The Catholic Parish of St. Vincent de Paul sits along Old Reid Road on the south side of Charlotte, North Carolina, a short drive from Tyvola Road and a few blocks in from Park Road. The parish began in the early 1960s as a mission of St. Ann Parish and took its present shape in 1965. Today the parish is known for daily Mass in English and Spanish, a long-running preschool, a parish Society that helps Mecklenburg County families keep their lights on, and an annual mission trip into the mountains of southeast Guatemala.
It is a parish that measures its life in a wide set of rhythms. Adults gather weekly to learn the faith through the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults. Children meet in classrooms to learn the Faith and Life curriculum from kindergarten through eighth grade. Teens gather over family-cooked dinners twice a month. Seniors meet monthly for a buffet lunch. And on one of the park benches in the columbarium's prayer garden, in the company of a fountain, parishioners come to pray for their dead.
From a Gymnasium Chapel to the Renovated Church of Today
The parish traces its roots to January 23, 1961, when Bishop Vincent S. Waters of Raleigh purchased eight acres of land on Old Reid Road for a parish and a parochial school. A gymnasium went up first, and it served as the temporary chapel, since the church and school had not yet been built. On October 29, 1961, Bishop Waters dedicated St. Vincent's Mission, a mission church of St. Ann Parish.
On July 9, 1965, the bishop proclaimed St. Vincent de Paul a parish in its own right, and Fr. James Noonan became its first pastor. The parish purchased a home to serve as a rectory and office, added a social hall to the church, and the women of the parish organized a Women's Guild to help fulfill many of the parish's needs over the years. The parish's growth continued through eight pastors over the following decades:
- Msgr. John Rouche, who arrived in August 1971, added the Saturday evening Mass and began the parish's sponsorship of the Girl Scouts.
- Fr. Vincent Stokes, who arrived in February 1973, added a wing with additional seating for Mass, classrooms, a meeting room, a nursery, and a religious education office. During his years the parish chartered a Cub Scout pack and a Boy Scout troop.
- Fr. Joseph Waters, the fourth pastor beginning in May 1975, presided over the founding of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which had long been the pastor's dream.
- Msgr. William Wellein, the fifth pastor beginning in August 1977, oversaw the completion of the rectory office building. During his years the parish began participating in joint Thanksgiving and Lenten services with neighboring churches, and the semi-annual Rosary Rally took root.
- Msgr. Felix Kelaher, who became pastor in September 1984, helped establish Knights of Columbus Council 9560, the Visitation Ministry, the St. Vincent de Paul Preschool, and Adult Initiation classes.
- Msgr. Pharr, who took over in June 1991, guided a three-phase building plan that included parking and landscaping, education and activity wings, and the renovation of the existing church. Bishop William Curlin celebrated the joyous Dedication Mass on February 27, 1999. The activity center was later dedicated in Msgr. Pharr's honor.
- Fr. Mark Lamprich, who followed in July 2001, oversaw the purchase of two neighborhood homes. Two years later Fr. Mark Lawlor added the Sunday Mass in Spanish, oversaw the purchase of another area home, and welcomed the Blessed Teresa Memorial and the columbarium. The Ministry Center and Chapel were dedicated in August 2014.
Fr. Joshua A. Voitus has served as pastor since July 2017. Under his leadership confessions are now offered six days a week, and the church completed a major renovation in the summer of 2024, made possible by the generosity of the faithful parishioners.
Daily Mass, Confession, and Adoration in the Chapel
The worship rhythm at St. Vincent de Paul centers on daily Mass. On weekdays the church offers Mass at 9:00 a.m. and again at 12:00 p.m. Saturday begins with a 9:00 a.m. Mass and continues with the vigil Mass at 5:00 p.m. Sunday Masses are celebrated at 8:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 5:00 p.m., and at 2:00 p.m. in Spanish.
