ELKIN — Members of St. Stephen Mission gathered on the Feast of Christ the King Nov. 22 for the initial celebration event of the church's 60th anniversary.
During Mass, three of the founding members – Gayle Altemueller, Ruth Harris and Greg Collins – presented Father John Hanic, pastor, with a papal blessing from Pope Francis to mark the special occasion. Following Mass, the community gathered in the Family Life Center for a brunch hosted by the Ladies' Guild.
St. Stephen has been a mission of St. John Baptist de la Salle Church in North Wilkesboro since its founding.
In the spring of 1955 construction of St. Stephen Church was started. The land on which the church was built was purchased from Chatham Manufacturing Co. for $1.
The first Mass was celebrated in late 1955, and the church was officially dedicated on Jan. 30, 1956, by Bishop Vincent Waters of the Diocese of Raleigh. Whether from curiosity or true interest, Elkin townspeople overwhelmed the church on the day of the dedication. The event attracted the mayor, town officials and community leaders as well as average citizens.
—Photos provided by Sister Janis McQuade, SSJ. Slideshow courtesy of Bill Harmon, member of St. Stephen Mission.
KERNERSVILLE — A quiet corner on the grounds of Holy Cross Church has been transformed into a peaceful place of remembrance for the dead featuring a combined cemetery and columbarium. The project is the result of the talents and labor of many in the parish community.
Oblates of St. Francis De Sales Father Paul Dechant, pastor, blessed the new cemetery and columbarium on All Souls' Day Nov. 2 – celebrating the culmination of three years' effort by the parish council, finance committee, the Knights of Columbus Council 8509, local firms and many other parishioners in collaboration with officials from the Diocese of Charlotte.
Designed as a final resting place for parishioners and their families, clergy and friends of the church, the cemetery and columbarium encircle a large statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. A stone cross stands nearby.
It has a total of 1,200 plots and niches with room to expand in the future.
The niches of the columbarium, a circular brick structure, are arranged in groupings which feature the names of 20 saints: St. Juan Diego, St. Clare, St. Martin de Porres, St. Joan of Arc, St. Francis de Sales, St. Jane de Chantal, St. Patrick, St. Rose of Lima, St. Stanislaus, St. Thérèse, St. Michael, St. Leonie Aviat, St. Felipe de Jesus, St. Josephine Bakhita, St. Andrew Dung-Lac, St. Bernadette, Blessed Carlos Rodriguez Santiago, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. George and St. Katharine Drexel.
Once the concept was approved by the parish council and finance committee, Father Dechant asked parishioner and architect Matt O'Brien to lead the design effort. He assigned Worth Yonts, at that time an intern in his office, to produce the conceptual drawings of the design for parish and diocesan leaders.
"I drew from my construction background, each rendering involving light versus shadow," Yonts said. "It was a fairly successful project."
So successful, in fact, that not only did the project get the green light but Yonts was named a partner at O'Brien's architectural firm.
Parishioners Sharon Ladd, Rosemary Vasko and Dottie Saffer, members of the parish's cemetery committee and self-described gardeners, worked out many of the details about how the cemetery and columbarium would be landscaped.
"There were a lot of details you wouldn't consider," Ladd noted.
The parish held a pre-sale for the new cemetery and columbarium in July, she added, with discounts offered off the prices of the plots and niches (normally $1,500 each or $2,500 for a double). "I was astonished at the number of people who purchased," she said.
Fellow committee member Rosemary Vasko, who co-designed and assisted in the landscaping work for the cemetery and columbiarium, took a special personal interest in the project.
Earlier this month, she had her husband Tom Vasko Jr., who had passed away on Aug. 21, 2014, interred there.
"It was like having 10,000 pounds lifted off of my shoulders to have my husband laid to rest," Vasko said.
About the cemetery project in general, she commented, "It was a beautiful thing that we accomplished – physically and spiritually an accomplishment. It was a lot of hard work."
Since its completion by Beta Builders, LLC of Winston-Salem, several other parish members whose families have patiently awaited or labored for a place to inter their loved ones have been laid to rest at the new cemetery and columbarium.
—Paul S. Doizé, Correspondent