New Pre-Ordinariate Community Flourishes in North Carolina

Hazy mountain peaks, lush forests, waterfalls, and rushing creeks are what draw many to western North Carolina. But this summer, some unlikely visitors were drawn to this mountainous part of the Bible Belt by something else. It was not the hiking, whitewater rafting or canoeing, but a higher mission.

Responding to requests of Ordinariate members, over the past eight weeks three Ordinariate priests have traveled to western North Carolina to offer the region’s first series of Ordinariate Form Masses.

The response to these Masses has shown that folks in the region are not just drawn to natural beauty, but to the beauty and reverence of Mass according to the Divine Worship Missal. Attendance has averaged around 100, with Masses being offered three times in the last month. This past Sunday saw the emerging community’s first full sung Mass with a schola.

The genesis of the Western North Carolina Ordinariate Members group began with Mr. Joshua Johnson, a former Methodist minister who went to Duke Divinity School and entered the Catholic Church with his wife Katie in 2007. After two cross country moves to work for Catholic parishes and help found and grow Catholic apostolates, the Johnsons moved back east, settling in the hilly northwest corner of South Carolina, near the North Carolina border in 2014. Blessed with four children, in 2018 the Johnsons learned that they were expecting triplets. About half way through the pregnancy they learned that one of the three girls, Chiara, had died, and another, Abigail, had a severe heart condition. In order to save her life, they had to temporarily relocate to Charleston where Abigail could receive the heart surgeries she needed.

As Ordinariate members they quickly connected with Corpus Christi, the established Ordinariate Catholic community in Charleston, South Carolina which became a spiritual home to them in an extremely difficult time. The night before Abigail’s first surgeries, Fr. Patrick Allen baptized and confirmed Abigail, along with her healthy sister Bridget, whom Bishop Lopes had given special permission to receive Confirmation. Tragically and unexpectedly, Abigail died in surgery on St. Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2019.

In the months following, the grief was heavy, but as Joshua described, their brokenness allowed God to intensify and prioritize a possible priestly vocation and reveal a new mission. After discernment with his spiritual director, he resolved to call the Ordinariate and inquire about the possibility of applying for the priesthood and starting an Ordinariate community. This began a series of conversations and a trip to Houston to meet with Fr. Richard Kramer, the Director of Vocations. 

Last fall, the Johnsons started gathering with Protestant friends to pray Evensong and discuss the Catholic faith. They also began to share the possibility of an Ordinariate parish in the region with Catholic friends and priests of the Diocese of Charlotte. All were supportive, but Fr. Christian Cook, pastor of Immaculate Conception in Hendersonville, North Carolina saw much value in having an Ordinariate community and offered to host the community at his parish.

After conversations between Bishop Steven Lopes of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter and Bishop Peter Jugis of the Diocese of Charlotte, the Western NC Ordinariate Members group began plans for their first Mass. COVID restrictions presented challenges, but they were determined to find a way to begin this summer with the help of the Ordinariate’s priests.

On July 5, Fr. Phillip Mayer of St. James Catholic Church, the Ordinariate parish community in Jacksonville, Florida, traveled to North Carolina and offered Mass at an outdoor pavilion for over 100 people. Fr. Gregory Tipton of St. Aelred’s Catholic Church, the Ordinariate parish community in Athens, Georgia, traveled to offer Mass a month later. Most recently, Fr. Armando Alejandro of St. Timothy’s, the Ordinariate community in Sykesville, Maryland traveled to offer the group’s first indoor Mass at their host parish, again, with over 100 in attendance.

Along with twenty-two canonical members the Western NC Ordinariate Members group has two Protestant families that have committed to be a part of this community's activities, learn the faith and discern the call to become Catholic. On the Sundays when the group does not have an Ordinariate Mass, they attend an ordinary Roman Rite Mass at Immaculate Conception, their host parish, and afterward gather at a nearby park where Joshua gives a formational talk. The group prays Morning Prayer, shares a meal, and fellowships together. They have also gone on hikes and celebrated feast days with Evensong, recreation and festive fare.

At the suggestion of Fr. Kramer, the Western NC Ordinariate Members have just started a Zoom inquirers/catechism class. They will also be beginning a hybrid in-person/virtual men’s and women’s groups, and will be traveling to St. Aelred’s in Athens, Georgia on September 20 to visit and meet other Ordinariate members. On October 4, Fr. Kramer will be celebrating Mass and meeting with the pre-Ordinariate community.

In the coming months, the Western NC Ordinariate Members hope for continued growth and the establishment of a weekly Sunday Ordinariate Mass offered by Fr. Cook, the pastor of their host parish.

Written with the assistance of Mr. Joshua Johnson. Photos courtesy of Western NC Ordinariate Members. 

Author’s note: Readers can follow the latest developments with the Western NC Ordinariate Members at their website, and their Facebook page. Please keep them in your prayers, and those priests who have traveled to help make its development possible.

Editor's note: You can now find the Western NC Ordinariate Members group listed among the pre-Ordinariate communities on the ACS Map.
This story featured in the ACS’s Ordinariate Newsletter for the 13^th Sunday after Trinity. We encourage readers to subscribe, and continue to send us your news and events happening in Ordinariate parishes and pre-Ordinariate communities. And please continue to support the ACS in our vital and growing mission.