About Sacred Heart · Burnsville, North Carolina
Sacred Heart Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic mission church serving the Yancey County seat of Burnsville in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. It is the mission church of St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in neighboring Mars Hill, and together the two worship sites cover 764 square miles of mountain terrain as the only Catholic presence in Madison and Yancey Counties. The current community, lively and bilingual, gathers for Mass in both English and Spanish each Sunday and grew out of a handful of Catholics served first in homes and storefronts in the 1940s and 1950s. The mission is administered by the Diocese of Charlotte and today continues the work begun by Glenmary missioners in 1962.
- Established
- 1962
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Anthony C. Mbanefo, M.S.P., Ph.D. (Parochial Administrator since Oct. 16, 2023)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Charlotte
Why belong here
Sacred Heart Mission offers Catholics in the Burnsville / Yancey County area a warm, bilingual faith home where English-speaking and Hispanic parishioners worship together each Sunday. Active outreach through prison ministry, hospice, the local animal shelter, ESL classes, the St. Andrew Food Pantry, Beacon of Hope, Reconciliation House and Catholic Charities gives parishioners many ways to serve their mountain neighbors. With a missionary heritage going back to the Glenmary fathers who literally built the church with their own hands, Sacred Heart remains a small but vibrant mission family rooted in the Eucharist and the needs of Western North Carolina.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before Sunday Mass
- By appointment
Adoration times
- The hour before daily Mass (Wednesday 11:00 a.m. and Friday 6:00 p.m.)
About Our Parish
Sacred Heart Catholic Church is the mission church of St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Mars Hill. Together the two cover 764 square miles of Western North Carolina and serve as the only Roman Catholic presence in Madison and Yancey Counties. The parish website describes the community's mission as 'to be the presence of Christ in our service to each other and to strive to grow in our Catholic faith through celebration of the Holy Eucharist.' The parish office is administered through St. Andrew the Apostle in Mars Hill.
- Pastor: Rev. Anthony Mbanefo, M.S.P., Ph.D.
- Parish Secretary / Assistant: Kelly Hansen
- Emergency cell: 910-515-9111
- Mother parish: St. Andrew the Apostle, 149 Brook Street, Mars Hill, NC 28754
Parish History
Sacred Heart was dedicated on June 17, 1962 by Bishop Vincent Waters. The mission grew out of more than two decades of missionary outreach that began with Jesuit Father Louis J. Toups saying Mass in local homes before 1935 and continued through home Masses (1953–1958), a chapel in the Legion Building, and a chapel in the Law Building on the Town Square (1959–1962). Glenmary Father Francis Schenk designed the building in the Glenmary style, raised the funding, and helped with construction. The mission was later transferred from St. Lucien Church in Spruce Pine to St. Andrew the Apostle in Mars Hill in 1986, and the Diocese of Charlotte took over administration in 2002.
- 1935 — Area Catholics served by Jesuit Father Louis J. Toups from Hot Springs
- May 28, 1944 — First Catholic baptism in Burnsville: Mary Lucille Colletta (by Father William J. Higgins)
- Oct. 15, 1948 — Bishop Vincent Waters administers the first recorded confirmation in Burnsville (Theresa Ruth McIntosh)
- 1953–1958 — Regular Mass offered in homes and later in the Legion Building
- Sept. 1, 1956 — Glenmary Father Francis Schenk appointed pastor of St. Lucien, Spruce Pine
- Aug. 5, 1959 — Diocese of Raleigh purchases 2 acres at 20 Summit St. for $4,500
- May 27, 1961 — Building permit issued; ground broken
- June 17, 1962 — Bishop Vincent Waters dedicates Sacred Heart Church; 28 Catholics in Burnsville
- 1986 — Mission transferred to St. Andrew the Apostle, Mars Hill; Jesuits take over as pastors
- 2002 — Diocese of Charlotte assumes administration
- Aug. 5, 2012 — Bishop Peter Jugis celebrates 50th anniversary Mass; interior renovation unveiled
Clergy & Staff
The current pastor / parochial administrator is Father Anthony C. Mbanefo of the Missionary Society of St. Paul, who also serves St. Andrew the Apostle in Mars Hill. Kelly Hansen serves as parish secretary and assistant. The parish office is staffed through the Mars Hill location.
