About Our Lady of Mercy · Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Our Lady of Mercy is a bilingual Roman Catholic parish in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in the Diocese of Charlotte. Located on the south side of the city at 1730 Link Road, the parish was established in 1954 to serve Catholics migrating to Winston-Salem for work at the Western Electric plant, and today serves a richly diverse community through English and Spanish Masses, religious education from kindergarten through high school, and an on-site Catholic school. It has been served by the Conventual Franciscans (Order of Friars Minor Conventual) since 1987, and its mission church, Our Lady of Fatima Chapel, sits in the historic downtown Washington Park neighborhood.
- Established
- 1954
- Patron
- Our Lady of Mercy
- Rector
- Reverend Aaron Cory Catron
- Diocese
- Diocese of Charlotte
Why belong here
Our Lady of Mercy is a bilingual English-Spanish parish serving worshippers from more than ten countries, with five Sunday Masses and a weekday schedule that fits working families. It pairs a parish-grade sacramental life (Daily Mass, Reconciliation, Eucharistic Adoration, 24-hour Adoration on First Fridays, RCIA/OCIA, and Confirmation preparation) with an on-site Blue-Ribbon Catholic elementary school, a strong youth ministry, and a Conventual Franciscan spiritual tradition going back to 1987. Active groups — Knights of Columbus, the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS), the Hispanic Charismatic Group, the Quilting Ministry, and a young adult group — give newcomers multiple ways to plug into parish life.
Mass times at Our Lady of Mercy
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday–Friday 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
- Monday & Wednesday 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
- Tuesday 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Adoration times
- Monday 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
- Tuesday 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
- Wednesday 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
- First Fridays 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM
- 24-Hour Adoration monthly on First Friday into First Saturday
Parish History
Our Lady of Mercy was founded in 1954 by Bishop Vincent S. Waters to serve Catholic families migrating to Winston-Salem for work at the Western Electric plant. Monsignor Francis K. O'Brien was the founding pastor, and in its first year the parish grew to 235 families. Bishop Waters dedicated the original parish building — church-in-the-basement, auditorium above, and school — on September 22, 1957, with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, staffing the school from opening day. In 1987 the pastoral care of OLM passed to the Conventual Franciscan Friars under Father Canice Connors, OFM Conv., a tradition that continues today under diocesan pastor Father Aaron Cory Catron and parochial vicar Father José Alfredo Palma Torres.
Mass & Worship Schedule
Our Lady of Mercy is a bilingual parish. The Sunday schedule offers five Masses in two languages, and the Our Lady of Fatima Mission Chapel (211 West Third Street) hosts additional English and Spanish Masses in the historic downtown.
- Saturday Vigil: 5:00 PM (English), 7:00 PM (Spanish)
- Sunday: 8:00 AM (Spanish), 9:30 AM at Our Lady of Fatima (English), 11:00 AM (English), 1:30 PM (Spanish)
- Weekdays Mon–Fri 8:30 AM (English); Mon & Wed 6:30 PM (Spanish); Friday 12:15 PM at Our Lady of Fatima (English)
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is led by Pastor Reverend Aaron Cory Catron and Parochial Vicar Reverend José Alfredo Palma Torres, assisted by two permanent deacons and a full administrative, music, youth-ministry, religious-education, facilities, and communications team.
- Pastor: Rev. Aaron Cory Catron
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. José Alfredo Palma Torres
- Deacons: Rev. Mr. Serge Bernatchez, Rev. Mr. Ramon Tejada
- Music Director
- Youth Minister (Dave Miser)
- Pastoral Associate for Religious Education
- Business Manager / Bookkeeper (Sr. Kathy Ganiel, OSF)
- School Principal
- Facilities Manager & Facilities Assistant
- Executive Assistant, Receptionist, Administrative Assistants
- Ministry Support & Communications (Elsa Heckman)
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Our Lady of Mercy offers a cradle-through-high-school formation track — plus adult OCIA and special-needs REACH — under a single registration system. Programs run during the academic year and registration typically opens in mid-May for the following year.
- Family Faith Formation (Grades K–5)
- Middle School Faith Formation
- L.I.G.H.T. – Living in God's Holy Truth (High School, 9–12)
- Chosen Confirmation Preparation for Teens
- REACH – Special Needs faith formation
- OCIC – Order of Christian Initiation for Children (ages 7–17)
- OCIA – Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (Becoming Catholic)
- Holy Orders & Religious Life discernment
- First Reconciliation & First Communion preparation
Youth & Young Adult Ministry
The high-school program is the four-year L.I.G.H.T. (Living in God's Holy Truth) curriculum built around Profession of Faith, Sacraments of Faith, Life of Faith, and Prayer in the Life of Faith. It pairs Confirmation preparation with retreats, small-group faith sharing, service and discipleship projects, and a separate teen social group called REFUGE. The broader Youth Ministry is shaped by the USCCB framework from Renewing the Vision: a comprehensive approach across advocacy, catechesis, community life, evangelization, justice and service, leadership development, pastoral care, and prayer and worship. The parish also runs a Young Adult Group for parishioners beyond high school.
