Divine Redeemer Catholic Church

Divine Redeemer Catholic Church
During the 1980s, a significant number of Hispanics arrived in Yadkin County, northwest of Winston-Salem, as migrants working in the tobacco industry.
This population was predominately Catholic, and the Diocese of Charlotte responded by establishing a migrant ministry, eventually named Cristo Rey (Christ the King), in Yadkinville in the summer of 1982 to serve families in Yadkin and south Surry counties. The four Catholic parishes of Winston-Salem -- Our Lady of Mercy, St. Leo the Great, St. Benedict the Moor and Our Lady of Fatima -- founded the ministry in a joint effort.
In 1985, La Iglesia del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus (Sacred Heart of Jesus Church) was established 20 miles north in Dobson. The local community converted a former housing facility for migrant workers into a church. Although the structure had no running water and relied on kerosene heater for warmth, it was utilized as the church for eight years.
Father Joseph J. Waters, a pioneer in ministry to Hispanics in the Diocese of Charlotte, was appointed director of diocesan migrant ministry in 1982. He led a search for Spanishspeaking priests to celebrate Mass for the Hispanic communities in the western Piedmont.
For several years, the Hispanic community of the Yadkinville area gathered in the American Legion Hall in nearby East Bend for Masses.
By 1986, the growth of Hispanics in the area prompted the Diocese of Charlotte to purchase a former hardware store just south of Yadkinville to provide a permanent pastoral center for the local community.
Father Joseph Mack, then-pastor of St. Joseph Church in Asheboro, celebrated the first Mass in the hardware-store church July 8, 1990. In August, Franciscan Sister Andrea Inkrott was hired as director of the center, and in December then-Bishop John. F. Donoghue blessed the facility, giving it the name Cristo Rey.
The number of migrant families permanently settling the Yadkinville area continued to rise. By 1995, the number of people attending Sunday liturgies was such that some worshippers were forced to stand on the porch or outside on the property.
Cristo Rey served as a church and as a place of assisting Hispanics by offering interpretation and translation needs, English classes and cultural and practical orientation.
Franciscan Sister Linda Scheckelhoff joined the Cristo Rey staff in August 1992, and also assisted in Hispanic ministry with Father Waters in nearby Dobson and Wilkesboro.
For the next several years, they promoted lay leadership, participation in lay ministry and formation of small Christian communities.
An acre of land and a building that once housed a restaurant were purchased along Route 601 south of Dobson. The Hispanic community renovated the building, and on Dec. 12, 1993, members gathered for the first Mass celebrated there.
Msgr. John McSweeney, then-diocesan administrator, blessed and dedicated the chapel in January 1994. Mass attendance increased with the dedication of the new church facility, and a faith formation program was begun for children.
Father Waters worked diligently with migrant settled families in the area, traveling to Dobson to celebrate Saturday evening Mass, visiting families, preparing parishioners for the sacraments and transporting members to and from the church.
Soon, the Hispanic population outgrew both the Sagrado Corazon de Jesus and Cristo Rey facilities. Both communities commenced plans to unite the two parishes and construct a new church between the two existing centers of worship.
By 2000, plans were underway for a new 18,000 square-foot facility that would serve as worship, educational and gathering space for Yadkin County’s Catholics. Twenty acres of land were purchased in Boonville, at the midpoint between Dobson and Yadkinville.
The new church was designed to make the Hispanic parishioners, most of whom are natives of Mexico, feel at home. The exterior features stucco walls and a red tile roof. The crucifix and altar that adorn the church were crafted in Mexico.
The $1.5 million facility was completed in January 2003 and Father Fidel Melo, pastor, began celebrating Mass soon after. Following the episcopal ordination of Bishop Peter J. Jugis in October 2003, the process of selecting a name for the new Hispanic center was underway.
To keep in line with the largely Hispanic population, the Spanish name Divino Redentor (Divine Redeemer) was chosen for the church. On Aug. 21, 2004, Bishop Jugis formally dedicated the church in the presence of nearly 600 worshippers during a Mass celebrated in English and Spanish.
Father Melo says Divino Redentor will strive to be a spiritual home to Yadkin County’s 2,000 Catholics as well as making its Mexican parishioners feel at home in North Carolina.