Catholic News Herald

The abuse crisis and the Charlotte diocese’s response

Prayer and calls for renewal. That was the response by many in the Diocese of Charlotte to fresh headlines in 2018 about child sexual abuse, sexual misconduct and abuse of power by some Church leaders.

People and priests in the diocese reacted with shock, anger and disgust to allegations of sexual misconduct by a retired archbishop of Washington, D.C., and the release of a Pennsylvania grand jury report detailing child sexual abuse by hundreds of priests in six dioceses of that state. The headlines stirred people in the Charlotte diocese to react with anger and calls for prayer.

“Enough is enough … RCC clergy has proved over and over again that they are not even remotely capable of policing themselves. They say it can’t happen here … but it has happened everywhere. Stand up for your faith, it’s time for the adults to be in charge,” wrote Pat Jackson on the Catholic News Herald’s Facebook page.

“Prayers for priests,” wrote Helen Losse. “There are more good, holy priests than priests who have sinned horrifically. Pray that this exposure (that is right and necessary for healing) will not prevent people from coming to Jesus in the Catholic Church.”

Concerned about a crisis of faith among their parishioners, pastors addressed the news head on.

Jesuit Father James Shea, pastor of St. Peter Church in Charlotte, said, “We had hoped that after the 2002 abuse scandals and procedures of the Dallas Charter for the Protection of Children, over 15 years ago, that we would not have to walk this dark journey again, but we do. First, we must acknowledge the pain and grief. We know the grief we feel is only a shadow of the pain borne by survivors of abuse by priests. As a priest, I need to say to you that I am sorry for this terrible betrayal of trust. I am sorry for those scarred by abuse. I am sorry that you, the People of God, have to bear the shame for the crimes and sins of their leaders. I am sorry that your faith may be shaken. Even if your Church leaders have failed you, Jesus never will.”

Father Benjamin Roberts, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe, preached, “Knowledge and admission of sin and a desire to reform are the first steps on the path to holiness … and holiness is our only option. There is no path forward that does not involve a deeper commitment and a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. Holiness is the only credible witness that can testify before the victims of abuse and the world. We have no choice. We must seek to be holy.”

The 14th annual Eucharistic Congress demonstrated that even though the Church has been wounded, Catholics in the Charlotte diocese continued to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus.

Unlike previous years, the 2018 congress Sept. 7-8 was one of reparation and prayer for healing, Bishop Peter Jugis emphasized. The congress, the bishop said, was a time for the people of the diocese to come together “with one united voice” to pray for healing in the Church.

In what was an unprecedented move at the congress, the bishop led the thousands of faithful in a Holy Hour of Reparation, praying the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary while kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament, praying for “God to have mercy on His holy Church.”

During a historic visit to Estonia in late September, Pope Francis also called for conversion of hearts.

“We know that where Jesus is, there is always renewal,” the pope said. “There are always new opportunities for conversion and for leaving behind everything that separates us from Him and our brothers and sisters.”

More online
Pray the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary and reflections that Bishop Jugis compiled and prayed at the Eucharistic Congress

Pray for healing in the Church, bishop preaches at Eucharistic Congress closing Mass

Bishop Jugis addresses current crisis in the Church at opening of 14th annual Eucharistic Congress

Bishop Emeritus William Curlin passes away

Joy. Generosity of spirit. Attention to those in need. Friendship. Laughter. A pastor’s heart. Selfless love.

These were the gifts Bishop Emeritus William Curlin shared with everyone he encountered during 60 years of priestly ministry, from his first assignment as the pastor of a poor parish in Washington, D.C., to his eight years as the third bishop of Charlotte, and throughout his lifelong ministry to the sick and the poor before his death Dec. 23, 2017, at the age of 90.

On Jan. 2, 2018, hundreds of friends, family and fellow priests filled St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte to honor his memory and commend his soul to the Lord. Funeral liturgies were led by Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, a longtime friend, and by Bishop Peter Jugis.

Bishop Curlin’s peaceful death just before Christmas was providential, many said, because he loved Christmas so much.

“In his heart, Christmas wasn’t a day. Christmas was a way of life,” noted Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, formerly the bishop’s secretary and now pastor of St. Pius X Church in Greensboro, in the homily for the funeral Mass.

“He saw good in things, good in people, always looking for Christ in each other, always looking for the hand of God in events and the splendor of creation,” he said. “For him, Christ wasn’t just born 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem, but here and now in the stable of our hearts.”