- L.I.G.H.T. four-year high school program
- Chosen Confirmation Program
- REFUGE Teen Youth Group
- Totus Tuus summer program
- Young Adult Group
Parish Groups & Devotions
The parish hosts a wide spectrum of prayer, service, and fellowship groups — many reflecting its bilingual community and Franciscan heritage. The Secular Franciscan Order (OFS) fraternity meets regularly, in continuity with the Conventual Franciscan friars who have served the parish since 1987.
- Knights of Columbus Council (COR)
- Secular Franciscan Order (OFS) Fraternity
- Grupo Carismático – Hispanic Charismatic Prayer Group
- Hispanic Bible Study
- Hispanic Youth Choir
- Hispanic Couples Retreat
- Quilting Ministry
Sacraments
To arrange any sacrament at Our Lady of Mercy, parishioners are invited to call the parish office at 336-722-7001. Sacramental preparation is offered year-round for children and adults, with adult inquirers walking through the OCIA process and teens preparing for Confirmation through the Chosen program.
- Baptism
- First Reconciliation & First Communion
- Confirmation (teen & adult tracks)
- Matrimony
- Anointing of the Sick
- Holy Orders & Religious Life discernment
- OCIA / OCIC for those entering the Church
Our Lady of Fatima Mission Chapel
Our Lady of Fatima Chapel (211 West Third Street, Winston-Salem) is a mission of Our Lady of Mercy Parish. Originally established in 1954 for Catholic Western Electric workers in the Washington Park neighborhood, the chapel is a small gray-brick building from the early 1900s that once served as Winston-Salem's first public library. Mass is offered there in English on Sundays at 9:30 AM and on Fridays at 12:15 PM. An influx of Hispanic Catholics in the 1990s added to the chapel's diversity, and today's community draws from more than ten countries.
- Address: 211 West Third Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
- Sunday Mass: 9:30 AM (English)
- Friday Mass: 12:15 PM (English)
- Directions: I-40 Business exit at Cherry Street, two blocks to West Third; chapel on the corner facing Cherry Street — street parking only
Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School
Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School, a PreK–8 elementary school on the parish campus at 1730 Link Road, operates under the Diocese of Charlotte and has been a parish priority since the parish's earliest days. Founded in 1953 by founding pastor Fr. Louis E. Marionneaux — it actually opened before the parish itself — the school opened with 174 students in grades 1–4 in an all-lay-faculty model that drew national attention. Staffed from the start by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, it moved into a renovated building on Link Road (the former Bishop McGuinness High School) on November 22, 2002, and added a Pre-K in 2006. In 2010 the U.S. Department of Education recognized the school as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. The school's mission statement today reads: 'Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School provides foundations for a life of prayer, knowledge, and service.'
- Founded 1953 by Fr. Louis E. Marionneaux
- Original faculty: all-lay (nationally noted for being the only Catholic school of its kind at opening)
- Staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph from Chestnut Hill, PA
- Moved to Link Road (former Bishop McGuinness H.S.) on Nov. 22, 2002
- Pre-K added 2006; Pre-K became a 5-Star licensed program in 2017
- U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, 2010
- Principal: Sr. Geri Rogers, SSJ (since 2007)
- Mission: foundations for a life of prayer, knowledge, and service
Contact & Visit
Parish office hours, contact information, and current announcements are kept current on the parish website. Visitors can find Mass, Confession, and Adoration schedules there along with sign-ups for 24-Hour Adoration and Totus Tuus.
- Address: 1730 Link Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27103
- Phone: (336) 722-7001
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.ourladyofmercync.org/
- Parish office announces Summer Office Hours seasonally
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Monsignor Francis K. O'Brien1954–
Founding pastor; received Bishop Waters' letter establishing parish boundaries; grew the parish to 235 families in its first year.
- Monsignor Lawrence Newman1967–
Fifth pastor; proponent of Catholic schools; expanded enrollment and worked down parish debt of $450,000. Monsignor Newman Center named in his honor, dedicated by Bishop Donoghue on Jan. 15, 1989.
- Father Edward Sheridan1984
Hired the school's first lay principal, Sandra McMonagle, in 1984.
- Father Joseph Mulligan1984–
Eighth pastor; arrived July 1984.
- Father Canice Connors, OFM Conv.1987–1992
Began the Conventual Franciscan mission at OLM on Aug. 13, 1987.
- Father Conall McHugh1992–1998
Succeeded Father Canice.
- Father Joseph Madden1998–1999
- Father Joseph Angelini1999–2001
- Father Denis Hackett2001–2002
- Friar Bill Robinson, OFM Conv.2002–2014
Replaced Father Denis in July 2002; shepherded move of the school to the former Bishop McGuinness High School on Link Road.
- Friar Carl Zdancewicz, OFM Conv.2014–
Succeeded Friar Bill in August 2014.
- Reverend Aaron Cory Catron
Current pastor; celebrated 10-year priestly ordination anniversary on June 18 (per parish bulletin).