[1] Prior to the construction of the first church building, Catholics in Durham celebrated mass with visiting priests from Raleigh and Newton Grove at the William Thomas O'Brien House and at the home of James Lawrence.

[4] Later, a space was rented in J.R. Gooch's store on Corcoran Street which led to protests because laws prevented liquor from being sold in close proximity to a church.

[3] In 1896, Abbot Leo Haid of Belmont Abbey, the Vicar Apostolic of North Carolina, asked Benjamin Newton Duke for financial assistance to build a church, but Duke declined.

[6][7] St. Mary's enrollment started with nine students and ended with twenty-three in its first year.

[7] The school was the first in North Carolina to receive AdvancED STEM certification.