Catholic Health Care in Charlotte
The Catholic Church has been a part of Charlotte life since the early 1800s, and today the church and the diocese of Charlotte play an important role in the city’s senior care landscape. Whether you’re looking for a church to attend, Catholic social events, affordable housing, or award-winning assisted living, you can find options in Charlotte.
Catholic churches in Charlotte
Seniors seeking a Catholic congregation have more than a dozen churches to choose from in the greater Charlotte area. The Cathedral of St. Patrick, located between the Uptown and Sedgfield areas, offers volunteer visits to homebound parishioners in addition to daily Mass and Reconciliation services. St. Peter Catholic Church is the city’s oldest, dating to 1851. Among its many ministries, St. Peter provides volunteer Eucharistic visits to the homes of parishioners who can’t come to church.
St. Matthew, in the Ballantyne neighborhood, offers more than 100 ministries to the 9,000 families in the congregation. The church’s STARS (Seniors That Are Retired) ministry welcomes new members for monthly lunches, programs, and volunteer work on raffles and bake sales. St. Matthew volunteers also minister to homebound residents and those in local hospitals and assisted living communities.
Catholic-inspired assisted living
When it comes to assisted living in Charlotte, The Little Flower is among the best of the bunch. The Little Flower is open to all seniors who need assisted living, and the community has won awards from readers of the Charlotte Observer and from the state of North Carolina for the quality of its care. The facility was originally Catholic-owned and takes its name from St. Therese of Lisieux. It’s now owned and run by Premier Senior Living.
Located in the Mint Hill neighborhood, The Little Flower is close to grocery stores, pharmacies, and a post office. Residents can choose private or semi-private suites and enjoy amenities including a covered wrap-around porch for visiting and nature-watching, a full-service salon, transportation service, and Mass and communion in the chapel.
Affordable Catholic senior housing
The Diocese of Charlotte has undertaken 3 affordable-housing construction projects in the past 7 years, to help provide apartments for seniors on restricted incomes. Curlin Commons is located in Mooresville, while Good Shepherd Gardens sits next to Salisbury’s Sacred Heart Parish. Both communities are about an hour north of Charlotte.
The diocese’s newest project is in Charlotte proper. Mother Teresa Villas broke ground in July 2014. The diocese and the federal Housing and Urban Development agency are working together on the project, and the first 13-unit phase is expected to be ready for move-in in mid-2015. The plan is to eventually offer 240 units to low-income seniors and adults of all ages with disabilities. Other features planned for the 20-acre site are gardens and a chapel.
Keeping up with Catholic news
Seniors who are new to the Charlotte area can learn more about the local Catholic community and keep up with special events through the Catholic News Herald. The paper’s website profiles local Catholics, posts upcoming spiritual and community events, and posts recordings of homilies from parishes across the diocese.
Casey Kelly-Barton
Casey Kelly-Barton is an Austin-based freelance writer whose childhood was made awesome by her grandmothers, great-grandmother, great-aunts and -uncles, and their friends.