From a Funeral Home to a Parish of 5,500
St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church began on July 5, 1974, when ninety families gathered as the fifth Roman Catholic parish established in Greensboro, North Carolina. Founded by the Paulist Fathers to serve the growing Catholic population in northwest Guilford County, the congregation had no permanent home at first. For nearly two years, Mass was celebrated in a local funeral home and in Lutheran, Episcopal, and Methodist churches that opened their doors to the fledgling community.
By July 1975 the parish had grown to 350 families, and a permanent parish center was dedicated in May 1976. A decade later, with 925 registered families, plans moved forward to enlarge the parish center and build a sanctuary. In the summer of 1991 the Paulist Fathers were withdrawn by their community and the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales were invited to staff the parish. The current sanctuary was dedicated in March 1993, and by 1998 the parish had grown to roughly 1,900 households and more than 5,500 people. On October 21, 2001, Bishop William Curlin joined the parish for the dedication of the Parish Life Center, a facility that provides a multipurpose room and gymnasium, additional meeting space, and classrooms. The parish marked its fiftieth anniversary in 2024 and continues to describe itself as a welcoming, prayerful community whose members put their faith into action.
Mass Times, Reconciliation, and Eucharistic Adoration
Weekend Masses are celebrated on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Daily Mass is offered on Monday, Thursday, and Friday at 9:00 a.m., and on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. (a change from the previous 9 a.m. Wednesday Mass). On Tuesdays a Communion Service is held at 8:30 a.m. Eucharistic Adoration follows the 9 a.m. Mass every Friday until 10 a.m., extending to 10:30 a.m. on First Fridays. Reconciliation is heard in the Sanctuary Confessional on Saturday afternoons beginning at 2:45 p.m., with the last confession starting at 3:45 p.m. No reservations are required. The Sacrament of the Sick, Baptism, Confirmation, Matrimony, and Holy Orders are prepared through the parish office, and Mass cards may be requested for the living or the deceased with a customary donation of $15. Mass is livestreamed on the parish YouTube channel for those who cannot attend in person.
The Liturgical Ministries at the Altar
Liturgy at St. Paul's depends on a wide circle of volunteers. Lectors proclaim the Scriptures, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion assist with distribution, and ushers help seat the assembly. The Welcome Desk is staffed before and after every weekend Mass, with volunteers arriving twenty minutes before Mass and staying fifteen minutes after, greeting visitors and answering questions. Altar Servers and Sacristans are trained through a ministry offered to children in the third grade and above. Sacristans arrive thirty minutes before Mass to set up and remain afterward to clean up; servers assist during Mass itself. Both wear formal church clothes that maintain the dignity of the human body and reverence for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
Music and the Choirs
Music is led by the Director of Music and shared by two choral groups. The St. Paul Choir, open to all ages and skill levels, rehearses on Wednesday evenings from 7:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and sings at the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass, with a brief warm-up beginning at 9:50 a.m. The Hosanna Chorale is the children's choir, welcoming singers from elementary school through middle school, with older children taking on leadership roles. The Chorale rehearses immediately after the 10:30 a.m. Mass and sings monthly at Mass as well as on Christmas, Palm Sunday, Easter, and Mother's Day. Its season runs from September through Christmas and from February through Mother's Day. The parish maintains a Funeral Planning guide with a curated list of musical selections to help families planning a Funeral Mass.
Faith Formation for Every Age
Faith formation at St. Paul's begins with children as young as three. Kingdom Kids Preschool Co-op meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon, with mothers of children aged three through rising kindergarten rotating as teachers in a classroom that teaches letters, sounds, writing, numbers, patterns, shapes, saints, and liturgical events for a cost of $50 per year. Children in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade attend weekly Faith Formation classes, with First Communion preparation typically offered in second grade alongside First Reconciliation.
Middle school students prepare for Confirmation in a three-year program that culminates in the sacrament in eighth grade for those who have completed continuous formation, attend Mass weekly, and meet the diocese's readiness criteria. The curriculum uses Connect from St. Mary's Press and Chosen from Ascension Press, with two mandatory retreats in the final year and participation in the Living Stations Drama. High school students in grades nine through twelve meet on Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 10:20 a.m. for continuing faith formation. SPRED, the Special Religious Education program, serves both children and adults with developmental disabilities.
