About Immaculate Conception · Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Immaculate Conception is a historic Catholic mission church located at 721 East Virginia Street in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. It is a mission of the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, also in Rocky Mount, and is one of the historically African American Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Raleigh. The mission was founded in 1942 under Bishop Vincent S. McGuinness, the second bishop of Raleigh, and was originally staffed by Redemptorist missionaries. Sunday Mass is celebrated in English at 11:00 AM, and reconciliation is available by request.
- Established
- 1942
- Patron
- Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Rev. Paul Nicholas Cottrill, V.F.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Raleigh
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception is a small, historic Catholic mission with deep roots: founded in 1942 and listed by the USCCB as a parish with a strong Black Catholic presence, it carries more than eight decades of faith, music, and family tradition in east Rocky Mount. Worship is intimate and welcoming — a single Sunday English Mass at 11:00 AM connects a close-knit congregation under the pastoral care of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. As a chapter of the Diocese of Raleigh's African Ancestry Ministry and Evangelization Network (AAMEN), it offers a distinctive home for African American Catholic life, fellowship, and witness in the Twin Counties area.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Reconciliation by request
About Immaculate Conception Catholic Mission
Immaculate Conception is a Catholic mission church in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, located at 721 East Virginia Street in the eastern part of the city. It is canonically a mission of the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, with shared pastoral staff and a parish office at 328 Hammond Street. The mission is one of the historically African American Catholic parishes of the Diocese of Raleigh and a chartered chapter of the diocesan African Ancestry Ministry and Evangelization Network (AAMEN). Sunday Mass is celebrated in English at 11:00 AM, with reconciliation available on request.
History
The mission was founded in 1942 under Bishop Vincent S. McGuinness, the second Bishop of Raleigh. From its founding it was served by Redemptorist missionaries of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, the same order that staffed St. Alphonsus in Wilson and worked in Goldsboro and Newton Grove during that era. Immaculate Conception has long been a center of African American Catholic life in the Twin Counties: the USCCB lists it among parishes with a strong Black Catholic presence, and within the diocese it is a chartered chapter of AAMEN.
- Founded 1942 under Bishop Vincent S. McGuinness
- Originally staffed by Redemptorist missionaries
- Historically African American Catholic parish
- Listed by USCCB among parishes with a strong Black Catholic presence
80th Anniversary with Bishop Zarama (2022)
In October 2022, Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama visited Immaculate Conception Catholic Mission to celebrate Mass and recognize the community's 80th anniversary. At the time, Father Tim Meares (Reverend Clyde Timberlake Meares) was pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and administrator of the mission. Following the Mass, parishioners presented the bishop with gifts including a framed portrait of the church and a plaque acknowledging his visit for the mission anniversary.
Mass and Sacraments
Immaculate Conception Catholic Mission celebrates one weekly Mass — Sunday at 11:00 AM in English — in keeping with its identity as a small mission church. The sacrament of Reconciliation (confession) is available by request. Mission staff are reachable through the shared parish office of Our Lady of Perpetual Help at 328 Hammond Street.
- Sunday Mass: 11:00 AM, English
- Reconciliation: by request
African Ancestry Ministry (AAMEN)
Immaculate Conception is a chartered chapter of the Diocese of Raleigh's African Ancestry Ministry and Evangelization Network (AAMEN). Through AAMEN, the mission works to spread the Gospel, celebrate the sacraments, and form a faith community while supporting Catholic life and identity among African American parishioners across the diocese.
Visit, Contact, and Parish Office
The mission church sits at 721 East Virginia Street in Rocky Mount. The parish office — shared with Our Lady of Perpetual Help — is at 328 Hammond Street, Rocky Mount, NC 27801, and can be reached at (252) 972-0452 (fax 252-972-4780) or by email at [email protected]. Visitors seeking Sunday Mass, reconciliation, or information about parish life are encouraged to call ahead.
- Physical address: 721 East Virginia Street, Rocky Mount, NC 27801
- Mailing / parish office: 328 Hammond Street, Rocky Mount, NC 27801
- Phone: (252) 972-0452
- Fax: (252) 972-4780
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.immaculateconceptionmission.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Redemptorist missionaries (Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer)1942 onwards
Original pastoral staff at the mission's founding; they also staffed St. Alphonsus in Wilson and served Goldsboro and Newton Grove.
- Rev. Clyde Timberlake Meares (Father Tim Meares)
Pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and administrator of Immaculate Conception Mission in 2022 at the 80th anniversary Mass with Bishop Zarama; granted a year-long sabbatical effective June 27, 2023.
- Rev. Paul Nicholas Cottrill, V.F.Effective June 27, 2023
Very Reverend Paul Nicholas Cottrill, previously pastor of Holy Family Parish in Elizabeth City and the Mission of Saint Katharine Drexel in Maple and Dean of the Albemarle Deanery; appointed by Bishop Zarama as pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish and the Mission of Immaculate Conception in Rocky Mount.