Shining Christ’s light for 50 years
Father Noah Carter offered a special 50th anniversary Mass for his parish Sept. 14, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Next to the altar is a reliquary holding a fragment of the True Cross.KERNERSVILLE — The patronage of a parish has an uncanny way of shaping its development and animating its spirit. Holy Cross in Kernersville is a fine example of the beauty of this gradual blossoming.
Like St. Helena, who found the True Cross and oversaw the construction of basilicas in Jerusalem, the parishioners of Holy Cross have been intimately involved in building their parish since day one, giving sacrificially just as the discoverer of its namesake once did to spread Christianity and build up the Kingdom of God.
Now the parishioners – including some who have been there since the beginning – are celebrating the 50th anniversary year of their church’s dedication.
On Sept. 14, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the parish held a special anniversary Mass, a procession with a relic of True Cross and a reception to celebrate the milestone – and their pastor Father Noah Carter’s birthday which coincides with the anniversary and feast day. Two days later, they celebrated the anniversary at the parish’s annual festival.
“This year was the best attended September 14th Mass that I’ve experienced since I came here a little over four years ago,” Father Carter says. “Now that we’ve reached a culmination for the 50th, it gives us the opportunity to really look back in the past with great gratitude and celebrate what is happening now in all of the different programs and departments of the parish.”
Holy Cross began in 1969 as a mission of St. Benedict the Moor in Winston-Salem and was dedicated as a parish in 1973. Parishioner Beverly Everett James remembers that the first Mass as a mission church had an attendance of 69. She says that she has enjoyed the fellowship of being a member of the faith community even before it was dedicated 50 years ago.
“We had a good camaraderie from the start,” she adds.
Maureen Pileggi, another parishioner of 50 years who had Everett James as her First Communion teacher, says Holy Cross has always been an extension of her family and a place full of love.
“How do you say what you love about your parish? It’s like asking what you love about God. It’s everything,” she says. “I was able to grow in this church. I’ve had these models ever since I was a little girl – not just my parents, but the parents who have been here since the beginning. Having that constant example set for me my whole life has been so enriching and just very special.”
A parishioner for 47 years, Al Livelsberger was a founding member of the parish’s Knights of Columbus Council 8509 and served as its first Grand Knight. He also began the Boy Scout Troop 943 in 1980 and served as a catechist for many years. He says his favorite part about Holy Cross is “the love that we share.”
In the beginning, Mass was held in a variety of locations including an antique store next to the historic Korner’s Folly house in Kernersville, and in other churches, such as Main Street Methodist, until the first church was built and dedicated in 1973. The first pastor was Father Leon Bolick, a member of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. Members of the religious order ministered at the parish from 1973 until 2019 when Father Carter, a diocesan priest, became pastor.
In 1974, the parish purchased 6.5 acres for the site of the future church, and parishioners worked to clear the land themselves. Construction of the first church was complete in October 1978.
Decades-long parishioners Al Livelsberger and Maureen Pileggi celebrated the 50th anniversary of Holy Cross at their annual parish festival Sept. 16. Migrant workers were part of the parish since its earliest days, and what had begun as a seasonal Spanish Mass during the growing season became weekly in 1981. The parish began an immigration clinic in the mid-1980s that has been a major component of its work with its large Hispanic community. Father Carter says the community members find welcome at Holy Cross through the Christ-centered immigration work of the dedicated attorneys and staff.
A variety of other ministries sprouted, and growth at the parish overall continued, requiring a larger church, which was built and dedicated in 2003.
“Holy Cross was the vision of seven families that founded the parish and now we have over 2,000 families in the span of 50 years,” Father Carter notes. “We certainly have outgrown our facilities and so our 50th anniversary gives us the opportunity to really consider what Holy Cross will look like in 15 years. Even if I’m not here then, I can at least start thinking about what’s best for my parish family.”
One upcoming addition is a new outdoor pavilion, which is an anniversary gift from the parishioners to their parish. The pavilion, designed to reflect the architecture of the church with its Gothic wooden arches, will be a place to meet outside to start processions and gather for events in good weather.
“We have to look at the facilities we have and look at the opportunities for evangelization,” Father Carter adds. “We want to be, more and more, an authentic presence in the community of Christ’s light to the world.”
— Annie Ferguson. Photos by Steven Sheppard, Maggie Lovin and Annie Ferguson
