About St. Stephen the First Martyr · Sanford, North Carolina
St. Stephen the First Martyr is a Roman Catholic parish in Sanford, North Carolina, part of the Diocese of Raleigh. The parish traces its origins to the early 1930s, when Bishop William J. Hafey first sent priests from Raleigh and Fayetteville to serve local Catholics. Now a large, bilingual (English/Spanish) community of more than 6,000 people, it serves Lee County from its campus on North Franklin Drive with a pastor and parochial vicar from the Missionaries of St. Thomas (M.S.), four permanent deacons, and a full staff of ministry, music, faith formation and Hispanic ministry leaders. Sunday worship includes one English vigil Mass, two English Sunday Masses (one livestreamed), and two Spanish Sunday Masses (one livestreamed), and a large chapel used for daily adoration.
- Established
- 1946
- Patron
- St. Stephen the First Martyr (patron saint of bricklayers, chosen because parishioners built the original brick church themselves)
- Rector
- Reverend Joseph Pee Thuruthel Mathew, M.S. (Missionaries of St. Thomas)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh
Why belong here
St. Stephen the First Martyr is one of the most vibrant and rapidly-growing parishes in the Diocese of Raleigh, with a 6,000-strong bilingual community that worships in English and Spanish each Sunday. The parish offers daily Mass Monday through Friday, weekday Eucharistic Adoration in the chapel from 9 AM to 9 PM, a full sacramental preparation program for First Communion, Confirmation, RCIA, marriage and anointing of the sick, plus a large Hispanic Ministry, a homebound Communion ministry, an active Bereavement Ministry, a parish food pantry outreach through the Christians United Outreach Center of Lee County, dance troupes, an annual parish festival, a Relay for Life team, and the historic St. Stephen Cemetery. Families looking for a Catholic parish that takes both the Eucharist and the corporal works of mercy seriously will find themselves at home here.
Mass times at St. Stephen the First Martyr
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM (bilingual), or by appointment
- First Saturdays, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM (Spanish, in the church)
Adoration times
- Monday, 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM, in the chapel
- Tuesday, 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM, in the chapel
- Wednesday, 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM, in the chapel
- Thursday, 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM, in the chapel
- Friday, 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM, in the chapel
Parish History
St. Stephen the First Martyr has a layered, distinctly local story. Catholic life in Sanford goes back at least to 1896, and in the early 1930s the first Bishop of Raleigh, William J. Hafey, began sending priests from neighboring parishes in Raleigh and Fayetteville to serve the small community. A residence-and-chapel property was purchased that became the Chapel of St. Marcella. In 1942, fourteen women from Sanford's African-American Catholic community, with fundraising assistance from Monsignor Fulton Sheen, built a second chapel, Our Lady of Lourdes; it served the town for 16 years. When St. Stephen Parish was formally established, parishioners built the first permanent brick church themselves — and named it after St. Stephen, the patron saint of bricklayers. The parish history page collects oral-history memories of those early decades and the long run of lay generosity that kept the young parish alive.
- Catholic presence in Sanford dates to 1896.
- 1930s: Bishop William J. Hafey arranges visiting priests from Raleigh and Fayetteville.
- Chapel of St. Marcella serves as both residence and worship space.
- 1942: Our Lady of Lourdes chapel built by 14 African-American Catholic women, with help from Monsignor Fulton Sheen.
- St. Stephen Parish formally established; first brick church built by parishioners for 175 members.
- Grew from 175 founding families to over 1,500 families.
