HUNTERSVILLE — While the Jubilee Year of Mercy is officially over, the need to perform corporal and spiritual works of mercy never ends. As Pope Francis has said, “Christ’s followers are called to continue His saving mission” – a mission of mercy. The Friendly Visitors Ministry at St. Mark Church in Huntersville combines both corporal and spiritual works.
While Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion visit various nursing homes and hospitals to bring the Blessed Sacrament to homebound Catholics, the Friendly Visitors are just that: friendly visitors. Or to put it another way, visiting friends. They provide a friendly face to those who may not otherwise have many visitors. The program reminds them they have a church family and are members of God’s family.
The Friendly Visitors program began at St. Mark when Monsignor Joseph A. Kerin, then pastor, challenged his staff to form a program to go out into the community and befriend people in need.
It is now chaired by Leanne Vaccaro, the Young at Heart Ministry coordinator. The Young at Heart Ministry encompasses 13 different ministries, and the Friendly Visitors Ministry is one of them. It is comprised of 28 people who visit nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Huntersville and Charlotte including Huntersville Oaks, Old Knox Commons, Ranson Ridge, Carillon Assisted Living, Special Touch Living, Senior Care Carolinas, as well as The Laurels and The Haven in Highland Creek.
“The Friendly Visitors Ministry is a beautiful and much-needed ministry because it provides outreach to those who are not able to get to church and practice their faith,” Vaccaro says. “It also cultivates friendships for both the homebound and Friendly Visitor.”
Susan Liuzzo has served with the Friendly Visitors program for a year and a half.
As her mother’s caregiver, she found herself constantly at the nursing home with her. “I saw things from the inside out,” she says. “There are some that are forgotten by family. So being a Friendly Visitor starts a conversation with them.”
“I started out thinking I was doing something nice for them, and yet I am the one who receives an unexpected treasure each time I visit with them as they have so many stories to tell and history to share,” she said.
One of the parishioners who enjoys regular visits is Thomasina Carr, who is a resident at Huntersville Oaks.
“The Friendly Visitors program helps me stay connected to St. Mark’s,” Carr says. “It allows me to visit with lots of people. It keeps me busy as it includes different services.”
Visits are flexible and based on both the Friendly Visitor’s schedule and the schedule of the person they visit. Often the volunteers provide rides to church or take a resident to lunch. Individuals, couples and families can expand their faith practices and provide a large variety of services to those who need it most, and training for new volun-teers is available.
— Diana Patulak Ross, Correspondent
CHARLOTTE — St. Ann Church and the Charlotte Latin Mass Community concluded its first Easter Triduum in the Extraordinary Form with the Solemn Easter Vigil service held at the Charlotte Catholic High School chapel on Holy Saturday.
Close to 150 faithful attended the solemn liturgy which began with the solemn blessing of the new fire, continued with the recitation of the four prophesies foretelling of the coming of the Redeemer, followed by the blessing of baptismal water and renewal of baptismal vows, and concluding with the first solemn Mass of Easter Sunday.
The liturgy and Mass were offered by Father Jason Barone, priest in residence at St. Ann Church and Charlotte Catholic High School chaplain, who also offered the Holy Thursday and Good Friday liturgies.
After the Vigil, the Charlotte Latin Mass Community hosted a small outdoor celebration feast in honor of Christ’s resurrection which concluded around midnight.
The next afternoon, many of the same faithful also packed St. Ann Catholic Church to attend the Solemn Latin Mass of Easter Day, which also was offered by Father Jason Barone.
The St. Ann schola was also joined by the Cantate Domino Latin choir which provided beautiful Gregorian chant. The festivities ended with an additional celebration after Mass.
The well attended Triduum liturgies and Sunday Easter Mass marked not only the first diocesan Latin Easter Triduum but the continued growth of the Latin Mass faithful across Charlotte and beyond. Attendees came from as far west as the Smokey Mountains and as far east as Raleigh.
For more information on the Latin Mass, please contact the Charlotte Latin Mass Community at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.charlottelatinmass.org.
— Mike FitzGerald, correspondent
SALISBURY — Starting Holy Thursday, people along the I-85 corridor from Concord to Lexington will be able to tune in to hear Catholic talk radio programming on 1490 AM WSTP.
The radio station should reach all of Rowan County, including the areas covered by Sacred Heart Parish in Salisbury, St. Joseph Parish in Kannapolis, St. James the Greater Parish in Concord and Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Lexington.
Programming starts April 13.
The station is the first step in plans for a new "Carolina Catholic Radio Network" being formed by stringing together existing or dormant AM radio stations in the Charlotte and Greensboro regions, said David Papandrea, who serves as a "media missionary" for EWTN in the area. CCRN would be North Carolina's first full-power commercial Catholic radio network.
