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TWO—A
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
MARCH 23, 1940
Architect’s Sketch of
Sacred Heart Church,
In Course of Construction
at
Salisbury, North Carolina
Handsome in design and substantial in construction will be the new
Sacred Heart Church, now being erected in Salisbury, N. C., from plans
conceived by Frank Frimmer, noted architect, who has designed thirty or
more religious edifices in the Eastern states, among them being the new
St. Patrick’s Church, Charlotte, and the church and rectory just dedicated
at Wake Forest. The Rev. William Regnat, O. S. B., is pastor in Salisbury.
Salisbury’s Catholic History
Covers More Than a Century
(Special to The Bulletin)
SALISBURY, N. C. — A century
ago there lived near the city of Salis
bury, N. C., two Catholics of sterling
■worth and their families, Dr. Farrand
and Major MacNamara. In 1838 Fran
cis Richard Rouche came from his
native France to become the first re
sident of Salisury. From that day .o
this Catholicity has been a vital force
in the community.
The first priest to visit Salisbury
was Father T. J. Cronin, who died in
3842, at the Rouche home, where he
was accustomed to offer Mass for the
little congregation. In 1861 Father Jo
seph O'Connell, coming up from Co
lumbia, S. C., on one of his mission
ary tours of the state found the little
flock consisting of Mr. and -Mrs.
Rouche and their eight children, Mr.
and Mrs. Buis and Miss Catherine
Fisher; during the War Between .he
States, he visited the city from time
to time ministering to them and :o
the soldiers in the Confederate Pri
son, located on the site of the present
National Semetery.
The O’Connell brothers, Father Je
remiah, Father Lawrence and Father
Joseph, visited the city from time to
lime ;after the war. Mis Christine
Fisher offered her home for Mass on
the occasion of the visits of the priests.
From 1881 to 1833 Father Patrick
Moore served the mission, and it .vas
at this time Sacred Heart Church, the
R. L. BERNHARDT
President and Gen. Mgr.
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present structure, was built.
The lot for the church was given by
Miss Fisher’s sister, Miss Frances
Tieman, who, as “Christian Reid”,
won a place in the history of litera
ture by her writings that time only
serves to strengthen. It was Christian
Reid, who first termed Western North
Carolina the "Land of the Sky.” Her
deep faith, her learning, her intel
lectual eminence, her innate refine
ment, her nobility of character were
not only the pride of her native state,
but the inspiration of the congrega
tion at Salisbury who looked to tier
for leadership until death ended her
brilliant career in March, 1920.
Priests at Salisbury
Father Mark Gross, pastor of St.
Peter's Church in Charlotte attended
Sacred Heart Church from 1883 to
1886, with Father Walter Leahy and
Father Hill paying monthly visits la
ter. The Benedictine Fathers, who
had come down from Pennsylvania,
then were given charge of the mission,
and have been in charge since. Fa
ther Charles Mohr, O. S. B., later
Abbot of St. Leo’s in Florida, attend
ed the mission in 1883. Father Francis
Meyer, O. S. B., in 1889, and Father
Gerard Pilz, O. S. B., in 18S0.
In 1892 Father Joseph Mueller, O. S.
B., was named the first resident pas
tor; he had previously been pastor at
Greensboro, imd he remained until
1905 when he was transferred to Char
lotte as pastor, after years of loving
and effective service; it was he who
erected the rectory. Father Leo Kunz,
O. S. B., was the next pastor, and du
ring his years in Salisbury the parish
school was built, with the Sisters of
Mercy of Belmont in charge. Ill
health compelled Father Leo's re
tirement in 1916—he died the follow
ing year— and Father Anthony Mey
er, O. S. B., became pastor remaining
until his transfer to Charlotte in 1919,
when Father William Regnat, O. S. B.,
became pastor. In 1924 Father Walter
O'Brien, O. S. B., succeeded Fadicr
William, followed by Father Law
rence McHale, O. S. B., now of Rich
mond; Father William Regnat, O. S.
B., returned in 1928 and has been pas
tor since.
Father William, Pastor
Father William eight years ago ar
ranged for the observance of the Gol
den Jubilee of Sacred Heart Church,
a notable event; five members of the
parish who attended the dedication a
half century ago were special guests.
Mrs. E. A. Lewis, Miss Fannie Rouche,
Mrs. L. M. Roueche, Mrs. L. H. Har
ris and Mrs. Bernard Roueche, at
tended the golden jubilee, at which
Bishop Hafey delivered the jubilee
sermon. Father Smith, O. S. B., a na
tive of North Carolina, was deacon of
the Mass, and Father John Roueche,
a native of the parish and a descen
dant of its first settlers of a century
ago. then a seminarian, now pastor of
Blessed Sacrament Church, Burling
ton, N. C., was sub-deacon of the
Mass..
Sacred Heart Church is not one of
the largest parishes in the Diocese,
but it has outgrown the beloved old
church, so filled with memory .-.nd
tradition. Under Father William’s di
rection a new and larger church is
now being erected and the parish
faces a future that promises added
lustre to the glorious record at -he
past.
