About Christ the King · Kings Mountain, North Carolina
Christ the King is a Catholic mission church in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, and one of the smallest faith communities in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte. It operates as a mission of St. Mary Help of Christians Parish in Shelby and currently has about 16 registered families, making it a tight-knit rural mission. Weekly worship centers on a single Saturday Vigil Mass, with confessions heard before Mass on the same day. The mission is staffed by the parochial administrator of St. Mary Help of Christians and shares its contact information and website with the parent parish.
- Established
- 1981
- Patron
- Christ the King (Jesus Christ, King of Kings)
- Rector
- Reverend Elliott Cade Suttle (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte
Why belong here
Christ the King offers a small, intimate Catholic community in the Kings Mountain area where every registered family is known by name. As a mission of St. Mary Help of Christians in Shelby, it provides a convenient Saturday Vigil Mass and confession for Catholics who live in or travel through the western Piedmont region of North Carolina. It is an ideal place to worship in a quiet, family-style setting while still being connected to the wider diocesan life of the Diocese of Charlotte.
Mass times at Christ the King
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:15 PM – 4:45 PM (before the Vigil Mass)
Christ the King Mission — Overview
Christ the King is a Catholic mission church located at 714 Stone Street in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. It is one of the smallest faith communities in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte and is administered as a mission of St. Mary Help of Christians Parish in Shelby. The mission has roughly 16 registered families and offers a single weekly Mass along with the Sacrament of Reconciliation before Mass.
- Type: Mission (under St. Mary Help of Christians Parish, Shelby)
- Diocese: Charlotte
- Families: ~16 registered
- Current Mass: Saturday 5:00 PM Vigil
History
The mission's roots trace back to the early 1960s, when Catholic nuns buried a medal of St. Joseph on a four-acre tract of land in Kings Mountain. On March 19, 1981, that same parcel was purchased for the purpose of building a church. The present church was dedicated on November 29, 1983 — a date chosen deliberately because it is the feast of Christ the King. The mission has continued to serve Catholics in Kings Mountain under the pastoral care of the priests of St. Mary Help of Christians in Shelby.
- Early 1960s — Nuns bury a medal of St. Joseph on a four-acre site in Kings Mountain
- March 19, 1981 — Land purchased for a new church
- November 29, 1983 — Church dedicated on the feast of Christ the King
Parish Staff & Administration
Christ the King Mission is served by the parochial administrator of St. Mary Help of Christians Parish in Shelby. Day-to-day inquiries about the mission — Mass times, confession, sacraments, or facility use — are routed through the same phone line and email used by the parent parish and diocese.
- Parochial Administrator: Reverend Elliott Cade Suttle
- Parent Parish: St. Mary Help of Christians, Shelby, NC
- Contact line shared with St. Mary Help of Christians: (704) 487-7697
Affiliation with St. Mary Help of Christians Parish
Christ the King is formally listed as a mission of St. Mary Help of Christians Catholic Church, located at 818 McGowan Road, Shelby, NC 28150. The mission shares its phone number and web presence with St. Mary, and the pastor of St. Mary serves as the canonical administrator of Christ the King. Sacramental records, sacramental preparation, and parish registration for Christ the King families are coordinated through the Shelby parish office.
- Parent parish: St. Mary Help of Christians
- Parent address: 818 McGowan Road, Shelby, NC 28150
- Shared phone: (704) 487-7697
- Shared website: http://www.saintmaryshelby.org/
Visiting Christ the King
The mission sits on Stone Street in Kings Mountain, a small city in Cleveland County, North Carolina, west of Gastonia and Charlotte. Its setting is distinctly rural and intimate; with only 16 registered families, the community has the feel of a close-knit chapel rather than a large parish.
- Setting: Small, rural mission in Cleveland County, NC
- Address: 714 Stone Street, Kings Mountain, NC 28086
- Worship style: Roman Rite, English
Feast of Christ the King
The mission is named for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe — popularly called the Feast of Christ the King. The feast was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 through the encyclical Quas Primas to emphasize Christ's universal kingship. The dedication date of the Kings Mountain church (November 29, 1983) was chosen to coincide with this feast, linking the mission's identity to this title of Jesus.
- Instituted by Pope Pius XI, 1925
- Encyclical: Quas Primas
- Theme: The universal sovereignty of Christ
Diocese of Charlotte
Christ the King belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, which covers the western 46 counties of North Carolina. As a mission rather than a parish, it relies on diocesan support and on the parish infrastructure of St. Mary Help of Christians for sacramental and pastoral needs.
- Diocese: Charlotte
- Rite: Roman (Latin)
- Region: Western North Carolina
Contact
Reaching Christ the King Mission is easiest through the shared contacts of its parent parish.
- Address: 714 Stone Street, Kings Mountain, NC 28086
- Phone: (704) 487-7697
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.saintmaryshelby.org/