More online
See video highlights from Bishop Curlin’s funeral Mass, as well as archival video from his installation as the third bishop of Charlotte and the historic visit of his friend, St. Teresa of Calcutta, to Charlotte

St. Joseph College Seminary breaks ground as number of vocations rises

“We pray that God will continue to shower down His blessings upon this effort of ours,” Bishop Peter Jugis said with a grin before breaking ground for the permanent site of St. Joseph College Seminary on Sept. 15, 2018 – in spite of the wind and rain caused by Tropical Storm Florence. Bishop Jugis, clergy, monks from nearby Belmont Abbey and about 50 additional supporters broke ground for the $20 million college seminary at the entrance to the 86-acre site located at 22 Arctus Ave.

Hurricane Florence pounded the North Carolina coast in the days leading up to the groundbreaking, making landfall Friday morning with 100-mph winds. But the wind and the rain were slow to reach the Charlotte region, giving organizers just the window of opportunity they needed to go ahead with the groundbreaking.

The historic step couldn’t come too soon for the diocese, which is experiencing a vocations boom as more people discern the priesthood, permanent diaconate and religious life.

As the Catholic population living in western North Carolina has swelled from an estimated 35,000 when the diocese was established in 1972 to today’s estimated 450,000, the number of people serving the local Church has also increased. In the diocese’s 92 parishes and missions, 81 diocesan priests and 135 deacons are at work serving the people of God in western North Carolina, up from 72 priests and 96 deacons just a decade ago. Nearly two dozen religious orders of men and women also serve in the diocese.

The diocese has 36 men studying for the priesthood, including 16 seminarians at three major seminaries in the U.S. and Rome and 20 students at St. Joseph College Seminary in Charlotte.

Opened in 2016, St. Joseph College Seminary has been a magnet for vocations as young men have responded to the opportunity to study and discern a religious vocation close to their homes and parishes.

Intensified interest in the college seminary prompted the diocese to expand housing for them near the St. Ann Church campus on Park Road, with the young men now spread out temporarily across three houses adjacent to the church. Plans for the college seminary to be built slowly in phases were accelerated, from an initial capacity of 20 men doubled to 40 men to accommodate the rapid pace of enrollment.

The college seminary is giving young men an idea of what formation for the priesthood looks like, noted the diocese’s vocations promoter, Father Jason Barone. “They can visualize what a seminary looks like. They can see themselves perhaps joining the seminary,” he said.

Another reason for the greater interest in religious vocations is the diocese’s annual retreats for young men and women, Quo Vadis Days and Duc in Altum. The week-long summer retreats at Belmont Abbey College drew hundreds of young people to learn about vocations and how to discern God’s will in their lives.

The college seminary and the retreats, along with the prayers of the faithful and the support of Bishop Jugis, Father Barone said, “have resulted in an explosion of vocations, something we can be proud of and thank God for.”

Ordinations: Fruit of increased interest in vocations

Called. Chosen. Loved by God.

These were the words Bishop Peter Jugis used to describe the two men – Alfonso Gamez and Britt Taylor – who came before him to be ordained to the transitional diaconate on June 2, 2018, at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte. Ordination as a transitional deacon marks one of the last steps on their journey to the priesthood. In a separate liturgy at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome in September, Michael Carlson was also ordained a transitional deacon.

The three are expected to be ordained to the priesthood in June.

From 1980, when the Charlotte diocese established a Permanent Diaconate ministry, to today, the permanent diaconate has also flourished just as the diocese has grown.

The past two ordinations, in 2014 and 2018, saw a total of 31 men ordained permanent deacons for the diocese. Across western North Carolina, there are now 135 permanent deacons serving in the diocese – the most in its history.

“The Diocese of Charlotte is growing, and Church eagerly awaits your service to the People of God.” That was the message from Bishop Jugis as he ordained 15 men as permanent deacons during a two-hour Mass April 14, 2018, at St. Mark Church in Huntersville.

And the steady stream of men interested in the permanent diaconate continues, with 15 men admitted last August as candidates for the diaconate.

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Building for growth

2018 saw several building and special projects across the Diocese of Charlotte:

MARCH: St. Francis of Assisi Church, Jefferson: A new cemetery on church property was built and dedicated. It is the only Catholic cemetery in Ashe County.

JULY: St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Charlotte: Over a three-month period, the church’s sanctuary was renovated to include an antique baldachin over the altar.

AUGUST: Old St. Joseph Church, Mount Holly: The 175-year-old church received critical repairs to restore the historic wooden structure. Built in 1843 for and by Irish immigrants, who had come to mine for gold along the Catawba River, St. Joseph Church is the oldest Catholic church still standing in the state and is an official state and U.S. historical site.

SEPTEMBER: Our Lady of the Assumption School, Charlotte: An updated STEM lab, library, gymnasium and a 2,400-square-foot cafetorium project was built thanks to funding by an anonymous donor.

