El Padre Domínguez
nombrado párroco de la parroquia de Newton 18
At a glance
JUNE 6, 2025
VOLUME 34 • NUMBER 17 1123 S. CHURCH ST. CHARLOTTE, N.C. 28203-4003 catholicnews@rcdoc.org
704-370-3333
PUBLISHER
The Most Reverend Michael T. Martin, OFM Conv., Bishop of Charlotte
INDEX
Contact us 2
Español 18
Our Diocese 4-9
Our Faith 3
Our Schools 10-14
Scripture 3, 18
U.S. news 20
Viewpoints 22-23
World news 21
STAFF
EDITOR: Trish Stukbauer 704-370-3392, tmstukbauer@rcdoc.org
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THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte 26 times a year.
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CATHOLIC ALL WEEK
Timely tips for blending faith & life
Summer
is made for hitting the road for a family vacation. But if you want your summer plans to take on a more spiritual meaning than the typical beach visit, consider aligning your travel with a visit to one of our 72 national shrines or one of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope pilgrimage sites.
FIND A PLACE
You don’t necessarily have to change your vacation plans to fit in a visit to a sacred site.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has an interactive map on its website that lists official diocesan Jubilee of Hope Pilgrimage Sites as designated by each local bishop. GoCatholic. org keeps a list of National Shrines as well as cathedrals, basilicas, world heritage churches, special churches and more. Find one near where you are already going, or search for a site that appeals to you. (Not able to travel this year? Many of these sites offer online services, virtual visits or have been featured on television shows or videos that can give you the experience of being there from the comfort of your home.)
PLAN IT OUT
Diocesan calendar of events
PRAYER SERVICES
their websites for seasonal hours, Mass and confession schedules, and tours. Some churches may offer guided tours at specified times, have limited hours at certain times of the year or offer special services on feast days or holy days that are well worth planning a trip around.
TAKE IT ALL IN
Don’t rush your visit to a sacred site. Allow yourself time for prayer in all the spaces on the campus, whether that’s the main church, a side chapel, a crypt or an altar that houses a relic. The grounds of many of these sites are also breathtaking and afford opportunities to admire both the architecture of the building and the tranquil beauty of God’s creation.
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
Scan the QR code for this week’s recommended prayers and activities:
CATHOLIC GRANDPARENTS GROUP : The next meeting of this prayer and support group for all Catholic grandparents in the Diocese of Charlotte is 10-11:30 a.m. Saturday, June 14, at Queen of the Apostles Church, 503 N. Main St., Belmont. Preregister by Thursday, June 12, to cgakac24@gmail. com. SUPPORT GROUPS
While the beauty of summer is unscheduled time, you should take the time to plan your visit to a shrine or pilgrimage site to be certain you don’t miss the opportunity to fully participate in what can be a profound spiritual experience. Check Correction
The photo of seminarian
RACHEL RETREAT ‘HEALING AFTER ABORTION’: Are you or a loved one seeking healing from the effects of a past abortion? Find healing and support in a confidential, non-judgmental environment at a Rachel Retreat weekend. These retreats are offered by the Diocese of Charlotte’s Family Life Office for men and women, in English and Spanish. For details, contact Jessica Grabowski at jrgrabowski@rcdoc.org or 704-370-3229.
JUNE 7 – 9 A.M.
Liturgy of Ordination to the Diaconate
St. Mark Church, Huntersville
JUNE 8 – 11 A.M.
Confirmation
Catholic News Herald
St. Benedict Church, Greensboro
JUNE 9 – 6 P.M.
Confirmation
Immaculate Conception Church, Hendersonville
Michael Martin, OFM Conv., will participate in the following events over the coming weeks:
JUNE 10 – 6 P.M.
Confirmation
St. Ann Church, Charlotte
JUNE 11 – 6 P.M.
Confirmation
Holy Cross Church, Kernersville
JUNE 12 – 5 P.M.
Holy Hour for Priesthood Ordinands
St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte
JUNE 14 – 9 A.M.
