On Sunday, March 19, 2023, Bishop Luis Zarama visited the mission of St. Peter the Fisherman in Oriental.
Known as the "Sailing Capital of North Carolina,” Oriental is an ideal spot for water sports and sport fishing. Its Catholic community is small, like the town of only 600 people, but also growing.
Long before St. Peter the Fisherman was established in 2000, many Catholics in the area gathered and worshiped and prayed for the time when they would have a church of their own. Initially people gathered in someone’s home, and as time went on and for several years, Masses were held at a Methodist church in town. Today the Catholic community is growing with the arrival of retirees from the northeast. The mission church provides a larger worship space that can also provide room for fellowship and religious education.
This was the first visit of Bishop Luis Zarama to Oriental, and as he mentioned during his homily, it was a big surprise for him to find such a big church with so many members.
“It was a beautiful surprise,” said Bishop Luis. “I never expected to see such as big 'cathedral' here!”
Since the bishop took the ferry to get into Oriental the night before the Mass, he reflected on the coincidence that he came through the water to visit the church that has the name of St. Peter, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus and a fisherman dedicated to serving God.
“Saint Peter is an extraordinary example of how an otherwise ordinary man can become such a profound role model; and I also came here through the water to serve God,” he said.
“Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance, but the LORD looks into the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
During his homily, Bishop Luis also reflected about the readings and said that we need to allow Jesus to heal our spiritual blindness.
“We all have blind-spots that don’t let us see ourselves and mistakes,” he said. “That’s why we need to come to Mass to celebrate the miracles that he gave us and restore our hearts. Through our participation in the Eucharist, we grow closer to God and one another. We need to be grateful and enjoy all the things that he gave us.”
To celebrate the bishop's visit, the parishioners of St. Peter hosted a lunch, where community members brough different dishes and desserts. At the end, everyone had the opportunity to greet “Bishop Luis,” as he requested to be called by all of his new brothers and sisters in Oriental.
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