About Divine Redeemer · Boonville, North Carolina
Divine Redeemer (Divino Redentor) is a bilingual Roman Catholic parish in Boonville, North Carolina, serving the Catholics of Yadkin County and southern Surry County within the Diocese of Charlotte. Formed in 2004 from the merger of two earlier Hispanic mission communities — Cristo Rey in Yadkinville and Sagrado Corazón in Dobson — it is the spiritual home of roughly 2,000 Catholics, most of Mexican origin, and offers a robust schedule of Masses in both English and Spanish each week. The parish is known for its traditional Mexican-style architecture, its strong lay leadership and family ministries, and its deep roots in the western Piedmont migrant ministry founded in 1982.
- Established
- 2004
- Patron
- Divine Redeemer (Divino Redentor)
- Rector
- Rev. Jean Pierre Swamunu Lhoposo
- Diocese
- Diocese of Charlotte
Why belong here
Divine Redeemer is the spiritual home of Yadkin County's Catholics and a true bilingual family community, where longtime Anglo residents and newer Mexican-heritage families worship together. The parish offers daily Mass (Tuesday through Saturday), Sunday Mass in English at 9 AM and three Spanish Masses on weekends, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, Thursday confession, a vibrant Legion of Mary, faith formation and Confirmation preparation for youth, and an annual Vacation Bible School. It is a place where the Catholic identity of the western Piedmont is lived out warmly across two languages, two cultures and one faith.
Mass times at Divine Redeemer
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM (Despues de misa o por cita / after Mass or by appointment); call 336-367-7067 Ext. 101
Adoration times
- Monday – contact Petra Arroyo to sign up
- Tuesday – contact Petra Arroyo to sign up
- Wednesday – contact Petra Arroyo to sign up
- Thursday – contact Petra Arroyo to sign up
- Friday – contact Petra Arroyo to sign up
- Saturday 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM (Reposición para Misa / reposition for Mass)
- Sunday 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM (Reposición para Misa / reposition for Mass)
History of Divine Redeemer
The parish's story begins with the arrival of Hispanic Catholic migrant workers in Yadkin County in the 1980s and the Diocese of Charlotte's response: the Cristo Rey migrant ministry launched in Yadkinville in 1982 by four Winston-Salem parishes, the founding of Sagrado Corazón in Dobson in 1985, and the eventual purchase of 20 acres in Boonville straddling both communities. The 18,000-square-foot church was completed in January 2003 and dedicated by Bishop Peter J. Jugis on August 21, 2004, making it one of the first churches he consecrated after becoming the fourth Bishop of Charlotte.
- 1982 — Cristo Rey migrant ministry founded in Yadkinville
- 1985 — Sagrado Corazón de Jesús established in Dobson
- 1990 — Bishop John F. Donoghue blesses the hardware-store church in Yadkinville as Cristo Rey
- 1993–1994 — New chapel on Route 601 south of Dobson blessed by Msgr. John McSweeney
- 2003 — $1.5 million, 18,000-square-foot building completed on 20 acres in Boonville
- August 21, 2004 — Bishop Jugis formally dedicates Divine Redeemer; Father Fidel Melo appointed first pastor
- 2019 — 15th anniversary of dedication celebrated with Bishop Jugis
- August 31, 2021 — Father Jean Pierre Swamunu Lhoposo assigned as pastor
Founding Missionaries and Pioneers
The parish owes its existence to a handful of priests, sisters and lay leaders who built Hispanic Catholic life in the western Piedmont from improvised spaces.
- Father Joseph J. Waters — director of diocesan migrant ministry from 1982; pioneer of Hispanic ministry in the Diocese of Charlotte
- Father Joseph Mack — then-pastor of St. Joseph, Asheboro; celebrated the first Mass in the hardware-store Cristo Rey church on July 8, 1990
- Franciscan Sister Andrea Inkrott — hired as director of the Yadkinville center in August 1990
- Franciscan Sister Linda Scheckelhoff — joined Cristo Rey staff in August 1992; assisted Hispanic ministry in Dobson and Wilkesboro and promoted lay leadership and Small Christian Communities
- Father Fidel Melo — among the first native Spanish-speaking priests to serve the area; founding pastor of Divine Redeemer
Parish Staff and Volunteers
In addition to the pastor and permanent deacon, the parish relies on a number of lay staff and volunteer leaders who coordinate sacraments, faith formation and adoration.
