Parish Visit

Holy Redeemer by the Sea Catholic Church Kitty Hawk, South Carolina

We took an impromptu trip to the Outer Banks, OBX to the East Coasters. We had an unseasonably warm weekend of low 80 degree temperatures all along the coast. We attended Mass at the Holy Redeemer by the Sea Catholic Church in Kitty Hawk, NC. A fun parish with cheerful greeters who were excited to see our family racing in. From what we observed it is a parish mostly of retirees. Our presence was noticed as only a two year old can find a way to subtly announce. As usual in our experience of visiting parishes lacking young families we were asked if we had recently moved to the area. These are times when we are the most affected by the knowledge that less young families are coming to Mass.

In our own bursting at the seams parish we forget the truth about this decline in Mass attendance. It’s a reminder to pray for these young parents. Pray for them to come back to their church and make that first step of returning to Mass. I wonder if any of those stepped away Catholics were to attend Mass on their own terms and not those from their memories if they would see it in a different way. So many people have told me how their parents made going to Mass feel like an oppressive punishment. We think about that often as our visits to churches tend to leave us pondering deeply.

We took some pictures of the church. Open, modern, minimalist, bright. It was an open plan clearly designed for a coastal setting where hurricanes are an ever present threat. Coastal parishes are always a surprise when we visit and this one had a wonderful choir. We thoroughly enjoyed the music during Mass.