Built by hand
St. Peter the Fisherman, Oriental
The mission church of St. Peter the Fisherman in Oriental, NC, exists for one reason: The Catholics in Oriental wanted it, and did everything necessary to make it happen. The dedication of the church by Bishop F. Joseph Gossman in 2005 marked the culmination of a true grassroots effort by Catholics in eastern Pamlico County to establish their faith community.
Many of the Catholics in the area came as retirees from the northeast. While the cost of coastal real estate has soared in recent years, many of those who settled in Oriental in the early ‘90s were retired teachers, policemen, military personnel or small business owners.
In 1996, the Diocese officially called together the gathering of Catholics in Oriental as a faith community, and Sister Maria Goretti Timpiero, IHM, was appointed pastoral administrator. She would hold that position for six years, while the community worshipped in the local Methodist church. Msgr. Gerald L. Lewis succeeded her and began the drive to build a parish church. He led the fundraising effort, bringing in $50,000 from benefactors outside the parish in addition to what was raised locally. With John Bischoff and David Brookman as leaders among the parishioners, construction of the church began in 2004.
“We had people carrying brick, handling hammers, painting, putting in siding and ceilings and lights,” Msgr. Lewis recalls. “It was a real hands-on effort.”
Deacon Bob Whitfield followed Msgr. Lewis as pastoral administrator for two years. Deacon Whitfield gave special care to ministry to the Hispanic community. Today more than a hundred families are registered at St. Peter and the parishioners manage most of the activities of the parish. Father Paul Mizener, Parochial Vicar at St. Paul Parish in New Bern and the current Pastoral Administrator of St. Peter, affirms that the parishioners’ hands-on involvement in their church hasn’t diminished.
“If I need fifty volunteers for a project, they’re right there,” Father Mizener says. “They have a huge amount of energy and they enjoy doing the work.” He cites various outreach efforts, including a program that collects and distributes food for the poor. Parishioner Alice Sontag now runs that program, an ecumenical effort involving several local churches and feeding the needy throughout Pamlico County.
St. Peter himself had a famous moment of doubt when he suddenly found himself walking on water. But the community in Oriental which took his name seems never to have abandoned its confidence that it can accomplish all things in the Lord.