Lively fiesta welcomes Bishop Martin to Our Lady of the Highways Church
THOMASVILLE — Under sunny skies and cheery garlands of white and yellow flags, more than 1,000 people turned out for the 70th anniversary of Our Lady of the Highways Church Sept. 8.
The aroma of authentic cuisine from Hispanic parishioners’ native countries filled the air as everyone eagerly awaited the arrival of Bishop Michael Martin, who celebrated an outdoor bilingual Mass and afterward joined an elaborate parish potluck and fiesta.
Leticia Ontiveros, the parish’s Hispanic Ministry director, helped organize the celebration.
“We are so happy and blessed that this day is here,” Ontiveros said. “We have been waiting for a long time. Ever since last year, we have been expecting the bishop. We have been working and cooking a lot, but always with much love. We are deeply grateful to Bishop Martin and everyone for being here.”
Because of the parish’s rapid growth, especially among the Hispanic population, the church and its parish hall – which hold a combined 350 people – were not large enough to accommodate everyone for Mass, which regularly attracts 1,000 people each weekend. Instead, organizers set up about 1,000 chairs in the parking lot and church grounds. The chairs were filled, plus more people came with their own chairs and umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun.
Hispanic Catholics, who have come to Thomasville in more recent years, comprise about 90 percent of the parish. Plus, some English-speaking parishioners have been there nearly 55 years.
Parishioners Chrystine Chambers and her sister Sharon Baldwin grew up Catholic and moved from Marion to Thomasville more than 50 years ago.
“I’ve been here since 1967 and been a part of liturgical music ever since then. In about 1972, I took over as leading the English choir,” Chambers said. “Seeing everything grow from not enough people, to fill a chapel of 80 people, to overflowing everywhere, has been incredible. I’m happy to be back here on the 70th anniversary and hope to make it to the 75th.”
Originally a mission church in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the church gained full parish status in 1954 when the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales agreed to minister there. In 2020, Father Gabriel Carvajal-Salazar, a diocesan priest, was assigned as pastor.
In a recent interview, Father Carvajal-Salazar said he was honored to be pastor during this pivotal moment in the parish’s history as they celebrate the milestone anniversary and prepare to buy a larger church to accommodate their growth.
“It’s a great privilege because it’s my first assignment as a pastor and, second, it’s a special moment because after 70 years, I’m the first diocesan priest here and the first Hispanic priest,” he said.
BISHOP MARTIN SAYS, ‘BE OPEN’
As the outdoor Mass began, a procession of altar servers, young people carrying flags, and children dressed up as the Blessed Virgin Mary – whose birthday was also being celebrated in the Universal Church that day – entered the worship space ahead of Deacon Martin Sheehan, Father Carvajal-Salazar and Bishop Martin.
In his homily, Bishop Martin encouraged the congregation to be open to God and those who are not like us, drawing on the Gospel reading where Jesus heals the deaf man (Mk 7:31-37).
“Our readings today ask us if our ears are really open to hear the word of God. I find it fascinating that in the miracle Jesus performs in Mark’s gospel today, He chooses to use the phrase ‘be opened’ in order to heal the deaf man. He could have used any number of other words. But He chose the words ‘be opened.’ In many ways, Jesus is telling us that when we are closed, we too do not know what we are missing.”
He continued, “I encourage all of us: Be open. Too often we are closed to how God wants to work in our lives. Too often we are closed to those who don’t look like us or sound like us. Too often we are closed to the challenge of the Gospel: to hear more and speak more about the good news, to share more about the Gospel, especially in our families, especially in our homes.
“I am excited for you as you’re purchasing a new church here to handle the expansion of this faith community. However, I will be even more excited if you also expand the experience of Jesus in your homes and in your families.”
A NEW CHURCH HOME
Longtime parishioners Chrystine Chambers, Leticia Ontiveros, Delfina Paniagua and Sharon Baldwin shared their stories and posed for a photo with Deacon Martin Sheehan.During the celebration, the parish officially kicked off a capital campaign to buy an existing larger Protestant church in the area and refurbish it.
“This is a very crucial moment for this parish because we are looking for another place, because (we are) already full and we are overwhelmed,” said Father Carvajal-Salazar.
Deacon Sheehan, who has been ministering at the parish for six years, agreed.
“Especially in the last five years, we’ve experienced tremendous growth and have been outgrowing the campus,” he said, noting that about 20 percent of the congregation has to watch Mass on a closed-circuit television in the parish hall.
“Celebrating this significant anniversary while looking to move makes this a watershed moment for the parish,” he added. “It’s a good problem to have to address because we have so many folks.”
Deacon Sheehan also noted that the parish’s incredible growth includes a growing faith formation program with 300 children enrolled last year and probably even more this year. He said it’s also an amazing blessing that they baptize a tremendous number of children every year.
As the parish grew, especially among the Spanish-speaking population, parishioners stepped up to help. Delfina Paniagua, a parishioner since 1993, served as an interpreter for four Our Lady of the Highways pastors.
“When I came to the church, there were not too many Hispanics,” she said. “When the community started to grow, I began to do interpretation at Mass because the priests didn’t speak Spanish. Now I’m still here helping whenever they need me for English and Spanish speaking.”
