SWANNANOA — Father Matthew James Leonard, pastor of St. Margaret Mary Church, passed away on December 28, 2019, in Black Mountain at the age of 57. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends and parish community.
The Vigil for the Deceased will be held at 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 6, 2020, at St. Margaret Mary Church, 102 Andrew Place, Swannanoa, with Bishop Peter J. Jugis as the celebrant.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Bishop Jugis at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020, at the church.
A Virginia native, Father Leonard was born on July 23, 1962, to the late Cdr. Warren Leonard and Johnnie (Cummins) Leonard. He was a Tri-State Golden Gloves boxing champion during his high school years. He joined the U.S. Navy at 17, and it was there while serving his country that he heard his true calling to follow the Lord. He read and studied the Bible during his years in the Navy and credited his late father for teaching him faith through example.
After graduating in 1994 from Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, he entered St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Charlotte on June 6, 1998, by Bishop William G. Curlin.
During more than 20 years of priestly ministry, Father Leonard served at four parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte, including St. Francis of Assisi Church in Lenoir. He had served as pastor of St. Margaret Mary Church since 2009.
His priestly ministry centered on serving the Lord and his parishioners. On the 10th anniversary of his priesthood, he told the Catholic diocese's newspaper, "The greatest gift is to be able to know Christ better by serving people."
With honesty, warmth and a heart as big as he was, he shared the hardships and difficulties from his youth in his homilies and interactions with his parishioners – preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to encourage anyone who may be struggling in life. God is always present in our lives, he often said. "We all need to discern the activity of God in history, in my life, in your life. We all belong to something greater than what's here."
He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Patrick and Christopher. He is survived by his five siblings, Cynthia Ticknor, Cathleen Schmidt, Therese Merranko, Michael Leonard and Mary Roy; and many nieces and nephews.
His family wishes to extend sincere thanks to his parish family at St. Margaret Mary Church.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to St. Margaret Mary Church, 102 Andrew Pl., Swannanoa, N.C. 28778.
Harwood Home for Funerals of Black Mountain was in charge of the arrangements.
— Catholic News Herald
HIGH POINT — Father George Martin Kloster Jr. passed away on Dec. 24, 2019, at Pennybyrn at Maryfield in High Point.
A Memorial Service and Committal Rites will be held at a later date in Murphy.
He was born on October 28, 1943, in Utica, N.Y., to George Martin and Helen Currier Kloster. At the age of 10, his family moved to Clayton, N.C., where his father was the manager of a textile mill. After graduating from Clayton High School, George attended St. Mary's College in Kentucky. He studied theology at the Pontifical North American College and was ordained a Catholic priest on Dec. 20, 1968, (Class of 1969) at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Father Kloster spent the next 45 years serving as pastor in seven parishes across North Carolina.
He served as pastor of St. William Church in Murphy and Immaculate Heart of Mary Mission in Hayesville for 15 years before retiring from ministry in 2013 and continuing to make his home in Murphy.
In 2018, he celebrated his 50th anniversary of priesthood.
Father Kloster was known for his charitable works and devotion to ecumenism. He served the North Carolina Council of Churches in many areas, including as president from 1986 to 1988, and he received its Distinguished Service Award in 1991. He was an advocate for social action and justice and was awarded the Catholic Charities USA Volunteer of the Year in 2013. Also that year, a portion of U.S. Highway 64 in western North Carolina was named the "Rev. George Kloster Highway" to honor his commitment in church, civic and community affairs in Clay and Cherokee counties.
He loved to travel, both in the United States and worldwide. He led pilgrimages to Israel and throughout Europe and traveled with brother priests all over the world. Wherever he went, he visited churches and met with the people to understand what life was like there.
Family was very important to him. He regularly traveled to visit with relatives across the country and was excited to receive visits from family and friends at his home. He was instrumental in organizing Kloster family reunions, which brought together relatives from across the United States and from the family's ancestral village of Gross-Zimmern in Germany.
He is survived by a sister, Dolores Kloster Quinn, of Northglenn, Colo.; sister-in-law, Beverly S. Kloster, of New Hartford, N.Y.; and many nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, and great-grandnieces and great-grandnephews.
Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his brothers, James "Jimmy" Kloster and Francis "Fran" Kloster, and his sister, Barbara Kloster Jones.
Father Kloster’s family appreciates the kind and loving care given to him while he was a resident at Pennybyrn.
Memorial contributions are suggested to the North Carolina Council of Churches (www.ncchurches.org) or Catholic Relief Services (www.crs.org), two organizations that promote unity, justice and charity.
Condolences to the Kloster family may be mailed to Tim Kloster, 318 Murphy Road, Youngsville, N.C. 27596.
— Catholic News Herald
CHARLOTTE — Vincentian Father Joseph A. Elzi died peacefully on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019.
A priest for nearly seven decades, Father Elzi served at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Charlotte.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated starting at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019, at St. Vincent's Seminary’s Vincentian Community Chapel, located at 500 East Chelten Ave. in Philadelphia. Interment will follow at Princeton Abbey & Cemetery’s Congregation of the Mission Section in Princeton, N.J.
