Growing together
MORGANTON — The pounding of the organ, the cries of babies and a multilingual cacophony – these are sounds of God according to Father Kenneth Whittington, and they are sounds he has learned to translate throughout his 84-year spiritual journey.
Father Whittington, lovingly referred to as “Father Ken” by his flock, retired Jan. 13 from St. Charles Borromeo Parish after 33 years as pastor and 38 years of priestly ministry.
“I was converted late in life, went to the seminary late in life, went on this journey, and I have loved every bit of it,” says Father Whittington, who was ordained at 46. “Never doubted my priesthood, or my pastoral work, but I am not sure if I could have done it any sooner.”
Well-known for his God-given gifts of music, art appreciation and linguistics, he traveled the world as a celebrated organist, only to find his home in the small mountain town of Morganton, serving a multicultural community he now calls family.
“It’s been quite a trip. Nobody told me what I would get into when I was sent here,” Father Whittington says with a smile and raised eyebrows.
Despite his retirement, his trek is far from over. With his new apartment just a few feet from the church, Father Whittington will stay close to his flock.
On his last day as pastor, he stood fully prepared to have Father Stephen Hoyt, who will serve as temporary administrator, take the reins of the diverse parish, but he intends to help his congregation as much as his body and mind will allow. “I really enjoy being near the people. I am retiring, but I’m not abandoning them,” he says. “I can still contribute.”
The parishioners are gleeful they can continue to share their life of art, culture and community with Father Ken by their side.
“We are tickled to death that he is staying close by,” says Gail Watson, the parish’s faith formation director who worked beside him for almost two decades. “We love him terribly.”
The priest’s long-standing traditions of larger-than-life Advent wreaths, Hmong New Year’s parties, parish potlucks, stunning religious artwork and an overflowing choir loft of musicians are sure to remain.
The language of community
Father Whittington inherited the small but diverse community of Hmong, Hispanic – primarily Guatemalan – and Anglo parishioners in 1992. “Different languages, different people, different desires, different loves converge, and that’s good,” he says. “I love the sense of celebration and coming together in a united way.”
Some, like Deacon Ed Konarski, remember the long-haired, long-bearded, wide-eyed version of Father Whittington who first barreled up the aisle, nonchalantly announcing he was the new pastor. He quickly settled in and got to know his parishioners.
Though Father Whittington was not familiar with the Hmong language, he was driven to study it to help communicate with his Hmong faithful, relying on one of the only parishioners who could read it.
“He would read, and I would read back,” Father Whittington says. “I didn’t learn Hmong just for the fun of it. I wanted to help the people and understand them more.”
He celebrated the first Hmong Mass in the diocese in 1996. Just as languages come naturally to him, so does Christian love, which has more impact than words alone.
“One of the things that we have conquered here is even if you can’t speak the language, you can smile, you can speak your own language in a new way, and the next thing you know you are communicating with everybody,” Father Whittington explains. “And, I’m proud of that.”
Open to growth
As Deacon Konarski recalls, “He really lit up the parish with his spirit, with his personality. His liturgy got us moving in the right direction.”
Father Whittington’s openness changed the community, not just the diverse congregation.
“He is willing to talk to anyone that would come in, whether they were parishioners or just people walking in off the street,” Deacon Konarski says. He credits that openness for the parish’s growth from 200 people to more than 1,000 today.
As Father Whittington explains, “I kept up relationships here. … A lot of people I baptized now, I also baptized their parents.”
Two of those were Watson’s husband and her son, who were both raised Methodist.
“He has a way of lifting you up and building your faith without you realizing that is what he is doing,” Watson says. “My husband, after speaking to Father Ken several times, decided to become Catholic. Our son also jumped on the train.”
Raising hearts through art and sound
Parishioner John Martino felt a bond with Father Whittington from the beginning, and that example of faith inspired him to become a deacon. Through a trifecta of art, music and liturgy, Father Whittington uplifted the parish, says Deacon Martino. “He is a brilliant liturgist who combines his appreciation for art and love for music.”