Liturgy of Ordination to the Holy Priesthood St. Mark Church, Huntersville
JUNE 15-20
USCCB Special Assembly San Diego, California
Bishop
Michael Lugo in the May 23 edition mistakenly showed his brother, Gabriel Lugo. Michael Lugo, who will be ordained a deacon on June 7, is pictured at right. We regret the error.
Our faith
God wants to help us discover our worth
God loves every person and wants to help everyone discover their inherent value and dignity, especially those who feel unworthy or unappreciated, Pope Leo XIV said.
“God wants to give His kingdom, that is, full, eternal and happy life, to everyone,” the pope said June 4 as he held his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square.
“And this is what Jesus does with us: He does not establish rankings, He gives all of Himself to those who open their hearts to Him,” the pope said.
Pope Leo continued a series of talks focusing on Gospel parables that give hope, focusing on “The Workers in the Vineyard” in the Gospel of St. Matthew (20:1-16), which reveals the equality of all the disciples in inheriting eternal life.
Pope Leo said it is “a story that fosters our hope,” because “at times we have the impression that we cannot find meaning for our lives: we feel useless, inadequate, just like the laborers who wait in the marketplace, waiting for someone to hire them to work.”
“The metaphor of the marketplace is very appropriate for our times, too, because the market is the place of business, where unfortunately even affection and dignity are bought and sold, in the attempt to earn something,” he said. “And when we do not feel appreciated, acknowledged, we risk selling ourselves to the first bidder.”
“Instead, the Lord reminds us that our life is worthy, and His wish is to help us discover this,” he said.
The Lord, represented by the owner of the vineyard, wants to establish a personal relationship with everyone He meets, and He repeatedly goes out looking for “those who are waiting to give meaning to their lives,” Pope Leo said.
“This tireless master, who wants at all costs to give value to the life of every one of us,” even goes out toward the end of the workday to take on those who are still waiting, he said. This shows that “even when it seems we are able to do little in life, it is always worthwhile. There is always the possibility to find meaning because God loves our life.”
The landowner pays each worker the same, even those who arrived late in the day and worked fewer hours in the field, because God believes “it is just that each person has what he needs to live” because He knows their dignity, the pope said.
It is by “working in His vineyard” that people find the meaning of their life, he said.
Do not be discouraged “even in the dark moments of life” when answers seem to be lacking, the pope told his listeners.
‘VENI SANCTE SPIRITUS’
Church born at Pentecost
Pentecost is the feast of the universal Church that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, 50 days after the Resurrection of Christ, on the ancient Jewish festival called the “feast of weeks” or Pentecost (Ex 34:22; Deut 16:10), which marks the end of Passover. Jews celebrate the gift of the law to Moses at Mount Sinai on this day, but we as Catholics celebrate the birth of the Church.
More inside
PAGES 22-23: What should Pentecost mean to us?
At Pentecost, Peter, Mary, the apostles and their followers were gathered in a room in Jerusalem, where Jews from all over the world were still in town celebrating the end of Passover.
At this time, a great wind blew and a flame appeared as a tongue of fire, which split itself into many individual flames above the heads of all those present. The Holy Spirit came upon these people and each began to speak in tongues. Despite the fact many had no common language, they were perfectly able to understand one another.
Others, who were not so blessed,
JUNE 8-14
Sunday (Pentecost Sunday): Acts 2:1-11, Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34, 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Romans 8:8-17, Jn 20:19-23 or Jn 14:15-16, 23b-26; Monday (Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church): Gen 3:9-15, 20 or Acts 1:12-14, Ps 87:1-2, 3 and 5, 6-7, Jn 19:2534; Tuesday: 2 Cor 1:18-22, Ps 119:129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 135, Mt 5:13-16; Wednesday (St. Barnabas, Apostle): Acts 11:21b-26; 13:1-3, Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6, Mt 5:17-19; Thursday: 2 Cor 3:15-4:1, 3-6, Ps 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14, Mt 5:20-26; Friday (St. Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church): 2 Cor 4:7-15, Ps 116:10-11, 15-16, 17-18, Mt 5:2732; Saturday: 2 Cor 5:14-21, Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12, Mt 5:33-37
accused those speaking in tongues of being drunk, but Peter arose and addressed the crowd, explaining that it was only 9 o’clock, and that this phenomenon was not intoxication, but rather was the work of the Holy Spirit, prophesied in the Scriptures. Peter then called all those present to be baptized, and about 3,000 people were baptized that day.
