About Our Lady of the Assumption · Charlotte, North Carolina
Our Lady of the Assumption is a Roman Catholic parish in east Charlotte, North Carolina, within the Diocese of Charlotte, located at 4207 Shamrock Drive. The parish is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse in the diocese, offering Mass in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and (at times) French, with an active charismatic prayer movement and a long-running parish grade school on the same campus. Now led by Fr. José Enrique González Gaytán, the parish is recognized for embracing multiple cultural communities under one roof — a transformation that accelerated as Latino immigrants settled on Charlotte's east side in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Assumption (the Blessed Virgin Mary, dogma of the Assumption)
- Rector
- Rev. Jose-Enrique Gonzalez-Gaytán
- Diocese
- Diocese of Charlotte
Why belong here
Our Lady of the Assumption is a natural home for Catholics seeking worship in their own language: the parish offers Masses in English, Spanish, Vietnamese (monthly, celebrated by Fr. Peter Pham), and even French-speaking African prayer communities, plus active English- and Spanish-language charismatic prayer groups. With a parish grade school on the same campus (K-8), a vibrant Quinceañera and sacramental life, established RCIA and youth ministry, Knights of Columbus, Ladies Guild, and a documented history of welcoming new immigrant communities, OLA combines the resources of a 2,000-family parish with the intimacy of multiple smaller language communities under one roof.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Assumption
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 4:15 PM
- Saturday 6:15 PM (45 minutes before the 7:00 PM Spanish Mass)
- Sunday 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM (before the 11:00 AM English Mass)
Adoration times
- Adoration is listed on the parish's liturgical calendar (specific days/times published in the weekly bulletin and on the parish website's mass-schedule page)
About Our Lady of the Assumption
Our Lady of the Assumption is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Charlotte, located at 4207 Shamrock Drive in east Charlotte, North Carolina. Its mission statement (published on the parish website) calls the community of OLA to 'strive for the fullness of faith' through the directives of the Catholic Church and the promotion of unity. The parish currently serves roughly 2,000 registered families across multiple language and cultural communities — English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and French-African — and is widely described as the most diverse parish in the Charlotte area.
History of the Parish
OLA was established on Charlotte's east side as part of the growth of the Diocese of Charlotte (itself created in 1971). The parish grew so rapidly through the 1970s that Monsignor Lawrence Newman, then pastor, helped found a daughter parish — St. John Neumann — in 1977, contributing 250 OLA families to seed it. The current worship space on Shamrock Drive was built in 1989 as a contemporary church with a large ceiling designed for sizable gatherings. Fr. Francis P. Gillespie, S.J. served as pastor from 1994 to 2001, after which Fr. Philip Scarcella — a former Jesuit with doctorates in European history from Belgium and Rome — took over a parish of around 400 families and, by learning Spanish and welcoming Charlotte's growing Latino immigrant community, grew OLA to roughly 2,000 families. Fr. Scarcella retired from active ministry on December 31, 2023, and was succeeded in early 2024 by Fr. José Enrique González Gaytán, the current pastor.
- 1970s: Monsignor Lawrence Newman is pastor; helps found St. John Neumann (1977)
- 1989: Present-day church building constructed on Shamrock Drive
- 1994–2001: Fr. Francis P. Gillespie, S.J. serves as pastor
- c. 2001/2002 – Dec. 31, 2023: Fr. Philip Scarcella serves as pastor; parish grows from ~400 to ~2,000 families
- Early 2024: Fr. José Enrique González Gaytán appointed pastor
Parish Leadership & Staff
The parish is led by Pastor Fr. José Enrique González Gaytán and served by three deacons — Rev. Mr. Peter Duca (who also serves as Director of Music & Liturgy), Rev. Mr. David Reiser, and Rev. Mr. Kevin Williams — along with Fr. Peter Pham (celebrant of the Vietnamese Mass) and Fr. Ramiro Tijerino (Hispanic Ministry, shared with St. John Neumann). Fr. Philip Scarcella remains Pastor Emeritus after his December 2023 retirement. The lay staff includes Brenda Hernandez (Church Secretary), Katherine Martinez (Church Business Manager), and two Faith Formation coordinators — Osmara Villalobos and Maria Medrano — who together oversee English- and Spanish-language faith formation.