Confessions are heard Monday through Friday from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Eucharistic Adoration is held every Thursday and Friday in the Holy Family Chapel from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Adorers can sign up for a specific hour through SignUpGenius.
The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Worshippers are invited to use the Mass attendance cards available at the parish office to record their attendance at Mass, helping the parish keep an accurate count of weekend participation.
The Seven Sacraments in Parish Life
As Catholics believe, the whole liturgical life of the Church revolves around the Eucharistic sacrifice and the sacraments. At St. Vincent de Paul, the seven sacraments form the backbone of parish life.
Baptism is the door to the sacramental life. The parish welcomes infants for baptism soon after birth and unbaptized adults seeking full communion through OCIA at the Easter Vigil. Children older than the age of reason who have not been baptized are received through the OCIC, the Order of Christian Initiation for Children, between the ages of 8 and 15, and prepare to receive Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist together at the Easter Vigil.
The Eucharist, the source and summit of Christian life, is at the center of every celebration of the Mass. Through the prayer of consecration and the action of the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine become the true Body and Blood of Christ, and the assembly is fed at the Lord's table.
Children preparing for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist typically spend their first and second grade years in formation. Parents take part in the program through orientation sessions, parent meetings, and two retreats. Children are encouraged to receive Reconciliation monthly, and the parish reminds parents that the opportunity to go should be offered by parents at least monthly. On the last class of each month, all classes begin with five minutes of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace and gives the Holy Spirit in a deeper way. At St. Vincent de Paul, preparation for Confirmation is part of the eighth-grade year, and the sacrament itself is conferred by the Bishop.
The Sacrament of Penance follows four steps: contrition, confession to a priest, absolution, and a renewed Christian commitment. Confessions are heard Monday through Friday, and the parish emphasizes that regular confession of everyday faults helps form the conscience and grow in the spiritual life.
The Anointing of the Sick is offered to anyone facing illness, not only at the hour of death. The Visitation Ministry brings the Eucharist to the sick and homebound who request it, and training is available for those who would like to bring Communion to the people they visit.
Marriage is prepared over at least six months. Engaged couples should first contact Lorena Castillo-Ritz at 704-644-4653 to set up an appointment. The parish teaches that marriage is a covenant that mirrors the relationship between Christ and the Church and that it is unitive, indissoluble, and open to the gift of children.
Holy Orders continues the apostolic ministry begun by Christ. Men discerning a call to the priesthood or diaconate are encouraged to speak with the pastor.
Funerals are arranged through the parish office by calling 704-644-4653. The Columbarium at St. Vincent de Paul, in a prayer garden with benches and a fountain between the church and the activity center, offers a place for interment of cremated remains. The Columbarium is filled; the parish is currently re-inking some of its nameplates that have faded with time.
Becoming Catholic: OCIA on Wednesday Evenings
For adults interested in joining the Catholic Church, or baptized Christians seeking full communion through Eucharist and Confirmation, the parish offers the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults, called OCIA. Weekly classes are held on Wednesday evenings from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. and are led by Fr. Joshua Voitus and directed administratively by Riley Provost, the Director of Catechetical Formation.
OCIA proceeds over weeks and months. The first step is the Period of Inquiry, when inquirers and the parish community begin to know each other. The Rite of Initiation formally welcomes new members into the worshipping community. The Catechumenate, the longest part of the process, is a time of learning and formation in the Catholic tradition, with regular participation in worship and a variety of Church rituals. At the Rite of Election, usually celebrated at the cathedral, catechumens and candidates are chosen by the Bishop to receive the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil. The Mystagogy period that follows Easter is a time of reflection and celebration of the new life in Christ.
OCIA welcomes both those who have never been baptized and those already baptized in another Christian tradition. Inquiries can be sent to rvprovost@rcdoc.org.
Faith Formation from Kindergarten through Eighth Grade
The Faith Formation office exists to assist parents in their responsibility as the first educators of their children in the Catholic faith. Formal classroom instruction uses the Faith and Life Curriculum for children in kindergarten through eighth grade, and the parish develops a parallel curriculum for parents.
