartyserved until retirement in January 2016
Long-serving diocesan pastor; retired after 48 years of priestly service. The last archdiocesan priest to lead St. Thomas More.
- Father Patrick Mulhern1987–1999
Beloved pastor; Mulhern Hall (the parish activity center) was dedicated in his honor in 1994. Died nearly a decade before the 2016 article.
- Fr. Mark Horak, SJFebruary 2016 – July 2021
First Jesuit pastor after Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory transferred the parish to the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus in February 2016. Entered the Jesuits in 1985, ordained in Baltimore in 1994. A former lawyer who taught law and founded a nonprofit legal-services program with Catholic Charities.
- Fr. Bob Hussey, SJJuly 2021 – present
Current pastor. Grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; studied economics at LSU and Duke; entered the Jesuits in 1989; ordained in 2000. Served on the faculty at Georgetown University, as pastor of St. Raphael the Archangel in Raleigh, NC, and as Provincial of the Maryland Province of the Jesuits.