North Carolina’s natural beauty is abundant and in just a few hours you can cross from the heights of the Appalachian Mountains to the coastal low lands and outer barrier islands along the Atlantic Coast. Along the way in this journey, Christ is not far away and is present in the many historic churches that dot the Tar Heel State. It is a state with a historically small Catholic population, but a rich Catholic tradition that includes three renowned basilicas and a North Carolina native on the path to sainthood.
Asheville
Asheville is located off of the renowned Blueridge Parkway – one of the most scenic drives in America – and nestled in the Appalachians. While it has many big city amenities, it still preserves the charm of a small mountain town.
The most popular attraction in town is the Biltmore Estate. Built by George Vanderbilt, it is the largest private residence in the United States. The estate is a replica of sixteenth century French chateau, with 250 rooms and 8,000 acres of gardens, parks and woodland, and self guided tours are available. The other landmark in the city is the Omni Grove Park Inn, a an upscale and rustic lodge that has long attracted the rich and famous to the city. Next door to the hotel is the Estes-Winn Classic Car Museum at Grovewood Village.
The downtown of Asheville offers a number of attractions, including the living outdoor museum known as the Asheville Urban Trail – a 1.7 mile trail with 30 stations marking different periods in the city’s history with unforgettable public art at each station. Some of the notable sites along the trail are the gothic-inspired Grove Arcade (America’s first indoor shopping mall), the Asheville Pinball Museum (yes! a museum dedicated to pinball machines), the French Broad Chocolate Lounge, Malaprop’s Bookstore (one of the best independent bookstores in the U.S.) and the Basilica of St. Lawrence.
Basilica of St. Lawrence
The historic Basilica of St. Lawrence Deacon and Martyr was built in 1909 by Spanish born architect Rafael Guastavino, who had come to Asheville to work on the Biltmore Estate. It is one of the few churches in the entire United States where you feel like you are walking into an ancient Roman Basilica and back to the very beginnings of public Catholic worship. It is also architecturally renowned as having the largest freestanding elliptical dome in the U.S. Of particular note inside the Basilica is an exquisite Chapel of Lady lined with icons of various Marian devotions.
The Mountains and the Tar Heel Apostle
Asheville is a popular base for exploring the mountains. The first national forest in the eastern United States, Pisgah National Forest, is just outside of the city. Named after the biblical mountain where God took Moses to look out over the Promised Land, visitors to the Forest can hike a 1.5 mile trail directly from the parking lot to the summit peak, for some spectacular views.
There are also some great mountain trails north and west of the city, off of the Blue Ridge Parkway, whether it is ascending Mount Mitchell – the highest peak in the eastern United States – or riding the old railway into the Great Smokey Mountains National Park from Bryson City, about an hour west of Asheville. Aside from the mountains, there are plentiful kayaking, canoeing and whitewater rafting opportunities throughout the region, not to mention the fly fishing.
At the top of Mount Mitchell in 1901, Servant of God Thomas Frederick Price, the first North Carolinian to be ordained a priest once offered mass for the conversion of North Carolina. Known as the Tar Heel Apostle, he travelled across the state in a buggy trying to win new Catholic converts to Christ in a very Protestant state; his dream was to establish a mission in each of North Carolina’s counties. But God had much grander designs for him and Fr. Price went on to co-found the Maryknoll Fathers, America’s first foreign missionary society. He went into the foreign missions himself, serving in China where he died in 1919. His piety involved writing a daily letter to Our Lady and he also had a deep devotion to St. Bernadette Soubirous, the visionary of Lourdes.
Charlotte
Charlotte is about a two hour drive from Asheville and is a city full of excitement in the center of the Tar Heel State. With a history tied to gold mining, coin manufacturing and the world headquarters of America’s largest bank – Bank of America – Charlotte is actually the second largest financial center in the U.S. after Manhattan. It is also home to a number of professional sports teams – from the Carolina Hurricanes to the Carolina Panthers – and the ever popular NASCAR Hall of Fame.
