About Our Lady of Guadalupe · Cherokee, North Carolina
Our Lady of Guadalupe is a Catholic mission church serving the Cherokee, North Carolina community on the Qualla Boundary, the homeland of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians. It is a mission of St. Joseph Church in Bryson City and belongs to the Diocese of Charlotte. Dedicated in August 1966 by Bishop Vincent S. Waters of the Diocese of Raleigh, it was the first Catholic church ever built on the Cherokee Indian Reservation, and its design deliberately echoes the ancient Cherokee council house. Today it offers Mass in both English and Spanish, weekly Eucharistic Adoration in Spanish, and serves a worshipping community that includes members of the Eastern Band as well as visitors to the western North Carolina mountains.
- Established
- 1966
- Patron
- Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Rector
- Rev. Victor Ugbede-Ojo Ameh, MSP (Pastor of St. Joseph, Bryson City, with Our Lady of Guadalupe as his mission)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Charlotte
Why belong here
Our Lady of Guadalupe offers a genuinely bilingual Catholic community in the heart of the Smoky Mountains, with both English and Spanish Masses each Saturday and a weekly Thursday evening Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction in Spanish. As a small mission on the Qualla Boundary, it is an intimate place where parishioners and visitors know one another, and its unique seven-sided council-house architecture and clan-tile floor make it one of the most distinctive Catholic churches in the Southeast. It is a fitting spiritual home for Cherokee Catholics, Hispanics who have come to the mountains for work in tourism and hospitality, and anyone drawn to worship in a setting that honors both the Catholic faith and the heritage of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians.
Mass times at Our Lady of Guadalupe
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday 7:10 PM – 8:00 PM at Our Lady of Guadalupe (and by request or appointment)
Adoration times
- Thursday 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (Adoration & Benediction, Spanish) at Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission, 82 Lambert Branch Rd, Cherokee
History of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission
Dedicated in August 1966 by Bishop Vincent S. Waters of the then-Diocese of Raleigh, Our Lady of Guadalupe was established to bring the Catholic faith to Catholics living on the Qualla Boundary, the home of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians. It was the first Catholic church constructed on the Cherokee Indian Reservation, raised on land donated by Leila Queen, a local Catholic convert. Because the land lay within tribal territory, the Cherokee tribal council and the principal chief themselves had to approve before construction could proceed. The building's unique shape — seven sides, with mosaic floor tiles representing the seven Cherokee clans — was a direct decision of Bishop Waters, who wanted the mission's architecture to reflect the host community. After COVID-19 the mission was closed for a stretch; it was later reopened and today is once again a regular place of Saturday Mass and Thursday Adoration, served as a mission of St. Joseph Church in Bryson City.
- Dedicated August 1966 by Bishop Vincent S. Waters of Raleigh
- First Catholic church built on the Cherokee Indian Reservation
- Land donated by Catholic convert Leila Queen
- Construction approved by the Cherokee tribal council and principal chief
- Temporarily closed during COVID-19, later reopened
Cherokee-Inspired Architecture
Bishop Waters directed that the mission's design honor Eastern Band Cherokee culture. The result is a seven-sided building in the pattern of the ancient sacred Cherokee council house, with mosaic floor tiles representing each of the seven Cherokee clans.
- Seven-sided plan modeled on the Cherokee council house
- Mosaic tiles of the seven clans: Paint, Deer, Panther, Wolf, Bird, Potato, Blue
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Faith formation is shared with St. Joseph's in Bryson City and serves both the Cherokee mission and the wider parish community. Programs run for school-age children and adults, with an RCIA/OCIA process for those discerning becoming Catholic.
- Sundays 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM — Faith Formation for Kids (ages 5–17) at St. Joseph's
- Thursdays 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM — Faith Formation for Adults at St. Joseph's
- RCIA / OCIA (Becoming Catholic)
Parish Ministries and Groups
In addition to faith formation, the parish family supports a range of ministries including Bible study, a choir (currently being rebuilt), youth ministry, men's and women's groups, and a local Knights of Columbus council that lists Our Lady of Guadalupe as its parish.
- Bible Study
- Choir & Music Ministry
- Youth Ministry / Youth Group
- Men's Group
- Women's Group
- Knights of Columbus Council (Our Lady of Guadalupe, Cherokee)
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission is pastored together with St. Joseph Church in Bryson City by Fr. Victor Ugbede-Ojo Ameh, MSP.
- Pastor: Rev. Victor Ugbede-Ojo Ameh, MSP
Visiting Our Lady of Guadalupe
The mission sits on Lambert Branch Road, just off US Highway 441 in Cherokee, North Carolina — about a mile south of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park entrance and three-quarters of a mile north of the Fair Grounds. Parishioners and visitors should expect limited parking and follow the parking instructions on arrival; on Sundays, overflow parking is available at the Dairy Queen below the mission.
- Address: 82 Lambert Branch Road, Cherokee, NC 28719
- Off US Hwy 441, ~1 mile south of the National Park entrance
- Limited parking — overflow at the Dairy Queen below the mission on Sundays
- RVs to use business lots along US 441