Catholic Charities Week May 1-7
Catholic Charities Week, coming May 1-7, highlights the tangible ways in which the people of western North Carolina are given help, a glimmer of hope, and inspiration to overcome the difficulties they are experiencing.
Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte served more than 15,000 people in 2021, as the residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation created demand for food, housing and financial assistance.
Catholic Charities also rose to the challenge as a surge of refugees fleeing war-torn Afghanistan were welcomed to the area, creating a significant demand for resettlement services.
To date, more than 240 Afghan refugees have been resettled in Charlotte and Asheville since October. These families and individuals have received financial, medical, employment and housing assistance to enable them to start a new life in the U.S.
COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES
Catholic Charities offers a comprehensive array of services, including pregnancy support and adoption services; individual, marriage, and family counseling; support for pregnant teens and teens in crisis; distribution of food and non-food donated goods to the needy; refugee resettlement and immigration services; disaster relief; economic opportunity development; and social concerns, education and advocacy – including justice and peace, Catholic Relief Services and the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.
“Through the generosity of our donors and partnerships with funders, we are able to offer services either free of charge or on a sliding fee scale to all whose needs fall within our range of expertise and ability to serve,” says Dr. Gerard Carter, executive director and CEO of Catholic Charities.
All of Catholic Charities’ services are available to clients regardless of their race, ethnicity or religion.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
More online
How can you help?
Financial donations to enable Catholic Charities to assist participants and buy food are an effective way to help serve people in need. Make donations online at www.ccdoc.org (click on “Donate”); or by mail to: Catholic Charities, Central Processing, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203-4003.
Need assistance?
Catholic Charities offers services to people across western North Carolina. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or reach out to your local Catholic Charities office:
Asheville 828-255-0146
Charlotte 704-370-3262
Greensboro 336-288-1984
Lenoir 828-434-5710
Murphy 828-835-3535
Winston-Salem 336-727-0705
People who need assistance can also call 2-1-1 to find up-to-date information on available community services that may be available. 2-1-1 helps connect people to information about local food pantries, medical resources and possible changes to government benefits.
Endowments benefit Catholic Charities and its vital work throughout western North Carolina
- Catholic Charities Asheville Endowment Fund: For the benefit of Catholic Charities, Asheville
- Catholic Charities Burial Assistance Endowment Fund: For the benefit of Catholic Charities Burial Assistance Program
- Catholic Charities Charlotte Endowment Fund: For the benefit of Catholic Charities, Charlotte Regional Office
- Catholic Charities Endowment Fund: For the benefit of Catholic Charities
- Catholic Charities Natural Family Planning Endowment Fund: For the benefit of Natural Family Planning, Catholic Charities
- Catholic Charities Refugee Endowment Fund: For the benefit of Catholic Charities Refugees
- Catholic Charities Respect Life Endowment Fund: For the benefit of Catholic Charities Respect Life
- Catholic Charities Winston-Salem Endowment Fund: For the benefit of Catholic Charities, Winston-Salem
- Beatrice A. Chase Endowment Fund: For the benefit of Catholic Charities
- FFHL Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte Endowment Fund: For the benefit of Catholic Charities – FFHL
- Maureen Reinehr Gigler Endowment Fund: To provide for diocesan multicultural ministry needs across the western half of North Carolina
- Elizabeth Grace Endowment Fund: For the benefit of Catholic Charities
- Aurelia I. Guffey Catholic Charities Endowment Fund: For the benefit of Catholic Charities
- Peter J. and Catherine P. Hickey Endowment Fund: For the benefit of Catholic Charities adoption programs
- Lawrence and Patricia Hollett Family Endowment Fund: For the benefit of St. Leo the Great Parish in Winston-Salem, Holy Family Parish in Clemmons, and Catholic Charities
- Marcaccio Family St. Anthony Bread Endowment Fund: For the benefit of St. Pius X Parish, and Catholic Charities Piedmont/Triad and Asheville offices
- Robert H. Moeller Memorial Endowment Fund: To provide for the financial assistance for the elderly across the western half of North Carolina
- John S. Monahan Endowment Fund: For the benefit of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Charlotte – 50% towards refugee/immigrant needs, and 50% unrestricted
- John and Marlene Olenick Endowment Fund: For the benefit of Room At The Inn of Greensboro, and pregnancy support services of Catholic Charities
- George and Jane Pfaff Endowment Fund: For the benefit of Catholic Charities
- San Lorenzo Ruiz Philippine Heritage Endowment Fund: For the benefit of Catholic Charities, Charlotte
- Sarmiento-Lang Family Endowment Fund: For the benefit of St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry at St. Barnabas Parish in Arden, and pregnancy support services at Catholic Charities
- Lee and Allan Thurbee Memorial Endowment Fund: For the benefit of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Charlotte
St. Bernadette Church hosts patron saint’s relics during national tour
LINVILLE — Busloads of pilgrims flocked to St. Bernadette Church May 9-11 to pray for the intercession of St. Bernadette Soubirous, called “the seer of Lourdes,” and see her relics.
