GREENSBORO — The 270-member congregation of St. Benedict Parish, the mother church and oldest parish in the Triad, celebrated 125 years on July 25, and while treasuring the past, they welcomed a future full of hope.
“Some of you have been here 30 or 40 years. You stayed with me every Sunday and every weekend,” said Father “Duc” James Duong, who has shepherded the church for the past 22 years. “Even though we are a very small parish in this area, we are proud to be a good example to the Lord’s people.”
More than 100 parishioners rejoiced with their beloved pastor and alongside celebrant Bishop Michael Martin while they marveled at the large Catholic community in the Triad that has been built from their small cornerstone.
The parish was founded thanks to the persistence of nine Catholic families who in 1869 decided they wanted better access to Mass and the sacraments. With open ears and hearts, the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey heard their pleas and responded in a big way, serving the parish into the late 20th century.
“To this day, people around this city still refer to us as the Benedictines,” Father Duong told the bishop, laughing along with his congregation.
Not many parishes can compete with the history of St. Benedict, with its cornerstone laid by a cardinal, Cardinal James Gibbons in 1877, and its building partially funded by a saint, St. Katharine Drexel. Then, it was pastored by Benedictine monks, including two future abbots and a long line of monsignors – including Monsignor Joseph Showfety, a founding father of the Diocese of Charlotte.
Tom Garcia, a parishioner since 1998 and an expert on its history, believes this faith community is the pearl of great price mentioned in the reading from the Gospel of Matthew.
“In 1899, these families desired a larger church, pooled their money, sold their land, fundraised and bought a lot in the exact center of downtown Greensboro on Smith Street,” Garcia said.
Mother Katharine Drexel addressed the shortfall in funds needed to build the church on one condition – that all people, regardless of race, could freely worship.
“This was over 60 years before the famous sit-in of 1960 right down the street in Greensboro,” Garcia said.
Over the next century, schools, a hospital and Catholic churches steadily sprung up around St. Benedict with the help of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul and the continued dedication of the Benedictine monks. St. Benedict Parish was the cornerstone that is now surrounded by more than 35,000 Catholics in the Triad.
‘Build something greater’
“Could they ever have imagined what would transpire over the next 125 years? Probably not,” Bishop Martin said during his homily. Though their history continues to evolve like the sanctuary they were sitting in, which was restored to its original splendor in 2017, the bishop urged the faithful to continue to flourish.
“Because we were given the gift of our predecessors that took their faith life seriously in a challenging world,” he said, “we, too, have to take our faith life seriously and build something greater for the future.”
“If we aren’t growing, we are dying,” he said and then he asked the congregation to repeat the mssage.
He then asked, “What example will St. Benedict be in 125 years from now? It starts today, and it starts with us. We better be fired up for what’s coming. Are you fired up?”
“Yes!” they excitedly yelled back.
Many St. Benedict parishioners pass four other Catholic churches and drive miles out of their way to sit in the same pews as their ancestors, old friends and late clergymen, the bishop noted, finding their treasure within its walls and people.
Bishop Martin ended his homily by instructing them to recommit daily by going “all-in” on the treasures they have found over their history at St. Benedict.
“We found life in Christ here in this parish community,” the bishop said. “Put your whole heart in on sharing that with the people that are not here – to show the people that their lives are nowhere as good or blessed and as awesome as they could be if they allowed Christ to be in the center of it.”
“We determine the next 125 years. Have we found the pearl of great price?” he asked.
Of course, a resounding “yes” bounced off the high ceiling and into the choir loft.
After Mass, the church celebrated in the same parish hall Monsignor Showfety designed.
“Monsignor Showfety used his own savings and his family’s savings to dump $100,000 into building this building right here,” Garcia said while he gave a brief history of the parish.
After reviewing that history, Father Duong said he can’t become an abbot because he is not a monk, nor the bishop because a new bishop, Bishop Martin, one he is quite happy with, was recently installed.
“Maybe a monsignor?” he joked. “I enjoy being here with all of you. I appreciate many of you and your ministry. I have been here for 22 years, and this year is my 25th anniversary as a priest…I appreciate your presence here at St. Benedict.”
Parishioners like Garcia are excited to see what the seeds they are now sowing will produce.
As he said, “We hope that someday 125 years from now, there will be a group in here celebrating just as we are today.”
— Lisa M. Geraci
