photos by cassie magnotta + john feister
LEFT: Father John Brown has been a Glenmary missioner for more than 40 years. His latest assignment brings him to Martin County, N.C. BELOW: Father John talks with parishioners from Holy Trinity Catholic parish in Williamston.
A Priest to Call Their Own holy trinity: year one story by john stegeman For more than two centuries, scattered Catholics have lived in Martin County, N.C., served by religious sisters and a stream of visiting priests. For the past year, the people have had something they never had before—a resident priest. Glenmary took over Holy Trinity in October of 2018, with Bishop Luis Zarama of Raleigh installing Father John Brown as the parish’s first full-time resident pastor. Martin County, N.C., was incorporated in 1797. History tells of early Masses in train cars, travelling chapels, homes and even a prisoner-of-war camp before Holy Trinity Catholic Church was established in 1951 in Williamston, the county seat. The parish has had ups and downs, but in recent years many of the ministries associated with the mission had dried up. Even confirmation instruction had ended. 8
GLENMARY CHALLENGE
glenmary.org
Things started to pick up in 2017 when Father Michael Burbank, from nearby, became pastor of Holy Trinity and two other parishes. Despite Father Michael’s best effort, there was only so much time in a day. “We have always wanted someone here full-time,” said Betty Dugger, chairwoman of Holy Trinity’s parish council. “The last priest that we had here had three churches, so we didn’t have the chance to stay and talk with him. He had to rush from one church to another church. “We can reach out to [Father John] at any time,” she added. “If there is someone sick and he needs to know about it we can pick up the phone and call him. We really love having a full-time priest. He can visit the sick, and he does, whether they are home or in the hospital. He always makes time for that.”
