MARION —
The small church with little room for 150 drew a crowd of nearly 400 as Our Lady of the Angels in Marion celebrated a double jubilee Mass.
The diocese’s only independent mission celebrated two big milestones - 75 years as a faith community and 50 years in its current church.
The overcrowded Mass was said in English and Spanish – a usual occurrence at the church, where 90 percent of the congregation is Hispanic.
Parochial Administrator Father Innocent Amasiorah’s Sept. 27 homily message started with laughter, clapping, singing and joy.
The congregation sang, “If you're happy and you know it…clap your hands…”
They clapped for Jesus. They clapped for the church. They clapped for themselves and the faith journey they started in 1945, when a small community of Catholics traveled to Mass in nearby towns before holding their first Mass at the courthouse in downtown Marion in 1951.
Building for the future
Just like the congregation, Father Amasiorah was excited, too, not just about the past or the present but the possible future of his beloved little church on the hilltop.
The jubilee anniversary milestones were two of many to come, he said. The next two in his sights are being named a parish and building a new church.
“When they built this church, it was a big church for them, because there were only a few families,” Father Amasiorah said. “Today, it is no longer a big church. It is grown so much.”
The church began like a mustard seed and grew like one. To sustain that growth, the congregation needed to make new plans, he said.
“The people that came before us made room for us. In the next 50 years, the people who are coming after us should have enough room to stay and enough room for Jesus,” he said. “We need to make more room… We cannot grow here. We need a bigger space.”
He challenged them to fully commit themselves to the Diocese of Charlotte’s “Making Room” campaign challenge to raise the funds needed for more land.
“I put forth this challenge, like the bishop asks… It is time to make more room for Jesus,” he said.
He explained that the Church is not made of brick and mortar – but people.
“You are God’s building. You are the temples of the Lord’s grace,” he said. “When we talk about the Church. We talk about us. We talk about Jesus. We do not talk about the physical structure –it is us.”
And, with all the people, 120 registered families and more than 400 attending weekend Masses, he instilled hope in his flock that one day they would be recognized as a parish.
“With 50 years of a church, with a number of resident-priests who have already come and gone, and we are STILL a mission church,” Father Amasiorah said. “Our mission is to become a parish…and then we will begin to move forward.”
The goal carries an enormity to it, but with Bishop Michael T. Martin’s vision of growth and Making Room Challenge, Father Amasiorah said he was hopeful – and that hope filled the room.
Building “the bridge”
Marlyn Allison, now 79, remembers a similar plea for a new church in 1969 when she first joined Our Lady of the Angels as a new teacher in the area.
“Ten families met in a small house to celebrate Mass. So much has happened since then. I became a little teary-eyed in there,” she said. “If these walls could talk, there were a lot of weddings, a lot of funerals, all kinds of ceremonies.”
One of those weddings was her own 40 years ago to her husband, Keith Allison, who started coming in 1984, a Catholic convert from Old Fort.
Father Amasiorah referred to her as “The Bridge” because she is the parish’s longest-standing member, linking the “old” church to the “new” church.
“I was here the day that they dedicated this church,” she said. “I was the organist.”
Although the numbers steadily grew, the demographics changed, with the Hispanic population quickly doubling and tripling the numbers of parishioners.
One of the first Hispanic members, Melida Triplett, a Cuban immigrant, joined in 1986, before the rapid growth of the community started in the 90s.
“I think I was the only Hispanic in the county at that time,” she said. “I felt at home when I got to church here.”
She and her husband were married at the church in 1987, and in the mid-90s, she became the parish translator, watching as young parishioners grew up and brought their own families.
Although Father Amasiorah is originally from Nigeria, he feels a special bond with the flock he was assigned to in 2025.
“I am happy to be here. They are like Nigerians in the way we worship,” he said. “They give their time, they give their talent, they are always available, they love to help, and they love to serve. This is the kind of Nigerian background I have.”
Alfonso Navarrete, leader of the parish council, believes the Catholic Church is experiencing a revitalization that is being played out within the walls of Our Lady of Angels.
“There is revitalization in this church. I came back to my faith. Now, I am a reader. I am leading retreats and am chairman of the church. It’s a big challenge, but I have been learning a lot,” he said. “Some people are moving here, but some were gone from the faith for a while, but they are coming back.”
— Lisa M. Geraci. Photos by Troy C. Hull
