Family life is hard. In case no one has reminded you of that lately, let me be the one. Whether you’re in the stage of diapers and bottles, wiping faces and losing sleep, or worrying about the children who have grown – the now-adults making their stumbling way through a suffering world – families will always be holy, hard, humbling schools of love.
It was a Sunday in the month of May, and Sergio Jiménez stood in front of a packed church at Blessed Sacrament Church, ready to make a brief invitation at the end of Mass.
Writing to the Church at the ancient city of Galatia (now in modern-day Turkey), St. Paul the Apostle declared, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).
Christ is risen! Alleluia! We’ll be saying (and singing) that refrain and others like it until Pentecost, which this year isn’t until the end of May.
“War is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity. International law, honest dialogue, solidarity between states, the noble exercise of diplomacy: These are methods worthy of individuals and nations in resolving their differences. … War is never just another means that one can choose to employ for settling differences between nations.” — St. John Paul II
As the old saying goes, sometimes we can miss the forest for the trees.
What should Catholic education look like today? As universities move toward more efficient and technical processes in higher education, is there still room for seeking truth and knowledge for its own sake? These are some of the questions explored by Timothy P. O’Malley, theology professor and director of education at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. OSV News’ Charles Camosy spoke with him recently about the state of Catholic higher education and his vision for its reform.
Catholic cemeteries are important in the life of the Church. Here's a list of cemeteries and columbaria in the Diocese of Charlotte:
Cemeteries
St. Frances of Rome Mission, Sparta
St. Helen Mission, Spencer Mountain (parishioners only)
St. Francis of Assisi Church, Jefferson
Cemeteries with columbaria
Our Lady of Annunciation, Albemarle
Immaculate Conception Mission, Canton
Holy Family Church, Clemmons (parishioners only)
Holy Cross Church, Kernersville
Sacred Heart Church, Salisbury
St. James the Greater Church, Concord
St. John the Evangelist Church, Waynesville
Columbaria only
St. Eugene Church, Asheville (parishioners only)
St. Elizabeth Church, Boone
Sacred Heart Church, Brevard (full)
St. Joan of Arc Church, Candler (full)
St. Gabriel Church, Charlotte (full)
St. Matthew Church, Charlotte (full)
St. Peter Church, Charlotte
St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Charlotte
St. Vincent de Paul Church,
Charlotte (full)
Immaculate Heart of Mary Mission, Hayesville
St. Aloysius Church, Hickory
Christ the King Church, High Point
Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, High Point (full)
Our Lady of the Mountains Mission, Highlands
St. Paul the Apostle Church, Greensboro
St. Pius X Church, Greensboro
(full, with waiting list)
St. Margaret of Scotland Church, Maggie Valley (full)
St. Luke Church, Mint Hill (full)
St. William Church, Murphy
St. Margaret Mary Church, Swannanoa
St. Leo the Great Church,
Winston-Salem (full)
Public cemeteries with Catholic sections
Stanly Gardens, Albemarle
Sharon Memorial Park, Charlotte
Westlawn Cemetery, Clemmons
Mt. Zion Community Cemetery, Cornelius
Northlake Memorial Gardens, Huntersville
Forest Lawn East Cemetery, Matthews
Diocesan Policy for Cemeteries and Columbaria
'The Church earnestly recommends that the pious custom of burying the deceased be observed; nevertheless, the Church does not prohibit cremation unless it was chosen for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine.' Canon 1176, §3
Church law (Canon 1240) stipulates, “Where possible, the Church is to have its own cemeteries or at least areas in civil cemeteries that are designated for the deceased members of the faithful and properly blessed.”
Because of limited space at many parishes across the diocese, a cemetery on parish grounds is not always practicable. Identifiably Catholic sections in public cemeteries have become an alternative option, as well as columbaria on parish grounds.
In March 2026, the Diocese of Charlotte updated policies for its cemeteries and columbaria in response to growing demand for burial space and limited land available at many parishes. Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., promulgated the new “Diocesan Norms for the Governance and Stewardship of Cemeteries and Columbaria” on March 19, the feast of St. Joseph, patron of the dying. Read more.
Why is it important to have a grave?
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Why is it important to have a grave?
Our cemeteries are places of great sign value as were the catacombs of old.
The grave and the marker are visible signs that a person did live and that it mattered that he or she lived. Years from now someone will walk by our graves and remember us and that it was important that we lived and died. Cemeteries are places of catechesis about death and they are places of prayer in the context of the communion of saints and our waiting for the final coming of the Lord.
We visit the grave often to pray for the deceased and we decorate the graves regularly, especially on Nov. 2, All Souls Day.
— "Catholic Funeral Guide," St. Michael the Archangel Church in Gastonia