A dream come true
MINT HILL — Feb. 19 was a day of firsts and dreams come true at St. Luke Parish. Parishioners and contractors persevered through a global pandemic, an economic downturn and a building supply shortage to reach this moment – the dedication of a new church.
Located east of Charlotte, the Mint Hill parish has boomed since it was established in 1987. Local Catholics started out attending Masses in a local movie theater, then a retail storefront, then a multipurpose facility dedicated in 1995, before finally building a church on Lawyers Road where everyone could sit shoulder to shoulder in real pews. But more room was needed, so in 2009 they purchased 30 acres on the outskirts of Mint Hill and began planning for a new church campus to fit the needs of the parish that now tops 1,700 registered families.
Plans were realized Feb. 19 as Bishop Peter Jugis presided over the dedication of a new 21,000-square-foot St. Luke Church.
“It puts patience in perspective as this was always the plan,” said Janet Bevis, a parishioner of 17 years. “We remember a lot of great people who welcomed us when we first came to the parish. Even though they are not around anymore, I feel like they are with us.”
The dedication Mass began with a procession from an outdoor pavilion on the church campus to the new church’s front doors. The bishop was joined by hundreds of parishioners plus priests, deacons, seminarians and altar servers.
They all gathered on the sunlit piazza and watched as Bishop Jugis was presented with the church’s architectural drawings and the keys to the front doors. He gave the keys to longtime pastor Father Paul Gary, who unlocked the doors for Bishop Jugis to lead the procession inside.
“We’ve had this day on the calendar a long time,” said Allen Pole, a senior parishioner. “I’m so excited to go inside. I’m like a little kid!”
As people streamed into the building and filed into the pews, they looked up and marveled at the striking wooden beams supporting the ceiling, the architectural details, artwork and statues.
Micaela Barco, who attends the Spanish Mass, loves the welcoming community of St. Luke Parish. “I hope this new church attracts more people to come to Mass and allows more space for activities,” she said.
THE DEDICATION RITE AND MASS
The 750-seat church, nearly double the size of their old space, quickly filled to capacity. Men, women and children all raised their voices in song as Bishop Jugis and Deacon Larry O’Toole circulated throughout the church building during the sprinkling rite, showering everyone with holy water to serve as a sign of repentance and as a remembrance of their baptism. The rite is also used to purify the walls of the church and the altar.
Prior to the Liturgy of the Word, two readers and the psalmist presented the Lectionary to Bishop Jugis, who raised it high for everyone to see prior to the Word of God being proclaimed in the church for the first time.
The Mass included a special prayer of dedication, the anointing of the altar, the incensing of the altar and the church, and the dressing of the altar by the altar guild and women of the parish.
An audible gasp of awe and wonder was heard from the congregation as, after the candles on the altar were lit, the lights of the church and the stained glass lights behind the crucifix hanging above the altar were illuminated.
“We give thanks to Almighty God today for the gift of this new church, dedicated to God under the patronage of Saint Luke,” Bishop Jugis said during his homily.
“Special recognition is owed to your pastor, Father Paul Gary, and to the whole parish family for your hard work of making the dream of a new church a reality. You offer to God this beautiful gift, where God will be worshipped, and His praises will be sung.”
He noted that it was a day of firsts for the parish - for the first time the Word of God was proclaimed, for the first time the Body and Blood of Christ had become really present in the Eucharist for the nourishment of God’s people, and for the first time the Catholic faith had been announced in the recitation of the Profession of our Faith.
“This is the faith which comes to us from the apostles. The words of our holy faith will resound within the walls of this church from this day forward, and this holy faith will be carried with us into our daily lives in the world to proclaim Christ and His Kingdom by the witness of our lives,” Bishop Jugis said.
Concelebrants for the Dedication Mass included: Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the diocese; Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari of
Belmont Abbey; Monsignor Richard Bellow; Father Thomas Kessler; and Father Enrique Gonzalez. They were assisted by Deacon Larry O’Toole and Deacon Guillermo Anzola.
THE NEW CHURCH
The $8.6 million church features religious art from Demetz Art Studios in Italy. Statues of the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph holding the child Jesus flank both sides of the altar. Fourteen new Stations of the Cross and two shrines, one to Our Lady of Guadalupe and another to St. Jose Luis Sanchez del Rio, grace the inside of the church. There are two relics in the church – St. Paul the Apostle and St. Thomas Becket.
ALR Architecture served as architect. Southside Constructors served as general contractor.
The new church is one component of the parish’s Cornerstone Capital Campaigns. Prior to the construction of the church the parish bought the 30 acres of land, completed all of the site work, installed athletic fields and a pavilion and built a new rectory on the property.
“I had the privilege of watching the new church go up because the new rectory is across the driveway. I would sit on my front porch every day and look at the progress Southside Constructors made,” said Father Gary. “It was a joy to see the reaction of the construction workers as the new church emerged from the ground.”
“It is ultimately God who first placed this dream in our hearts and guided it to completion. To Him, belongs the honor and the glory,” he continued. “‘If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor (Psalm 127).’”
“I’m so happy for Father (Gary). He’s been working and planning for so long. He’s a wonderful shepherd,” said Michael Hauser, who with his wife Susan, have been parishioners for six years. “It’s a celebration of all the hard work and fundraising over these many years,” added Susan Hauser.
All Masses will now be celebrated in the new church at 9800 Fairview Road in Mint Hill. Parish meetings and activities will continue to be held at the multipurpose facility located at 13700 Lawyers Road. The parish plans to sell its current property and conduct future capital campaigns as needed to cover the full cost of developing the new campus, which includes a multipurpose building and an administrative building next to the church.
— SueAnn Howell. Photos by Troy Hull and SueAnn Howell
ASHEVILLE — Parishioners of St. Eugene Church are taking to heart Matthew 25:35: “For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me.”
As an act of charity for the diocese’s 50th anniversary, the parish sponsored an event Sept. 24-25 to broaden awareness of the need to assist refugees in the Asheville community.
Monica Blankenship and several volunteers from the Loving Neighbors ministry greeted St. Eugene parishioners after all Masses on Sept. 24-25, distributing pamphlets about the refugee assistance efforts by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte and nearby St. Mark Lutheran Church in the area.
Volunteers from both churches work together to form a “Circle of Welcome” around refugees resettled locally by the two charities to help them acclimate to life in the United States after arriving from places such as Afghanistan, the Republic of the Congo and Ukraine. St. Eugene parishioners donated $3,700 in cash and gift cards, which was split evenly between the charities.
Parishioners also made greeting cards welcoming refugees to the community. Father Pat Cahill, pastor of St. Eugene Parish, says this was an effort everyone could get behind.
“The Christian calling is to serve however and whomever God puts in our path. What better way than to welcome someone to our community? The mountains here have a therapeutic history and a reputation to heal. We intend to keep celebrating that as part of our culture at St. Eugene Parish.”
— SueAnn Howell. Photos provided.