“We’re a family”

St. John the Baptist, Roanoke Rapids

Although the first Catholic church in Roanoke Rapids was dedicated in 1931, Catholics were living in the Roanoke Valley in the early 1800s. Many of them were Irish farmers, and when a priest was available they would gather for Mass in private homes. When a church was built, in 1889, it was in Halifax. That church, Immaculate Conception, stands today, one of only two remaining churches in the Diocese built by Servant of God Fr. Thomas Frederick Price. The population drawn to Roanoke Rapids by the textile mills in the 20^th century was probably the reason the church was eventually relocated.

Fr. Michael Butler, Pastor of St. John the Baptist, grew up in Roanoke Rapids and considers it home. He describes the current makeup of the 250-family parish as a “nice mix” of cultures and ages. The Irish and Lebanese have always been pillars of the church there. Lake Gaston to the north draws retirees. There is a small number of African Americans. Filipino and Indian families have arrived as teachers and doctors and health care workers. The Hispanic population is noticeable, but not as large as in some other parts of the Diocese due to the scarcity of jobs – Halifax County is one of the three poorest counties in North Carolina. There are younger families whose children attend faith formation classes. “We also get a fair number of visitors,” Fr. Butler says, “because we’re midway between New York and Florida.”

With such a diverse parish community, the pastor’s work is also varied. “I do a lot of convalidations of marriages, Hispanic baptisms, and Anointing of the Sick,” he says. “We’ll have our first totally Hispanic First Communion this year.” He also makes weekly visits to three prisons in the area, including Caledonia Correctional Institution, a high security facility for long-term and violent offenders, and the lower-security Tillery and Odom facilities..

St. John the Baptist could use more space. The church is 80 feet from pulpit to vestibule and has no bathrooms; and the small parish hall with its aging kitchen limits church activities. The parish rents its hall daily to Halifax Community College for adult development classes for the intellectually challenged. “We have property to build a new church,” Fr. Butler says, “and it would be wonderful to have one and a larger parish hall with lots of meeting space. But right now we can’t afford to build them.”

Asked how he would characterize his parish, the pastor doesn’t hesitate: “We’re a family,” he says. “Everybody knows everyone else. On Sundays I know if someone is missing. When anyone is sick or needs something, people always pitch in to clean the house or bring food. When I was in the hospital a couple of years ago, people were very good to me. The cleaning of the church and the hall is done completely by volunteers. It’s amazing the way we take care of each other.”