Thanks to God

St. Eugene, Wendell

In the archives of the NC Catholic newspaper, there is an entertaining history of St. Eugene Parish in Wendell, NC, written by Msgr. Frederick Koch in 1973, on the occasion of the parish’s 25^th anniversary. (The parish administrator at the time was the newly ordained Fr. Tim O’Connor.) Msgr. Koch writes in detail about the founding families, immigrants from Lebanon, who lent their energy, resources and homes to the fledgling congregation in the early 20^th century. He also praises the “hyphenated pastors,” priests with other assignments (three with the diocesan newspaper, two chaplains at NC State University, a diocesan Chancellor, a director of Catholic Social Services, and a full-time missionary) who ministered part-time at St. Eugene.

With the redistribution of population and the construction boom following the Second World War, the Diocese authorized the building of a permanent church, which was dedicated in August, 1948, with Fr. Koch as “priest-in-charge.” In his anniversary history, Msgr. Koch shared some stories of bucolic parish life in the ‘50s and ‘60s: “We recall with pleasure the picnics at Tarpley’s Mill, the Sunday dinners at various homes and the meetings of the Altar Society. There was the time when Fr. Koch dropped an IOU in the vigil light offering box to get a hamburger when he was broke, and the time when a pastor was touched on the shoulder by the law for shooting down quail beyond the quota, and then that night had a supper at the rectory in which the evidence was eaten.”

This year, as St. Eugene’s celebrates its 60^th anniversary (in a larger church dedicated in 1991), much has changed. Since 2002, the parish has been served by the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM), the first international religious missionary order, founded in Belgium in 1862. The CICMs in the U.S. have specially trained for and eagerly accepted apostolates serving African American and Hispanic populations, a perfect fit for Wendell, where, according to current pastor Father Joseph Lapauw, the Latino population has skyrocketed in ten years from 5% to 60%. St. Eugene’s celebrates six Masses on weekends, three in English and three in Spanish.

“When people come here,” Fr. Lapauw explains, “they see immediately that this is a bilingual parish, that all are equal here.” The entire Sunday bulletin is rendered in English and Spanish, and the pastoral council and all the parish ministry committees have members from both groups.

The challenge in this environment is twofold: to adjust the structure of the parish to correspond to changing realities, and to unify the groups, while accommodating their differences. St. Eugene’s holds many events each year in which all participate. Perhaps the best known is its International Food Festival in September, which has expanded beyond its parish beginnings to draw people of all backgrounds from the entire surrounding area.

Plans for St. Eugene’s near future include the extension of the existing church building for religious education, and construction of a new church. As Fr. Lapauw describes the shifting dynamics of his parish, one phrase repeatedly punctuates his narrative: “Thanks to God.” Clearly, this is a Catholic community that embraces change -- with gratitude.