The New Church (2019)
By the early 2010s, the parish of more than 6,000 had long outgrown the parish hall (built 2005) that doubled as its worship space. On All Saints Day 2017, pastor Father Robert Ippolito, M.S., concelebrated with Father Hector LaChapelle, M.S. and broke ground on a new 15,000-square-foot sanctuary north of the parish hall. Architect Mike Berry of the Charlotte firm WKWW designed the building; Sanford Contractors built it. Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama formally dedicated the new church on Tuesday, March 5, 2019, in a bilingual Mass. Vesper Brown — the first baby baptized in the Chapel of St. Marcella — placed the relics in the new altar; Gary Cole of Sanford Contractors handed the key to the Bishop, who presented it to Father Ippolito. The pews and choir chairs were funded in part by the annual parish festival and food sales, with a substantial bequest from the estate of Marie Profio. The parish hall now reverts to its original purpose for parish functions.
- Groundbreaking: All Saints Day, 2017
- Architect: Mike Berry, WKWW (Charlotte)
- Builder: Sanford Contractors
- Size: 15,000 sq ft; ~750 seats
- Dedication: March 5, 2019 by Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama
Clergy & Parish Staff
The parish is currently served by two Missionaries of St. Thomas priests and four permanent deacons, along with a full lay staff for faith formation, music, Hispanic ministry, and parish operations. The Diocese of Raleigh directory lists the following clergy:
- Pastor: Rev. Joseph Pee Thuruthel Mathew, M.S.
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Jesbin Sebastian Pulavelil, M.S.
- Deacon Robert (Bob) Bridwell — building-construction project lead
- Deacon Gustavo Castro-Reynoso
- Deacon Emilio Mejía
- Deacon Mark Westrick — trained Spiritual Director
- Secretary: Daisy Martinez ([email protected])
- Music Ministry: Stephen Roman and Jacqueline Castillo
- Youth Minister and additional office staff ([email protected] is the general parish contact)
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith Formation at St. Stephen is a family-based, multi-year program organized by grade band, designed to walk children and teens through the sacraments of initiation. Sacramental preparation is offered for First Communion (grades 1–5), continued formation in grades 6–8, and a two-year Confirmation track beginning in 9th grade (Confirmation I in ninth grade, Confirmation II in tenth, with Confirmation typically celebrated in May). The parish also runs an RCIA program for adults seeking baptism, Confirmation, or full reception into the Catholic Church; Deacon Bob Bridwell facilitates that process.
- First Communion preparation: grades 1–5
- Continuing formation: grades 6–8
- Confirmation: two-year track, beginning 9th grade (Confirmation I and II)
- RCIA for adults — contact Deacon Bob Bridwell (919) 770-4867 or the parish office
- Sacramental preparation staff listed: Jovana Lopez, Ashley Guerrero
Sacraments
The parish website walks through all seven sacraments in turn — Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance (Confession), Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony — and provides ways to begin each process. Reconciliation is heard at the regular Saturday schedule (3:30–4:30 PM bilingual) and by appointment; First Saturdays add a 7:00 PM Spanish reconciliation time. The homebound can request Communion through the parish office, Deacon Bob, or Deacon Mark.
- Baptism
- Confirmation (teen two-year program; adult via RCIA)
- Holy Eucharist / First Communion
- Reconciliation (Confession)
- Anointing of the Sick
- Holy Orders
- Matrimony
Hispanic Ministry / Ministerio Hispano
Roughly half of the parish is Hispanic, and a dedicated Hispanic Ministry coordinates the Spanish-language Masses, devotions, formation and cultural events that serve that community. The ministry originated more than a decade ago with a single bilingual minister and has since grown into an organization that runs an annual Hispanic festival, supports programs to address teen pregnancy, drug abuse, and gang involvement, and coordinates multiple prayer, dance and evangelization groups. Bilingual ministry is led by a Director of Hispanic Ministry (coordinator in current directory).