Sacred Heart School, Salisbury: “MakerSpace” classroom named “The Cranium Cove” was completed to give students hands-on learning experiences.

Immaculate Conception Church, Hendersonville: The parish purchased a 9,500-square-foot building next to the church and converted it into a parish center to accommodate the parish’s growing number of ministries.

St. Joseph College Seminary, Belmont: Groundbreaking for the college seminary was held Sept. 15.

OCTOBER: St. Lawrence Basilica, Asheville: The parish conducted a structural survey to assess the building’s weaknesses and create a renovation plan for the 109-year-old historic church.

DECEMBER: Christ the King High School, Huntersville: A 27,000-square-foot expansion was dedicated by Bishop Peter Jugis. The two-story building more than doubles the high school’s total square footage – making much-needed room for its growing enrollment of 300-plus students.

Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Monroe: The parish unveiled new biblically-inspired murals created by local artist Lisa Autry and installed in the church.

Jubilarians

60 YEARS: Father Richard McCue, Father Richard Benonis, Father David Kessinger, OSB

55 YEARS: Father James Hawker, Father Edward Sheridan

50 YEARS: Father George Kloster, Sister Brigid McCarthy, RSM, Sister Paulette Williams, RSM

45 YEARS: Father Peter Tan Van Le, Father Thomas Norris, OSFS, Father Wilbur Thomas, Father Charles Strollo, CM

40 YEARS: Father Michael Buttner, Father Michael Klepacki, Father Morris Boyd, Deacon Myles Decker, Deacon Louis Pais

35 YEARS: Bishop Peter Jugis, Father John Schneider, Father John Hanic, Father Martin Schratz, OFM Cap, Father Vang Cong Tran, CSsR, Deacon Andrew Cilone, Deacon Charles Desautels, Deacon Joseph Mack, Deacon Harold Markle, Deacon Joseph Schumacher, Deacon Rudolph Triana, Deacon Gerald Potkay Sr., Deacon James Hamrlik

30 YEARS: Father Kenneth Whittington, Deacon Carl Hubbell, Deacon Peter Duca, Deacon Guy Piché, Deacon Timothy Rohan, Deacon Vincent Shaw Jr., Deacon Curtiss Todd, Deacon Bernard Wenning Jr., Deacon Charles Brantley, Deacon Ronald Caplette, Deacon Bruce Haslett, Deacon Arthur Kingsley

25 YEARS: Father Eric Kowalski, Father Carmen Malacari, Father Youngcheol Kim, Father Jaehyun Pak

20 YEARS: Father Basile Sede, Father Dean Cesa, Father Christopher Davis, Father Matthew Leonard, Father Peter Pham

15 YEARS: Father Matthew Buettner, Father Julio Dominguez, Father Enrique Gonzalez-Gaytan, Father Marcel Amadi, Deacon Luis Flores

10 YEARS: Father Brandon Jones, Father Tri Truong

5 YEARS: Father Jason Christian, Deacon John Panzica

In Memoriam

DEACON PAUL (PE) LEE died Oct. 17, 2018, aged 54. A native of Laos who fled after his home was destroyed in the Vietnam War and became a refugee in Thailand during his childhood, he received faith formation from a lay catechist who inspired him to follow God – first as a catechist in the refugee camp and later as a permanent deacon in the United States. He served the Hmong community at several parishes throughout the Charlotte diocese.

MERCY SISTER ELLEN MCSORLEY died May 21, 2018, aged 88. A Sister of Mercy for 70 years, she worked as a teacher and later as a chaplain concentrating on pastoral care of persons who were HIV-positive.

SISTER JANE MEEHAN of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, died Feb. 4, 2018, aged 87. She formerly served as a teacher at Our Lady of Grace Elementary School in Greensboro.

JESUIT FATHER FRANCIS X. REESE died Nov. 20, 2018, aged 91. Formerly in residence at St. Therese Church in Mooresville, Father Reese served the Church for more than 60 years.

GLENMARY FATHER FRANCIS JOSEPH SCHENK, a Glenmary Home Missioner for 66 years and one of the oldest and longest serving Glenmarians, died April 1, 2018, aged 102. He served in Sylva, Spruce Pine and North Wilkesboro, among other locations in the rural South as well as in South America. In his service, he wrote a weekly newspaper column, hosted a radio show, preached in a tent and helped build a North Carolina church by hand. One of the first Glenmarians to study Spanish, Father Frank started a Spanish Mass in all of his missions and provided outreach to migrant workers.