A native of Jackson, Mich., he attended the Vincentian-run Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Parish while growing up and was inspired to join the Vincentians when he was 20 years old. He spent 45 years as a missionary in Panama before returning stateside to serve in Long Island, N.Y., followed by a year at St. Mary Church in Greensboro.
In 1998, he was assigned to what was then called the Hispanic Catholic Center in Charlotte, where he began serving the growing number of Latino Catholics in the area. As parochial vicar of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, serving alongside longtime pastor Vincentian Father Vincent Finnerty, Father Elzi helped lead its growth into what is today one of the Diocese of Charlotte’s largest parishes. Thanks to his pastoral work and the ministry of many others, the Hispanic community in the diocese grew to encompass an increased number of Spanish-language Masses, adult and youth evangelization programs, Cursillo, and a broad group of experienced religious and lay leaders who developed diocesan Hispanic Ministry into what it is today.
Father Elzi remained in residence at the Charlotte parish after his retirement before returning in his later years to the Vincentian motherhouse in Philadelphia.
Condolences and memorial donations may be sent to St. Vincent's Seminary, c/o Vincentian Father Gregory P. Cozzubbo, 500 E. Chelten Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19144
— Catholic News Herald
Joseph Ralph Jugis
April 7, 1931 – December 3, 2019
Joseph Jugis, age 88, died December 3, 2019 due to complications from Lewy Body disease.
Joe was predeceased by his son, Mark, as well by his parents, two brothers and one sister. He was born in Mount Kisco, New York.
He is survived by Peggy, his wife of 66 years, in addition to his sons, Bishop Peter Jugis and Christopher Jugis. Also surviving are grandchildren Vince Jugis and Lauren Jugis.
Joe and his wife were founding members of Saint Ann Parish in Charlotte, and presently are charter members of Saint Vincent de Paul Parish in Charlotte. He was an usher for over 62 years until his recent illness prompted him to retire.
Joe was a designer of automatic fire protection sprinkler systems.
He worked on numerous government projects as well as local ones including: Eastland Mall; Carowinds; Aldi; Pineville Town Center; Forest Hills Church; Family Dollar and many more. He also worked on the sprinkler system for ABAT textile plant in Nigeria, Africa.
Joe was a gardener at heart and loved nature, which he instilled in his children. As the saying goes: "You can take the boy out of the country, but you cannot take the country out of the boy." That was Joe!
A Vigil Prayer Service will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 5, 2019 at Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 6828 Old Reid Road, Charlotte.
A funeral Mass will be offered at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, December 6, 2019 at Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Sharon Memorial Park, Charlotte.
Memorials to support the Seminarian Program of the Diocese of Charlotte may be made to: Diocese of Charlotte Vocations Office; 1123 South Church Street, Charlotte, N.C. 28203
Served at St. Ann Parish in Charlotte
PHILADELPHIA — Sister Judith Monahan, S.S.J., died July 29, 2019, at Saint Joseph Villa.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Aug. 2, 2019, in Saint Joseph Villa Chapel where relatives, friends and her sisters in community rejoiced in celebrating a life that for Sister Judy was a “journey inward.”
In Montclair, N.J., parents Lawrence and Helen Lokeman Monahan welcomed daughter Judith into her life’s journey on Jan. 26, 1938. She attended public schools in neighboring West Orange, N.J. She learned heartbreak early in life when her father was killed in action in Normandy during World War II. Her mother lovingly reared Judy and her brother alone until Judy was 11. Her mother later remarried and the family grew with the birth of Judy’s sister Louise.
It was at Our Lady of the Valley Parish in Orange that Judy met the Sisters of Saint Joseph and eventually was taught by them at Our Lady of the Valley High School. After attending nursing school for a year, she soon realized with a generous and spontaneous heart that God was inviting her to serve Him and His people. She entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph in September 1957. Her novitiate began in April 1958 when she received the name Sister Helen Lawrence. In 1965, with a deepening of her inward journey, she made her final profession of vows.
Sister Judy began her classroom ministry as a second-grade teacher. She served God’s people in the dioceses of Camden, Philadelphia, Newark, Baltimore and Charlotte. The longest and perhaps her happiest 30 years of ministry were spent at St. Ann Parish in Charlotte, where she lovingly served youth and parishioners as pastoral associate.
Her warm, welcoming, joyful personality thrived in the South and embraced all whom she encountered. In communal living, her sisters attested to her sense of humor, her novitiate stories of adventures and misadventures, and especially her innate gift of southern hospitality. It was with reluctance, yet generous submission to God’s will, that in 2018 she retired to Saint
Joseph Villa after suffering a stroke.
The life and untiring zeal of the sojourn of Sister Judy Monahan was indeed inward and a testament to the spirit of the Congregation expressed in its Constitutions, that as Sisters of Saint Joseph “we imitate Jesus in His untiring zeal and healing presence; Mary in her living faith and constant fidelity to grace; Joseph in the loving manner of his service and his cordial charity to all.”
The “journey inward” of Sister Judy Monahan, was a genuine, heartfelt focus on God whom she loved and sought and found in all of the circumstances along life’s way. The Congregation rejoices, praises and thanks God that she has reached her destination: eternal life in His loving embrace.
— Sisters of Saint Joseph, Philadelphia