CHICAGO, IL — Deacon Gabriel Sumerel, O.S.B., a former parishioner of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, was ordained March 24 to the transitional diaconate by Reverend Joseph N. Perry, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Benedictine Deacon Gabriel, son of Keith and Lori Sumerel, serves at the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Chicago. He will be ordained to the priesthood next summer.
‘We’re building a house of prayer for all’
Parishioners at Queen of the Apostles Church broke ground for their new church after all Masses Feb. 10. Each person was given a small plastic scoop and invited to turn over some dirt after a prayer and Father Frank Cancro, pastor, blessed the area with holy water. The ceremony closed with a hymn. The parish hopes to be in its new church by year’s end if the weather cooperates. (Photos by Kevin Eagan | Catholic News Herald)BELMONT — Parishioners at Queen of the Apostles Church had a dream 14 years ago that is now on its way to being realized as a new 13,430-square-foot church is under construction to accommodate the growing Catholic community 20 minutes west of Charlotte.
Parishioners’ hopes, planning and fundraising have borne fruit, and on Feb. 10 they held a groundbreaking for their new church. Father Frank Cancro, pastor, and the Queen of the Apostles Church community all participated in the groundbreaking ceremonies held after each of the Sunday Masses.
Participants of all ages were given small scoops to serve as shovels so they could help “turn the dirt” during the groundbreaking.
Stu LaFrancis, chairman of the build team, is a retired commercial contractor who will help supervise the project on behalf of the parish. He has been a member of the parish for the past 10 years.
“We are building a house of prayer for all,” LaFrancis said. “This is really exceptional and exciting for our parishioners.”
The cost to build the new church is projected to be $4.15 million. The new church will offer seating for 750 people – more than double the capacity of the current church.
“It’s going to have a big space feel when you walk in. It’s going to give you a ‘pop’ when you walk in because of the lush colors selected for the interior,” LaFrancis said.
He is concerned the recent rainy weather may pose a challenge during the initial phase of the project, pushing completion of the church into early 2020, but he also noted that weather delays are par for the course in most construction projects.
WKWW Architects of Charlotte, which specializes in church architecture design, served as architect. Southside Constructors will serve as general contractor for the project.
“This is a community effort. All of the parishioners have contributed and paid for this. This is a church of the people,” LaFrancis said.
A much-anticipated feature of the new church will be its six front doors crafted out of repurposed, now rare, northern Appalachian longleaf pine taken from the floorboards of Chronicle Mill on Catawba Street in Belmont, which is owned by Queen of the Apostles parishioners John and Jennifer Church. Each door will stand over eight feet tall and weighs 225 pounds.
The church will have a new entrance off Franklin Street as well as additional parking that will make the church more handicapped accessible. It will offer new restrooms, a cry room and nursery, a large narthex, a parlor for families and ministers attending weddings and funerals, a sacristy and a dedicated space for the sacrament of reconciliation.
Once the new church is completed, the current church building will be converted into a daily chapel and addition-al administrative offices as funds become available to complete those renovations.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior Reporter
CHARLOTTE — Parishioners young and old at Our Lady of Consolation Church took part in an African American History Month program Feb. 24 entitled, “The Greatness of Ancient Kemet to Making Black Lives Matter: Using the Stories of Our People to Inspire and Empower Us!” The program featured a keynote address by Rev. Dr. Sheldon R. Shipman, pastor of Greenville Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Charlotte and one of the Charlotte region’s most popular lecturers on black history and social and racial equity.
The program aimed to share a more nuanced perspective on African American history. The story of black people in the United States usually begins with the arrival of enslaved Africans to American shores in 1619.
They were chained, seemingly broken and “uncivilized” – if one is to believe the pictures and the portrayals in general American history curricula. However, black history also encompasses the innate eloquence of Frederick Douglass, the mastery of Benjamin Banneker, the poetry of Phyllis Wheatley, the defiance of Nat Turner and the military mastery of Toussaint L’Overture.
Father Basil Sede, pastor, led everyone in prayer, parishioner Natalie Isabel Warren recited poetry, and Gary Mumford and the African Drum Ensemble gave a special drum performance. The program was presented by Our Lady of Consolation Parish’s Black Culture Commission, co-chaired by Toni Tupponce. The program was co-chaired by Deborah Wadsworth. They are pictured with Father Sede, Rev. Dr. Shipman and Natalie Warren.
The day also included a “Harambee” Mass, inspired by the Kenyan tradition of community self-help efforts, in recognition of Black History Month. “Harambee” means “all pull together” in Swahili.
— Photos by Travis Burton | Catholic News Herald
Rev. Dr. Sheldon R. Shipman, pastor of Greenville Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Charlotte and one of the Charlotte region’s most popular lecturers on black history and social and racial equity, gave the keynote address at Our Lady of Consolation Church’s African American History Month program Feb. 24.
The celebration included Mass highlighting the Kenyan tradition of “Harambee,” which means “pulling together” in Swahili. Ladies dressed in white for the occasion.
Pictured are Father Basil Sede, pastor of Our Lady of Consolation Church; Rev. Dr. Sheldon R. Shipman, pastor of Greenville Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Charlotte; Natalie Isabel Warren, who read poetry at the event; and Toni Tupponce and Deborah Wadsworth of the parish’s Black Culture Commission.
The celebration included Mass highlighting the Kenyan tradition of “Harambee.” Father Basil Sede, pastor, holds aloft the Book of the Gospels.