About Prince of Peace · Robbinsville, North Carolina
Prince of Peace is a Catholic mission church located at 704 Tallulah Road in Robbinsville, North Carolina, serving the only Catholic community in Graham County in the heart of the Nantahala National Forest. It operates as a mission of Holy Redeemer Parish in nearby Andrews (about 20 miles away), and is one of the smallest faith communities in the Diocese of Charlotte — with just 17 registered households as of 2025 and as few as five to ten people attending Mass on winter Sundays. The mission, founded by Glenmary Home Missioners in the late 1950s, seats about 120 and meets weekly for a Sunday morning Mass celebrated in English, followed by a cappella congregational singing and the Rosary. Confessions are heard before Mass and by appointment.
- Established
- 1958
- Patron
- Prince of Peace (Jesus Christ)
- Rector
- Reverend Joseph Wasswa
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte
Why belong here
Prince of Peace is the only Catholic church in Graham County, and it exists to keep a Catholic presence in a remote corner of the Smoky Mountains where Catholics have always been few. With about 17 registered households — many of them retirees drawn to the quiet mountain life — it is an unusually intimate community where everyone pitches in: cleaning the church, watering the plants, decorating for the seasons, and singing a cappella at Sunday Mass. Visitors and new residents (especially retirees) will find a devout, welcoming little mission where the priest knows every face, confession is offered before every Sunday Mass, and the sense of community is immediate.
Mass times at Prince of Peace
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:00 AM – 8:20 AM (before Sunday Mass)
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Sunday 8:00 AM (Adoration and Rosary before Mass)
History & Glenmary Roots
Prince of Peace Mission was founded in the late 1950s by priests of the Glenmary Home Missioners, a religious society devoted to planting the Catholic faith in rural, predominantly Protestant areas of the American South. At the time, only one Catholic family lived in Robbinsville, and Catholicism was widely misunderstood. In 1958, Glenmary Father James Wilmes began teaching Bible classes in town, and a handful of families began gathering for Mass in a storefront chapel. When that storefront fell into disrepair, the young mission moved first to a Baptist church and then to a Methodist church, worshiping as guests in their neighbors' sanctuaries for roughly three decades. In 1988, under Father Wilmes's continued leadership, the congregation bought an old furniture store on Highway 129 and converted it into the mission church that serves as its home today.
- Late 1950s: Glenmary Home Missioners begin ministry in Robbinsville
- 1958: Father James Wilmes begins Bible classes; first Masses said in a storefront chapel
- Storefront disrepair leads to moves into a Baptist, then a Methodist church
- 1988: Congregation purchases a former furniture store on Highway 129 — the present church
Sacraments
Prince of Peace Mission celebrates the sacraments within the limits of a tiny, mission-style community. The Sunday Eucharist is the heart of parish life, and Confession is offered every Sunday before Mass and by appointment. Most sacramental ministries at the mission are quiet and pastoral: the pastor celebrates a small number of baptisms, weddings, and funerals each year, with funerals being especially common — a sign of the congregation's age and of the priest's role in accompanying families through times of loss.
- Eucharist (Sunday Mass)
- Reconciliation / Confession (Sundays and by appointment)
- Baptism
- Marriage
- Funerals
Music & Liturgy
Music at Prince of Peace is entirely a cappella — there is no organ or other instrumental accompaniment. Parishioners describe the unaccompanied singing as something that resonates like a prayer and brings the small congregation together in a deeply intimate way. The Stations of the Cross, donated by benefactors over the years, line the walls of the converted furniture-store sanctuary, and stained-glass inserts — also donated — let colored light into the worship space. The altar itself was donated from a parish in Pennsylvania, and a new cross adorns the roof of the building.
- A cappella congregational singing (no organ)
- Stations of the Cross on the walls
- Donated stained-glass window inserts
- Donated altar (from a Pennsylvania parish)
- New cross atop the building
Parish Life & Community
With only 17 registered households — and as few as five to ten people in the pews during winter — Prince of Peace is less an institution than an extended family. Everyone pitches in: parishioners clean the church, water the plants, fix what needs fixing, and decorate for the seasons. A 69-year-old retired California nurse named Bonnie Butterworth, quoted in the diocesan Catholic News Herald, said it well: "Our church isn't fancy, but there is something very special about our little mission. You just really feel the Holy Spirit there, in a little town that just really needs it." Most members are retirees drawn to the quiet mountain life, and the mission's biggest concern is sustainability — finding new families and retirees to keep the Catholic faith alive in Graham County.
- About 17 registered households (2025)
- 5–10 worshippers on winter Sundays; building seats about 120
- Mostly retirees; few young families
- Parishioners handle cleaning, plants, repairs, and seasonal decorating
Outreach & Local Mission
As a Glenmary-founded mission, Prince of Peace's enduring ministry has been simply maintaining a Catholic presence in a remote, predominantly Protestant Appalachian community. The parish is the only Catholic church in Graham County, and parishioners take seriously the call to share their faith with neighbors and to serve local needs. In the words of Bonnie Butterworth, "We're in the Appalachian Mountains so there are a lot of poor people and there's a lot of need." The mission also welcomes travelers passing through the Nantahala National Forest — including the motorcyclists who come for the legendary Tail of the Dragon on U.S. 129.
- Keeping a Catholic presence in Graham County
- Hospitality to passing travelers and motorcyclists on the local mountain roads
- Quiet service to local needs of Appalachian neighbors
Mother Parish — Holy Redeemer, Andrews
Prince of Peace Mission is formally a mission of Holy Redeemer Parish, 214 Aquone Road, Andrews, NC 28901, which is itself the smallest parish in the Diocese of Charlotte. The two share a pastor (currently Reverend Joseph Wasswa) and a single phone number. Holy Redeemer celebrates a Saturday-evening Mass in Spanish at 6:00 PM and a Sunday Mass in English at 11:00 AM. Because Prince of Peace Mass ends promptly at 9:30 AM, the priest can return over the mountain in time to serve the Andrews community as well.
- Holy Redeemer Parish, 214 Aquone Road, Andrews, NC 28901
- Shared pastor with Prince of Peace Mission
- Holy Redeemer Masses: Saturday 6:00 PM (Spanish) and Sunday 11:00 AM (English)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Reverend James Wilmes, Glenmary Home Missioners1958–1988+
Founded the mission in 1958 by leading Bible classes and gathering families for Mass in a storefront chapel; led the congregation through moves to a Baptist and then a Methodist church; in 1988 led the purchase of the former furniture store on Highway 129 that became the mission's permanent home.
- Reverend George David ByersThrough at least early 2025
Served as pastor shuttling between Holy Redeemer Parish in Andrews and Prince of Peace Mission, celebrating Masses in English and Spanish and hearing confessions before Sunday Mass.
- Reverend Joseph WasswaEffective July 8, 2025
Appointed by Bishop Martin to serve as Parochial Administrator of Holy Redeemer Parish in Andrews and Prince of Peace Mission in Robbinsville; previously Parochial Vicar of St. Aloysius Parish in Hickory.