SPY: St. Paul's Youth After the 10:30 Mass
SPY (St. Paul's Youth) is open to teens in seventh through twelfth grade and their friends. Sessions are usually held after the 10:30 a.m. Mass and include catechesis, lunch, and time for socializing, with high school juniors and seniors able to earn service hours. Each gathering dives into the prayers, gestures, and meaning behind the Mass itself, with the goal of helping teens see why Catholics sit, stand, and kneel, and where they fit into the story. Service and social activities include an Oktoberfest, an All Saints Day Party, Operation Christmas Child, Advent College Care Packs, assisting Meals on Wheels, Christmas gifts to homebound parishioners, a Bake Sale, a Pancake Breakfast, a Lenten Fasting Retreat and Food Drive, an Easter Egg Scramble, and a Summer Mission and Pilgrimage Trip. Parent participation is required for every family registered in Faith Formation and Youth Ministry, and parents must be certified through the Diocese of Charlotte's CMG Connect system.
Adult Bible Studies Throughout the Week
Adult formation at St. Paul's is organized around a robust calendar of weekly Bible studies. On Sunday mornings at 9 a.m., the Between the Masses group meets in the Parish Life Center Lounge between Masses. On Monday evenings at 7 p.m., the Men's Knights Bible Study gathers in the St. Paul Library to watch and discuss videos by Bishop Barron, Fr. Mike Schmitz, and others. On Tuesdays, a Pauline Letters study meets over Zoom at 9 a.m. and again at 11:30 a.m., while the Acts of the Apostle Discussion Group meets in the PLC Lounge at 6 p.m., and a Men's Lectio Divina group gathers in the Library at 7 p.m. On Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m., the Genesis to Jesus survey of covenants begins in Fellowship Hall. On Thursday mornings at 10:30 a.m., a women's study of the Gospel of Luke, Mission of the Messiah, meets in the PLC Lounge. The parish also offers the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA, formerly RCIA) for those preparing to enter the Catholic Church.
The Food Pantry and Outreach to Greensboro
St. Paul's Food Pantry has been giving out food to those in need for more than forty years, distributing over 2,100 bags of groceries to approximately 800 households each year. Open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the pantry provides each family with two bags of groceries plus a sandwich bag of hotel-size toiletries. All food is donated by parishioners and friends of the parish; baskets in the Narthex collect donations brought to Mass or to the parish office during the week. A Blessing Box outside the pantry doors is stocked with nonperishable items for anyone in need.
Beyond the food pantry, the Outreach Ministry coordinates a regular Blood Drive, Gift Bags for Meals on Wheels, the Advent Giving Tree (which serves St. Paul's Sister Parish, Jefferson Elementary, Elizabeth's Closet, Adopt A Mom, YWCA Healthy Beginnings, Pathways, Family Room Foster Care, the Kellin Foundation, Room at the Inn, the Pregnancy Network, and Malachi House), the Greensboro Walk for Life, regular Meals on Wheels routes, and the Tabitha Ministry. Tabitha Ministry prepares a monthly meal for residents of a transitional housing program for women rebuilding their lives after trauma, with volunteers meeting in the St. Paul's parking lot at 6 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month to deliver food for eleven women. The Knights of Columbus council serves the parish and the wider community, and St. Paul's maintains a Sister Parish relationship abroad.
Respect Life and the Greensboro Life Chain
The Respect Life Ministry builds a culture of life through prayer and service. Each year on the first Sunday of October, parishioners gather along Battleground Avenue in front of the Starbucks and Aldi for the Greensboro Life Chain, a peaceful public witness of one hour of prayer for the end of abortion. In October the parish also hosts an America Needs Fatima Rosary Rally on the church lawn at noon. Both events are recurring touchstones of the parish's pro-life witness, alongside the Respect Life Ministry's other prayers and service opportunities throughout the year.
Pastoral Care for the Sick, Grieving, and Homebound
Pastoral Care at St. Paul's encompasses a wide range of practical and spiritual supports. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion bring the Eucharist to parishioners who are homebound because of illness or surgery. The Meal Ministry organizes volunteers to prepare and deliver dinners to parishioners recovering from medical issues, personal crises, the birth of a baby, or the loss of a loved one. The Prayer Shawls Ministry provides handcrafted shawls, and the Yarn Ladies keep the knitting tradition going. Grief Support is offered through the parish for those who have lost a loved one. Funeral Planning resources, including an introduction video and a planning guide with musical selections and Scripture readings, help families prepare Funeral Masses either at the time of need or in advance. Mass cards can be requested for the living or deceased with the customary donation of $15. A Columbarium on the parish grounds offers a permanent place for the cremated remains of the faithful, and St. Peregrine Prayer Cards and Medals are distributed through a devotion for those facing cancer or serious illness.
JOY Ministry for Older Adults
The JOY Ministry (Joyful Older Youth), formerly the Senior Ministry, hosts several luncheons from September through March for adults 55 and older to share a meal, fellowship, and themed programs. There is no membership requirement beyond buying a ticket and bringing a friend, and all are welcome. The Health & Wellness Committee complements JOY with programming for older adults, including fall-prevention and wellness initiatives such as a Chair Yoga Introduction.
The Kids Consignment Sale
Twice a year, once in March and once in August, St. Paul's hosts a Kids Consignment Sale that has become a community institution. Proceeds benefit the parish general fund, while consignors and shoppers take advantage of an opportunity to purchase gently used children's clothing and items. The sale relies on many volunteers to sort, set up, and run the event, with a Preview Sale for volunteers the evening before each public sale. Registration for consignors and volunteers opens about two months before each sale and closes the week of the event.
Hospitality, Volunteering, and Safe Environment
Hospitality at St. Paul's goes beyond the Welcome Desk. The Hospitality Ministry invites new parishioners, helps serve refreshments at Fellowship Sundays, and works to make every visitor feel at home. Volunteers also keep the parish running through lecturing, serving at Mass, singing in the choir, stocking the food pantry, and serving on councils and committees.
In keeping with Diocese of Charlotte requirements, all adult volunteers must register with CMG Connect, complete a background check, and finish the Safe Environment course with annual recertification. Volunteers who drive for the parish must also complete the Diocesan Safe Driver Course. The CMG Coordinator in the parish office helps walk new volunteers through the process and answers questions along the way.
Stewardship, Giving, and Planned Giving
The parish relies on the regular generosity of its members to operate and support its ministries. Online giving allows parishioners to set up recurring or one-time donations, and an auto-draft form is available for those who prefer to give through their bank. The parish also accepts qualified charitable distributions from IRAs, marketable stocks and bonds, closely held stock, gifts in kind, and planned giving and bequests through a will. Questions about giving can be directed to the Accounting Department. A parish bulletin, published weekly, carries the current Mass intentions, announcements, and inserts for faith formation and outreach.
The Parish Campus and Accessibility
St. Paul's sits on Horse Pen Creek Road in northwest Greensboro, with the Sanctuary at the heart of the campus and the Parish Life Center attached for gatherings, classes, and parish meals. The Parish Life Center includes a multipurpose room that doubles as a gymnasium, additional meeting space, and classrooms used by Faith Formation, OCIA, Bible studies, and parish events. Audio and Visual Assistance is available for those who need it. The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and visitors access the office through the Narthex. The parish's mission statement reads: "St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church is a community formed into the Body of Christ through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and the gospels. From this foundation, we seek to share the love of Christ with our neighbor through service, works of charity, and fellowship."
Spanish-Language Parish Life
The parish offers information in Spanish about Mass times, the parish staff, sacraments, faith formation, ministries, outreach, pastoral care, and volunteering. The parish publishes a Spanish-language bulletin and offers sacramental preparation and faith formation in Spanish for families who need it, recognizing the bilingual character of the wider Greensboro Catholic community.