History of St. Aloysius Catholic Church
Founded: December 7, 1913
December 7, 1913 marked the conception of what would become St. Aloysius Catholic Church. It’s first Mass consisted of 12 Catholics and was held in the parlor of the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Callanan. Masses continued to be held at the Callanan home on the 5th Sunday of the month, four times per year.
In 1914, the Church received a grant in the amount of $1,500 from Dr. Joseph Kelly of Philadelphia to purchase and renovate an abandoned 7th Day Adventist Church located on 11th Ave. in Hickory near the present Episcopal Church of the Ascension. The cost of the church and lot was $750 with the remainder of the donation used for repairs. The parish was named St. Aloysius in memory of Dr. Kelly’s deceased son, Aloysius Kelly. On April 18, 1915, the Church was dedicated and a solemn High Mass was celebrated by Father Mark Cassidy, OSB. The frequency of visits by a priest was increased to one Sunday each month.
Beginning April 8, 1928, Father Anthony Meyers celebrated Mass on a weekly basis. A low Mass was celebrated at 7:45 a.m. followed by Sunday school. as the number of parishioners had increased to
nearly 50.
The Rev. Sebastian Doris, OSB, was serving St. Aloysius in 1936 when his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Doris, and aunt, Mrs. M. C. Vaughan of Augusta, Georgia, donated a total of $5,500 to St. Aloysius. With the donations, a fund drive was launched for a larger church and on April 23, 1937, land was purchased at the corner of Tenth Street and McComb Drive (now 2 nd Street and 9 th Avenue NE), the site of the present church complex. A small granite church was built that seated 120 parishioners. It was designed by Rev. Michael McInerney, OSB. Over the front entrance a specially designed stone crucifix was embedded in solid masonry with gold lettering stating, “God So Loved The World”. The new church was dedicated on September 25, 1938 with the Right Rev. Vincent Taylor, OSB, Ordinary of the Diocese of Belmont Abbey, presiding. By 1940, St. Aloysius had 60 members and was the only Catholic Church in Catawba County. Rev. Sebastian Doris, OSB, commuted from Belmont Abbey in Belmont to celebrate Mass on Sunday mornings and on Holy Days of Obligation. During World War II, an additional Mass was added on Sunday at 6:30 a.m. to meet the needs of naval cadets stationed at Lenoir-Rhyne College with the 9 a.m. Mass for parishioners. The 6:30 a.m. Mass was discontinued in 1944 as the war began winding down.
