50 years of faith, hope and charity
Members of the Knights of Columbus Council 13236 stand guard at the 50th anniversary Mass of Greensboro's St. Paul the Apostle Parish on July 14.GREENSBORO — Music filled St. Paul the Apostle Church July 14 as hundreds of voices sang “Lord You Give the Great Commission” during their parish’s 50th anniversary celebration.
More than 550 parishioners, clergy and friends came together for the Mass, offered by longtime pastor Father Joseph Mack. It was the culmination of months of 50th anniversary festivities that included Mass and dinner on the parish’s patronal feast in January, a service day in February and parish picnic in June. As the main event, the July 14 celebration also included Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction and a rosary led by Knights of Columbus Council 13236.
Yet St. Paul’s celebration was not only about giving thanks for the past 50 years, but also the prospect of continuing to spread the Good News.
“Imagine what the next 50 years of our parish’s impact can look like if we do that,” Father Mack said during his homily.
“What an impact we can have, always remembering where it's rooted,” he added, pointing to the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle.
SPREADING THE GOOD NEWS
Father Joseph Mack, pastor, delivers a stirring homily at the anniversary Mass.In his homily, centered on the day’s Gospel reading (Mk 6:7-13), Father Mack connected Jesus’ sending out His disciples two by two with the parish’s anniversary and long history of outreach.
“We've already had a great impact in the area around us and in other places but imagine what we can do if – as a people of faith – we show people what a right relationship with God looks like by being people who live justice,” he said.
Father Mack also illustrated how a lack of faith in God during the time of the prophet Amos led to injustices and oppression. He then encouraged people to restore faith in society today by showing what a faithful marriage looks like by staying true physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually to one’s spouse; contributing to the economy through work while not focusing on how much we can gain for ourselves; and leading in the political sphere by encouraging people of good character to run for office and supporting them.
“Think of the impact we and St. Paul the Apostle can have if we do what is right because we’re influenced by our faith – seeking to put it into practice by our being aware of what’s going on around us and not allowing it to corrupt us, but instead asking God for the grace that we may influence, by our lives, those around us,” he said.
SERVING OUT OF LOVE
St. Paul’s influence is already felt in the community through its food pantry, which is one of the longest-running church-based pantries in the Greensboro area.
Service has been a key part of the parish’s 50th anniversary celebrations. In February, the parish partnered with Rise Against Hunger for a day of service, packing 25,000 meals for the hungry. More than 100 parishioners of all ages showed up for the day of service. Because of the event’s success, they plan to repeat the effort.
Colleen Assal (center) helped lead St. Paul the Apostle's 50th anniversary committee.“Service is the founding charism of St. Paul the Apostle and an important part of celebrating the anniversary,” says Colleen Assal, a parishioner since 1992 and former outreach coordinator who led the 50th anniversary committee.
“We’ve had the food pantry from the start, and we support organizations in the community, including outreach to our own parishioners.”
For Assal, service is a crucial part of parish life: keeping the door open for any parishioners who needs help or just needs to talk.
“The people who come for food may need something more,” she adds. “They might need a hug or a referral somewhere.”
The parish is involved in an array of other service projects, including partnering with Niño Jesús, their sister parish in Manta, Ecuador, since 2000.
“The purpose of this relationship is to assist young people to get the educational background they need so that they can better their lives by giving a hand up not just a handout,” Father Mack notes. “It’s a very powerful and long-running ministry.”
CREATING FAMILY IN A NEW PLACE
Founded on July 15, 1974, with a congregation of 90 families, St. Paul the Apostle Parish was originally led by the Paulist Fathers before the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales and later diocesan priests staffed the parish. In those early days, Masses were celebrated at Forbis & Dick Funeral Home as well as Lutheran, Methodist and Episcopal churches before the parish could build a church of its own.
In the beginning, many parishioners had moved to Greensboro from other states.
Assal was one of them. She felt at home right away, she recalls, despite her initial apprehension about leaving her home in Philadelphia.
“We were going from 95% Catholic to less than 4% Catholic, but Father Tom Murphy made us feel welcome immediately,” she says. “There were so many transplants. We had a moms’ group of 25 women, and we were each other’s godparents and confirmation sponsors, and to this day I’m in a book club with 15 of them.”
At a luncheon after the 50th anniversary Mass, four of the 28 original members of the parish spoke about how joining St. Paul’s enabled them to put down roots in their new hometown of Greensboro.
Phyllis Regan, an original member of the parish and the choir, moved to Greensboro after her late husband’s job at Western Electric transferred him. She fondly recalled being in the parish’s production of “Finian’s Rainbow,” which included roles performed by other longtime parishioners as well as the two priests serving St. Paul’s at the time.
An original member of St. Paul the Apostle and convert to the Catholic faith, Linda Shahbaz shared stories of her years at the parish.Ken and Linda Shahbaz moved to Greensboro after a job change and started attending Our Lady of Grace Church. Ken already signed up for the Knights of Columbus when he received a letter from the diocese asking them to join the new parish due to the proximity of his address.
“So being a good Catholic, I started going to Mass at Forbis & Dick Funeral Home – not that unusual when you’ve been in the military,” he said with a grin.
Linda Shahbaz, who converted to Catholicism after growing up Presbyterian, added that she quickly felt at home in the new parish and how Father Robert Scott recognized her singing ability in the congregation.
“He said, ‘You can sing. You have the background to get others to sing. We need that,’” she recalled. “That began my 35 years cantoring here. It was so special, I learned so much and came to truly love the traditions and liturgy of the Church and serving all the congregations.”
The Chapman family moved to the area from Michigan in 1974. Upon learning that they were Catholic, a neighbor insisted they check out the new parish called St. Paul the Apostle that was offering Mass at the local funeral home.
“We went the first day, and we loved it so much we registered through the parish. Father Scott was the pastor then,” Chapman recalled. “Shortly thereafter he comes driving up on a Saturday afternoon to welcome us to the parish and met my wife and all our children.”
Fifty years later, the Chapmans have served in a variety of ways, including the Knights of Columbus, Meals on Wheels, Cursillo and the food pantry. The St. Paul Youth Group helped create community and belonging for the Chapmans, and their son John even met his future wife in the program.
“We just love the parish, we love being there, we love the people,” Chapman said. “In fact, we’ve got a niche there at the columbarium, so we’ll never leave!”
— Annie Ferguson. Photos by Larry Hill and Annie Ferguson
Priests who have served at St. Paul the Apostle Parish
Paulist Fathers 1974 – 1991
Father Robert Scott (founding pastor)
Father Robert Carr
Father Jim Walsh
Father Denis Hickey
Father Joseph Gallagher
Father Jim Weisner
Father Ken Boyack
Father Robert Rivers
Father Jerry Sullivan
Oblates of St. Francis de Sales 1991 – 2008
Father Jim O’Neill
Father Tom Murphy
Father Robert Bazzoli
Father Tony Gilborges
Father Tony Larry
Father Joseph Zuschmidt
Father Doug Burns
Father Mark Wrightson
Father Paul DeChant
Father Charles Chamberlain
Father Bill Ruhl
Diocesan Priests 2008 – present
Father John Allen
Father Benjamin Roberts
Father Joseph Mack