- Annual Hispanic Parish Festival (typically second week of September)
- Prayer Group (Grupo de Oración) — coordinated by Martha Garcia
- Escuela de Evangelización San Andrés — coordinator Roberto Arellano
- Grupo Azteca 'Olin' dance — coordinator Martha Garcia
- Danza Tradicional 'Arca de Alianza' — coordinator Magloria Castro
- Spanish-language Sunday Masses (11 AM and 1 PM), 11 AM is livestreamed
- First Saturdays 7:00 PM Spanish reconciliation/devotions
Pastoral Care & Outreach
St. Stephen frames its Pastoral Care Ministries around the idea that attending Mass is the beginning, not the end, of the weekly call to serve. Trained lay ministers bring Communion to the homebound and shut-ins; a Bereavement Ministry supports families before, during and after a funeral (helping set up the church, serving receptions in the social hall, and sending cards through the first year); Deacon Mark Westrick offers spiritual direction and faith counseling. The parish is also one of the supporting congregations of the Christians United Outreach Center of Lee County, an ecumenical food pantry and thrift store.
- Homebound Communion Ministry — request via the parish office, Deacon Bob, or Deacon Mark
- Bereavement / Funeral Ministry — church setup, funeral receptions in social hall, year-long card ministry
- Spiritual Direction / Counseling — Deacon Mark Westrick
- Christians United Outreach Center of Lee County — ecumenical food pantry & thrift store on Lee Avenue & Seawell
Music & Liturgy
Music Ministry at St. Stephen supports Masses in both English and Spanish. The parish music director is Stephen Roman; Jacqueline Castillo also serves in music ministry. Bilingual Masses and choir chairs in the new sanctuary were partially funded through the parish festival.
- Music Director: Stephen Roman ([email protected])
- Music Ministry: Jacqueline Castillo ([email protected])
- Bilingual choir chairs funded by the parish festival
Parish Events & Community Life
Beyond weekly worship, the parish keeps a year-round calendar: the annual Parish Festival / Festival Parroquial (typically the second week of September) brings the whole bilingual community together with food, music, dance and games; the parish fields a 32-member Relay for Life team in support of cancer research; and parish life is anchored in smaller ongoing groups, sodalities and devotions coordinated by the Hispanic Ministry and Pastoral Care teams.
- Festival Parroquial — annual, second week of September (coordinator Areli Tovar)
- Relay for Life — international cancer-fundraiser team
- Grupo de Oración, School of Evangelization, Aztec and folkloric dance groups
St. Stephen Cemetery & Columbarium
A parish cemetery has been in active use behind the church on Carbonton Road for decades. The new church construction project also added a columbarium on the parish grounds, expanding the parish's inurnment options. According to the cemetery census (surveyed 2014, updated 2017), the cemetery sits at the corner of the church campus and Carbonton Road.
- St. Stephen Catholic Cemetery — behind the church on Carbonton Road
- Coordinates: 35°28'46.2"N, 79°12'38.5"W
- On-site columbarium added during the 2017–2019 church construction
Becoming Catholic (RCIA)
Adults interested in becoming Catholic, or baptized Catholics who have not yet received Confirmation or First Communion, are invited into the parish's RCIA process. In a typical year, the program begins with an introductory discussion on a Sunday afternoon in Room 125, facilitated by Deacon Bob Bridwell, with subsequent formation running through Easter.
- RCIA inquiry — contact Deacon Bob Bridwell (919-770-4867, [email protected])
- Typical kickoff: September introductory discussion in Room 125
- Program runs through Easter Vigil
Contact, Location & Office Hours
The parish office is open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and is closed Friday through Sunday (visitors are asked to call the office for urgent questions). The mailing and physical address is 901 N. Franklin Drive, Sanford, NC 27330. The parish secretary, Daisy Martinez, is the primary point of contact for routine questions.
- Address: 901 N. Franklin Dr., Sanford, NC 27330
- Phone: (919) 776-1532 (parish office)
- Office hours: Monday – Thursday, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM (closed Friday – Sunday)
- Secretary: Daisy Martinez — [email protected]
- Secure contact form available on the parish website
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Robert Ippolito, M.S.at least 2017–2019 (groundbreaking 2017; dedication March 5, 2019)
Pastored the parish through the new church building campaign and the dedication of the current sanctuary on March 5, 2019 by Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama.