About St. Joan of Arc · Plymouth, North Carolina
St. Joan of Arc is a small Catholic mission parish located at 506 East Main Street in Plymouth, North Carolina, the county seat of Washington County on the Roanoke River. It is served by the Glenmary Home Missioners and falls under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Raleigh (Albemarle Deanery). The parish is notably multicultural, with Hispanics forming the majority of parishioners, along with Anglo and Filipino (mainly from the Philippines) Catholics. It serves the wider Washington County area, with some parishioners living up to an hour away from the church building.
- Patron
- St. Joan of Arc
- Rector
- Reverend Cavine Okello, G.H.M. (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Raleigh (Albemarle Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Joan of Arc is a small but genuinely multicultural Catholic mission parish in rural eastern North Carolina, where Hispanics, Anglos, and Filipino Catholics worship together — and where the parish priest himself travels up to an hour to bring Communion and the sacraments to parishioners who live far from the church. The community offers bilingual liturgies (English and Spanish), a faithful devotions schedule (including a weekly Spanish Rosary for families), Eucharistic Adoration, faith formation for children and youth, an active youth group that hosts regional Catholic events like the Saints Showdown trivia tournament, and direct outreach ministries to migrant farmworkers in Washington County. For Catholics in Plymouth and the surrounding Roanoke River region — or anyone seeking a close-knit mission parish rooted in real presence and service — St. Joan of Arc offers the full sacramental life of the Catholic Church in an intimate, diverse setting.
Mass times at St. Joan of Arc
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM–4:50 PM (also by appointment)
Adoration times
- Wednesday 5:30 PM–6:30 PM
- Sunday 9:30 AM–10:30 AM (before the 11:00 AM Spanish Mass)
About St. Joan of Arc Parish
St. Joan of Arc is a small Catholic mission parish located in the historic town of Plymouth, North Carolina, the county seat of Washington County on the Roanoke River. The parish is entrusted to the Glenmary Home Missioners and belongs to the Diocese of Raleigh, where it is one of the parishes of the Albemarle Deanery. With a congregation that is majority Hispanic alongside Anglo and Filipino Catholics, St. Joan of Arc is a notably multicultural community for rural eastern North Carolina. The parish serves not just Plymouth itself but a wide swath of Washington County; some parishioners live more than an hour's drive from the church.
- Mission parish served by the Glenmary Home Missioners (G.H.M.)
- Located in the Diocese of Raleigh, Albemarle Deanery
- Address: 506 East Main Street, Plymouth, NC 27962
- Mailing: P.O. Box 822, Plymouth, NC 27962
- Majority-Hispanic congregation with Anglo and Filipino members
Parish History & Mission Identity
The parish has long been a small mission in eastern North Carolina. From 1990 to 1999, Sister Margaret Frances Gallagher, IHM, served as its pastoral administrator. In recent years the parish has been served by Glenmary priests: Father Richard Toboso and Father Jose Carlos Miguel Lopez helped build up the youth group, and Glenmary Father Vic Subb arrived as pastor in September 2023 after recovering from surgery in Cincinnati. Father Vic's tenure was cut short by a sharp loss of mobility around Ash Wednesday 2024; days after being ordained a priest in Kenya, Father Cavine Okello, G.H.M. — who had served at St. Joan of Arc as a deacon before his ordination — was asked to return immediately and assumed the pastorate in February 2024.
- Glenmary Home Missioners have staffed the parish for many years
- Sister Margaret Frances Gallagher, IHM — pastoral administrator 1990–1999
- Father Richard Toboso, G.H.M. — earlier pastor (youth ministry)
- Father Jose Carlos Miguel Lopez, G.H.M. — earlier pastor
- Father Vic Subb, G.H.M. — pastor from September 2023
- Father Cavine Okello, G.H.M. — current Administrator, arrived February 2024
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently administered by Reverend Cavine Okello, G.H.M., a recently ordained Glenmary priest originally from Kenya who had served the parish as a deacon before his ordination. Glenmary Brother Craig Digmann serves alongside him as Missionary Brother in Washington County; Brother Craig handles administrative tasks and ecumenical outreach to other Christian churches in the region. Both live in the parish house originally occupied by Father Vic Subb.
- Administrator: Rev. Cavine Okello, G.H.M.
- Missionary Brother: Br. Craig Digmann, G.H.M.
- Parish office contact: [email protected]
- Phone: (252) 226-0340
Mass & Worship Schedule
St. Joan of Arc offers a full weekly Mass schedule in both English and Spanish, reflecting its bilingual community. The Saturday Vigil Mass and Sunday morning Mass are celebrated in English; a second Sunday Mass is celebrated in Spanish; and the Wednesday evening Mass is bilingual. Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday morning Masses round out the week. The parish also offers Eucharistic Adoration twice a week and a weekly Rosary devotion in Spanish on Friday evenings.
- Saturday Vigil — 5:00 PM (English)
- Sunday — 8:30 AM (English) and 11:00 AM (Spanish)
- Tuesday — 8:30 AM (English)
- Wednesday — 6:30 PM (Bilingual English/Spanish)
- Thursday — 8:30 AM (English)
- Friday — 8:30 AM (English)
Faith Formation & Youth Ministry
St. Joan of Arc runs a Faith Formation program serving about 17 students, with catechists and sacramental preparation coordinated by the pastor. Youth ministry at the parish is led by Kim Thao, a Filipino-American parishioner who also serves as secretary of the parish council. In November 2024 the youth group helped organize the first 'Saints Showdown,' a Catholic trivia tournament that drew young people ages 7 to 17 from St. Joan of Arc, Glenmary's Holy Trinity mission, and St. Ann's in Edenton; a St. Joan of Arc team took home the 2-foot trophy.
- Faith Formation / Religious Education classes
- Sacramental preparation (Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation)
- Youth Group led by Kim Thao
- 'Saints Showdown' regional Catholic trivia tournament (Nov. 2024)
Outreach to Migrant Workers & the Community
The parish maintains a notable outreach ministry to migrant farmworkers in Washington County. Father Vic Subb, and after him Father Cavine Okello, regularly visited workers at a seafood plant about an hour from Plymouth and at local farm fields. Glenmary reporting (Winter 2024 Glenmary Challenge) describes an episode in which Father Vic and Deacon Cavine spent roughly $1,500 to feed 35 workers after bad weather ruined a watermelon crop and left them without income for almost five weeks. Brother Craig Digmann also carries out ecumenical outreach to other Christian churches in the area, and the parish visits the sick at home, sometimes traveling long distances across the rural county.
- Visits and food assistance to migrant farmworkers
- Green-card application help for migrant families
- Ecumenical outreach to other Christian denominations
- Visits to the sick and homebound (home visits up to an hour away)
Sacraments
As a Catholic parish in the Diocese of Raleigh, St. Joan of Arc celebrates the seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance (Reconciliation), Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. Confession is scheduled on Saturday afternoons before the Vigil Mass and is also available by appointment. The pastor places strong emphasis on sacramental catechesis and careful sacramental record-keeping, and Father Cavine personally visits the homebound to bring Anointing of the Sick and Viaticum.
- Reconciliation: Saturdays 4:00–4:50 PM and by appointment
- Anointing of the Sick: home visits to the sick
- First Communion preparation (children and adults)
- Matrimony: by arrangement with the pastor
Contact & Visiting
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Joan of Arc at its East Main Street location, by mail at the Plymouth P.O. Box, by phone at (252) 226-0340, or by email at [email protected]. The parish is listed on the Diocese of Raleigh website as part of the Albemarle Deanery. Whether you live in Plymouth or in one of the surrounding rural communities of Washington County, all are welcome at the parish's bilingual liturgies.
- Physical address: 506 East Main Street, Plymouth, NC 27962
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 822, Plymouth, NC 27962
- Phone: (252) 226-0340
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocesan page: dioceseofraleigh.org/parish/saint-joan-arc-plymouth
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Sister Margaret Frances Gallagher, IHM1990–1999
Pastoral administrator (a religious sister from the IHM congregation running the parish).
- Father Richard TobosoBefore Father Vic Subb
Glenmary pastor who helped develop the youth group before Father Vic's arrival.
- Father Jose Carlos Miguel LopezBefore Father Vic Subb
Glenmary priest who continued the youth ministry.
- Father Vic Subb, G.H.M.2023–2024
Returned to mission work at St. Joan of Arc in September 2023 after recovering from surgery in Cincinnati; departed for rehabilitation in early 2024 due to loss of mobility.
- Father Cavine Okello, G.H.M.2024–present
Recently ordained Glenmary priest; had served as deacon at St. Joan of Arc before ordination; took over as pastor days after ordination.