DEACON RONALD STEINKAMP, former director of the Diocese of Charlotte’s Permanent Diaconate program and an advocate for the Diocese of Charlotte Tribunal in addition to his ministry at St. Pius X Parish in Greensboro, died June 10, 2018, aged 74.

Special anniversaries in 2018

‘Humanae Vitae’ 50 years later

CHARLOTTE — “We celebrate ‘Humanae Vitae’ because it is a great document giving insight and depth to human sexuality and to human nature itself,” Father Joshua Voitus said in the opening words of his homily at a July 25, 2018, Mass at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte honoring the 50th anniversary of the encyclical’s release.
Blessed Paul VI issued “Humanae Vitae” on July 25, 1968, as use of artificial contraception, particularly the birth control pill, was growing more common. Human love is meant to be about the love between a man and a woman, he wrote, reflecting the self-giving love between God and His Church – but the encyclical was largely jeered.
The Church’s teaching should have filled the whole world with light, joy and happiness, Father Voitus said. Instead, the encyclical became a source of conflict, tension, bitterness and fighting over the past five decades.
“The fact that the document became a source of fighting and conflict – a source of great bitterness throughout the world – it prevented it from being seen for what it truly was,” a beautiful document that teaches people about the beauty and depth of human nature and the beauty and depth of human love, Father Voitus said.
But, 50 years later, interest in Church teaching and in its advocacy of natural family planning methods and research are on the rise.

St. Mary’s Church in Greensboro celebrates 90 years of diversity

GREENSBORO — The rainbow. In the Old Testament, it is the symbol of God’s covenant with His people. St. Mary’s Church in Greensboro has adopted the same symbol to represent the diverse beauty of many races and colors – one holy, Catholic people – united in worshipping and serving God. That diversity was on display Sept. 23, 2018, when several hundred parishioners gathered to celebrate St. Mary’s 90th anniversary.
St. Mary’s was established in 1928 to serve black residents in the segregated southeastern area of the city.
Today the parish boasts more than 2,000 members from nearly every continent on Earth, and the anniversary celebration reflected that diversity, with the Mass being offered in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Our Lady of Lourdes Church marks 75th anniversary

MONROE — Our Lady of Lourdes parishioners had even more reason to celebrate their patronal feast day in 2018, as the parish commemorated its 75th anniversary with Mass offered by Bishop Peter Jugis. He was pastor of the parish in 2003 when he received the call from Rome to become the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte.
Concelebrating the Mass were one of the parish’s longtime former pastors, Spiritan Father Ed Vilkauskas, now retired, and current pastor Father Benjamin Roberts.
“The 75th anniversary is a very important milestone in the history of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish,” Bishop Jugis said in his homily. “The first sentiment that must come to our hearts is that of gratitude to Almighty God for giving (Raleigh) Bishop Eugene McGuinness in the early 1940s the wisdom and the foresight to establish this parish here in Monroe, Union County.”
Bishop Jugis looked out over the church, filled to capacity, and said, “Look how the Lord has made us grow! We are still growing in Christ with each passing year. Our numbers are increasing – a sign of God’s blessing.”

St. Joseph Vietnamese Church reaches a milestone

CHARLOTTE — “On Tuesday, May 1, of this past week, the Church around the world celebrated the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, which gives us the opportunity to come together to celebrate our patron saint. But did you realize that this past week there was another date which is significant for St. Joseph Parish? This past Wednesday, May 2, was the 14th anniversary of the dedication of this parish church.”
Bishop Peter Jugis thus began his homily during a special Mass May 6, 2018, at St. Joseph Vietnamese Church in Charlotte, commemorating the church’s dedication in 2004 – one of the first he presided over after being installed as the Bishop of Charlotte.
Addressing more than a thousand faithful who filled the pews and overflowed into the narthex, Bishop Jugis said he remembered very well that important date, “a beautiful day,” when the church was solemnly dedicated to God under the patronage of St. Joseph.

Our Lady of Consolation’s Rosary Society celebrates 40 years

CHARLOTTE — For four decades, the members of the Rosary Society at Our Lady of Consolation Church have welcomed guests with smiles and delicious food at their annual chicken dinner – all part of an effort to beautify the historic parish and give glory to God.
A crowd of more than 300 filled the parish hall again April 29, 2018, for the Rosary Society’s 40th annual dinner, a now legendary event in the community.
The Rosary Society is foundational at Our Lady of Consolation Parish. Since the parish was founded in the 1940s, the Rosary Society has helped to raise funds for the beautification of the church.

Sacraments

As of Dec. 31, 2018, in the diocese, there were:
5,601: Baptisms
5,402: First Holy Communions
4,538: Confirmations
914: Marriages
722: people received into the Church

2018: A YEAR OF RENEWAL