These people were among the first Catholics, and Peter is the first pope of the Church.
The symbols of Pentecost are the flame, wind and the dove, which represent the Holy Spirit. The color of Pentecost is red, and the priest wears red vestments on this day. Parishioners are also invited to wear red. Red decorations as well as celebrations are appropriate, similar to any other birthday.
Pentecost is also called Whitsunday, so called from the white garments worn by catechumens remaining after Easter who were baptized during the vigil Mass. Whitsunday dates back to the first century, although there is no evidence that it was observed as there is in the case of Easter; the passage in 1 Corinthians (16:8) probably refers to the Jewish feast.
— Catholic Encyclopedia, Catholic Online
Did you know?
“Veni Sancte Spiritus” (“Come Holy Spirit”) sometimes called the “Golden Sequence,” is a sequence hymn prescribed in the Roman liturgy for the Masses of Pentecost. A sequence hymn is a beautiful liturgical tradition that is sung just before the Alleluia (Gospel acclamation) on special days.
It is usually attributed to either the 13thcentury Pope Innocent III or to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Stephen Langton. (Cardinal Langton was a central figure in the dispute between King John of England and Pope Innocent III that helped lead to the issuing of the Magna Carta in 1215, one of the first charters that guaranteed the rights of commoners and restricted the “divine right” of kings. He is credited with having divided the Bible into the standard arrangement of chapters still used today.)
It is one of only four medieval sequences preserved in the Missale Romanum published in 1570 following the Council of Trent (15451563). Before Trent, many feasts had their own sequences. It is still sung today, having survived the liturgical changes following the Second Vatican Council. The other feasts with sequence hymns are: Easter, “Victimae Paschali Laudes” (“To the Paschal Victim give praise”); Corpus Christi, “Lauda Sion” (“Praise O Sion”); and All Souls, “Dies Irae” (“Day of Wrath”).
Come, Holy Spirit, come! And from your celestial home Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor! Come, source of all our store! Come, within our bosoms shine. You, of comforters the best; You, the soul’s most welcome guest; Sweet refreshment here below; In our labor, rest most sweet; Grateful coolness in the heat; Solace in the midst of woe. O most blessed Light divine, Shine within these hearts of yours, And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught, Nothing good in deed or thought, Nothing free from taint of ill. Heal our wounds, our strength renew; On our dryness pour your dew; Wash the stains of guilt away: Bend the stubborn heart and will; Melt the frozen, warm the chill; Guide the steps that go astray. On the faithful, who adore And confess you, evermore In your sevenfold gift descend; Give them virtue’s sure reward; Give them your salvation, Lord; Give them joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia.
