About Our Lady of Lourdes · Monroe, North Carolina
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church is a multicultural parish in Monroe, North Carolina, that traces its origin to the Catholic soldiers of World War II's Camp Sutton and the surrounding Union County community. Founded on May 10, 1942 by Fathers James Hudson and Patrick Hanley of the Society of the Priests of Mercy (Fathers of Mercy), the parish grew from a chapel in a Maurice Street house and a Mass in the Center Theatre on Main Street into one of the largest parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte, with roughly 1,500 registered families and a congregation that is overwhelmingly Hispanic. Today the parish celebrates Mass in both English and Spanish, offers a robust Faith Formation program for about 500 children, and serves as the Catholic heart of Union County.
- Established
- 1942
- Patron
- Our Lady of Lourdes
- Rector
- Very Rev. Benjamin A. Roberts, DMin, VF
- Diocese
- Diocese of Charlotte
Why belong here
Our Lady of Lourdes is a true bilingual Catholic home in Union County, where English- and Spanish-speaking families worship side by side and share one faith across cultures. The parish offers a full sacramental life — three Sunday Masses (including a 12:30 PM Spanish Mass and a livestreamed 7:30 AM Mass), daily Mass four days a week, weekly Adoration and Confession, and a robust Faith Formation program for roughly 500 children. With ministries for youth, communications, music, and outreach, plus a recently restored campus featuring a 12,000-square-foot worship space, an outdoor Lourdes Grotto, and a beautiful Marian mural, OLL is a welcoming place for anyone seeking a vibrant, multicultural Catholic community rooted in more than 80 years of local history.
Mass times at Our Lady of Lourdes
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesday 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM (Church)
- Thursday 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM (Church)
Adoration times
- Wednesday 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM (Church)
- Thursday 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM (Church)
Parish History
Our Lady of Lourdes was founded on May 10, 1942 when the Society of the Priests of Mercy sent Fathers James Hudson and Patrick Hanley to Monroe in response to the Catholic influx from World War II's Camp Sutton. The first public Mass was celebrated May 31, 1942 in the Center Theatre on Main Street with about 500 Catholic soldiers and their families present. The original 120-seat church at East Franklin and Deese streets was dedicated by Raleigh Bishop Vincent Waters on April 24, 1946 and served the parish for nearly six decades before a much larger 12,000-square-foot church was dedicated across Deese Street by Bishop Peter Jugis on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 18, 2004.
- Founded May 10, 1942 by Frs. James Hudson & Patrick Hanley (Fathers of Mercy)
- First public Mass: May 31, 1942 in the Center Theatre on Main Street
- Land at East Franklin & Deese purchased November 1942
- Original church dedicated by Bishop Vincent Waters, April 24, 1946
- New 12,000-sq-ft, 719-seat church dedicated by Bishop Peter Jugis, April 18, 2004
- Outdoor Lourdes Grotto dedicated May 10, 2017 (75th anniversary)
- 2020 electrical fire damaged office and original church; restoration completed 2022
- Mural of the BVM, St. Bernadette and St. Juan Diego installed in the narthex, 2021
Parish Staff
Our Lady of Lourdes is led by Very Rev. Benjamin A. Roberts, DMin, VF, who has served as pastor since 2012 and was ordained in 2009 at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. Three deacons — Dave Powers, Margarito Franco Torres and Scott N. Johnson — assist with liturgical and pastoral ministry. The lay staff includes Marlene Juarez (Coordinator of Faith Formation), Ariel Matera (Director of Communications, Development and Faith Formation), Laura Flores (Assistant for Administration), Mayra Mendoza Molina, Kevin Carmody, and Bradley Stiver (Cantor).
- Very Rev. Benjamin A. Roberts, DMin, VF — Pastor
- Deacon Dave Powers
- Deacon Margarito Franco Torres
- Deacon Scott N. Johnson
- Marlene Juarez — Coordinator of Faith Formation
- Ariel Matera — Director of Communications, Development & Faith Formation
- Laura Flores — Assistant for Administration
- Mayra Mendoza Molina
- Kevin Carmody
- Bradley Stiver — Cantor
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The Faith Formation program serves roughly 500 children and youth of the parish, with classes on Sunday mornings and Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Families can begin their child on the two-year First Communion track, and registration, schedule and family review materials are posted on the parish website. Marlene Juarez coordinates the program; Ariel Matera oversees Communications, Development and Faith Formation.
- Sunday Session #1: 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
- Tuesday Session #2: 5:00–6:00 PM; Session #3: 6:45–7:45 PM
- Wednesday Session #4: 5:00–6:00 PM; Session #5: 6:45–7:45 PM
- Faith Formation Office Hours: Mon–Thu 9 AM–1 PM
- Coordinator: Marlene Juarez (text 833-244-5313, begin with 'FF')
- Two-year First Communion preparation
Bilingual & Hispanic Ministry
OLL is a genuinely bilingual parish. About 85% of the congregation is Hispanic, and the parish has celebrated Spanish Masses for decades — once a month in the 1990s and as a regular weekly 12:30 PM Sunday Mass today. Hispanic parishioners bring cultural devotions, music, and traditions that enrich the whole parish; bilingual services allow parents to follow in Spanish while children follow in English. Grupo Misericordia Divina meets every Friday evening for prayer and formation.
