About Christ the King · Riegelwood, North Carolina
Christ the King is a small Catholic mission church in the community of Riegelwood, North Carolina, in the Diocese of Raleigh. It is operated as a mission of St. Mark Catholic Church in Wilmington and serves a primarily Spanish-speaking community of roughly 30 families in the Cape Fear region. The parish shares its mailing operations with St. Mark in Wilmington and offers at least one weekend Mass celebrated in Spanish. The mission's physical building has roots going back to the mid-20th century, when Catholic families in the Riegelwood area — many connected to the local paper mill — came together to build their own church.
- Established
- 1964
- Patron
- Christ the King (Jesus Christ, King of the Universe)
- Rector
- Rev. Gregory D. Spencer
- Diocese
- Diocese of Raleigh
Why belong here
Christ the King offers the small, family-sized Catholic community of Riegelwood a place to worship close to home, with a weekend Mass celebrated in Spanish for the area's Hispanic faithful. As a mission of St. Mark Catholic Church in Wilmington, the parish is supported by a larger parish family — including faith formation programs, ministries, and a Catholic school — while still giving Riegelwood Catholics a familiar, local place to pray, receive the sacraments, and know one another by name. For Spanish-speaking Catholics in eastern Columbus County and the lower Cape Fear, it is a welcoming spiritual home rooted in more than six decades of local Catholic life.
Mass times at Christ the King
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity & Background
Christ the King is a small Catholic mission church serving the village of Riegelwood, North Carolina. It belongs to the Diocese of Raleigh and operates as a mission of St. Mark Catholic Church in nearby Wilmington. The parish's mailing address and administrative operations are shared with St. Mark, reflecting the close pastoral relationship between the two communities.
- Full name: Christ the King (Cristo Rey in Spanish)
- Type: Mission church (mission of St. Mark, Wilmington)
- Diocese: Diocese of Raleigh
- Mailing address: 100 Burns Road, Riegelwood, NC 28456-0155
- Service area: Riegelwood and surrounding lower Cape Fear region in eastern Columbus County
History
The Catholic roots of the Riegelwood community stretch back to St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church in Delco, built in 1915 to serve Catholic workers of the Hugh McRae Company development. By the early 1960s the Delco mission was no longer adequate, and Catholic families in Riegelwood organized to build their own church. Christ the King was dedicated on November 22, 1964, by Auxiliary Bishop Charles McLaughlin of Raleigh, with Father Louis E. Morton as pastor. In 1999, the parish was formally established as a mission of St. Mark Catholic Church in Wilmington, the relationship it maintains today.
- 1915: St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Delco — first Catholic church for the area; built on land donated by Bartley F. Applewhite; first pastor: Father Frank J. Howard
- 1955: Mr. and Mrs. Charley Fowler of Tabor City donated adjacent property
- 1964: Christ the King built in Riegelwood; construction funded in large part by Riegel Paper Corporation with support from the Catholic Church Extension Society
- 1964: Designed by Julian A. Altabellis of Julian Altabellis, Architects, Wilmington, NC; construction cost: $136,000
- November 22, 1964: Church dedicated by Most Rev. Charles McLaughlin, Auxiliary Bishop of Raleigh
- 1999: Formally established as a mission of St. Mark Catholic Church, Wilmington
Pastoral Leadership
Christ the King is pastored by the same priest who serves St. Mark Catholic Church in Wilmington, reflecting its mission status. Day-to-day pastoral services for the Riegelwood mission are coordinated through St. Mark's parish office in Wilmington.
- Current pastor: Rev. Gregory D. Spencer (also Pastor of St. Mark, Wilmington)
- St. Mark Church office: 910-398-6509
- Emergency (day) / Pastoral Services: 910-398-6509
- Emergency (evening): 910-399-1591
Parish Life & Community
Christ the King is described as a small, family-oriented Catholic community of roughly 30 families, the great majority of whom are Spanish-speaking. As a mission of St. Mark, parishioners have access to the larger parish's faith formation offerings, ministries, and St. Mark Catholic School. Within Riegelwood itself, the mission provides a familiar local setting for prayer, the sacraments, and community gathering for Hispanic Catholics in eastern Columbus County.
- Approximately 30 registered families
- Primarily Spanish-speaking congregation
- Spanish name: Cristo Rey
- Supported by St. Mark Catholic Church, Wilmington (faith formation, ministries, school access)
Contact & Visiting
Parishioners and visitors can reach Christ the King through its mailing address in Riegelwood or through the connected St. Mark parish office in Wilmington. The mission is easy to find off NC-87/Old Stage Road by turning west at Church Road.
- Address: 100 Burns Road, Riegelwood, NC 28456-0155
- Phone: (910) 392-0720
- Fax: (910) 392-6777
- Directions: Off NC-87/Old Stage Road; turn west at Church Road
- Diocese of Raleigh parish page: https://dioceseofraleigh.org/parish/christ-king-riegelwood
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Frank J. Howard
First pastor of the parent mission, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Delco (which preceded Christ the King, Riegelwood)
- Rev. Louis E. Morton (later Msgr. Morton)
Pastor at the time of Christ the King's dedication on November 22, 1964