JUNE 15-21
Sunday (Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity): Prov 8:22-31, Ps 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9, Rom 5:1-5, Jn 16:12-15; Monday: 2 Cor 6:1-10, Ps 98:1, 2b, 3ab, 3cd-4, Mt 5:38-42; Tuesday: 2 Cor 8:1-9, Ps 146:2, 5-6ab, 6c- 7, 8-9a, Mt 5:43-48; Wednesday: 2 Cor 9:6-11, Ps 112:1bc2, 3-4, 9, Mt 6:1-6, 16-18; Thursday: 2 Cor 11:1-11, Ps 111:1b-2, 3-4, 7-8, Mt 6:7-15; Friday: 2 Cor 11:18, 21-30, Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, Mt 6:19-23; Saturday (St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious): 2 Cor 12:1-10, Ps 34:8-9, 10-11, 1213, Mt 6:24-34
JUNE 22-28
Sunday (Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ): Gen 14:18-20, Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4, 1 Cor 11:23-26, Lk 9:11b-17; Monday: Gen 12:1-9, Ps 33:12-13, 18-19, 20 and 22, Mt 7:1-5; Tuesday (Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist): Is 49:1-6, Ps 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15, Acts 13:22-26, Lk 1:57-66, 80; Wednesday: Gen 15:1-12, 17-18, Ps 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9, Mt 7:15-20; Thursday: Gen 16:1-12, 15-16 or Gen 16:6b-12, 15-16, Ps 106:1b-2, 3-4a, 4b-5, Mt 7:21-29; Friday (Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus): Ez 34:11-16, Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6, Rom 5:5b-11, Lk 15:3-7; Saturday: Gen 18:1-15, Lk 1:46-47, 48-49, 50 and 53, 54-55, Mt 8:5-17
Detail from a stained glass window at Holy Spirit Church in Denver
2025 priest assignment changes announced
CHARLOTTE — Bishop Michael T. Martin, OFM Conv., announces the following Diocese of Charlotte priest assignments, effective July 8, 2025, unless otherwise noted:
n Father Peter N. Ascik, from pastor of St. Mary Help of Christians Parish in Shelby and Christ the King Mission in Kings Mountain to pastor and rector of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte
n Father John A. Allen, from parochial administrator of St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte to pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Swannanoa
n Father Marcel Amadi, from campus minister for High Point University and N.C. A&T to parochial administrator of Our Lady of Consolation Parish in Charlotte and St. Helen Mission in Gastonia
n Father Innocent Amasiorah, from campus minister for UNC-Charlotte to parochial administrator of Our Lady of the Angels Mission in Marion, effective Sept. 2, 2025
n Father H. Alejandro Ayala, from pastor of St. William Parish in Murphy and Immaculate Heart of Mary Mission in Hayesville to parochial vicar of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Charlotte
n Father Darren P. Balkey, from parochial vicar of St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte to military chaplain for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, effective June 2, 2025
n Father Oscar D. Benavides, from parochial vicar of St. John Neumann and Our Lady of Guadalupe parishes in Charlotte to parochial administrator of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Lexington
n Father Matthew Buettner, from spiritual director at St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly and parochial administrator of St. John the Baptist Parish in Tryon to full-time pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish
n Father J. Patrick Cahill, from pastor of St. Eugene Parish in Asheville to pastor of St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte
n Father James M. Collins, retiring after serving as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Newton n Father Julio Dominguez, V.H., from vicar for Hispanic Ministry for the Diocese of Charlotte to pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Newton
Who’s that?
At www.catholicnewsherald.com :
See photos of the priests who are receiving new assignments in the diocese this July
n Father James Ebright, returning from medical leave to serve as spiritual director/ confessor at St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly
n Father Raymond Esuka Ekosse, from parochial vicar of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte to chaplain at Holy Trinity Catholic Middle School in Charlotte, as well as inresidence and assisting at St. Ann Parish in Charlotte
n Father Matthew P. Harrison II, from parochial vicar of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Charlotte to campus minister of High Point University and N.C. A&T
n Father Yves Kennedy Ilapi, from parochial administrator of Our Lady of Consolation Parish in Charlotte and St. Helen Mission in Gastonia to returning to ministry to the Francophone community of Charlotte
n Father Brandon H. Jones, from parochial administrator of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Swannanoa to parochial vicar of St. Ann Parish in Charlotte and chaplain at the new Extraordinary Form Chapel in Mooresville
n Father José Juya, retiring after serving as Hispanic Ministry coordinator for the Gastonia Vicariate
n Father Carl E. Kaltreider, retiring after serving as parochial administrator of Our Lady of the Angels Mission in Marion, effective Sept. 2, 2025
n Father Thomas J. Kessler, retiring after serving as parochial vicar of St. Luke Parish in Mint Hill
n Father Philip Kollithanath, from pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Asheboro to parochial vicar of St. John Neumann Parish in Charlotte
n Father Paul D. McNulty, V.F., from pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Waynesville and Immaculate Conception Mission in Canton to pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Gastonia
n Father Chukwunonso A. Nnebe-Agumadu, from parochial vicar of St. Mark Parish in
Diocese
moves to
PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE plguilfoyle@rcdoc.org
CHARLOTTE — After five years serving as the Diocese of Charlotte’s episcopal vicar of Hispanic Ministry, Father Julio Dominguez is returning to parish life.