Children in kindergarten use the Image of God series, which introduces them to the life of Jesus and prayer. Grades one through eight work through Faith and Life, year by year, covering creation and the commandments, the sacraments of mercy, the plan of salvation from creation to Pentecost, the Creed and its prayer, the law and grace, the transmission of grace through the sacraments, and the history and structure of the Church.
The parish also offers SPRED for any child or adult with an intellectual or developmental disability. SPRED prepares those it serves for full participation in the sacramental life of the Church and has been a part of St. Vincent de Paul for many years.
Faith Formation is directed by Riley Provost, with Karen Devore, Guadalupe Quintanilla, and Marco Lopez on the catechetical staff.
A Youth Ministry Built on Family Dinners
The St. Vincent Youth Ministry describes itself as a family of young Catholics committed to the goal of living out the call of the Gospels through fellowship, prayer, and service. Its mission is to encourage young people in learning about all aspects of service and ministry, and to help them grow as Christian leaders in their parish and in their families.
The Youth Group welcomes all students in grades 6 through 12, meeting from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Assembly Room, with dinner at every meeting provided by parent volunteers. The ministry asks for adult volunteers to join the core team, since Catholic adults are essential to encouraging and mentoring the youth of the community by example in service and spirituality.
Ian Clarke-Pounder serves as the Youth Ministry Coordinator and can be reached at 704-554-1622 or ijclarkepounder@rcdoc.org.
The St. Vincent de Paul Society: Four Decades of Keeping the Lights On
The St. Vincent de Paul Society of Mecklenburg County is an unincorporated nonprofit auxiliary of the parish, operating under the church's 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. For more than forty years the Society's all-volunteer organization has provided emergency utility assistance to individuals and families throughout Mecklenburg County who are experiencing temporary financial hardship.
Guided by the Vincentian principles of compassion, dignity, and respect, the Society's mission is to help qualified local families remain safely in their homes by preventing the loss of essential utility services. When someone is facing a disconnection of electric, gas, or water service, the Society listens. After carefully evaluating each request, volunteers make payments directly to utility providers on behalf of qualified families, helping them regain financial stability. Whenever appropriate, they connect individuals and families with other community agencies and resources that may be able to provide long-term support.
The Society reports that 100% of every donated dollar goes directly toward utility bills paid on behalf of qualified families. In the past three years the Society has paid more than $150,000 toward emergency utility assistance and assisted thousands of Mecklenburg County families through direct utility payments and referrals to community resources.
Calls are accepted on Tuesdays between 9:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. at (704) 369-0784. The Society also runs an annual Charity Golf Outing to support its work and welcomes sponsors, golfers, and community partners. Online giving is available.
The Homeless Relief Ministry
The Homeless Relief Ministry is a combined ministry of the parishes of St. Matthew, St. Peter, and St. Vincent de Paul, working with Supportive Housing Communities to furnish apartments for men, women, and families moving out of homelessness. The ministry does not accept clothing or electronics; everything donated should be new or in good, clean, working condition.
For furniture the ministry accepts small kitchen tables and chairs (no wider than forty-eight inches), microwave stands, coffee tables, side tables, TV stands, living room chairs, sofas (no longer than seven feet), nightstands, dressers (no taller or wider than five feet), pictures and wall art, lamps, and area rugs (no larger than nine by twelve feet). The ministry cannot accept entertainment centers, tall bookshelves, china cabinets, sleeper sofas, sectionals, recliner sofas, or upholstered pieces that are soiled, faded, ripped, or pet-damaged.
