ASHEBORO — St. Joseph Parish celebrated its annual “Gran Kermés” festival (Spanish for a traditional outdoor festival) Aug. 23, bringing the community together on its newly purchased property that one day will include both an activity center and a church.
The community also celebrated the early success of its “Making Room” challenge, a diocesan-wide $150 million philanthropic effort – the largest fundraising initiative in the diocese’s 54-year history. It is aimed at strengthening parishes, expanding charitable outreach and responding to rapid growth.
The initiative is being rolled out in phases, and St. Joseph was one of the initial seven pilot parishes to launch their initiatives in June.
The parish has already exceeded expectations – raising $618,200 of its original $448,000 goal – and the intention is to raise millions more between now and the end of December. Additional funds given by the parish’s 1,500 households will be used toward the first phase of construction of a multipurpose space that will temporarily double as their expanded church.
The celebration at the newly purchased 102-acre parcel on 513 Vision Dr. featured a bilingual Mass, followed by the “Gran Kermés,” which brought together hundreds of parishioners for fun, food and fellowship.
Just before the final blessing at Mass, and prior to parishioners leaving their seats and looking to try one of the many food options, Father Ramiro Tijerino introduced Joe DiPaola, challenge co-chair, who gave an overview of the planning and construction process and passionately encouraged them to give so that they can take the next steps.
“Our Church as we stand and sit here today is a sanctuary, a connection between heaven and earth, where Jesus is present,” DiPaola said.
DiPaola said that while the parish has had conversations about building a new church since the 1970s, now is the moment to act. He said the parish has been working with the diocese for the last two years on planning, explaining that they have reached the halfway point in the approval process and hope to be on track to break ground in the fall of 2027 if they hit all future fundraising goals.
“This allows us as a parish community to follow Jesus’ command, make disciples of all and build His Church,” DiPaola said. “Many of us may never get an opportunity to physically build a church.”
In phase one, the parish is planning to build a multipurpose facility and rectory. The planned multipurpose space will accommodate approximately 600 people and will provide a temporary location for Masses while also serving the parish community for baptisms, quinceañeras, weddings and other events. The space is planned to have eight classrooms, office spaces, a commercial kitchen and a temporary sanctuary.
Once the first phase is completed, parking will be double what is offered at the current parish location on West Wainman Avenue.
The second phase of the project will include the permanent location of their new church.
Over the years, the parish has raised approximately $4.6 million, with $2.6 million already invested into the new grounds for land acquisition, site preparation and leveling, environmental compliance and other development-related requirements. The parish estimates that an additional $4 million must be raised over the next five years to push along the development process in Phase 1.
Following the Mass and development announcements, the faithful visited with “Making Room” leaders, where many began making five-year pledges, encouraged along by Father Tijerino. By the end of the day, the “Gran Kermés,” which featured food booths, games for the kids, face painting, electric bull riding, pony rides and a bouncy house, raised $128,600.
“I decided to host this event on the ground because I wanted people to see what we were building,” Father Tijerino said. “It was all really well received by the community.”
According to the pastor, nearly 90% of the 1,500 households at St. Joseph Parish are Hispanic, and he is working to try to help families understand the value of a faithful donation. Pledges made so far have ranged from $50 to $800 per month.
“We come from countries where the processes are different, so it might make people wonder why it takes so long,” said Tijerino. “The idea with this was to help them understand that this is an investment.”
— Brian Segovia