Originally part of the vast Diocese of Baltimore (est. 1789), Georgia since 1820 had been included in the smaller Diocese of Charleston (composed of Georgia and the Carolinas). With the influx of Catholic immigrants from England, France, Germany, and (especially after the Great Famine) Ireland, in addition to enslaved Africans who had become Catholic, Georgia soon warranted its own diocese. The Provincial Council of Baltimore in May 1849 informed the Vatican, and on July 19, 1850, in a papal bull (see left), Pope Pius IX (Pio Nono) – having returned from exile just three months prior – raised Savannah to an episcopal see. Its jurisdiction included the entirety of Georgia plus Florida east of the Apalachicola River. At the time, the total population of that area was approximately 975,000, 5,500 of whom were Catholic, or roughly 0.6 percent. At the midpoint of the 19th century, 13 Catholic churches and 13 Catholic priests graced the state of Georgia.

On July 23, 1850, four days after the birth of the diocese, the pope appointed Rev. Francis Xavier Gartland – a native of Ireland and Vicar General of the Diocese of Philadelphia – as its first bishop. Savannah’s only Catholic church at the time, St. John the Baptist (its parish dating back to the 1790s), became the cathedral. “Seldom in America,” wrote one of the priests, “was a city so well prepared for the dignity as Savannah.” Interestingly, Gartland was not the Provincial Council’s first choice for bishop. That honor went to another Irishman, Fr. John O’Dwyer, the first president of Villanova University. Tragically, before the episcopal election took place, O’Dwyer suffered a “mental malady” and had to enter an asylum in Baltimore, shortly thereafter receiving Last Rites from St. John Neumann.

Nonetheless, Gartland took up the mantle. His appointment, however, did cause a bit of a stir in Savannah: The long-serving pastor of St. John the Baptist, Fr. Jeremiah O’Neill – yet another Irishman – had been expected by both clergy and laity to be named the new diocese’s first bishop. A close friend of Bishop England of Charleston – who in 1829 had established the Sisters of Mercy – O’Neill, in 1845, invited members of the order to Savannah, where they founded an orphanage and St. Vincent’s Academy for girls, both a boon to the city. O’Neill was so highly regarded by Catholic and non-Catholic Savannahians alike that when he was passed over for bishop, the Protestant community offered to build him his own Catholic church so that he would stay in Savannah; he declined. Thus – thankfully, without scandal – the care of the new cathedral was handed over to our first bishop, Gartland.

Because the Diocese of Savannah was founded in a year divisible by 25, our jubilee coincides with the jubilee of the wider Catholic Church. This coming year, we will celebrate 175 years since the birth of our diocese, while the Church universal will celebrate 725 years since the first Christian jubilee, held in 1300 (an event attended by the poet Dante). This will be the 7th jubilee for our diocese, the 28th* for the Catholic Church. It can also be seen as the 81st jubilee for Christianity, celebrating 2,025 years since the traditional date of Christ’s Incarnation.

Beginning December 24, pilgrims in Rome will walk through the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of St. Peter, a door opened solely for the jubilee. In our diocese, special places of prayer will be designated for shorter – though no less holy – pilgrimages of our own.

Jubilees are special years of universal pardon and remission of sins and debts; certain ways of obtaining indulgences – or “jubilee graces” – are only available during a jubilee year. It is a time of great celebration, a time of great hope. As Pope Francis said in announcing Jubilee 2025, “The forthcoming jubilee can contribute greatly to restoring a climate of hope and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth that we so urgently desire.” With two jubilees now upon us, may we together venture forth as “Pilgrims of Hope” (the theme for Jubilee 2025) seeking the renewal and rebirth of the Holy Catholic Church, here and abroad. And “may the grace of the jubilee,” as the pope prays in his Jubilee Prayer, “reawaken in us, pilgrims of hope, the yearning for heavenly treasures and pour over all the earth the joy and peace of our Redeemer.” Amen.