About Queen of the Apostles · Belmont, North Carolina
Queen of the Apostles is a Roman Catholic parish in Belmont, North Carolina, serving Catholics across much of Gaston County and into western Mecklenburg County. Founded as a diocesan parish of the Diocese of Charlotte in March 1965, it sits in the shadow of Belmont Abbey and is currently pastored by Father Paul Maxwell Buchanan. The parish offers Mass in both English and Spanish, a full sacramental and faith-formation program, an active outreach network that tithes 5% of weekly collections to local charities, and a long roster of lay ministries — from lectors and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion to a parish nurse, a food pantry, and a yearly Passion Play.
- Established
- 1965
- Patron
- Mary, Queen of the Apostles (Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Queen of the Apostles)
- Rector
- Rev. Paul Maxwell Buchanan (Father Paul Buchanan)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Charlotte
Why belong here
Queen of the Apostles is a parish where a relatively small community punches above its weight: Mass is celebrated in both English and Spanish, every Sunday Mass is live-streamed, and parishioners are warmly invited into dozens of ministries — liturgical (lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, altar servers, arts and environment), pastoral (homebound visitation, bereavement, healing prayer), and outreach (food pantry, Weekend BackPack Food Program, First Monday meals, Family Promise, and a weekly tithe of 5% of the collection to a rotating local charity). Rooted in the long Catholic heritage of Gaston County and in close friendship with the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey and the Sisters of Mercy, it is a parish where new faces become family and where the call to serve is taken seriously.
Mass times at Queen of the Apostles
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday: 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
- Saturday: 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Thursday: 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM (on-campus)
- Daily adoration also shared with the college community at the perpetual adoration chapel on the adjacent Belmont Abbey grounds, established by former pastor Msgr. Thomas Burke
Parish History
Queen of the Apostles was dedicated in March 1965 as a diocesan parish of the Diocese of Charlotte, formed to serve Catholics across Gaston County and into western Mecklenburg County. Until then, the Cathedral of Belmont Abbey had been the only active Catholic church in the Belmont area; the abbey remains outside diocesan jurisdiction to this day. The new parish's church was the converted gymnasium of a boys' boarding school, with an adjoining sacristy, rectory, and parish office. Within a few years the parish also took on stewardship of the historic Church of Sts. Joseph and Mary in nearby Mount Holly, whose liturgical life had been suspended in the late 1800s and which Bishop Michael J. Begley restored in the mid-1970s; in 1979 it was named a national historic site by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the State of North Carolina.
Parish Staff and Office
The parish is pastored by Father Paul Maxwell Buchanan, assisted by Deacons William 'Chip' Wilson and John 'Zeke' Panzica and by priest Rev. Francis T. 'Frank' Cancro (who began serving in July 2007). Lay staff include a Director of Parish Operations (Chrissy Glisson), a Parish Secretary (Lisa Owens), a Director of Family & Youth Discipleship (Anthony Beauregard), a Director of Music (Sam Howell) and an Organist (Mary Theresa Hawkins), a Business Manager (Susan Colone), a Director of Maintenance (Dennis Kast), a Visitation Ministry Coordinator (Coleen Grenier), and a Coordinator of Hispanic Ministry (Reina Chicas). Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM; the after-hours emergency line is (704) 825-9907.
Spiritual-Life Ministries
Liturgical and prayer ministries form the heart of parish life at QOA. Lectors (Readers) proclaim the Sunday readings; Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion distribute the Eucharist; Altar Servers assist at the altar; Ministers of Hospitality greet, seat, and guide the assembly; and the Arts and Environment team decorates the worship space to match the liturgical season. Pastoral ministries include Homebound Visitation, Bereavement (funeral Masses and family receptions), Healing Prayer (small prayer teams after every Mass), an On-line Prayer Ministry (email prayer chain), and an annual Passion Play presented on Passion (Palm) Sunday weekend with cast rehearsals through Lent.
Hispanic Ministry
The parish serves a large Spanish-speaking community in eastern Gaston County through a weekly Saturday evening Mass in Spanish at 7:00 PM, along with monthly social gatherings open to all and Quinceañera celebrations for young women in the parish. The ministry is coordinated by Reina Chicas (reachable through the parish office) and is supported pastorally by Padre Jose' Juya.
Faith Formation and Sacraments
Family Faith Formation, Confirmation preparation, First Eucharist preparation, and ongoing Adult Faith Formation (including Bible sharing) form the core of the parish's catechetical life. Sacramental life is robust — annual statistics from the parish pastoral plan in the late 2000s recorded dozens of baptisms, confirmations, First Communions, marriages (both Catholic and mixed), and adult initiations each year.
- Baptism (infant through age 6, and ages 6+ / adult)
- Confirmation
- First Eucharist
- Marriage (Catholic and mixed)
- Adult Initiation / RCIA-style process
- Anointing of the Sick and Homebound communion visits
- Funeral Masses supported by the Bereavement team
Outreach and Charity
Outreach is a defining mark of Queen of the Apostles. The parish tithes 5% of its weekly collection to a rotating partner organization serving the poor, homeless, and those with disabilities or addictions. Its Gaston County Nutritional Program partnership uses the MAK Family Life Center daily to prepare and deliver meals, and parishioners run a food pantry for the needy of Belmont. Other outreach arms include a Weekend BackPack Food Program (weekly packing of roughly 160 meal packs at the MAK center for North Belmont Elementary School children), a First Monday meal-preparation group serving Catherine's House, House of Mercy, and the Women's Shelter of Gastonia, and quarterly support of Family Promise (Interfaith Hospitality Network) alongside five other area churches.
- Belmont Community Organization (BCO) — emergency food, clothing, utility, and rent assistance
- Belmont Backpack Program — weekend meals for children in need
- BREAD of Gaston County — food for the homeless, elderly, and low-income
- Catherine's House, Holy Angels, and House of Mercy — Sisters of Mercy ministries
- Parish Nurse Program (works ecumenically with other Belmont-area churches)
- Monthly 'Feed the Needy' food drives
Music and Liturgy
Music is led by Director of Music Sam Howell and Organist Mary Theresa Hawkins, who together support the sung liturgy of every Mass, including the weekly Spanish Mass and special celebrations.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Msgr. Thomas Burke
Established a chapel for perpetual adoration of the Eucharist on the abbey grounds; members of the college community joined QOA parishioners in daily adoration.
- Msgr. John McSweeney
Listed among dedicated former pastors in the parish's published history.
- Father Edward Malloy
Listed among dedicated former pastors in the parish's published history.
- Father Richard Hokanson
Listed among dedicated former pastors in the parish's published history.
- Msgr. Anthony Kovacic
Served nine years as pastor; oversaw construction and February 1992 dedication of the parish family center and classroom center. The family center was rededicated in his honor on Jan. 9, 2007, in recognition of his 85th birthday and his nine years of service.
- Bishop Peter J. Jugis
Former pastor of Queen of the Apostles who later became Bishop of Charlotte; rededicated the parish life center in honor of Msgr. Kovacic in 2007.
- Rev. Joseph Zuschmidt (Oblate Father)May 1, 2003 – June 30, 2007
Marked the parish's 40th anniversary in 2005 with 'The 40-40' dinner (40 years a parish, 40 years of his priestly service).
- Rev. Francis T. 'Frank' Cancrosince July 2007
Began service as the parish's newest priest in July 2007 (as reported in the parish history).