Holy Cross Catholic Church at 2438 S Alston Ave, Durham, NC 27713 US - Bishop Burbidge Dedicates the New Holy Cross Church

Bishop Burbidge Dedicates the New Holy Cross Church

Father Francis O'Connor presenting the church keys to Bishop Burbidge

Sunday, December 2 was a special day for parishioners of Holy Cross Church in Durham. It was a day of celebration and a day of prayerful gratitude as members of the parish were joined by the Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Raleigh; Msgr Thomas P. Hadden, Vicar for African Ancestry Ministry and Evangelization, priests of the Diocese and members of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), who have pastored the predominately African American church since it was established in 1939. The event was the dedication of a new church building, replacing the historic facility, which has served the close-knit community since 1952. The move to a new, larger site on South Alston Avenue occurred for several reasons, one of which is North Carolina Central University’s interest in the property where the former church building is located, which is adjacent to the university. The new facility provides the parish with more worship space and room to grow. It comfortably seats 450 people, five times the number of the former church. While it was difficult for longtime members of Holy Cross to leave what has been their ‘home,’ they have taken with them a most prominent visual reminder. The wall behind the altar and the baptismal font is faced with stone taken from the outside of the older church. The cost of the new facility is approximately $3.5 million. The parish initiated a capital campaign with a goal of $900,000, and received pledges totaling more than $1 million. Additional funding came from the sale of the old site to the state, and from the Diocese of Raleigh, which provided a loan, including some interest-free loan funds. The dedication of the church was the first for Bishop Burbidge since his installation as Bishop of Raleigh in August, 2006.

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	HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CHURCH 2438 South Alston Ave. Durham NC., 27713 Office: (919) 957 - 2900 Fax: (919) 957 - 2901 Founded for GOD's glory on December 5, 1939 A church site of the Diocese of Raleigh