The teenage saint witnessed 18 apparitions of Mary in Lourdes in 1858. The French town has become a famous destination for pilgrims, some of whom have been miraculously healed after bathing in its natural spring.
Linville became a pilgrim destination of its own this week – the only stop in North Carolina on a five-month national tour of St. Bernadette’s relics.
Among the faithful making the pilgrimage to the little church nestled in the shadow of Grandfather Mountain was Rose Alenius-Spencer of Abingdon, Va. She drove one-and-a-half-hours south through the mountains Monday with one of her daughters and her infant grandson to visit the saint she’s had an affinity for since childhood.
“I have always felt a real connection to her. I don’t really understand what it is,” she said. “My youngest daughter has Bernadette as her middle name. I am here for her and for my grandson – there are special prayers going up for them.” But, she added, “We are all in need. Every single one of us is in need of healing.”
The relics of St. Bernadette traveling across the country are ex-carne relics (meaning “from the flesh”). The reliquary, or container that houses the relics, was crafted in Spain by the Maison Granda workshop and unveiled in 2019.
The national tour, which began in April, is being organized by the Sanctuary of Lourdes in partnership with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, North American Volunteers, Hospitalité of Miami, and the Order of Malta.
During the relics’ three-day visit to his parish, pastor Father Christopher Bond anointed the sick, offered Mass and led a candlelit rosary procession each night.
Among those who were anointed Monday were Gerry and Judy Bielfeldt, who were on their way to Chicago to meet their first great-grandson. Parishioners of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte for 26 years, they read about the tour in the Catholic News Herald and knew they wanted to build it into their trip itinerary.
“I thought it would be an interesting stop. And we all need the anointing of the sick, so I wanted to stop here on our trip,” Judy said.
“I’ve always been interested in her, and I’m definitely in need of spiritual healing,” said pilgrim Catherine Norton, who is a junior at Charlotte Catholic High School. “St. Bernadette is my confirmation saint.”
“I just love these types of things,” added her aunt and confirmation sponsor, Patricia Hayes. “The symbolism (of events like this) to me is the universality of the Church.”
Six women from the Mary’s Women of Joy group at St. Mark Church in Huntersville also made the pilgrimage to venerate the relics May 9.
“I felt like we were being called,” said Jean Whelan, longtime coordinator of the ministry. The group had recently visited the Marian grotto at Belmont Abbey, and this was another opportunity for them to get together and pray.
Whelan received the anointing of the sick and spent hours in prayer before the relics and image of St. Bernadette, interceding for family and friends.
She sat in on Megan Bean’s talk about a healing she experienced in Lourdes in 2013 – a healing that is being investigated for possible recognition as a miracle.
Bean had the same misdiagnosed leg clot that Whelan’s mother had before she died. “On many levels, Mary was calling me there to heal from my mother’s passing,” Whelan reflected.
She feels a kinship with Bean, not only because Bean and her mother shared the same ailment, but through a priest connection. “Her son’s a priest. My dad’s a priest (retired Father Robert Ferris, who entered seminary some years after her mother passed away). So we bonded over that. And her son (Father Matthew Bean) is at my church, so I’m praying for him.”
Each day of the relics’ visit was capped off with a candlelight procession similar to those held in Lourdes. Participants prayed the rosary as they weaved their way up the hill behind a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, to the grotto overlooking the church.
“When you go (on a pilgrimage), you thank God,” Whelan said. But more than that, she added, “You don’t realize how impactful it is for your soul, and how impactful it is for everyone you went there for.”
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter. Photos by SueAnn Howell and César Hurtado
‘Lourdes to Linville’
Relics of St. Bernadette on U.S. tour coming to WNC May 9-11
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France receives more than 3 million pilgrims a year to the Marian shrine. The relics of St. Bernadette are making a pilgrimage from Lourdes throughout the U.S. and will be at St. Bernadette Church in Linville May 9-11. (Photo provided by the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes)LINVILLE — St. Bernadette Church will host the relics of its patron, St. Bernadette Soubirous– the only stop in North Carolina on the relics’ first tour of the United States.
