FOREST CITY — Parishioners at Immaculate Conception Church recently celebrated 75 years of keeping the faith in Rutherford County.
The parish, which serves 269 households, celebrated its anniversary with cupcake and cake receptions after Masses on Sept. 13 and 14 and a special anniversary Mass on Sept. 15.
Festivities continued with the annual Hispanic Festival on Sept. 20, a day complete with food, music and vendors that was a fitting kickoff to Hispanic Heritage Month.
The series of celebrations was the result of months of planning by a small yet dedicated group of volunteers.
“That seems to be a hallmark of this parish,” said volunteer Penny Watkins. “People give their very best for the honor and glory of God.”
Prayer played a big part in the celebrations. Seventy-nine families and individuals pledged to pray the rosary for 75 days leading up to the anniversary date, meaning that about 6,000 rosaries were recited for the growth of the parish, Watkins noted.
Homebound parishioners weren’t forgotten. Members of the parish’s Third Order of Lay Carmelites prepared anniversary prayer books that included traditional prayers as well as special ones for the lonely and those dealing with chronic illness and distributed them during home visits. Parishioner Donna Kersey wrote an anniversary prayer.
Father Herbert T. Burke has led the parish for 24 years and hopes the celebration reminds his flock of the role they play in sharing the Catholic faith in Rutherford County.
“For three-quarters of a century, Christ has been here in the Eucharistic Presence, and the Sacrifice of the Mass has been here bringing blessings and graces to the county,” he said.
Faith in Forest City
Immaculate Conception Parish in Forest City recently celebrated 75 years of building the Catholic faith in Rutherford County. (Photo provided)The parish’s history is a testament to the dedication and perseverance of the faithful in Forest City, located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Catholics have lived in Rutherford County since the 1840s but had no permanent place to worship until more than a century later.
In the 1880s, a faithful group of six Catholic families traveled about 20 miles to Shelby to attend Mass at St. Mary, Help of Christians, a mission church started by the Benedictine monks of nearby Belmont Abbey.
In the 1940s, Monsignor Lawrence Newman, then pastor at the Shelby parish, launched an effort to start a mission in adjacent Rutherford County. With help from the Catholic Extension Society, local Catholics built a church and named it in honor of the Immaculate Conception. It was dedicated in September 1950 by Bishop Vincent S. Waters of the Diocese of Raleigh.
Immaculate Conception was a mission for 22 years, and it took 19 years to welcome the first resident pastor, Father Kenneth Parker, who arrived in 1969. Immaculate Conception became a parish in 1972 after the Diocese of Charlotte was formed.
The parish continued to grow, and a new rectory and parish hall were built and dedicated in 1978 by Bishop Michael J. Begley.
Growing together
Father Burke arrived in 2001, and shortly after, the parish purchased 30 acres of adjacent land to build a larger church to accommodate continuing growth.
In 2010, Bishop Peter Jugis dedicated the current church, a Gothic-inspired stone structure that seats 650 and is filled with inspiring artwork, including beautiful stained-glass windows. Statues of angels and saints and a Celtic cross welcome visitors at the front of the building. The church property also features a 20-foot aluminum crucifix painted to look like wood with the simple inscription: “Follow Me.”
The church is also home to Deacon Andrew Cilone, one of the original deacons ordained in the Diocese of Charlotte more than 40 years ago. Known affectionately as “Deacon Andy,” he is well-loved at the parish and in Forest City for his dedication to community service, including work in prison ministry and collecting food and clothing for the needy. He recently was honored with the Old North State Award for his service (see page 4). Deacon Cilone is also a gifted singer who once performed with Bobby Vinton and has recorded his own CDs.
Immaculate Conception is also known for its annual Cross Walk and Eucharistic Procession – which takes place this year on Sept. 27 – during which parishioners carry large wooden crosses through downtown Forest City as a public testament to a thriving faith.
— Christina Lee Knauss. Photos by Giuliana Polinari Riley
Pastors of Immaculate Conception Mission
1950 Father Lawrence Newman
1950-’51 Father Desmond Keenan
1951-’52 Father William Pearson
1952-‘57 Father Michael Carey
1957-’58 Father T. F. Carney
1958-’60 Father Thomas Clements
1960-’62 Father Pat Gallagher
1962-’63 Father John Reagan
1963-’68 Father James Keaney
Pastors of Immaculate Conception Church
1969-‘70 Father Kenneth Parker
1970-’72 Father Frank Cintula
1972-’76 Father Joseph L. McCarthy
1976-’79 Father Paul C. Wilderotter
1980-’85 Father Jim Stuber
1985-2001 Father Gabriel Meehan
2001- Father Herbert T. Burke