EWTN radio programming will be offered on 1490 AM, along with live broadcasts of local Masses, said Len Kobylus, a member of Sacred Heart Church's Knights of Columbus who is also involved with the initiative.
WSTP’s owners, Bill Graham and Buddy Poole, are donating the first two weeks of EWTN programming, with the hope that donations will come in to keep the station on the air after that.
The goal is to reach, educate and encourage both active and fallen-away Catholics, Papandrea said, as well as inform non-Catholics about the Catholic faith.
At present, there are no full-power AM or FM commercial Catholic radio stations in North Carolina, Papandrea said. There are several low-power FM stations that reach about a 15-mile radius in Wilmington, Wake Forest, Raleigh and, most recently, at Belmont Abbey College.
Papandrea first learned of this need after he started as a "media missionary" for EWTN in 2015.
“When I looked at statistics and found out that Charlotte was the biggest market without Catholic radio in pretty much the country, it was a red flag that we have to fix,” he said.
From there, he spent time reviewing other stations' models and networking to determine the best way to bring Catholic radio to Charlotte.
The most cost-effective way to cover areas as large as Charlotte and Greensboro, he noted, is to use AM radio.
“There are a lot of them and they’re having financial hardships," he said, "so maybe we can align ourselves with owners of AM radio who would be willing to be part of the ministry and allow us to access the stations full-time 24/7 for basically the cost of operation. Instead of buying the station, we could be paying 10 cents on the dollar to get Catholic radio on the air."
Last month, the owners of 1490 AM offered Papandrea the opportunity to transmit for two weeks for free. The station last carried “classic country” and stopped broadcasting in August 2016.
“They’re giving us this gift, and in order to continue it, people can’t be passive,” Papandrea said. “They have to get involved. Once the goal is met, we’re working on the next one. There’s nothing greater than if this continues to build momentum.”
Utilities are the main expenses associated with broadcasting a station, and with the model they are using at 1490 AM, broadcasting will cost about $3,500 a month. That includes equipment, infrastructure and personnel to help in recording where necessary. CCRN is in essence “renting a furnished house with utilities paid” so it is a constant cost for the stations, Papandrea said.
“It’s a little over a $100 a day, so what we need to do is find sponsors and underwriters to help support the radio station. We’re hoping the broadcast will get people enthused enough that they’ll start making donations,” Kobylus added.
“When we’re successful here, and we feel we will be, we’ll start expanding to the other markets.”
The immediate goal is to pay for a year of broadcasting on 1490 AM, Kobylus said.
Kobylus got involved with Papandrea on the non-profit initiative when he was looking for ways to promote the Knights' pro-life activities in the Salisbury area. They hope CCRN will provide a voice for all in-state Catholic organizations to promote their causes and ministries.
Some Sacred Heart parishioners have already expressed excitement about the new station, Kobylus said, as they currently listen to EWTN through paid subscription satellite radio and apps.
The next steps, Papandrea said, are analyzing the broadcast to schedule time for promoting local ministries at the parishes that the station reaches, and conducting fundraising to keep it on the air. There could be airtime devoted to local commercials.
1490 AM will be the prototype for future stations in the radio network, Papandrea said. He is eyeing stations in west Charlotte, covering Kings Mountain, Gastonia and Belmont; south Charlotte and Rock Hill, S.C.; Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point in the Triad; and north Charlotte, covering Hickory, Huntersville, Mooresville and Statesville.
As the network grows, Belmont Abbey College has agreed in principle to be the headquarters for CCRN to provide a location, faculty, staff and student resources, Papandrea said.
“From a public relations standpoint, you can see how effective it would be to have the two combined, for the kids coming in for recruiting and communications major. It’s a natural synergy,” he said.
— Kimberly Bender, online reporter
How you can help fund a new Catholic radio network
Donations can be made online: gofundme.com/fund-nc-catholic-radio-charlotte
Or by mail: Carolina Catholic Radio Network, P.O. Box 1148, Clemmons, NC 27012-1148
For more information or sponsorship opportunities, contact David Papandrea at 704-880-0260 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
THOMASVILLE — Our Lady of the Highways Church recently welcomed special guests for the parish’s Lenten Salesian Mission.
The four-night mission, entitled “Finding God Wherever You Are,” was conducted by special guests Oblates of St. Francis de Sales Father Tom Landgraff from Toledo, Ohio, and Jeanne Hunt from Cincinnati, Ohio.
During one of the presentations parishioners were invited to come up to the altar to pray and encounter God in front of a “burning bush,” just as Moses encountered God. Everyone who attended the mission experienced something good for the heart, soul and spirit.
— Joe Thornton, correspondent