The western North Carolina church – and the picturesque mountain town of Linville – will be alive with the “Lourdes experience” May 9-11.
Called “the seer of Lourdes,” the French saint witnessed 18 apparitions of Mary in 1858 when she was just 14. Lourdes, the site of the apparitions and a natural spring at the base of the grotto where Mary appeared, has become a renowned destination for pilgrims, some of whom have experienced miraculous healing after bathing in the waters.
The national tour of St. Bernadette’s relics started earlier this month in Florida and ends in August. It is being organized by the Sanctuary of Lourdes in partnership with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, North American Volunteers, Hospitalité of Miami, and the Order of Malta.
Father Christopher Bond, pastor, believes his church was selected as a tour location because of its patron and his prompt response to an inquiry he received via email.
“I think because I jumped on it, we got it,” he says.
Father Bond visited the shrine at Lourdes 10 years ago before making a pilgrimage on the Way of St. James through southern France and Spain, better known as the Camino. The shrine features the grotto where Mary appeared to the young St. Bernadette, as well as spring-fed baths in which people may bathe to seek healing.
The experience was unforgettable, he recalls.
“I went into the baths, and in Lourdes I experienced and could truly feel the Blessed Mother’s presence. Something real happened there (to me) many years ago.”
The relics of St. Bernadette that are traveling across the country are ex-carne relics (meaning “from the flesh”) that were given years ago to the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Immaculate Conception (Fathers of Garaison). Since 1866, the congregation has overseen the Lourdes shrine. In 2018, they entrusted the relics to the Sanctuary of Lourdes.
The reliquary, or container that houses the relics, was crafted in Spain by the Maison Granda workshop and unveiled in 2019.
The church in Linville will host a series of events during the three days the relics are there.
Public events begin at 11 a.m. daily with the sacrament of anointing of the sick. In addition, the church will offer: public veneration of the relics; a talk by Megan Bean, who was healed in Lourdes; Mass with a Eucharistic Procession and Benediction (including sprinkling with water from the Masabielle Grotto in Lourdes); and a candlelit rosary procession each evening.
Other points of interest on the parish grounds that visitors can enjoy include: an outdoor and an indoor Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, where people can light votive candles, and a unique painting of St. Bernadette commissioned from renowned artist Chas Fagan. Fagan also painted the official canonization image of Mother Teresa when she was declared a saint in 2016.
“I was blessed with the opportunity to go to Lourdes, but for many, a trip to Lourdes is not possible,” Father Bond said. “Now that the holy relics of St. Bernadette and the ‘experience’ of Lourdes are coming to Linville, much of the activities, the mystery, the hopefulness and the peace experienced by millions in Lourdes can be experienced here. We welcome everyone to come May 9, 10 and 11.”
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Go online
At www.lourdestolinville.org: Besides the information listed at left, see the event’s official website for more information about the upcoming tour, including prayers, the plenary indulgence that’s available to pilgrims, Church teaching on relics, and more
Know before you go
Parking
Please note that there is no on-site public parking at the church during the tour.
Free off-site parking and shuttle services will be offered.
People are encouraged to carpool.
The free shuttle service will run daily from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. (both directions) and from 8:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (back to the off-site parking area). Shuttles will pause during the rosary procession in the evening.
Groups and parishes planning on chartered bus transportation must contact St. Bernadette Parish at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Complete parking information can be found online at www.lourdestolinville.org/parking.
Daily schedule
- 9:30-10:30 a.m. (church): Private veneration of the relics (priests, deacons, seminarians and religious only)
- 11 a.m. (church): Anointing of the Sick available
- Noon-3:45 p.m. (church): Public veneration of the relics
- 1-2 p.m.: “Healed in Lourdes,” a talk by Megan Bean
- 4 p.m. (church): Mass with Asperges Rite (sprinkling with water from the Masabielle Grotto), concluding with a Eucharistic Procession and Benediction
- 5:30-8 p.m. (church): Public veneration of the relics
- 5:30-7:30 p.m. (dining tent): Dinner meals for purchase; bring bagged meals if preferred
- 8:15 p.m. (church, grotto): Candlelit rosary procession (multilingual)
Meals
Dinner meals will be available for purchase. A bagged lunch is recommended for those visiting during the day.
Other points of interest
- Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto (outdoor)
- Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto (indoor) for lighting votive candles
- St. Anthony of Padua Chapel (outdoor)
Other activities
- Short video “Lessons from Lourdes: Our Lady of Lourdes & St. Bernadette”
- Children’s crafts/play area (times may vary)
- Gift shop (times may vary)