The kitchen list includes pots and pans, dishes, glasses, silverware, kitchen knives, cooking utensils, casserole dishes, baking pans and cookie sheets, clean working microwaves and coffee makers, and trash cans. Paper products include paper towels, toilet paper, tissues, and trash bags. For the bedroom the ministry welcomes sheet sets, comforters, blankets, mattress pads (twin and queen), and new pillows. For the bathroom they welcome towel sets, shower curtain liners and rings, bath mats, shower caddies, toothbrush holders, and small wastebaskets. They also accept bagless vacuums, laundry baskets, new brooms and dustpans, new mops and buckets, and new toilet brushes.
The ministry's emphasis is on dignity. As one notice says, the families have had their struggles and the ministry tries to show them that there are people who care. To schedule a furniture pick-up, contact Peggy Roche at pegroche@aol.com.
St. Vincent de Paul Preschool
St. Vincent de Paul Preschool has been a part of parish life for several decades, founded under Msgr. Felix Kelaher's tenure in the 1980s. The preschool offers a play-based, half-day program for children ages two through four, with low student-to-teacher ratios that allow teachers to individualize learning to where each child is developmentally.
Catholic faith is integrated into every aspect of the day. Children grow spiritually through daily prayer, Bible stories and songs, chapel lessons, and the celebration of saints and holy days. They grow socially and emotionally as they learn to share toys, games, and physical space and to follow group rules. They grow cognitively through problem-solving, classifying, observation, science experiments, and early reading, math, and writing activities. They grow in speech and language through stories, finger plays, songs, and role play. They grow in gross motor skills through climbing, running, skipping, dancing, and balancing, and in fine motor skills through cutting, coloring, writing, and manipulating small objects.
The preschool also offers a half-day Summer Camp with weekly sessions during the summer months, featuring daily water play, themed dramatic play, science experiments, and arts and crafts. Registration for the fall opens each year in mid-January.
Mary Helen Cushing serves as Preschool Co-Director and can be reached at 704.644.4656 or mhcushing@rcdoc.org.
Music, Cantors, and the Youth Choir
Music at St. Vincent de Paul is led by Armen Hareyan, the Director of Music. The parish is always looking for volunteer cantors to lead the sung liturgy at Sunday Masses; anyone with a gift for singing and the ability to read music is welcome, and the cantor need only commit to serving once or several times each month.
The St. Vincent de Paul Parish Youth Choir gathers children and youth to lead the sung Mass from time to time, with practices held on selected Saturdays and the first sung Mass of the season in the early fall. Singers are invited to join by contacting the choir through its coordinator.
El Carmen, Guatemala: The Annual Mission Trip
Since 2022 the parish has sent an annual summer mission trip to El Carmen, a mountainous village in southeast Guatemala of about 1,200 residents, many of whom have moved there to work in the coffee bean harvesting industry. The team makes home repairs, conducts home visits, distributes health and school supplies, and runs a Bible school and daily Mass.
The parish is now working toward a longer-term goal: building a new church in El Carmen. The current church is too small and faces structural challenges. Half of the construction has been funded through private donations, and the parish continues to pray and raise funds toward completion.
"A mission trip is a powerful experience of what we are called to do every day," said Fr. Joshua West, the 2024 Mission Trip Chaplain. "It is about sharing our life and faith with others - wherever our Lord has placed us."
A dedicated Guatemalan Mission Ministry fund is maintained for the trip, and the mission team also publishes an Amazon Wish List of supplies.
Parish Life: Donut Sunday, Pumpkins, and Socktober
The parish has built a number of recurring rhythms that animate life beyond the liturgy. On every third Sunday of the month, parishioners gather in the Narthex for Donut Sunday, a time of fellowship and refreshments following the 9:00 a.m. Mass.
In the fall the parish hosts its annual Pumpkin Patch, with pumpkins sold from the church grounds during afternoon and evening hours.
Each October the parish's Knights of Council organize Socktober, a drive to gather the most urgent supplies for the men served by Roof Above in Charlotte. The most-needed items include new socks, new shower shoes and flip-flops in larger sizes, new boxer-style underwear and T-shirts in larger sizes, washcloths and large bath towels, travel-size stick deodorants, razors, bar soap, shampoo, body wash, body lotion, blankets, toothpaste, toothbrushes, gloves, and knitted caps.
