The Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

From SuspireWiki

Renown: 3

Description

The oldest church in Northern Georgia, and the first Catholic Church in Atlanta, The Shrine of the Immaculate Conception has a storied history dating to 1846. It has served as the spiritual center for Atlanta’s Catholic population for so many years that many just assume it has always been there.

The first iteration of the Church (originally just simply called “The Catholic Church”) was a wooden structure built in the 1840s to serve the growing masses of Catholic immigrants (many of whom were Irish) coming to the growing city with the railroads. The building served well during these times, with the booming cotton economy of the 1850s drawing in large numbers of people to Mass.

The wartime years were rough on the Church, and through the altruistic acts of the fathers many soldiers on both sides of the conflict received medical aid during the siege and occupation of Atlanta. It was Father Thomas O’Reilly who heard news of Sherman’s plan to burn the entire city to the ground, and beseeched him to spare the church (and thereby many others). Because of his pleas Sherman agreed not to burn the church and hospitals, and the dark monsters that had run to the basement of the church for protection were relieved. Things did not work out as well as they thought, though, for shelling of the city after the bombing blew a hole in the floor during the day, and every last Kindred taking shelter was turned to ash.

In the years following the war, the church grew again, as the citizens of Atlanta returned to find a city destroyed. They flocked to the church for shelter and guidance, and soon the wooden structure was replaced by the towering brick structure seen today. They excavated the earth below it for the foundations, and to this day the secrets of what lies below the Shrine remain hidden. Rumors fly of everything from hidden treasure to ancient crypts to secret splinter cult meetings, and no one can give any definite answers.

In truth, much of the underground has been blocked off by later workers, as it was unnecessary and costly to maintain. The crypt of Father O’Reilly, discovered in 1982, only scratches the surface of what actually lies beneath the church, and the lore that was locked away beneath the earth rarely feels the stirring of moving air that accompanies the opening of a door.

The church tonight is a bit more run down then many might like to see. Any delusions of a glorious cathedral are erased the minute one walks in the large wooden doors and looks around. The pews are all scuffed, chipped, and worn, the brass is dull, the alcoves are dusty, and the enormous edifice of the altar is unpolished and chipped in places. The parish has not had the money to fix up the church in decades, and there seems to be little chance that this will change. Though the Shrine serves many people, the congregation is made up of poor, lower class people from the surrounding areas, made up largely of minorities. Their faith can find a home here, but their meager pocketbooks rarely seem to open, even to help the ailing Shrine that serves as the focus of their faith.

Size, Location, and Security

Size 5 (large building, underground areas, large parking lot next to it), Location 3, Security 3

Benefits

Minor

The priests there at night begin to recognize you as a familiar face, perhaps even one that has made donations, and they enjoy talking to you. You can find out all manner of interesting things, and stay to your heart’s content.

+2 on all Streetwise rumor rolls, +1 empathy

Sizeable

You’re definitely well-known now, and your pocketbook has likely opened up several times, whether for the church or for the priests you want to help you out. They have knowledge that the church has gained over the years hidden downstairs, and they are willing to let you in if the appropriate wheels are greased.

+2 on all Streetwise rumor rolls, +1 empathy, +2 on Occult research rolls (Ghosts, Angels, Demons), +1 Investigation

Uncontested

You have the utter confidence and silence (whether bought or secured otherwise) of the priests at night. You can confess to them and know that they will truly honor their oaths of silence, even about some of your less savory indiscretions.

+2 on all Streetwise rumor rolls, +2 empathy, +2 on Occult research rolls (Ghosts, Angels, Demons), +1 Investigation, +1 dice on one derangement roll made if you have confessed that night