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History
Our Lady of LaSalette Church in Canton, Georgia was formed in 1969 to serve the counties of Cherokee and
Pickens as a mission of the newly established parish of St. Francis of Assisi in Cartersville.
In 1979, Rev. Joseph J. Nolan, M.S. was appointed as the first resident priest at the mission of Our Lady of
LaSalette.
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By early 1984 the number of parishioners attending services from Pickens County had increased to such a
degree, it was obvious that providing a local place of worship in this area was essential.
On September 16, 1984, the late Archbishop Donnellan decreed that a new Catholic Mission would be
established in Pickens County centered in Jasper, Georgia, appointing Father Joseph J. Nolan as administrator.
On this same day, he established the mission of Our Lady of LaSalette in Canton as a parish, thus fulfilling the
needs of the Catholic community in North Georgia.
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By early April of 1987, it was evident by the number of parishioners that a Church building was needed for this
area. Construction began and on November 7, 1987, Monsignor J. F. McDonough celebrated the dedication
Mass in the new church.
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The congregation continued to grow and welcomed five more priests and brothers of the LaSalette Order. By
2000, the congregation had outgrown the 126 seat building. The Archdiocese was approached and permission
was given for a church expansion. Construction of the expansion began in May 2002.
The church now seats 550 parishioners. In April 2003, Our Lady of the Mountains was informed that it would
“elevate” from a Mission to an Archdiocesan parish. Father Frank Richardson was appointed pastor. On June
17, 2004, Father Frank assumed his duties as pastor and Our Lady of the Mountains began a new life as a fullfledged
parish. Our current pastor, Fr. Charles Byrd was appointed pastor of OLM in 2009.
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