MOUNT HOLLY — Catholics of Irish ancestry and other faithful made their pilgrimage to the annual St. Patrick Day Mass at Old St. Joseph’s Church in Mt. Holly on Friday, March 17.
Mass was offered by Monsignor Patrick Winslow, Vicar General and Chancellor for the diocese of Charlotte, who preached a homily on the life of St. Patrick, and compared the pagan state of Ireland when the saint began his evangelization effort to the state of the world today. Additionally, he drew an analogy between the devotion of the Mexican people for Our Lady of Guadalupe with that of the Irish devotion to St. Patrick. Monsignor Winslow then concluded the homily with a call to the faithful, “We need more Patricks. We need them now.”
The event began with the annual blessing of the grave of Father T.J. Cronin, the church’s first pastor who died in 1842, shortly after the founding of the church. This year marked the 180th anniversary year of the dedication of the completed church.
St. Joseph Church, built in 1843, was founded by Irish gold miners along the Catawba River and is the oldest standing Catholic church in North Carolina. The church is the oldest standing Catholic Church in North Carolina.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), which sponsored the Mass, is a Catholic-Irish fraternal organization whose goals are to promote friendship, unity and Christian charity; foster and perpetuate Irish history, culture and traditions and to protect and defend all life.
To learn more visit: https://www.aohmeck2.org/
— Mike FitzGerald. Photos by Mike FitzGerald
