Above: St. Mark Parish & School in Wilmington participates in Centennial Sunday.
Even with a 2,000-seat cathedral, it would be difficult for more than 500,000 Catholics in the diocese to celebrate together in one place. There was one day, though. It was Nov. 17 - Centennial Sunday.
It was a day set aside for “thankfulness for the graces of the past, and prayers of petition for the Lord’s continued blessing upon our future.”
Parishes celebrated with desserts, the sharing of history, common prayer intentions during Mass and acts of service leading up to Centennial Sunday.
In Durham, at St. Matthew, they used the number 100 as a theme and set goals to pray 100 rosaries, create 100 cards for those who are homebound or living in care facilities, complete 100 hours of Eucharistic Adoration and engage 100 volunteers for a ministry fair weekend.
The parish also held an “Everything but the Turkey” drive in mid-November to prepare 100 holiday food kits for distribution at a nearby mobile pantry. And the St. Matthew youth group did its own 100-service-hours project, said Susan Clifton, director of Religious Education.
At St. Catherine of Siena in Tarboro, people created 100 cards for those in western North Carolina who were impacted by Hurricane Helene.
“The cards had messages of hope, inspiration and prayers written by our first Communion students, parish youth and families,” said Father Eric Imbao, C.I.C.M.
Father Eric said the colorful cards, which were sent to Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Charlotte were one way his parish honored the anniversary. Like St. Matthew in Durham, they also enjoyed sweets after Mass on Nov. 17.
“The cupcakes were made by our Spanish community … it was a small gesture of joy and festive celebration,” he added.
In Greenville, centennial banners on campus announced the special occasion, and parishioners made a change to 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. It began on Centennial Sunday after the 11 a.m. Mass and concluded Nov. 21.
They collected 100 items for their local homeless shelter, Community Crossroads Center. That effort began in early November and concluded Centennial Sunday.
St. Mary Magdalene in Apex celebrated the diocesan milestone with prayer and action that benefited their community. Several local organizations received needed items, such as blankets, packed diaper bags, soap and deodorant.
Anne Moore, parish administrative assistant, said they included both the church and school the effort, which took place from Oct. 1 until Nov. 17.
Centennial Sunday extended its reach all the way to Scranton, Pennsylvania. That’s where the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary are based. The women religious served schools, such as Our Lady of Lourdes in Raleigh, and parishes, such as Mother of Mercy in Washington, in the diocese for decades.
“We have such a great love for Raleigh and North Carolina,” said Sister Carol Loughney, I.H.M., a former pastoral administrator in the diocese who now lives in Scranton and helped organize the Centennial Sunday Mass there.
The intercessions of Centennial Sunday
Our refuge from one generation to the next, grant us hearts filled with gratitude and praise as we celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the Diocese of Raleigh, we give you thanks, O Lord, and pray: Gracious God, hear us.
In all the places where we have gathered for praise and prayer, witness and service, over these one hundred years, continue to nurture faith, inspire vocations, comfort the troubled and afflicted, and build up the faithful of this diocese in mutual fidelity and love, we give you thanks, O Lord, and pray: Gracious God, hear us.
For all the faithful of the Diocese of Raleigh who over these one hundred years have been buried with Christ in the waters of baptism, and raised to new and eternal life, we give you thanks, O Lord, and pray: Gracious God, hear us.
For the lives of all whose sacrifices and vision made possible the Diocese of Raleigh and upon whose shoulders we stand today, may their courageous witness and strong faith continue to enliven our faith and embolden our witness to the Reign of God, we give you thanks, O Lord, and pray: Gracious God, hear us.
For all the religious, deacons, priests, and bishops of the Diocese of Raleigh who have led and loved the faithful, and who by the offering of their gifts, have prepared us for the work of ministry, we give you thanks, O Lord, and pray: Gracious God, hear us.
For the numerous ministries established in this Diocese of Raleigh over these one hundred years, for the work of nurture and care, and fellowship and community they have fostered, and for all who have been touched by them, we give you thanks, O Lord, and pray: Gracious God, hear us.
For the deceased of the Diocese of Raleigh over these one hundred years, may they be welcomed by the angels into paradise and be greeted by our God with the words, “Well done, my good and faithful children,” we give you thanks, O Lord, and pray: Gracious God, hear us.
For our Diocese of Raleigh, as we join together to celebrate 100 years of God’s goodness and favor, that through our celebration all the faithful of the Diocese may be renewed in the covenant God has established with the human race, drawing us into the compelling love of Christ
and setting our hearts on fire, we give you thanks, O Lord, and pray: Gracious God, hear us.
Learn more from Centennial Sunday
Visit the Diocese of Raleigh’s channel on YouTube, where viewers can find a video titled 100 Years of Faith. Centennial Sunday Homilies from Around the Diocese. Listen, learn and be inspired by excerpts from 11 different homilies.
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