Our Lady of Grace

Parish History

Our Lady of Grace was founded and funded by Julian Price, a Baptist, as a living memorial to his Catholic wife Ethel Clay Price, who died in 1943. After Julian's accidental death and a wartime delay, the Prices' children contributed an additional $300,000 on top of Julian's original $400,000 gift, and construction began in 1950. The Gothic Revival church, modeled on Our Lady of Refuge in Brooklyn, opened for its first Mass on July 13, 1952, and was formally dedicated on September 14, 1952, by the Vatican's Apostolic Delegate, Cardinal Amleto Giovanni Cicognani. The parish school opened in 1953, the Kleuker Jubilee organ was dedicated in 1977, and the parish celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2022.

Architecture and Building

The architect Henry V. Murphy scaled down his Brooklyn Church of Our Lady of Refuge to a 500-seat Gothic Revival design. Exterior walls of pink granite from Salisbury, North Carolina are trimmed with Indiana limestone, and the 30,000+ pieces of stained glass were imported from Belgium. Italian marble adorns the sanctuary and side altars, while a special Legion of Mary altar honors Mrs. Price's Marian devotion. The Jubilee Pipe Organ, a 2,226-pipe Kleuker, was dedicated in October 1977. The parish school (1953) was deliberately designed to match the church's Gothic style, and a 1976 expansion added a three-story Upper School, the activity center, and a gymnasium that famously accommodated overflow seating for the Fulton Sheen Mass that year.

Clergy and Staff

Father Casey Coleman has served as pastor since 2020 and is assisted by parochial vicar Father Elliott Suttle and retired Deacon James H. Toner (assigned to OLG since 2010). A professional lay staff runs religious education, youth ministry, operations, music, security/technology, and the parish office. The Director of Religious Education, Amanda Johnson, M.A., also oversees Confirmation Preparation and Young Adult Ministry.

• Pastor: Father Casey Allen Coleman
• Parochial Vicar: Father Elliott Suttle
• Retired Deacon: Deacon James H. Toner (since 2010)
• Director of Religious Education: Amanda Johnson, M.A.
• Youth Minister: Elizabeth Herpy
• Religious Education Coordinator: Maria Morelos
• Director of Operations: Charles Longino
• Director of Security & Technology: Landon Johnson, Obl.S.B.
• Database Administrator: Karla Ramirez
• Buildings & Grounds Supervisor (Katie — surname not listed)

Education and Formation

The parish's Education & Formation Commission, under Commission Chair Darrell Boan, oversees a complete catechetical program: K-12 Religious Education with volunteer catechists on Sunday mornings September through April/May; Adult Catechesis small groups held off campus (including the ongoing Lectio Divina groups); RCIA with sponsor and godparent formation; Marriage Preparation pairing engaged couples with mentor couples; Confirmation Preparation under the Director of Religious Education; and Credo Café, a Sunday-morning adult catechetical discussion led by a parish priest.

• Religious Education (grades 1-12, with PreK/K planned)
• RCIA — Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults
• Adult Catechesis Small Groups (off campus, materials reviewed by DRE)
• Credo Café (Sundays 10:45-11:30 AM)
• Marriage Preparation (mentor couples, ~9 months)
• Confirmation Preparation Program
• Caritas Youth Ministry (Wed. 7-8:30 PM, middle and high school)
• Young Adult Ministry
• Women's Gospel Encounter (Tuesdays 11 AM - 12 PM)
• Celebración de la Palabra (Spanish, Thursdays 7 PM)

Our Lady of Grace Catholic School

OLG Catholic School, established in 1953 and located at 201 South Chapman Street on the same Sunset Hills campus, is a parish school serving PreK3 through 8th grade. Originally run by the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary from Scranton, Pennsylvania for 26 years, the school has been lay-staffed since 1980-81 and is a member of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA). The curriculum includes Language Arts, Literature, Mathematics, Reading, Religion, Science, and Social Studies, plus enrichment in Art, Drama, Library, Music, PE, Spanish (or Latin for middle schoolers beginning in 6th grade), and a STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art, Music) program added in 2019-20. Students attend student-planned weekly Masses, monthly visits to Eucharistic Adoration, grade-level retreats, and seasonal celebrations such as the Living Stations of the Cross. Total enrollment is approximately 240 students with a 10:1 student/teacher ratio.

Parish Life and Commissions

Day-to-day parish life is organized through four commissions: Parish Life (under Commission Chair Rebekah Zomberg), Liturgy & Worship, Community Outreach (corporal works of Mercy), and Evangelization & Communication, plus a Buildings Commission addressing future growth and renovations. The parish maintains an annual calendar of social and recreational events, small-group fellowship, and outreach initiatives, and uses the Realm directory for online sign-ups.

• Parish Life Commission
• Liturgy & Worship Commission
• Community Outreach Commission
• Evangelization & Communication Commission
• Education & Formation Commission
• Buildings Commission
• Groups on Realm for faith formation, parish life, and stewardship

Notable People and Moments

Two events loom particularly large in the parish's history: in 1976 Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen celebrated Mass and blessed the new activity center and school, and in late 1971 Pastor Monsignor Michael J. Begley was chosen by Bishop Vincent Waters to become the founding Bishop of the new Diocese of Charlotte. Both events are still honored in parish memory — and the diocese's 50th jubilee in 2022 coincided with OLG's 70th.

• Archbishop Fulton Sheen's 1976 visit and blessing
• Monsignor Michael J. Begley's appointment as first Bishop of Charlotte (1972)
• Dedication by Cardinal Amleto Cicognani (1952)
• Jubilee Organ dedication (1977)
• 70th anniversary celebration (2022)

Visiting and Contact Information

The parish office is staffed Monday through Thursday 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM, with limited Saturday coverage (3:00 PM - 5:00 PM) and Sunday coverage (9:30 AM - 11:30 AM); the office is closed on Fridays. The sacramental emergency line (336-790-1810) is staffed around the clock. The parish can be reached at 336-274-6520 or [email protected]; the mailing address is 2203 West Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27403-1515.

• Parish Office: 336-274-6520
• Sacramental Emergency Line: 336-790-1810
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: http://olgchurch.org/
• Facebook: Our Lady of Grace Church Greensboro (ourladyofgracechurchgso)
• Office hours Monday-Thursday 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM; Friday closed