‘An occasion to rejoice’
CHARLOTTE — Flanked by diocese and school officials, Bishop Peter Jugis broke ground Dec. 11 for a long-awaited fine arts center for Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools. The $21 million, 47,700-square-foot MACS Fine Arts Center will be located on the campus of Charlotte Catholic High School.
Joining Bishop Jugis to turn over the dirt and kick off construction were Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the diocese; Father Timothy Reid, vicar of education of Catholic Schools and CCHS chaplain; Dr. Greg Monroe, superintendent of Catholic Schools; Mercy Sister Paulette Williams, CCHS principal from 1973 to 2000; and Kurt Telford, current principal.
During the ceremony – kept subdued in light of COVID-19 restrictions – Bishop Jugis led those gathered in prayer, blessed the building site with holy water, and offered some remarks.
Noting that the celebration was taking place during Advent, just before Gaudete Sunday, Bishop Jugis said, “Today’s groundbreaking of the Fine Arts Center is an occasion to rejoice… It’s a project many decades in the making. So in the spirit of this Advent season, we do live now in joyful anticipation and expectation of the wonderful things God will allow us to accomplish on this site in years to come.”
Mercy Sister Paulette Williams, Charlotte Catholic’s longtime principal, reflected on the years the school community has waited in anticipation for a facility to serve its successful and growing fine arts programs.
“I think that today reminds us that we stand on the shoulders of all who came before us… Here we are today because of the parents who have been a part of this school for many years,” she said. “The parents and alumni are making this happen today. Thank you for being a part of a 35-year dream coming true today.”
MACS, Charlotte Catholic’s Development Office, and the diocesan Development Office all collaborated on the fine arts center. It will serve all nine MACS schools and be available to the wider community.
Since Charlotte Catholic High School moved to its present site on Pineville-Matthews Road in 1995, school leaders have recognized the need for a dedicated fine arts facility. Especially as the award-winning chorus, band, theater and visual arts programs at MACS schools have grown, space at CCHS has become more limited.
“It is such a testament to our mission, that so many people would help create an embodiment of what we are about,” said Dr. Greg Monroe, superintendent of Catholic schools.
“It’s amazing that in a year when so many things have come to a halt, and where we’ve seen many things frozen, we continue to forge ahead. This (groundbreaking) is yet another testament to us forging ahead seeking excellence – and ultimately doing everything for the glory of God,” he said.
The last time a fine arts center at Charlotte Catholic High School was considered was in 2011, when planning was also under way for the high school’s stadium renovation and parking deck. That project was completed in 2015.
The “Expanding the Vision, Honoring the Tradition” capital campaign, launched in March 2019, raised more than $6 million toward the project’s cost. A MACS capital fee will fund $15 million of the total projected $21 million cost.
Capital campaign general chairs, Tish Macuga and Carolyn Corsi, were among those present for the ceremony, which was kept limited due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“I feel so blessed that we were able to come to this day and that these kids are going to be able to show their God-given talents in a facility that supports that,” Macuga said. “I am so excited we have made it this far, and can’t wait to see what the building turns out like.”
Corsi added, “I am excited that south Charlotte will have yet another place for our whole community to welcome people for a variety of reasons, so that children from all over our community have a place to gather.”
Cindy Grim, whose late father Harry Grim, along with Chuck Grace, founded the Charlotte Catholic High School Foundation, was there to witness the groundbreaking. She also served on the capital campaign cabinet.
“I’m a graduate, my children went to school here. A lot of people worked on this for a long time. It’s a wonderful addition to the school. It feels really good to see this come to fruition,” she said.
The two-story building will house a 600-seat auditorium and a high-quality performance and exhibit space for MACS students. It will also house an art room and a band room, choral room, ceramics studio, dance studio, digital lab, stage and theater.
Charlotte Catholic’s visual and performing arts classes will move to the new center, freeing up space inside the high school for other classroom use as well as space for a weight room, wrestling room and more.
The fine arts center will be situated behind the high school, adjacent to the current gymnasium wing, on the site of a gravel parking lot.
Construction starts in January 2021 and will be completed before the start of the 2022-’23 school year.
In his closing remarks, Bishop Jugis prayed that God “will continue to bless all that takes place here, on this site, in the Fine Arts Center, and bring to a successful completion all that we do for the greater glory and honor of Almighty God.”
— SueAnn Howell. senior reporter
“I think that today reminds us that we stand on the shoulders of all who came before us… Here we are today because of the parents who have been a part of this school for many years. Thank you for being a part of a 35-year dream coming true today.” — Mercy Sister Paulette Williams, longtime principal of Charlotte Catholic High School