- Pastor: Fr. José Enrique González Gaytán
- Deacon & Director of Music & Liturgy: Rev. Mr. Peter Duca
- Deacons: Rev. Mr. David Reiser; Rev. Mr. Kevin Williams
- Vietnamese Mass celebrant: Fr. Peter Pham
- Hispanic Ministry: Fr. Ramiro Tijerino (shared with St. John Neumann)
- Faith Formation: Osmara Villalobos, Maria Medrano
- Church Secretary: Brenda Hernandez
- Business Manager: Katherine Martinez
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith Formation at OLA operates in both English and Spanish, coordinated by Osmara Villalobos and Maria Medrano. The program supports catechesis for children, sacramental preparation (including a recent First Communion class of 160), and the parish's RCIA process for adults seeking initiation into the Catholic Church. The parish emphasizes enrolling the children of immigrant families — a particular strength since the Latino community began arriving in large numbers in the early 2000s.
- Faith Formation (English & Spanish)
- RCIA — Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
- First Communion preparation (160 first communicants in one recent year)
- Youth Ministry
Parish Ministries & Groups
OLA's ministry roster reflects the breadth of its parish life: liturgical ministries (altar servers, lectors, Eucharistic ministers, choirs in English and Spanish), parish-life ministries (hospitality, FISH groups, Ladies Guild), faith-building groups (charismatic prayer groups in three languages), outreach (Knights of Columbus, Ladies Guild, Evangelism committee), and practical service (visiting the sick, landscaping, general housekeeping).
- Liturgical: Altar Servers, Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, English & Spanish Choirs
- Prayer: Spanish Prayer Group, French-African Prayer Group
- Parish Life: Hospitality, FISH (Faith, Food & Fellowship) Groups, Ladies Guild
- Outreach & Service: Knights of Columbus, Evangelism, Visiting the Sick
- Facilities: Landscaping, General Housekeeping
OLA Catholic School
Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School sits on the same campus as the parish church, at 4225 Shamrock Drive. The school serves Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade with approximately 156 students and a student-teacher ratio of about 9:1, offering a parish-based Catholic elementary education to the children of OLA families and the surrounding east Charlotte community.
- Address: 4225 Shamrock Dr., Charlotte, NC 28215
- Phone: (704) 531-0067
- Grades: PK, K–8
- Enrollment: ~156 students (student-teacher ratio ~9:1)
Visiting & Contact Information
The parish is located at 4207 Shamrock Drive, Charlotte, NC 28215, with the main office reachable at (704) 535-9965. The parish website (olacharlottenc.org) is the central hub for current Mass times, confession and Adoration schedules, the weekly bulletin, ministry sign-ups, and parish news; visitors and newcomers are encouraged to consult the bulletin for the latest information about liturgical celebrations, devotions, and special parish events.
- Address: 4207 Shamrock Drive, Charlotte, NC 28215
- Phone: (704) 535-9965
- Website: https://www.olacharlottenc.org/
- Campus partner: OLA Catholic School, 4225 Shamrock Dr., (704) 531-0067
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Monsignor Lawrence Newman1970s (mid-1970s)
OLA pastor in the 1970s; in the mid-1970s he foresaw the need for a parish in SE Charlotte/Mint Hill, approached Bishop Michael Begley, and was named first pastor of the new daughter parish St. John Neumann when it was formed in 1977.
- Rev. Francis P. Gillespie, S.J.1994–2001
Jesuit priest (ordained 1972); previously director of research and executive director at CARA (Georgetown). Later removed from public ministry by the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus on Sept. 29, 2021 after an allegation of abuse at OLA in the mid-to-late 1990s was reported to the diocese.
- Rev. Philip Scarcellac. 2001/2002 – Dec. 31, 2023
Former Jesuit with doctorates from Belgium and Rome (European history). Grew OLA from ~400 families to ~2,000 by welcoming Latino immigrants and learning Spanish. Retired from active ministry Dec. 31, 2023; remained assisting until a successor was appointed in early 2024.
- Rev. José Enrique González Gaytán2024–present
Current pastor, appointed early 2024 following Fr. Scarcella's retirement.