CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter Jugis is making a personal appeal to the people of the Diocese of Charlotte to help reach the capital campaign goal for St. Joseph College Seminary in pledges by year’s end. Twenty-seven young men recently moved into the college seminary’s permanent home in Mount Holly earlier this fall, and so far $16.5 million of the $20 million has been raised to pay for its construction.
The new building was blessed by Bishop Peter Jugis on Sept. 15, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, after an official ribbon-cutting ceremony.
With Gothic architecture and brickwork inspired by nearby Belmont Abbey, where in 1876 Benedictine monks planted the roots of Catholicism in western North Carolina, the two-story, 30,000-square-foot building includes 40 dorm rooms, a chapel, classroom and library, faculty offices, a refectory and kitchen, and a picturesque cloister walk where students can meditate and pray.
The building reflects a monastic-style design meant to foster prayer, quiet and reflection even as its communal spaces provide opportunities for the young men to bond as friends and brothers in Christ. Architectural details including custom lion-tail door pulls, stained glass windows, brickwork and archways were all fashioned by local artisans. Many of the furnishings and artwork were donated to the college seminary.
The aim of the college seminary program is to nurture local vocations among the parishes and families in the Charlotte diocese, close to home, before the men graduate and go on to major seminaries located elsewhere to complete their priestly formation and return for ordination to serve in the diocese’s growing parishes.
The young men enrolled at St. Joseph College Seminary come from 15 parishes across the diocese including Arden, Boone, Charlotte, Forest City, Gastonia, Huntersville, Lenoir and Salisbury.
“What we are about here at St. Joseph College Seminary is building men – building men of nobility, of integrity and authenticity,” said Father Matthew Kauth, rector, at the Sept. 15 ribbon cutting.
“The building, the structure – beautiful as it is – is attempting in its nobility and strength to be an image of that: a reminder of what we are supposed to become as men of virtue.”
Diocesan officials hope to raise the remaining $3.5 million in pledges before Dec. 31 to conclude the capital campaign and avoid paying higher interest costs on the college seminary’s construction loan. To date, 650 donors have contributed.
Bishop Jugis will be asking each household to prayerfully consider pledging to the campaign to support the development of future priests to serve in the diocese. Parishioners will receive a letter with more details in mid-November.
“The need for well-formed, faithful priests to serve our growing Catholic population is great,” he writes in the letter, noting that the number of priests serving the diocese has grown 76 percent since 1972 while the Catholic population has grown a staggering 900 percent.
“The preparation of priests is our collective responsibility and one that benefits each and every soul in our diocesan family,” he writes.
To help reach the capital campaign goal, an awareness campaign has been launched by the seminary, including several mailings, regular emails, and video interviews featuring Bishop Jugis,
Father Kauth and the seminarians themselves featured on the college seminary’s website and social media channels. “Seminibus,” the college seminary’s e-newsletter, is another way news about the college seminary is being shared.
“The Diocese of Charlotte is a family of faith where everyone counts and all are needed. Together we can complete this momentous phase in the life of St. Joseph College Seminary,” Bishop Jugis said.
“With your support, these men will emerge formed, sanctified and prepared to be the servant leaders we need.”
Support St. Joseph College Seminary
At www.stjosephcollegeseminary.org or www.stjcs.org: Get more information about St. Joseph College Seminary and sign up for the e-newsletter “Seminibus.”
For inquiries, contact Fredrik Akerblom, St. Joseph College Seminary development director, at 704-302-6386 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or Jim Kelley, diocesan development director, at 704-608-0359 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— SueAnn Howell and Patricia L. Guilfoyle, Catholic News Herald