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iiiNovember 1, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com
T The first 7 parishes of the campaign n St. Pius X in Greensboro has set a challenge goal of $7.5 million for its combined Forward in Faith/ Making a Place to Gather and Grow effort. (Some parishes have set a “challenge goal,” choosing to conduct their Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love effort along with their own local campaign.) Committed monies will be used to build a new a new parish life center, office complex and primary education wing, local projects totaling a little under $6 million. Their total pledged as of press time on Oct. 28 was $1,960,670. n St. Ann Church in Charlotte will use monies committed to the Forward in Faith effort, and returned to the parish to pay off parish debt, and beautify its church by painting a mural for the apse wall. Their challenge goal is $2 million, and their total pledged as of press time was $1,921,445. n Queen of Apostles in Belmont has set a challenge goal of $4 million in order to build a new church which will accommodate its growing parish community. Their total pledged as of press time was $1,790,440. n Sacred Heart in Salisbury has a $2.25 million challenge goal to reduce the parish debt following the construction of a new church and school. Their total pledged as of press time was $2,162,511. n St. Elizabeth of the Hill Country in Boone will use committed monies to renovate the parish hall, focusing on updates to the kitchen area (new stoves, dishwashers, etc.) and to expand the entire space for its growing parish community and ministry. They will also consider new flooring for the gathering area, re-pavement and/or expansion of the parking lot, an elevator, and a new set of sacred vessels for Communion. Their total pledged as of press time was $586,255. n St. John Neumann in Charlotte will use its funds to expand the local food pantry. Funds will also provide additional classroom space and will be used to renovate the parish hall, kitchen and social gathering area. Their total pledged as of press time was $1,205,971. n St. William in Murphy looks forward to enhancing the liturgical life of its parish, providing technological upgrades to the faith formation center, and improving the parish kitchen with the share of the campaign monies that come back to the parish. Their total pledged as of press time was $282,775.
CATHOLIC N
Forward in Faith,
he wide-ranging campaign to raise $65 million for the Diocese of Charlotte’s 92 parishes and missions along with
Here are stories about three of the seven “pilot parishes” who have already launched their campaigns and led th
‘At Queen of the Apostles we have been blessed to grow to more than 1,000 families and that’s why we need a new church.’ Father Frank Cancro
Pastor, Queen of the Apostles Church
Ty Reamer | Catholic News Herald
Parishioners crowd into Queen of the Apostles Church in Belmont during a recent Sunday Mass.
Belmont church plans expansion to make ‘a home for all’ growing economy in the Charlotte metropolitan area. Belmont, once a textile-driven community, is growing with affluent suburbanites looking for small-town living just a few short miles down the interstate from Charlotte. “(In the Northeast) they are not opening too many new parishes – BELMONT — Father Frank Cancro, pastor of Queen of the Apostles they are closing them down,” said Father Cancro. “But here in the Church, uses four simple words when it comes to the importance of South that has never been our experience. We continue to grow.” building a new church for his parish: “A Home for All.” Besides twice the seating capacity, the new church will encompass “My hope and my vision is that it will really allow us to serve more than 20,000 square feet of gathering, worship and meeting space. a broader community,” said Father Cancro. “It will also allow us There will be improved handicapped access, and the placement of the additional spaces for the other parts of our parish life and our church’s main entrance away from the street outreach, as we are connected to some 20 will allow for additional parking. different non-profit agencies in Gaston County.” Cancro added that the new church’s Parishioners at Queen of the Apostles have More online architecture will provide a striking beacon in already pledged nearly $1 million towards their the downtown Belmont area. $4 million goal, which represents a “challenge Learn more at www. “It’s going to give us a prominence in the goal.” (Some parishes have set a “challenge forwardfaithhopelove.org. skyline of Belmont. Our current building goal,” choosing to conduct their Forward in used to be an old gymnasium from when the Faith, Hope, and Love effort along with their (neighboring Sisters of Mercy) ran a military own local campaign.) school here on this property,” said Father Cancro. “There’s nothing The parish has plans to build a larger church on its present Main distinctive about it and it doesn’t even look like a church. The new Street property, designed to serve a booming Catholic community. design, of course, is to create a building that is more structured in the From 2007 to 2013, Queen of the Apostles has added a total of 420 new way people would conceive a church, with a pointed roof and a cross and families and has more than 1,000 currently. Since Father Cancro came hopefully and eventually a bell tower. (The new church) will add to the to the parish in 2006, additional Sunday Masses have been added. The skyline the kind of prominence we have never had. Although we are very church also uses a closed-circuit television feed and an additional prominent in the community in terms of our outreach and work with building to accommodate additional parishioners during Mass inside different organizations, this too would provide a more physical presence the 48-year-old church that currently seats only about 500. The new as well.” church will have twice that capacity. Fundraising for the campaign has gone well despite kicking off “Seating is going to be one of the major features of our new church,” noted Father Cancro. “Queen of the Apostles has felt the need for a new during the sleepy summer months, when so many parishioners go on vacation. facility for some years now. We’ve experienced tremendous growth, “Those (parishioners) that we have visited over the summer, it seems especially in the last six years. The parish, overall, is quite committed to have worked out fairly well,” he said. More than 250 families have to building a new church here.” raised close to $1.8 million to date. Originally from Philadelphia and in the priesthood for 32 years, “My hope is that as we reach the other 800 families of the parish now Cancro ascribes the growing number of parishioners to the mass influx that the summer is over, that we will be equally as successful.” of northerners, like him, coming southward to the warmer climate and David Exum Correspondent