A FIESTA TO REMEMBER
An elaborate fiesta featuring traditional foods and entertainment followed Mass. Amid a tree-lined drive and lively music, Bishop Martin made his way past dozens of tents where parishioners were serving food, greeting and blessing people as he went.
After he ceremoniously cut a 70th anniversary cake, the people of the parish put on a play for the bishop, featuring Spanish songs, a bilingual history of the parish, and seven girls dressed up to depict the Blessed Virgin Mary under various titles.
Each girl presented the bishop with a gift, including roses from “Our Lady of Guadalupe” and a large rosary from “Our Lady of Fatima.” Finally, the girl dressed as the parish’s patroness, Our Lady of the Highways, came forward with a box tied with ribbon. In it was a surprise for Bishop Martin: a cowboy hat he immediately put on his head, to the delight of all present.
Bishop Martin promised to visit the Thomasville parish as often as he could.
“I’m excited to be here today to see such a spirit of joy and a spirit of festivity for this occasion. I’m also grateful to all the people who did so much to make this place so beautiful, especially to those who built this beautiful altar so my bald spot didn’t get too burnt in the sun,” he joked.
“I continue to encourage Father Gabriel, our deacons, all the leadership of our community here and all the parish groups … who are doing so much to make this a vibrant community of faith so that God may continue to be praised here.”
— Annie Ferguson. Photos by Troy Hull
Priests who have served at Our Lady of the Highways Parish
-
1951 Father Robert MacMillan
1951 Father Hugh Kennedy (first pastor)
1953 Father Lawrence J. Hill and Father Clarence Hill
1954 Father John Cardiff
1968 Father Ron McCloughlin
1970 Father William Stahl, O.S.F.S.
1975 Father Willam Lyman, O.S.F.S.
1976 Father William Stahl, O.S.F.S.
1977 Father Thomas FitzPatrick, O.S.F.S.
1977 Father John Murphy, O.S.F.S.
2007 Father James Turner, O.S.F.S.
2020 – present Father Gabriel Carvajal-Salazar Growing the faith in Thomasville
-
Growing the faith in Thomasville
Before there was a Catholic church in Thomasville, there were many faithful Catholics. Through their faith and hard work, along with God’s grace, they would eventually build a church that would be outgrown decades later.
The influx of Catholics in Thomasville began in the late 1940s when players on the local minor league HiToms baseball team added to the population, leading to the first celebration of Mass in the city. During the summer, Mass was offered in Thomasville at J.C. Green & Sons Funeral Home and the Women’s Club by Father Robert MacMillan of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in High Point.
Hazel Cardiff, a Thomasville woman with great zeal for the Church, led an effort to have a place for worship on a year-round basis. She persuaded Raleigh Bishop Vincent Waters to arrange for Masses to be said in a rental home in the city. The first Mass there was celebrated June 6, 1951, by Father MacMillan. Father Hugh Kennedy became the Thomasville Catholic community’s first pastor two days later. The chapel was named St. Thomas à Becket and was a mission of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish of Lexington for seven years.
In 1953 a new pastor, Father Lawrence J. Hill, drew up plans for a permanent church building, and Bishop Waters chose the site: 3.5 acres high on a hill along the major thoroughfare into Thomasville. The first Mass in the new church was celebrated on Easter Sunday, April 18, 1954. Bishop Waters dedicated Our Lady of the Highways on June 27, 1954, in 104-degree heat with Father John Cardiff, founding parishioner Hazel Cardiff’s brother-in-law, giving the homily, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary choir adding to the celebration.
On July 2, 1970, the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales arrived, and Our Lady of the Highways became a full parish. Father William Stahl, O.S.F.S., was appointed the first permanent pastor and served two terms from July 1970 to July 1975 and then from June 1976 until his retirement in August 1977. During Father Stahl’s time as pastor, the parish grew from 17 to 72 families.
In 1984 a Spanish Mass was added for the growing community of Spanish-speaking parishioners and migrants moving into the area for work. In 1989, a new parish hall and rectory were build, providing the educational and social space needed for the parish’s then 163 families.In 2000, Father Thomas Fitzpatrick, O.S.F.S., began a campaign to raise $150,000 to remodel the church’s interior and add seating. The interior was refurbished with beautiful stained-glass windows to replace most of the original windows. Seating increased to accommodate the parish’s 250 families.
In 2007, Father James M. Turner, O.S.F.S., was appointed Our Lady of the Highways’ fourth pastor. As the parish swelled to 750 families, Father Turner faced the challenges of adding more classrooms and meeting places, as well as tirelessly ministering to the large Hispanic population. Father Turner retired from ministry in 2020 after being diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), and he died on April 16, 2024.
Father Turner was succeeded by Father Gabriel Carvajal-Salazar, who became the parish’s first diocesan and first Hispanic pastor. At the parish’s 70th anniversary celebration in 2024, he began fundraising to buy a larger Protestant church building and convert it to a Catholic church to accommodate the flourishing parish, which now sees approximately 1,000 people attend Mass every weekend.
— Annie Ferguson and www.olhcatholicchurch.com