About Our Lady of Guadalupe · Charlotte, North Carolina
Our Lady of Guadalupe (Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe) is a predominantly Hispanic Roman Catholic parish located at 6212 Tuckaseegee Road in west Charlotte, North Carolina, serving the Diocese of Charlotte. Founded as a parish in 2007 but with ministry roots stretching back to 1972, it is the largest predominantly Hispanic parish in the diocese and the second-highest in Mass attendance among the diocese's 93 churches, packing more than 6,000 people into eight weekend Masses. The parish is staffed by the Vincentian Fathers (Congregation of the Mission) and is widely recognized as a regional hub for Hispanic Catholic faith formation, food distribution, and medical and social-service referrals.
- Established
- 2007
- Patron
- Our Lady of Guadalupe (Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe)
- Rector
- Reverend Marvin Alonso Navas, C.M. (Vincentian)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Charlotte
Why belong here
Our Lady of Guadalupe is the spiritual heart of Charlotte's Hispanic Catholic community, with most Masses celebrated in Spanish and a Saturday evening bilingual Mass. Beyond its eight weekend liturges, it offers a robust faith-formation program for children and adults, the diocese's busiest food pantry through Casa Marillac, and trusted medical and social-service referral partnerships. For a Spanish-speaking Catholic who moves to the Charlotte area — or any Catholic who wants to worship alongside a vibrant, growing, mission-driven Latino community — this parish is the natural home.
Mass times at Our Lady of Guadalupe
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- Sunday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM and by appointment
Adoration times
- Nocturnal Adoration on the first Saturday of each month
Parish History
The community traces its roots to 1972, when the Diocese of Charlotte's first bishop, Michael J. Begley, founded the Hispanic Catholic Center to serve immigrant Catholics. A physical home came in 2002, when the diocesan Hispanic cultural center along Tuckaseegee Road was dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, and in 2007 Bishop Peter J. Jugis officially elevated the mission to parish status — one of four new parishes that year, alongside St. Joseph Vietnamese in Charlotte, St. Joseph in Kannapolis, and Our Lady of the Americas in Biscoe-Candor.
- 1972 — Bishop Michael J. Begley establishes the Hispanic Catholic Center in Charlotte
- 2002 — The Hispanic cultural center on Tuckaseegee Road is dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe
- 2007 — Bishop Peter J. Jugis elevates the community to parish status as Our Lady of Guadalupe
- 2012 — Casa Marillac food pantry begins weekly distributions
- 2016 — Vincentian Father Gregory Gay arrives as parochial vicar; parish adds a third priest and administrative staff
- 2025 — Bishop Michael Martin approves schematic-design work for a new 1,500-seat church
Pastoral Team (Vincentian Fathers)
Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of the few Vincentian-staffed parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte, served by members of the Congregation of the Mission (C.M.), the religious community founded by St. Vincent de Paul. Four Vincentian priests currently minister here, alongside an expanded lay administrative team.
- Pastor: Rev. Marvin Alonso Navas, C.M.
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Diogenes D. Araúz González
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. José Gregorio García Rubio, C.M.
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Bruce J. Krause, C.M.
Mass & Sacrament Schedule
The parish celebrates eight weekend Masses — one Saturday evening bilingual Mass plus seven Sunday Masses — all of the Sunday Masses in Spanish. Confessions are heard during a regular Tuesday-evening window and throughout Sunday morning into the afternoon, and a monthly nocturnal adoration is held on the first Saturday of every month.
- Saturday: 6:00 PM — Bilingual Mass
- Sunday: 6:00 AM, 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM, 5:00 PM — all in Spanish
- Weekday Masses: Tuesday 7:30 PM; Wednesday–Friday 12:00 PM (all in Spanish)
- Confessions: Tuesday 6:00–7:00 PM; Sunday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM and by appointment
- Adoration: Nocturnal Adoration on the first Saturday of each month
- Livestreamed Masses available via the parish's Facebook page
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation is one of the parish's signature ministries. The children's catechetical program has grown so much that it now runs five days a week plus an additional sixth day, and the parish has begun requiring parents of children in formation to take their own obligatory classes to honor the baptismal commitment to raise their children in the faith. Adult faith formation is offered in the renovated social-ministries house.
- Catechism classes for children (multi-day weekly program)
- Adult faith formation
- Obligatory baptism-commitment classes for parents
- Preparation for First Communion, Confirmation, and Baptism
Social Outreach — Casa Marillac
Since 2012, Casa Marillac has anchored the parish's outreach, distributing food to more than 300 families every week in collaboration with Second Harvest Food Bank. It is widely regarded as one of the busiest food pantries in the Diocese of Charlotte and has received grant support from the Foundation of the Diocese of Charlotte. The social-ministries house has been renovated to allow the pantry, medical services, community meetings, AA groups, and Spanish-language classes to share one renovated space.
- Weekly food distributions (300+ families) since 2012
- Partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank
- Supported by grants from the Foundation of the Diocese of Charlotte
- Logistical support historically provided by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
- Co-located medical and social-service referral services (partner: Novant Health)
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Each December 12, the parish hosts the diocesan-wide Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe — an all-night celebration of prayer, song, dance, and cultural expression that symbolically mirrors the Mexican devotion to the Virgin of Tepeyac. Father Navas has framed the parish's long-term building campaign in the same devotional language, hoping 'the Virgin of Guadalupe, who came down to Tepeyac, will also come down to this new Tepeyac.'
- Held annually on December 12
- All-night celebration of prayer, song and dance
- Draws participants from across the Diocese of Charlotte
Campus & Building Plans
Our Lady of Guadalupe sits on roughly 32 acres along Tuckaseegee Road, with the parish currently worshiping in a 14,000-square-foot multipurpose building that doubles as a church and community center. After parish leaders shared a 20-year pastoral and master plan with Bishop Michael Martin in the summer of 2025, diocesan authorities approved schematic-design work for a new church with a target seating capacity of 1,500 and costs likely exceeding $10 million.
- 32-acre campus on Tuckaseegee Road
- Current 14,000-sq-ft multi-purpose building (basketball goals + stored chairs)
- Master plan calls for a new church plus at least three multi-purpose buildings
- Targeted seating capacity: 1,500
- Estimated cost: $10 million+
- Initial designs expected by fall 2026; fundraising to begin early 2027
Languages & Community
The parish is intentionally bilingual and overwhelmingly Hispanic, drawing members from Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The Saturday evening Mass is celebrated bilingually; all Sunday Masses are in Spanish; weekday Masses and confessions are in Spanish; and the parish offers Spanish-language classes to support newcomers to the community.
- Sunday Masses and most parish life conducted in Spanish
- Saturday 6 PM Mass is bilingual (English/Spanish)
- Members from Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean
- Spanish-language classes offered on campus
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Reverend Marvin Alonso Navas, C.M.Current pastor (as of 2025–2026)
Vincentian (Congregation of the Mission) priest leading the parish's push toward a new church building; often quoted in diocesan coverage as the public face of the redevelopment.
- Reverend Vincent H. Finnerty, C.M.
Listed as a pastor of the parish on third-party parish directories.
- Reverend Gregory Gay, C.M.Parochial Vicar from December 2016
Vincentian parochial vicar who spoke to the Catholic News Herald about the parish's growth and space crunch in the late 2010s.