Father Dominguez has led the diocese’s Hispanic Ministry Office since 2020 and was reappointed in 2024. During his tenure, the ministry has grown significantly, serving a Catholic population that is more than 50% Hispanic out of the diocese’s 565,000 Catholics. Effective July 8, Father Dominguez will become pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Newton, succeeding Father James Collins, who is retiring.
Father Dominguez’s new assignment, announced May 30 by Bishop Michael Martin, reflects the diocese’s ongoing commitment to providing more Spanish-
Huntersville to chaplain of Charlotte Catholic High School as well as in-residence and assisting at St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte
n Father Lucas C. Rossi, from pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Gastonia to pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Waynesville and Immaculate Conception Mission in Canton
n Father Christopher A. Roux, departing for a sabbatical after serving as pastor and rector of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte
n Father Frank J. Seabo Jr., from pastor of Holy Infant Parish in Reidsville to pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Maggie Valley
n Father W. Becket Soule, O.P., returning to ministry with his province outside the diocese after serving as pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Maggie Valley
n Father Elliott C. Suttle, from parochial vicar of Our Lady of Grace Parish in Greensboro to parochial administrator of St. Mary Help of Christians Parish in Shelby and Christ the King Mission in Kings Mountain
n Father Ramiro R. Tijerino, from parochial vicar of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Charlotte to parochial administrator of St. Joseph Parish in Asheboro
n Father Jonathan D. Torres, departing for a sabbatical after serving as chaplain of Charlotte Catholic High School
n Father Nohé Torres, from part-time parochial vicar of St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville and parochial administrator of Holy Redeemer Parish in Andrews and Prince of Peace Mission in Robbinsville to parochial administrator of Holy Infant Parish in Reidsville
n Father Sabastian Umouyo, M.S.P., from pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Lexington to pastor of St. Eugene Parish in Asheville
n Father Joseph Wasswa, from parochial vicar of St. Aloysius Parish in Hickory to parochial administrator of Holy Redeemer Parish in Andrews and Prince of Peace Mission in Robbinsville
n Father Augustine Ogar, M.S.P., from the Missionary Society of St. Paul to parochial administrator of St. William Church in Murphy and Immaculate Heart of Mary Mission in Hayesville
Priest assignments FAQ
1. How are priest assignments determined in the Diocese of Charlotte?
Each year, priests complete a survey expressing their current status and any ministerial goals or interests. Bishop Michael Martin, with guidance from the priest personnel board, reviews these inputs alongside parish needs. Assignments are made based on a careful balance of diocesan priorities, priest development and pastoral care.
2. Are priests moved on a regular schedule?
No, the Diocese of Charlotte does not follow a fixed rotation system. Instead, assignments are made based on the specific needs of the time. Pastors typically serve for five to six years or longer, while parochial vicars move more frequently to gain experience and support areas of greater need.
3. Why are reassignments necessary?
Reassignments respond to parish growth, retirements, special missions and other changes. The goal is to serve the diocese as a whole – matching priests’ gifts with the needs of various communities to build up the Body of Christ.
4. How do reassignments impact parishes and priests?
Reassignments can be emotional as relationships between priests and parishioners grow strong over time. While change is challenging, it brings renewal: new energy, new ideas and new opportunities for growth in faith and ministry – for both priest and parish.
5. When do assignments take effect? Priest assignments are typically announced in June and take effect at noon on the second Tuesday of July. This allows time for smooth transitions and warm welcomes for incoming clergy.
— Catholic News Herald
serve growing Hispanic community Father Dominguez named pastor of Newton parish
speaking priests in parishes that are seeing growing Hispanic Catholic congregations.
