Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Carolina Catholicism

Let me tell you, the I-85 corridor in the Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina area is a hot place to be Catholic. Who woulda thought that the Bible Belt would be such a lively place to practice the Catholic faith!

Charlotte has Belmont Abbey and some terrific, orthodox and lively churches. Jump down to Spartanburg and Greenville where we have Great St Mary's and Little St Mary's (OLR) and Prince of Peace. St Anthony's Bookstore, Steve Wood's Family Life Ministry, artist Chris Pelicano, author Joseph Pearce--Catholic radio for South Carolina--and more. Then jump down to Atlanta with Randy Hain and Mike Bickerstaff of Integrated Catholic Life, author and artist husband and wife Jeff and Lorraine Murray. Then there's the Trappist monastery in Conyers--Flannery O'Connor's home.

We need a name for this. Is it called Bible Belt Catholicism? I've got it. You've heard of Cultural Catholicism and Committed Catholicism and Cafeteria Catholicism...this is Carolina Catholicism.

Anyway, the folks at Integrated Catholic Life are laying on a day conference on Saturday, January 28. Atlanta Catholic Business Conference is at St Peter Chanel Church. Here's some info:                                         Keynote: Pat Lencioni
Special Guest: Mother Regina Marie, O.C.D
Guest Speakers:  Dr. William Thierfelder and Becky Eldredge
St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church - McNamee Hall
11330 Woodstock Road, Roswell 30075
Saturday, January 28, 2012, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Cost: $45; $30 for students

Go here for more information and to register online. I'll be there, and hope to meet some of you other Carolina Catholics!
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4 comments:

  1. The Crescat10:09 AM

    You excluded the fantastic parish of St. Ann in Charlotte and their nuns.

    Any thoughts on having that blogging conference here like you were thinking? Let me know if you need a hand with that.

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  2. Matt Swaim10:18 AM

    There's actually a book called "The Culture of Bible Belt Catholics." It's a fairly interesting piece of scholarship. I read it with a highlighter. http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Bible-Belt-Catholics/dp/0809135744/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1326208561&sr=8-2

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  3. Jean9:10 PM

    Don't forget the side trip down I77 to the Rock Hill Oratory and all of our wonderful Oratorians!

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  4. Jonathan5:13 PM

    Definitely there is something extraordinary happening along the I-85 corridor! I would like to suggest that you consider starting one of your famous blog readers' contests, inviting readers to nominate a new name for the spiritual phenomena in the South that used to be so easily characterized as "The Bible Belt": where that name doesn't fit so well any more. My own nomination: The Scarlet Lined Road. (This name will readily conjure, I think, Spurgeon's famous sermon on the "Scarlet Thread in the Bible" in his famous women of the Bible series (Rahab) (thus satisfying Evanglical-Protestants); as well as, for Catholics and Orthodox, the famous sacra cinture of the Theotokos, the holy relic which was bequeathed to the Apostle Thomas.

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