St. Anthony of Padua, Southern Pines
"We care"
It’s a beautiful fall day in a beautiful part of our state. The voices of children can be heard from the school playground outside the parish office. Msgr. Jeffrey Ingham, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Southern Pines, is talking about his church’s current big challenge, the construction of a new, regional school on 22 acres near Belle Meade, a nearby retirement community. “We call our school the John Paul II School, not the St. Anthony School,” Msgr. Ingham explains, “because the plan is to serve the region, not just one parish.” The new building is scheduled to open for the 2007-8 school year.
Catholic education at St. Anthony began with Notre Dame Academy, started northeast of town in the 1940s by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. In 1942 the African American parish on the west side of town opened Our Lady of Victory grade school, also staffed by Notre Dame Sisters. The academy closed in 1955, and St. Anthony constructed an elementary school and convent. Our Lady of Victory closed in 1961, when Bishop Waters integrated the parishes. St. Anthony School closed eventually, too, but reopened five years ago with its new name.
The parish is much older than its schools. It was founded in 1895, when there were fewer than 20 Catholics living in the Sandhills area, and the first pastor, Fr. Peter Marion, oversaw the building of a small frame church. In the late 1920s the sanctuary was extended and two wings added, bringing the seating capacity to 175. With the coming of Pinehurst and the transformation of the Sandhills into a resort and retirement mecca, there were many Catholics visiting St. Anthony, but as late as the ‘40s there were still only 70 resident Catholic families. Growth was inevitable, though. In 1973, the old church was razed and the current church constructed.
Today Msgr. Ingham describes the Catholic presence in the area as notable and visible. “The people here are a great joy,” he says. “We care. Parishioners are generous, involved in feeding the poor; they take a real interest in the social welfare of their neighbors. And they are involved in the Mass, they understand the liturgy.” The parish has intensified adult faith formation efforts with a series of speakers on Catholic topics. Asked about the spiritual challenges of his parishioners, the pastor responds, “Simply living a Catholic life in today’s world. Also, since there are many older people in the area, people need a profound understanding of our Church’s teaching on life issues, particularly end-of-life issues.”
The pastor says his church will undoubtedly experience further growth. The proximity of Fort Bragg means an increasing number of military families finding homes in the area. As in most of North Carolina, many Hispanic families are arriving. Msgr. Ingham praises the ministry of his parochial vicar, Fr. Bill John Acosta-Escobar, who works with the Spanish-speaking Catholics in the missions in Raeford and Robbins. And as the Baby Boom generation retires, the population of the Sandhills will swell. “Our challenge,” Msgr. Ingham says, “is to be prepared.”
- Rich Reece