Where relationships take root: One year in Charlotte

One year ago, three Franciscan friars arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a simple conviction: if they wanted to reach young adults, the religiously unaffiliated and those living on society's margins, they could no longer wait for people to come to them.  

Brothers Casey Cole, OFM, Jason Damon, OFM, and Roberto “Tito” Serrano, OFM, came to a city marked by rapid growth, a booming population of young professionals and no prior Our Lady of Guadalupe Province presence. Supported by the Diocese of Charlotte but not tied to a parish, they set out to build relationships by meeting people where they were.  

That meant stepping beyond church walls. The friars struck up conversations in breweries and coffee shops. They organized trivia nights, Bible studies and holy hours, attended community events and walked Charlotte’s streets, offering food, prayer and companionship to people experiencing homelessness.  

The goal for SEARCH – seek, encounter, accompany, renew, convert and heal - was not simply to invite people to a program, but to accompany them wherever they found themselves on their faith journeys.  

“We just meet people wherever they are on that stage,” Br. Casey said. “Maybe they need healing, maybe they need conversion, and maybe they need something in between.”  

How that vision took root – in just 12 short months – surprised even the friars.  

A weekly Wednesday night gathering now regularly draws dozens of young adults seeking community, conversation and a deeper understanding of faith. For Br. Tito, this reaction to the offering affirmed what the friars had hoped all along.  

“I was surprised by the immediate response,” he said. “That 40 to 45 came the first night and that it has been consistent since then tells me there’s a deep desire for something like this. People want it.  

“Younger generations have not felt looked at in the Church. They’re just waiting for someone to ask them.” 

Relationships take root  

Over the past year, that approach has taken many forms, from conversations in breweries and outreach among Charlotte's unhoused population to a weekly gathering that has become a spiritual home for many young adults. The three-friar fraternity had a sponsor for the first year and has raised funds for part of the next year. They’ll also be able to make a contribution to the province. 

Dinner is not the starting point of the ministry. Rather, it is a place where relationships already taking shape throughout Charlotte are given room to deepen.   

Some first met the friars at public events or Bible studies. Others came with invitations from friends. It’s on Wednesdays that many of those encounters begin to converge.  

The evening begins simply enough. Young adults filter through the doors, greeting familiar faces, filling plates and taking seats around crowded tables. A meal leads to prayer and small-group discussion about faith and everyday life. Yet what makes the gathering remarkable is not the program itself, but what happens after it officially ends.  

It's late on a weeknight, and the dinner and discussion have long since concluded. Plates have been (mostly) cleared. Still, no one seems to be in a hurry to leave.  

Groups linger as the friars move from cluster to cluster, listening, laughing and checking in. Long after the final announcements are made, the room remains full — a quiet testament to the relationships that have taken root over the ministry's first year.  

On the rare occasions a gathering must be canceled, the announcement is often met with a collective groan – a small but telling sign of how much the community has come to mean to those gathered.  

Among those who’ve found a home here is Paola Robelo. Her search for a community like this has been a long one.   

In Charleston, where she had lived for years, a Catholic presence existed, she said – but it didn’t quite meet what she was looking for.    

“I didn’t feel as if it was doing anything for me,” she said. “I felt a little void. There’s something else out there. I’m hungry for this.”    

She’s been there every Wednesday since. Now she invites friends to join her – and it’s nearly impossible to distinguish those she’s brought from those she’s met along the way.    

“When you’re single, in a new city, you don’t know anyone and you don’t have a family here. We’re all looking for this,” she said.    

After graduating from Western Carolina University, another Wednesday regular, Catie Lazaro, said she hoped to find a similar faith community.         

When she learned that the Franciscans were coming to Charlotte – shortly after visiting Assisi herself – her interest was piqued.    

“It’s that midweek check-in – like, you went on Sunday, and now you’re doing something with your faith on Wednesday, too,” she said. 

More than a Wednesday gathering  

For Br. Jason, the ministry’s growth points to a deeper hunger that reaches beyond Wednesday nights.  

“There’s a lot of opportunities for our friars, regardless of what ministry, to walk in accompaniment and offer something for young adults because they're thirsty for that opportunity,” he said.  

The Wednesday dinners may be the ministry's most visible expression, but they are only one part of the friars' broader presence in Charlotte. Throughout the week, relationships continue to unfold in coffee shops, breweries, public spaces and on the city’s streets.  

One year after arriving here, the friars discovered that many people were waiting for exactly that invitation. 

To help support SEARCH in Charlotte, click here.