From Rome with love
FRANKLIN — A taste of the Eternal City – and eternity itself – can be found in sacred art light shows created by Dawn and Dale McGiboney, owners of Highland Mediaworks.
Their first project was in Charlotte for the Diocese of Charlotte’s Year of St. Joseph in 2020. Images of the earthly father of Jesus as depicted in sacred art were projected in a spectacular, larger-than-life light show on the Diocesan Pastoral Center for a week in early January – just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
The show sparked wonder, awe and curiosity about Catholicism from passersby.
“Many people will never make it to Vatican City, and so for Charlotte to see what Catholics have been doing for 2,000 years in the midst of hardship and to respond so well, it was miraculous in my opinion,” said Dawn McGiboney. “The neighbors of the Pastoral Center would walk by with their dogs, and we’d come and talk about Catholicism. I just felt that it was a ministry at that point. People would walk down every night and say, ‘I love this. Thank you.’”
Lights, projectors, action!
Highland Mediaworks added three Catholic churches to its portfolio in 2022. Converts to the Catholic faith from the Baptist Church, the McGiboneys produced light shows for St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, St. Mark Church in Huntersville and St. Francis of Assisi Church in Franklin, their home parish. They have a host of secular clients as well, including those in the furniture, hotel, golf and entertainment industries. Every project is different, they said, and brings new challenges. Yet, it’s a labor of love.
“We’re always looking to do something different because that’s the nature of business,” McGiboney said. “You always want to continue to grow and do cutting-edge stuff, so we started with projection, and it was very hard.”
The McGiboneys began with an indoor installation for The Bascom: A Center for Visual Arts in Highlands and then experimented with different media, including cars, planes and even wedding cakes. Almost any target will work, McGiboney said, even a waterfall. They worked for four months to get permission from the U.S. Forest Service to project onto Dry Falls in Highlands, where visitors can view the falls and walk behind them.
“It’s the most beautiful, most perfect water there,” McGiboney said. “We took our projectors down there and used generators for electricity.”
Finding healing in sacred art
Soon the couple met Monsignor Patrick Winslow, the newly appointed vicar general of the diocese, and his interest led to their start in sacred art.
“We really want it to be intentional. We would like for people to enjoy it, but also for there be a healing element,” McGiboney said. “Jesus is light, so you can see it was an attractive thing for us as Christians.”
First came the Pastoral Center project in 2020.
“We met Father John Putnam, the pastor of St. Mark Church, when we were at the Pastoral Center for the light show, and he said, ‘Holy images are miraculous, but when they’re that big they’re even more miraculous.’ As converts we were intrigued with this whole new way of looking at Christianity. All the answers that Catholicism contains were missing (to us) as Protestants. When we heard that kind of response, it was really a powerful time for us.”
In 2022, St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte hired Highland Mediaworks to project images of its stained-glass windows onto the exterior of the cathedral from March 14 to 19, in conjunction with its patronal feast day. The windows needed repairs, and the light show not only highlighted the need to raise funds but also served as a method of outreach.
“It was truly exceptional to have the community members feel like they’re inside the church when they were outside. It really drew them in. I stood there and handed out brochures the church had given me describing the windows, but I also invited them to come to church,” McGiboney said.
The project at St. Mark Church in Huntersville was different in that it was for an annual parish festival held in September. “The challenge was to find the balance between sacred time and then the fun stuff with the media,” McGiboney explained. “We projected images of the stained-glass inside onto the bell tower.”
In October, the McGiboneys projected images of their parish patron onto St. Francis of Assisi Church in Franklin to help raise money for the local food pantry.
“It was just such a powerful thing for our congregation to see the way he (St. Francis) looked and to put him on our building. All the different parishioners loved it. It felt like he was right there with us, encouraging us to be the best we could be as parishioners,” McGiboney said. “The silent auction that evening raised more money than I expected.”
The McGiboneys have found that the projected shows shed a light on the Church in a way that resonates.
“They really show what Catholics have done very, very well, which is take care of the history of Jesus Christ and all the artists who put these masterpieces together,” McGiboney said. “All of that can be attributed to the Catholic Church. When we first started working in sacred art, it was a great moment for us. We felt on top of the world.”
— Annie Ferguson
A mission of love
Women and children in crisis across the Diocese of Charlotte are increasingly turning to local Catholic organizations for food assistance, emergency shelter, financial support and help through unplanned pregnancies.
Parishes across the diocese offer widespread support through a variety of programs, including Walking With Moms in Need, which provides support for pregnant women and new mothers. And parishioners are stepping up as volunteers and donors to support well-established organizations making an impact on women’s lives.
Here’s a look at three nonprofit outreach programs within in the diocese – Catherine’s House, MiraVia and Room At The Inn – serving increasing numbers of women and families.
Catherine’s House, Belmont
Catherine’s House, nestled on the Sisters of Mercy’s Sacred Heart campus, meets a critical need for women and children experiencing homelessness by providing safe transitional housing and services that help build self-sufficiency.
Named after the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, Catherine McAuley, Catherine’s House opened in 1992 and has provided shelter for more than 2,500 women over the past 31 years. Dedicated staff and volunteers work in partnership with each resident to identify long-term housing solutions while teaching skills such as budgeting, time management and conflict resolution.
