HAMPSTEAD – In the hours before its dedication, the new All Saints church was open. Musicians held one last rehearsal. Specialists ran sound checks. Sea oats, visible through a clear window, moved with the wind outside.
The wicks of candles were new and unburned. Baskets of linens and two floral arrangements, in the parish colors of white and green, were tucked away behind a low wall near the altar.
People and things waited for the Mass of dedication, which was held Wednesday, April 2 at 2 p.m.
The parish, led by pastor Monsignor Joseph Ntuwa, welcomed visiting priests, including Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama, Father John Durbin, former All Saints pastor, Father Michael Burbeck, vicar general of the diocese, and Father John McGee, O.S.F.S., dean of the Cape Fear region, a coastal area where All Saints is located.
The dedication included a moment outside the brick building when representatives of WKWW Architects, Sanford Contractors and parish leaders presented the key to Bishop Luis, who then handed the key to Monsignor Joseph. Other parts of the dedication were the blessing and sprinkling of holy water, Litany of the Saints, Prayer of Dedication and anointing of the altar and walls of the church.
Incense was used for the altar and the church, and candles were lit around the church. Deacon Rich Mickle lit the candles around the altar. Another important moment was when the altar was wiped clean and covered with linens for the celebration of the Eucharist.
In his homily, Bishop Luis talked about the efforts people made for the project
“What you have today was not built by leftovers. What you have was built by sacrifice,” he said. “You took something you could have used for yourself and gave it.”
Bishop Luis went on to share that there was a “beautiful connection” between making that sacrifice in order to be present in a new church and celebrate a sacrifice.
“How you sacrificed to receive the sacrifice of Jesus,” he said. “You are the living Church … That is what happens in the Eucharist. Jesus wants to be our ‘cornerstone,’ the place where we build our lives.”
All Saints broke ground for the project in the summer of 2023. Once the site was cleared, construction for the 750-seat church took about 16 months, said Rick Spillane, chair of the Building Committee.
Prior to the dedication, All Saints held Mass in a multipurpose building on U.S. 17. The new church is connected to that building, which can now serve as a fellowship hall, by a wing that includes eight new rooms for classes and meeting space. The wing was part of the overall construction project, which added a total of 20,000 square feet of space to the campus and cost about $9.5 million, said Beth Mongeau, business manager for the parish.
“The Living Our Faith, Building to Serve Campaign has raised $4.18 million in gifts and pledges exceeding our $3.5 million goal,” she added. “We have received $3.4 million of the pledge total.”
She said the parish anticipates using $3.22 million of their approved diocesan loan of $4.55 million. “This is a testament to the sacrificial donations and pledges of 750 families, legacy giving by seven people, careful savings over the years, and lots and lots of prayers,” said Mongeau.
Spillane said the church has what parishioners were looking for when they set out to create the worship space. “We wanted kneelers and stained-glass windows. It’s got space, which is also a big deal for us. But, most of all the building itself is great. But the people are what make it great,” said Spillane.
Many of All Saints’ parishioners are people who retired to the coastal area of North Carolina. Others are in the area because of nearby Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. The parish includes many families with young children as well, and Spillane noted that baptisms are frequent occurrences at All Saints.
Elaine Pease moved to the area in 1999 from New Jersey. She joined St. Jude Church in Hampstead. She said the parish decided on the name All Saints for a new parish in 2014. It was a merger of St. Jude in Hampstead and St. Mary on Topsail Island.
Today Pease celebrates Mass alongside her husband, Bruce, and feels that the community is like family. As far as the new church, the statue of Mary is her favorite thing to see, she said.
Hearing stories of connection was part of the experience for parishioner Christine Vara, who led the capital campaign that garnered more than $4 million for construction.
“Through the course of the several years that we raised the money, our parish was also growing exponentially,” she smiled. “I think everyone got the feeling that we needed this space. People were very generous.”
She said she saw God moving through people, and there were times visitors to nearby areas, such as Surf City and Topsail Island, would attend Mass at the beach, part of the parish summer ministry, and donate.
“They were visiting … and heard what we were trying to do,” she said. “I think what happens, too, is you want to be part of this movement. As things started to fall in place and there was a vision and an image of what the church would look like … people started to see that reality of the church being built.”
Vara said dedication day was a culmination of “so many things” including prayer, preparation and volunteer hours shared generously.
“I think it’s going to be remarkable,” she said of the parish’s future in the church. “Seeing everyone together there, worshiping and singing was really something I can’t even begin to describe.”
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Photos by Emily Blickhan and NC Catholics. Click or tap photos to view full images.