- Pastor / Parochial Administrator — Rev. Anthony C. Mbanefo, M.S.P., Ph.D. (since Oct. 16, 2023)
- Parish Secretary / Assistant — Kelly Hansen
- Emergency contact (text or call) — 910-515-9111
Pastoral Succession
The mission has been shepherded by Glenmary missioners, the Diocese of Raleigh, the Jesuits, diocesan priests of the Diocese of Charlotte, and now the Missionary Society of St. Paul.
- 1956–1962 — Glenmary Father Francis Schenk (founding pastor and builder)
- 1986–2002 — Jesuit priests
- 2002–2004 — Father David Brzoska (first diocesan pastor after Diocese of Charlotte took over)
- 2004–2008 — Father Adrian Porter
- 2008–2023 — Father Frederick M. Werth Jr. (retired Oct. 13, 2023)
- 2023–present — Father Anthony C. Mbanefo, M.S.P.
Mass & Sacraments
Sacred Heart offers two Sunday Masses — one in English and one in Spanish — along with two weekday Masses. Confessions are heard before Sunday Mass or by appointment. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is celebrated in the hour before each daily Mass.
- Sunday Mass — 11:30 a.m. (English)
- Sunday Mass — 1:30 p.m. (Spanish)
- Daily Mass — Wednesday 12:00 p.m. (English)
- Daily Mass — Friday 7:00 p.m. (Spanish)
- Adoration — hour before each daily Mass
- Confession — before Sunday Mass or by appointment
Mass at the Mother Parish (St. Andrew the Apostle, Mars Hill)
Parishioners also attend Mass at the mother parish, St. Andrew the Apostle, at 149 Brook Street in Mars Hill.
- Saturday Vigil — 5:00 p.m. (Spanish)
- Sunday — 9:00 a.m. (English)
- Daily Mass — Tuesday 9:00 a.m. (English)
- Daily Mass — Thursday 9:00 a.m. (English)
- Daily Mass — Monday 7:00 p.m. (Spanish)
Outreach & Charity
The combined St. Andrew–Sacred Heart parish family is widely known for hands-on service to the mountain communities of Madison and Yancey Counties. Donations can be dropped off at Sacred Heart before or after Masses and go to local food and social-service partners.
- St. Andrew Food Pantry
- Beacon of Hope
- Reconciliation House
- Catholic Charities
- Parish Poor Relief Fund (gift cards to Ingles or Walmart welcome)
- Prison ministry
- Hospice ministry
- Local animal shelter support
- English as a Second Language (ESL) classes
Why This Mission Matters
Sacred Heart Mission was born of a missionary spirit: a Glenmary priest literally built the church with his own hands for a Catholic community of just 28 people. Six decades later the mission remains a bilingual, family-sized faith community that is the only Catholic worship site in all of Yancey County. Members describe it as 'open, welcoming, like family' — a small but faith-filled Blue Ridge parish where every Mass, every food pantry donation and every prison-ministry visit stretches across the mountains.
- Founded 1962 with just 28 Catholics in Burnsville
- Today part of a combined parish covering 764+ square miles of mountain territory
- Bilingual Sunday worship in English and Spanish
- Heritage of Glenmary missioners and Jesuit pastoral care
- Active in prison ministry, hospice, ESL, food pantry and animal shelter work
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Glenmary Father Francis Schenk1956–1962 (designer and founding pastor who also helped build the church)
Appointed pastor of St. Lucien Church in Spruce Pine in 1956; designed Sacred Heart, raised grants, helped with construction, lived in the connecting rectory.
- Jesuit priests1986–2002
Took over as pastors when Sacred Heart Mission was transferred to the care of St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Mars Hill.
- Father David Brzoska2002–2004
First diocesan priest to become pastor after the Diocese of Charlotte took over administration.
- Father Adrian Porter2004–2008
- Father Frederick M. Werth Jr.2008–2023
Retired Oct. 13, 2023. Celebrated the 50th anniversary Mass with Bishop Peter Jugis in August 2012.
- Father Anthony C. Mbanefo, M.S.P.Oct. 16, 2023–present
Member of the Missionary Society of St. Paul; also serves as pastor of mother parish St. Andrew the Apostle in Mars Hill; speaks four languages — Igbo, Wolof, English and Spanish.