Even with a 2,000-seat cathedral, it would be tough for more than 500,000 Catholics to celebrate together.
While there’s not a common location, there is a common day. It’s Nov. 17. And it’s called Centennial Sunday.
Leaders planned it as part of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Diocese of Raleigh.
Bishop Luis Zarama asked priests and their parishioners to join him Centennial Sunday in prayers of thankfulness for the graces of the past, and prayers of petition for the Lord’s continued blessing upon our future.
Sharing the same scripture readings, prayer intentions, historical information and prayer cards serves to unite Catholics in eastern North Carolina. While the call for Centennial Sunday is somewhat uniform, the parish responses are up to each community.
Many communities are crafting their prayers and actions around the number 100.
In Durham, at St. Matthew, they began with a call to pray 100 rosaries by Centennial Sunday. That goal was surpassed within the first two weeks of the effort, said Susan Clifton, director of religious education. Other 100 challenges include 100 cards for those who are homebound or living in care facilities, 100 hours of Eucharistic Adoration, and 100 volunteers during a ministry fair weekend.
“On top of this, our youth group is doing their own 100 service hours challenge and so far, after one week of recording, have over 30 hours accumulated,” she said. “We will also be doing a ‘Everything but the Turkey’ drive the weekend of November 9-10 hoping to get 100 kits for distribution at the mobile pantry held every third Friday in Hillsborough.”
At St. Stephen Parish in Sanford, Knights of Columbus Council 6718 held a blood drive.
“It was successful,” said Deacon Bob Bridwell. “The blood drive yielded 31 units of blood, which was 55 percent higher than previous drives and included 6 volunteers from the St. Stephen parish.
In Greenville, parishioners at St. Peter are preparing for Centennial Sunday with a twist on a longstanding tradition of perpetual adoration, Eucharistic Procession and benediction.
“This year we decided to extend the 40 hours of devotion to 100 hours to carry out the centennial celebration of the diocese,” explained Jennifer Loesner, director of stewardship at the parish. “It will begin on Centennial Sunday after the 11 a.m. Mass and conclude on Thursday, November 21.”
She added that they’re also collecting 100 items for their local homeless shelter, Community Crossroads Center. That effort begins in early November and concludes Centennial Sunday.
Parishioners at St. Mary Magdalene in Apex are also aiming to celebrate the diocesan milestone with prayer and action that benefits their community. Several local organizations will receive needed items, such as packed diaper bags, soap, and deodorant given by parishioners.
“We are including both our church and school in our efforts in collecting the items … we will be collecting October 1st through our parish's centennial celebration weekend on November 17th,” said Anne Moore, parish administrative assistant.
She added that there’s something international in the works, too. But it has a tie to someone very local.
“We are in the beginning planning stages to provide a water well in Kinyamugara-Kicheche, Western Uganda. We want to support our parochial vicar, Father Francis Kayondo, by bringing a water source to his home parish community,” she said.
“I don’t know if I can express the joy I felt,” said Father Francis of hearing the news.
Father Francis explained that the people in that area live on a plateau and that women and girls, who often fetch the water, often experience suffering on the journey to the valley and competition at the existing well.
“Imagine how happy people can be [to have a water source at home],” he said, adding that it will stabilize families and add time to peoples’ days that can be spent working or learning. “If collected and may be purified and filtered, it can mean a lot.”
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