About St. Barnabas

St. Barnabas Roman Catholic Parish includes areas of South Asheville, Arden, Fletcher, Fairview, Avery's Creek, Horseshoe, and northern Henderson County. The residents of the geographic area included in our parish today were formerly parishioners of St. Lawrence Parish in Asheville and Immaculate Conception Parish in Hendersonville.

The initial formation of the parish was the work of Monsignor George Lynch, pastor of St. Lawrence Parish, his assistant, and a group of Catholics who were living in the Arden/Skyland/Fletcher areas. In 1964 these areas were a part of St. Lawrence Parish and a part of the Diocese of Raleigh, the only Roman Catholic diocese in North Carolina then. The Ordinary (Bishop) was His Excellency, the Most Reverend Vincent S. Waters.

After many meetings Monsignor Lynch (later auxiliary Bishop of Raleigh) petitioned Bishop Waters to establish a mission of St. Lawrence Parish in the Arden area. The mission was named "St. Barnabas" after the home parish of Monsignor Lynch and attended by the priests of St. Lawrence Parish. The first St. Barnabas parish church on Hendersonville Road in Arden had originally been a Presbyterian church and then purchased by the Baptists. St. Barnabas parishioners purchased the church from the Baptists and redecorated it as a Catholic Church.

The 36 original Catholic families of St. Barnabas Mission gathered with Monsignor Lynch for the first Mass at the new facility on November 15, 1964. The church was dedicated on December 6, 1964 by Bishop Waters. From the earliest days St. Barnabas has been blessed with a great sense of family. In fact, those moving into the area from elsewhere found that they each became "family" for each other.

By January, 1966 the mission had grown to 50 families in South Buncombe county area. The Bishop raised St. Barnabas "mission" to "parish" status and appointed Father Joseph Maule, O.S.F.S. (Oblates of St. Francis de Sales) as the first pastor. A trailer to be used as the rectory was purchased and placed behind the church. Father Maule led the parish until his death in August, 1968.

Another Order priest of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales was appointed the second pastor: Fr. Joseph Cutter, O.S.F.S. Father Cutter served from August 1968 until May 1982. In 1972 the Diocese of Charlotte was created from the Diocese of Raleigh. St. Barnabas Parish along with all of Western North Carolina was placed under the direction of the Bishop of Charlotte. Our first Bishop, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Michael J. Begley took great interest in the development of our parish.

We continue to thank God for the many blessings we experience as the Parish family of St. Barnabas Parish!