Basilica Shrine of Saint Mary
Roman Catholic
St. Mary Church and Parish has long been a fixture in Wilmington.
The parish history started at the beginning of the nineteenth century when Bishop John England (1786-1842) from Charleston made regular visits to Wilmington celebrating Mass in private homes and sometimes in Protestant churches to a small group of believers. On New Year’s Day 1845 England’s successor, Ignatius Aloysius Reynolds founded the official parish. The community flourished and Father Thomas Murphy (1806-1855) was appointed the first full-time priest in 1845. Two years later he organized construction of the Gothic Revival style Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle at 208 Dock Street.
In 1868, James Gibbons (1834-1921), took up residence as Vicar-Apostolic of North Carolina and the church was designated a Pro-cathedral. He brought the Sisters of Mercy to Wilmington in 1869. Their first convent was at the corner of 2nd and Nun Streets. He bought property on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Ann Street. A convent and school were built on the property. They were later torn down to make was for the new church.
In the 1890’s, Msgr. Christopher Dennen (1855-1939) pastor of Saint Thomas Church, encouraged the formation of a new parish. Ground was broken for the building at South Fifth Street and Ann on the twentieth of May, 1908. Abbot Leo Michael Haid (1849-1924) O.S.B., Vicar Apostolic of North Carolina, laid the corner stone. The first service was held on the seventeenth of December, 1911. Cardinal James Gibbons dedicated the building as Saint Mary Pro-Cathedral on the Twelfth of April, 1912. When the Diocese of Raleigh was created in 1924, the Pro-Cathedral was renamed the Saint Mary Church.
Mother Catherine Drexel, Mother Superior of the Blessed Sacrament Sisters in Philadelphia, gave money to but Saint Thomas the Apostle Church in 1912. A school was established nearby and Saint Thomas Church became the first church for Wilmington’s black Catholic community. In 1916, the Josephite fathers took over the church and remained there until 1966 when a fire destroyed the church causing it to close. Today, the restored structure is known as Saint Thomas Preservation Hall of the Arts.
Mass Times
Holy Week 2016 – Worship Schedule
March 20, 2016 – Palm Sunday – Holy Week begins
Regular Mass schedule
March 22, 2016 – Tuesday of Holy Week
7:30 a.m. – Communion Service
2:00 p.m. – Chrism Mass – St. Michael the Archangel, Cary, NC
March 24, 2016 – Holy Thursday
7:00 p.m. – Mass of the Lord’s Supper – (Bilingual)
Reception of the holy oils & Washing of the Feet
8 p.m. – 10 p.m. – Adoration in Tileston Center
March 25, 2016 – Good Friday
12 Noon – Church open for silent meditation
2 p.m. – Veneration of the Cross; Passion; Communion Service – English
5 p.m. –Vía Crucis – Hispanic Community
7 p.m. – Veneration of the Cross; Passion; Communion Service – Spanish
March 26, 2016 – Holy Saturday
10 a.m. – Blessing of Easter food baskets
No 5:30 p.m. or 7 p.m. Masses
Easter Vigil Mass – 8 p.m. – Begins with Blessing of the New Fire – Bilingual
March 27, 2016 – Easter Sunday
6:30 a.m. – Mass in English
8 a.m. – Mass in English
9:30 a.m.* – Mass in English – *Satellite Mass in SMS Cafeteria (9:40am)
11:00 a.m.* – Mass in English – *Satellite Mass in SMS Cafeteria (11:10am)
12:30 p.m. – Mass in Spanish
Regular Weekend Masses
Saturday
5:30 pm (English)
7:00 pm (Spanish)
Sunday
8:00 am (English)
9:30 am (English)
11:00 am (English)
12:30 pm (Spanish)
Daily Mass
Mon., Tues., Thu.
7:30 am
School Mass
Friday
8:30 am
Communion Service
Wednesday
7:30 am
Monstrance Hour
Thursday
8:00 – 9:00 am
Location
412 Ann Street
Wilmington
North Carolina
United States
28401
Staff
Very Reverend Robert J. Kus
Rector
Sharon Marren
Business Manager
Contacts
Tel: 9107625491111
Web: http://thestmaryparish.org
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