Sunday Mass on June 23 will be 3:30 pm
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By Peter Vankevich
In a secluded area off School Road is a new Catholic chapel, Stella Maris, that visitors may not be aware of.
With much pomp and circumstance, Bishop Jose Luis Zarama of the Diocese of Raleigh concelebrated the dedication last October 31, a time of the year when there are fewer visitors.
New Catholic chapel opens on Ocracoke
The grounds, graced with live oaks, a garden, benches and a statue of Mary, are open to the public.
The chapel, which accommodates approximately 80 worshippers, is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for prayer and meditation. Its name, Stella Maris, is Latin, translated as Star of the Sea, and is an ancient title for Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Rev. Alfred Smuda, OSFS, affectionately known as Father Fred, the pastor of Our Lady of the Seas parish in Buxton, travels to Ocracoke to say Mass, ferries be willing.
For the time being, Mass has been on alternate Sundays at 3:30 pm and sometimes more frequently. The remaining services for the month are June 23 and June 30. The afternoon time is so Farther Fred can say morning Mass in Buxton, then take the Hatteras Inlet ferry to Ocracoke.
“We are actively searching for priests to vacation on Ocracoke ” said Gibbs Bricker, registrar of Our Lady of the Seas parish.
Mass is a mixture of English and Spanish with bilingual handouts. Hymns by the choir are in Spanish with accompanying acoustic guitars and light percussions.
The chapel joins Ocracoke’s two churches, the Life Saving Church on Lighthouse Road and the Ocracoke United Methodist Church on School Road as a place of worship.
Although there has never been a Roman Catholic church on the island, Catholic Mass has been celebrated in a variety of locations over the years: in people’s homes, the second floor of the old fire station, outside at Books to be Red, the Community Center, the Ocracoke United Methodist Church and its rec hall.
Ocracoke has a long tradition of weddings in churches and on the beach. It is now possible to have a Catholic wedding.
For information about weddings at Stella Maris Chapel, contact the events coordinator Terri Mohnal at events@ourladyoftheseas.org.
The Mass schedule can be found on Masstimes.org, which is updated weekly, or on ourladyoftheseas.org and Our Lady of the Seas Parish Facebook and Instagram pages.
To get to the chapel at 95 School Rd., just beyond the Methodist Church, take the dirt road on the left.