The once bare walls of the church are now filled with an eclectic array of religious art. The Litany of the Saints, a mural painted by local artist Matthew Good, covers the back wall, while about 40 icons and two sets of Stations of the Cross adorn the nave and sanctuary.
“We all learned to appreciate God through the beauty of the arts,” Deacon Konarski says.
Yet Father Whittington kept his musical talents low-key. The gifted musician did not want his passion to outweigh his priestly duties, he says, although when he became pastor, he realized his congregation needed musical inspiration.
“We probably had three people in the choir when I came here,” he recalls.
Now, the choir loft stays busy with a music director, organ, adult choir, Spanish choir, children’s choir and two trumpet players. Many members trained in Gregorian chant and classic hymns that the mountain parish would not have been exposed to before the world-renowned musician arrived.
Finding home
Born a Lutheran, with an affinity for the pipe organ since he was 9, Father Whittington was no stranger to the Church. He traveled the world, playing the organ in churches of all faiths for audiences ranging from one to thousands. Yet he felt far from God, he says.
While his music career grew, his right hand failed to cooperate. After being diagnosed with focal dystonia, a neurological disorder triggered by repetitious movements, Father Whittington realized his career was flat-lining and begrudgingly accepted a position as music director at Our Lady of Grace Parish in Greensboro.
“Years later I can look back and see the physical problem as a gift,” he reflects. “It takes a while to see, like seeing plants grow. And we mature and grow at a certain rate when we talk about our joys and sorrows, our successes and our failures.”
Empty of faith, he nonetheless taught songs that raised hearts to the heavens. He slowly transformed the stone church into a musical haven while the Church slowly transformed him. He got close to the choir members, to then-pastor Father Bill Pharr, and eventually, to God.
When he converted to Catholicism, Father Whittington felt an even stronger pull.
“My opening conversion to Catholicism brought with it my priestly desire,” he says.
He was ordained in 1988 at 46 and was assigned first to St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte and then to St. Charles Borromeo.
At one point he was up for reassignment, but parishioners started a letter-writing campaign in various languages begging for their art-loving, musical, linguistic genius pastor to remain – and the idea of reassignment was never mentioned again.
“We are fortunate in that we have a small church, and we don’t have room for everyone, so early on we learned how to work with each other quite well,” Father Whittington laughs.
Now, in typical Father Whittington style, he can’t commit to a retirement itinerary. He is not a planner. He wants to be involved in something, perhaps the organ, he says.
Yet wherever his new path takes him, he wants to stay close to the people he’s served all these years.
“The people of our parish are on a journey they don’t really know about, either, so it is interesting to see how it will work out and keep witnessing people get over their difficulties,” Father Whittington says.
— Lisa M. Geraci, Catholinc News Herald. Photos by Troy C. Hull
Father Kenneth Whittington
Music
- 1960s: Master’s degree in performance from Peabody Conservatory of Music
- Late 1960s: Awarded a Fulbright Scholarship; studied at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Frankfurt, Germany
- 1970s: Music Department head at Chatham Hall (Virginia) for 10 years.
- Late 1970s to early 1980s: Organist/choirmaster at Episcopal churches in Connecticut and California
Conversion & Priesthood
- 1982: Music director at Our Lady of Grace in Greensboro
- Mid-1980s: Converted to Catholicism
- 1984–1988: Attended Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wisconsin
- May 21, 1988: Ordained a priest at age 46
Pastoral ministry
- 1988–1992: Parochial vicar at St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte
- July 1992: Pastor of St. Charles Borromeo, Morganton
- Nov. 14, 1996: Celebrated first Hmong Mass in the diocese
- Late 1990s to early 2000s: Commissioned the Litany of the Saints mural by artist Matthew Good and installed nearly 40 icons
- 2013: Celebrated 70th birthday, 25th anniversary of ordination, and 21st year as pastor
- Jan. 13, 2026: Formally retired as pastor of St. Charles Borromeo at 84