- Rev. Jean Pierre Swamunu Lhoposo — Pastor
- Rev. Mr. Michael Langsdorf — Permanent Deacon
- Norma Meece — Annulment Contact
- Petra Arroyo — Adoration Coordinator (Contacte a Petra Arroyo para inscribirse)
- Rebeca Rangel — Faith Formation & Vacation Bible School Coordinator
- Naomi Quintero and Carole Heindel — additional parish contacts
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Faith formation for children, Confirmation preparation for teens, and an annual Vacation Bible School form the heart of parish catechesis. The 8:45 AM Sunday English Mass is timed during the Faith Formation class year.
- Faith Formation / Catechesis for children
- Confirmation preparation classes for youth (ages 14+); community-service hours available
- Annual Vacation Bible School (held in July; e.g., July 17–19, 8:30 AM–1:00 PM) — volunteers needed for Bible classes, crafts, music/instrument classes, cleaning, cooking, classroom management and registration
- Contact: Rebeca Rangel, 336-756-1889
Legion of Mary
Launched at the parish in partnership with a sister Legion group from St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte, the Legion of Mary meets weekly to grow in spiritual life through the Rosary and daily work evangelization.
- Meets Tuesdays at 7:00 PM
- Open to new members seeking formation and spiritual growth
Marriage Preparation
Engaged couples are required to participate in the parish's pre-marriage classes (Pláticas Pre-matrimoniales), which are led by a parish team and hosted several times a year.
- Pre-Marriage classes (Pláticas Pre-matrimoniales)
- Classes held at the parish for engaged couples preparing for the Sacrament of Matrimony
Seminarian Summer Mission Program
Each summer Divine Redeemer welcomes a seminarian from the Diocese of Charlotte for a three-month pastoral mission. In 2025, Mateo Pérez served the parish from June through August, organizing a pilgrimage of more than 200 parishioners to the Basilica of St. Mary Help of Christians at Belmont Abbey and assisting at Sunday Masses and parish events.
- Summer 2019 — seminarian Camilo Salas-Bowen served at the parish
- Summer 2025 — seminarian Mateo Pérez (Diocese of Charlotte) served June–August
- Pilgrimage to Belmont Abbey (August 2, 2025) with 200+ participants
Devotions and Special Celebrations
Alongside the regular liturgical schedule, the parish offers special devotions and seasonal Masses that mark family milestones and bring in visiting clergy.
- Annual Graduation Mass — bilingual Mass honoring graduating parishioners (sign up with Petra)
- Bimonthly healing Mass celebrated by visiting priest Rev. Carlos Piña (begins 6:30 PM; bring bottled water, sea/grain salt and olive oil for blessing)
- Annual parish pilgrimage (Belmont Abbey in 2025)
- Legion of Mary weekly Rosary and formation
Building, Architecture and Campus
The 18,000-square-foot Divine Redeemer church sits on 20 acres of land in Boonville, at the geographic midpoint between the two earlier mission communities of Yadkinville and Dobson. The architecture was intentionally chosen to honor the Mexican heritage of the founding Catholic community.
- Stucco exterior walls and a red tile roof in traditional Mexican style
- Sanctuary crucifix and altar crafted in Mexico
- 18,000-square-foot facility completed in January 2003; $1.5 million construction cost
- 20-acre campus on Lon Avenue, Boonville
Visit, Contact and Getting Involved
Parishioners and visitors are warmly welcomed at Divine Redeemer. The parish office can be reached by phone, the official Facebook page carries ongoing announcements, and the parish blog at divine-redeemer.church/drblog carries Noticias y Blog del Divino Redentor in both English and Spanish.
- Address: 209 Lon Avenue, Boonville, NC 27011
- Phone: (336) 367-7067; Fax: (336) 367-7954
- Website: http://divineredeemercc.org/
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/DivineRedeemerCatholic
- Parish blog: https://divine-redeemer.church/drblog
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Fidel Melo2004–c.2019
First pastor of Divine Redeemer; one of the first native Spanish-speaking priests to serve the community. Later served as Vicar of Hispanic Ministry for the Diocese of Charlotte.
- Rev. José Enrique González-Gaytánc.2019–2021
Departed in 2021 to take a sabbatical year.
- Rev. Jean Pierre Swamunu Lhoposo2021–present
Assigned by Bishop Peter J. Jugis effective Aug. 31, 2021, transferring from pastor of St. James Catholic Church in Hamlet and Sacred Heart Catholic Mission in Wadesboro.