- Sunday 12:30 PM Mass in Spanish
- Bilingual liturgical environment for children and parents
- Grupo Misericordia Divina — Fridays 7:30–10:00 PM in the chapel
- Coordinated Spanish-speaking deacon (Deacon Margarito Franco Torres)
- Altar server coordinator Gabby Carvajal
Devotions & Prayer Life
Beyond weekend and weekday Mass, Our Lady of Lourdes offers two evenings of Adoration and Confession each week, an outdoor Lourdes Grotto dedicated in 2017, and ongoing parish devotions including the Spanish-language Divine Mercy prayer group. Special saint Masses — such as the annual St. Dymphna Mass — are scheduled throughout the year and announced in the parish bulletin.
- Wednesday Adoration & Confession 6:30–8:00 PM
- Thursday Adoration & Confession 5:30–8:30 PM
- Outdoor Lourdes Grotto (dedicated May 10, 2017)
- Grupo Misericordia Divina — Fridays 7:30–10:00 PM
- Sunday 7:30 AM Mass livestreamed
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the seven sacraments and prepares parishioners to receive them. Faith Formation supports two years of preparation for First Holy Communion; parents whose children need Baptism, older children entering the faith, couples preparing for Marriage, and those needing Anointing of the Sick are encouraged to contact the parish office.
- Baptism
- First Holy Communion (two-year Faith Formation track)
- Marriage (contact the parish office)
- Anointing of the Sick
- Reconciliation — Wed 6:30–8:00 PM, Thu 5:30–8:30 PM
Music & Liturgy
Music at OLL is led by a Cantor (Bradley Stiver) and a team of musicians for English services, with Spanish-language liturgical music supported by the Hispanic community. The parish's main worship space, dedicated in 2004, seats 719 and was designed to host the fuller liturgical celebrations the growing bilingual congregation needed.
- Cantor: Bradley Stiver
- Music Director for English Services
- Bilingual liturgical music
- Livestreamed Sunday 7:30 AM Mass
Camp Sutton & Union County Roots
The parish exists because of World War II's Camp Sutton, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers training base on the east side of Monroe that brought thousands of Catholic soldiers into a previously Protestant Southern Baptist town. Before the war only three known Catholics — Patrick Dooley, Margaret Dooley and Polly Miller — lived in Monroe. Local women met and married Catholic soldiers, many converted, and the parish grew from those wartime marriages. Father Hudson and Father Hanley's mission to found a parish here in 1942 was a direct response to that Catholic influx.
- Camp Sutton established March 1942 — 2,296 acres, ~16,000 soldiers, 49 units
- POW stockade for German prisoners on-site
- Rev. Dennis Keating served as Army chaplain
- First Solemn High Mass in Union County — Christmas 1942 at Monroe High School auditorium
- Mission Church of St. Joseph's founded in 1940s for the black community, 703 Winchester Avenue
Visit, Contact & Office Hours
The parish office is open Monday through Thursday 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM and Friday 10:30 AM – 4:00 PM (closed for lunch 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM). The main church address is 725 Deese Street, Monroe, NC 28112, with the parish phone at (704) 289-2773 and a pastoral emergency line at 704-776-4977. Inquiries can be sent to [email protected], and the parish maintains an active Facebook page.
- Address: 725 Deese Street, Monroe, NC 28112
- Phone: (704) 289-2773 — Emergency 704-776-4977
- Email: [email protected]
- Office: Mon–Thu 9–4; Fri 10:30–4 (closed 12–1 for lunch)
- Facebook: facebook.com/OurLadyofLourdesMonroe
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. James Hudson (Fathers of Mercy)1942–
Co-founder of the parish; celebrated the first public Mass in the Center Theatre on May 31, 1942; purchased the East Franklin/Deese Street land in November 1942.
- Rev. Patrick Hanley (Fathers of Mercy)1942–
Co-founder, sent with Fr. Hudson to establish the parish.
- Rev. Thomas McAvoy (Fathers of Mercy)1940s
Established St. Joseph's mission church on Monroe's west side for the black community, with its own building at 703 Winchester Avenue by 1948.
- Rev. Peter Jugisearly 2000s
Pastor before being named the fourth Bishop of Charlotte by Pope John Paul II; dedicated the new 12,000-square-foot church on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 18, 2004.
- Very Rev. Benjamin A. Roberts, DMin, VF2012–present
Ordained 2009 at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia; D.Min. in Preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology; dedicated the Lourdes Grotto in 2017 and led the parish through the 2020 fire and restoration.