During their stay, each woman participates in an individualized four- to six-month program that includes case management, individual and group counseling, and a focus on emotional wellness.
“Many of the women and children that Catherine’s House serves lack a stable and positive support system to help guide them during their transition,” said Kathy Gauger, president and CEO. “The staff of Catherine’s House embody the core tenant of the Sisters of Mercy – the charism of Mercy, defined as the compassionate treatment of those in distress. The mercy bestowed upon residents is what fuels long-term change.”
In 2022, Catherine’s House assisted 54 women and 36 children, free of charge. It serves women and children from a multi-county area in North and South Carolina, with the majority of residents from Mecklenburg and Gaston counties. And their work is growing.
“We provided 23 percent more nights of care to women and children compared to the same time last year and have served 21 people more individuals. The need will likely continue to grow due to the increase in cost of living,” Gauger said. “While Catherine’s House meets the basic needs of our residents, our greatest impact is empowering women to become self-sufficient so that upon completing the program, the cycle of homelessness ends.”
MiraVia, Charlotte and Belmont
Since 1994, MiraVia has offered a safe haven and source of hope for more than 11,300 pregnant women and their children. It offers a unique combination of pregnancy resources to women in an outreach program in Charlotte and in a residential program for college moms on the campus of Belmont Abbey College.
Last September, MiraVia’s Outreach Center moved to a new, 3,700-square-foot location on Tyvola Road, allowing for much-needed extra space to store donations, conduct classes and accommodate a free boutique for pregnant women and new moms. The move couldn’t come at a better time.
MiraVia hosts up to 80 women a week at the outreach center, and it was running out of room in its old facility on Weona Avenue.
“Our Outreach Center has become busier and busier, so this was the perfect year for us to expand and to find a new facility,” said Debbie Capen, executive director.
“We are thrilled to have relocated to a new location that is still very accessible to our clients.”
Capen said the space is more professional and better reflects the dignity of MiraVia’s clients. In addition, it is well organized for the programs they offer women, including life-skills classes and support groups. The new classroom setting is bigger, offering technology resources for meetings.
“The flow in our new space is better, as clients go from the classroom to the boutique to pick out clothing for themselves, their children and the necessities they need such as diapers, wipes, car seats and cribs,” Capen explained.
“Our hope is that we would like to increase our reach by 25 percent this year and work towards doubling it,” she added. “We’ve adjusted and streamlined the outreach program so that the new facility makes it conducive to the program and what we do.”
Feedback from women who have transitioned from the old location to the new Outreach Center is positive. Many have noted that it makes them feel special coming to such a nice facility for support.
“That is priceless to me: that they don’t feel marginalized,” Capen said. “It’s so beautiful to see moms and donors coming in and out, interacting and enjoying each other’s company.”
Room At The Inn, Greensboro
In a large, stately Greensboro home, Room At The Inn offers shelter and comprehensive services to homeless, single pregnant women from across North Carolina.
Since opening its doors more than two decades ago, the agency has helped hundreds of pregnant women with nowhere else to turn by providing a home, resources, material goods, life-skills classes, job training, case management, transportation, child care, the chance to earn a college degree, and someone with a loving heart to listen to the struggles and dreams of the women they serve.
“Graduates of the maternity home program go on to live lives of hope-filled independence by obtaining jobs and their own housing with the support of caring staff members who stay in touch through the After Care program for years after the babies are born,” said Marianne Donadio, vice president and chief development officer.
The mothers may also choose to stay and earn a degree while living at the Amy Elizabeth Disney House next door or at the Backyard Ministry House in Kernersville. These houses are also used to provide emergency shelter when the maternity home is full.
The need for these services has always been in demand and shows no signs of waning.
“Even though North Carolina’s laws on abortion haven’t changed at this point, as a pro-life agency, we have been continuously striving to increase the support we offer to pregnant and parenting women in need, ever since we first opened,” said Albert Hodges, president of Room At The Inn.
Additions include the St. Joseph Housing program that launched in 2022 and the future Clifford Hall, a permanent ministry center to be built in Kernersville that will greatly increase the types and capacity of the agency’s services.
St. Joseph’s Housing program provides homeless clients with assistance in obtaining stable or permanent housing. Clients may be Room At The Inn’s maternity home graduates or may be referred to the program by other homeless service providers in the Triad. Assistance consists of case management, help with reducing barriers to obtaining or keeping housing, transportation, deposits for rent and utilities, and rent, all based on individual needs.
“Clifford Hall, our latest endeavor, will allow us to greatly expand what we currently do and offer a comprehensive array of essential services for single mothers,” Hodges said. “Our staff, architects and consultants are hard at work planning and getting the ball rolling on this life-changing project.”
When finished, Clifford Hall will house a thrift store, job-training programs, a child care facility, St. Joseph’s Housing offices, room for education and training programs and a large conference room with meeting areas where small fundraising events can also be held.
“We plan to add a second phase later on, which will include a small chapel and some housing for full-time volunteers,” Hodges said. “We are excited to see this long-term vision coming to fruition as we continue making the love of Jesus real to these single mothers and children.”
— SueAnn Howell and Annie Ferguson. Photos provided by Catherine’s House, MiraVia, Room At The Inn and Steven Sheppard
Learn more
Find out how you can donate or volunteer with these local organizations at www.catherineshouseinc.org, www.miravia.org and www.roominn.org.