For Catholic visitors to the Queen City, as Charlotte is known, there are a number of historic churches. In the city center itself is St. Ann Church. The parish offers beautiful liturgies and visitors can download a theological tour of the church interior before visiting. The sanctuary stands out with its altar containing the relics of Pope St. Pius X and St. Rita of Cascia, an 18th century baroque French cross and golden altar candles from Fatima. It is also just a few minutes from the Discovery Place Nature Center, a popular draw for children in Freedom Park.
North Carolina was the home of one of the greatest Christian preachers of all time, the Reverend Billy Graham. It is well worth a visit to the Billy Graham Library and homestead located in Charlotte. The museum is a testament to the evangelical zeal of proclaiming the Gospel and provides a strong witness of what we are all called to do. It is also interesting to note that amid his global ministry, Billy Graham did strike up a friendship with Pope St. John Paul II, a short account of which can be read here on the Billy Graham Library’s website.
Belmont Abbey
Just outside of Charlotte is Belmont Abbey, the famed monastery and college that was started by the Benedictines in 1876. The first Benedictines travelled from Pennsylvania into the heart of the Bible Belt – to a state that was almost entirely Protestant at the time – to establish a center of prayer and study. The monastery was soon recognized as an abbey by the Vatican eight years later. Pope St. Pius X further elevated the Abbey by giving the church cathedral status in 1910.
Shortly after their arrival, the monks established a Grotto to Our Lady of Lourdes in 1891 , in thanksgiving for the miraculous healing of a sick monk. The sick monk’s deadly condition did not heal until the monastery prior made a prayer intention that if the monk were healed, the Grotto would be built. The Grotto became a pilgrimage destination in the Carolinas and it remains a pilgrimage destination to this day. One saint who did stop at the Abbey and surely visited this Grotto was St. Katherine Drexel, who visited the Abbey in 1904. Just off to the side of the Grotto is a smaller shrine to St. Walburga, a medieval Benedictine missionary to Germany who was also associated with many miraculous healings.
Wilmington and the Beaches
From the big city of Charlotte, the quaint coastal city of Wilmington on the Cape Fear River seems a world away.
It is believed that somewhere along this stretch of the Cape Fear River was the site of the first landing of Spanish colonists in the continental United States, who had embarked on a expedition from the Caribbean in 1526, before sailing on to establish the lost colony of San Miguel de Guandape. With two Dominican priests on board, it is possible that the first mass on American soil could have been celebrated during this brief stopover in the Wilmington area.
While this remains speculative, what is certain is that Wilmington has been a draw for Catholic visitors for another reason: its splendid Basilica Shrine of St. Mary of the Assumption. It is a grand basilica built by the same architectural firm that designed Manhattan landmarks such as Grand Central Station and the Ellis Island Terminal building. The Basilica was designated by the bishop as a local shrine for venerating Our Lady and has had saints walk among its midst, including St. Theresa of Calcutta who visited the parish in 1975 (and whose spiritual advisor was the bishop emeritus of Charlotte). St Katherine Drexel also provided a donation to support the construction of the church and Servant of God Thomas Frederick Price was baptized in the original parish of St. Thomas the Apostle which was later replaced by this basilica.
Wilmington is a lovely town with a very well preserved national historic district and a lively riverfront district. One of the most popular attractions is the USS North Carolina, the massive battleship docked on its shores. Little known outside the state, Wilmington is also becoming a major movie and television production hub and it is not unusual to catch a glimpse of the stars or movie shoots in progress in town.
From Wilmington, it is a very short drive to three fantastic beaches on the Atlantic Coast: Carolina Beach – with one of the largest original beach boardwalks in the United States; Kure Beach with the longest fishing pier on the eastern seaboard. Off of Kure Beach is the fantastic North Carolina Aquarium and historic Fort Fisher. Finally, there is Wrightsville Beach. Right on the beach is St. Therese church; a small parish that was formed in the twentieth century and has survived hurricanes and other setbacks. You can literally park for a day at the beach, attend mass and then walk right out from the church to the public walkway to the beach and oceanfront.
CATHOLIC CONCIERGE 
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