New Church at Salisbury
Fruit of Fervent Faith
New Sacred Heart Church
Monument to Sacrifices of
Members of North Caro
lina Parish
Pastor at Salisbury
(Special to The Bulletin)
SALISBURY, N. C.— Construction
has begun on the new church which
is to serve the members of the Sacred
Heart Parish in this city.
Into its building will go not only
stone and mortar, but splendid sac
rifice arising from fervent Catholic
faith, which is illustrated by the dia
logue which follows better than it
could be told by a mere recital of
what, where, when, and why.
“Father,” a stranger from New
York City addressed Father William
Regnat O. S. B., the Pastor of Sacred
Heart Church, “this is the poorest
little church I have ever seen any
where, even in the South.”
A shadow passed over the priest’s
face, but only for a moment. Then
it broke into a cheerful smile. “I
agree with you, Mr. A., but you hap
pened to drop in six months too
soon.”
“How do you mean: six months too
soon?”
“Wei,” the priest informed him,
“six months from now you will see
a church we expect to be proud of;
a new church.”
“Ah, that’s interesting. Tell me all
about it.”
Father William lighted a fag, set
tled himself comfortably in his favo
rite chair, and started.
“Mr. A., you have big parishes up
your way, fine parishes, and the
spirit of Catholicity bums like a
bright flame, but will you believe me
if I say, I wouldn’t change places
with the pastor of the biggest parish
in your native city of New York? I
mean that. Financially and spiritu
ally we are ’way ahead of you. Don’t
laugh, because 1 said financially. I’ll
prove it. First spiritually: there are
thousands in your big cities who call
themselves Catholics simply in the
sense that they have never openly
renounced their faith. They are
Catholics in nothing more than name
and their lives are a disgrace to the
Church. Catholics down here are
like fine, tempered steel; tempered
in the furnace of open or hidden dis
crimination if not downright opposi
tion. They are men and women the
Church can justly be proud of. The
few who are weak-kneed and can’t
stand up under the strain, fall by the
wayside—and the loss is theirs. I’ll
even say financially, we are ahead
of you and don't cast a pitying look
at this pitiful little church and rec
tory. Last year we started with a
balance of $36.00 on hand. With a
membership of 200 souls, only 86 of
them contributing members, not one
of them even well-to-do, mostly
working men, women, and working
girls, we collected nearly $6000.00 in
one year. That makes an average of
nearly $70.00 per contributor. True,
it represented a drive for building
funds, but even so. I challenge any
Pastor in New York or elsewhere to
show me anything approaching it. I
admit to my shame it took my breath
away. To my shame, because it took
me all these years as their pastor to
discover this spirit of sacrifice and to
appreciate these people to their full
worth. It fills me with pride to work
with and for such a flock.
Talking about the spirit of sacri
fice, let me give you just one ex
ample. At first you will laugh, even
as I did; but then, when the signifi
cance of its sinks in, you will sit in
open-mouthed admiration. It sounds
incredible and. when you get" back
to your New York, I hope you will
tell the story, in fact broadcast it.
A man in my parish—I’ll withhold his
name, but some day you will see it in
letters of gold in the Book of Life—
a working man with large family,
came to me one day and handed me
a wad of bills. We were then paying
for our new organ. “Father”, he
said, "here’s fifty dollars. I’ve been
saving this up to get a set of new
teeth, but I reckon we need our new
organ worse than I need my new
teeth”.
Mr. A., scour the entire City of
New York, and if you find another
Catholic like this man, in the city of
teeming millions, I’d like to meet
him.
“Yes, we are going to build a new
church and we are going to carry a
debt of $15,000; which sounds like
small fry to you, but means as much
to us as half a million would mean
to your home parish. Of course, we
are not standing alone. Time and
again we would have been stumped
for ways and means, but when the
Almighty finally took pity on North
Carolina, He sent us Bishop Eugene
McGuinness, andf when I say we
haven’t the slightest doubt or fear
about carrying through our daring
project, I need only add. to explain
it all, that Bishop McGuinness is
backing us up with more than just
his blessing. True, he needs God’s
blessing himself to carry on his work
in the poorest portion of the Lord's
vineyard, but the Good Lord simply
couldn’t disappoint the deep Irish
faith he carries in his heart.
Our new church, with twice the
seating capacity of the present
church, will be built of native granite
in Romanesque style. Mr. Frank
Frimmer, who recently completed the
beautiful new church of St. Patrick’s
in Charlotte, also the new church
and rectory in Wake Forest, and who
has designed and built some 25 to 30
churches throughout the eastern
States, has designed and will build
our new church here. It looks fine
even on blue-prints and with Mr.
Frimmer’s experience extending over
more than 30 years, and his pride in
erecting temples of God worthy of
the name, we are looking forward
with keenest anticipation to the time
when we shall worship in our new
Sacred Heart Church. Be sure, Mr.
A., to come back in the fall to see
what a little flock of self-sacrificing
Catholics can accomplish here in the
deep South.”
Mr. A. had been fumbling with a
little book and a fountain pen. There
was an expression of thoughtfulness
on his face, the light of faith
strengthened by this recital, and
when he had left, the priest found a
greenish little slip of paper on his
desk; the kind that can be exchang
ed for stone and mortar.
DID YOU KNOW THAT
The first Catholic newspaper was
established in the United States in
1822 by Bishop England of Charles
ton, South Carolina.
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