Catherine's House, a transitional housing program serving women and women with children experiencing homelessness, visits the parish several times each year to share information about their ministry and to offer tickets for their annual raffle, which has supported their work for many years.
The A.C.E.S., the parish's group of Active-Caring-Energetic-Seniors, meets on the second Thursday of each month at 11:00 a.m. for a buffet lunch, fellowship, entertainment, and informative guest speakers. Membership is open at age fifty (or earlier as a paying guest), with annual dues of ten dollars per person.
The Santa Zita Circle meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Reception Room for Christian fellowship among the women of the parish.
Across the Generations: Other Ministries
The Cub Scout Pack 288 (ages seven to twelve) and Boy Scout Troop 288 (ages eleven to eighteen) meet regularly at the church, with the Boy Scout Troop generally having one camping outing each month. Scouting is meant to develop young people into leaders with good character, love of God, love of the outdoors, and a habit of service to others.
The Knights of Columbus Council 9560 is a fraternity of Catholic men over the age of eighteen who want to practice their faith by helping others and supporting the principles of the Church, its clergy, families, and country. The Council serves in many capacities across the parish and supports the families of deceased members.
The Ecumenism Commission, led by Fr. Joshua A. Voitus, builds bridges of understanding, mutual respect, and charity among the Christian believers in Charlotte. It encourages participation in the annual Community Thanksgiving Service, hosted on a rotational basis by one of the area churches, and other events of the Park-Sharon Association of Churches.
The Respect Life Committee educates the parish on life issues and promotes peaceful, prayerful witness. The Committee organizes Rosaries for Life, the October Respect Life Month Life Chain, the January Cemetery of Holy Innocents display, the Parish DC March for Life bus, the Charlotte March for Life, and fundraisers for local pro-life ministries.
Altar servers are drawn from among parishioners who have received First Reconciliation and First Communion, and assist the priests and deacons at Mass. Lectors are trained to proclaim the Word of God and to prayerfully offer the community's intentions at liturgical celebrations. Ushers greet and welcome everyone prior to Mass and assist during and after the celebration. The Altar Guild maintains order and cleanliness at the altar, with teams of three rotating about every seven weeks.
The Visitation Ministry visits the sick and homebound, bringing Holy Communion whenever requested. The Bereavement Ministry assists parishioners in the loss of a loved one. Church Decorators for Christmas and Easter work to dress the church for the great feasts of the year.
The Diocese of Charlotte requires that any volunteer who works with children, young people, or vulnerable adults complete the Protecting God's Children training, now delivered through CMG Connect. New volunteers can register through CMG Connect.
Stewardship and Giving
The parish uses ParishSOFT Giving for electronic giving, with the option for one-time gifts or recurring weekly donations. Donors can request Mass attendance cards through the parish office to record their attendance at Mass.
The parish is served by a Pastoral Council, with the clergy, the deacons, and six to eight parishioners. The Council is an advisory group that reports on Faith Formation, Evangelization, and Community Outreach. A separate Finance Council, which meets quarterly, reviews the finances of the parish and serves as an advisory body to the pastor.
Visiting St. Vincent de Paul
The parish sits at 6828 Old Reid Road, Charlotte, NC 28210. From I-77, take the Tyvola Road exit, head east to Park Road, turn right on Park Road for five blocks, turn right on Old Reid Road, and turn left into the church parking lot. Driving directions from any starting point are available here.
The parish office can be reached at 704.554.7088 or stvincentcharlotte@charlottediocese.org. Fax is 704.554.0409. Sacrament records may be requested through the parish office at the same phone number or by emailing cccashman@rcdoc.org. Office hours are Monday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me," reads the verse the parish has placed at the heart of its mission. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20).