Through his pastoral visits over the past two years, Father Dominguez has seen firsthand the growth of the Hispanic Catholic community. He has met with thousands of Hispanic Catholics across the diocese, engaging in conversations and surveys aimed at strengthening their role in the Church and empowering them to evangelize within their communities.
“These pastoral visits confirmed to me that our Hispanic community is faithful and desires to grow closer to the Lord,” he said. “It has been a blessing to walk with them and listen to their hopes and concerns.”
Born in Tamaulipas, Mexico, Father Dominguez felt called to the priesthood from a young age. Since his ordination for the Diocese of Charlotte in 2003, he has served in parishes in Salisbury, Hickory and Lenoir. He has also been a member of the Presbyteral Council, served on the diocesan vocations team, and overseen Spanishlanguage programming for the annual Eucharistic Congress.
In a special message May 30, Father Dominguez thanked Hispanic Ministry staff and parish leaders. “I can tell you that you made my life an adventure and I learned many things from all of you, especially your fervent service,” he said.
While he is grateful for the experience of leading the Hispanic Ministry program, he said he looks forward to being back in a parish. “Serving in a parish makes my heart overflow with joy, as every priest
feels called to this by the nature of his ordination,” he said.
Established in the late 1980s, the diocese’s Hispanic Ministry is notable among U.S. dioceses in that it places full-time coordinators in all of its 10 vicariates, or regions. The ministry collaborates with other diocesan offices to integrate Hispanic Catholics fully into the life and mission of the Church. It provides lay leadership training, sacramental preparation and faith formation for both youth and adults, and supports a wide array of apostolic groups such as Legion of Mary, Cursillo and Apóstoles de la Palabra. Father Dominguez said he is confident that the work of Hispanic Ministry will continue to flourish. “Bishop Martin recognizes how important Hispanic Ministry is in our diocese and has assured me that he is committed to helping us provide even more pastoral support to parishes and priests.”
Dominguez
First class of homegrown diocesan priests to be ordained
KIMBERLY BENDER kdbender@rcdoc.org
CHARLOTTE — “The faith is something that needs to be lived out day-to-day,” said Deacon Joseph Yellico.
For the six men who will be ordained priests June 14, the beauty of the Catholic faith has unfolded from their roots in St. Joseph College Seminary to the doorsteps of the priesthood that awaits them.
One of them, Deacon Yellico, reminds us that in the monotony of daily routine, we can easily lose sight of the “wonder” of our faith.
For the first time, all the men being ordained priests for the Diocese of Charlotte started their formation within the diocese at its St. Joseph College Seminary. This diverse class brings men from parishes across the diocese. They are:
n Deacon Christopher William Angermeyer, 28, of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Charlotte n Deacon Anthony del Cid Lucero, 30, of St. Joseph Parish in Newton n Deacon Nicholas James Kramer, 25, of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Swannanoa n Deacon Kolbe Raymond Murrey, 25, of St. John the Baptist Parish in Tryon n Deacon Andrew Jeffery Templeton, 26, of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Gastonia n Deacon Joseph Gerard Yellico, 30, of St. Mark Parish in Huntersville.
The six men recently received their Master of Divinity degrees from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and School of Theology in Cincinnati, Ohio, the final academic step of their formation.
Deacon Murrey, who also received a Master of Arts in Theology, said he is excited about becoming a priest.
“I’m most looking forward to serving in a parish,” he noted.
Deacon Murrey said that during his summer assignments and ministering as a deacon, he’s seen that the life of a priest is being in the parish. “I’m excited to be with the people and in a parish and bringing them to Our Lord on a daily basis.”
He is one of three deacons who entered the college seminary shortly after high school, making him and Deacons Kramer and Templeton three of the younger priests to be ordained.
Deacon Kramer is also the first from “Charlie class,” the third class at St. Joseph College Seminary, to be ordained priests. Not having to leave the diocese
First Masses of Thanksgiving
Following their ordination, the new priests will offer first Masses at their home parishes on Sunday, June 15:
n Deacon Christopher Angermeyer: 2 p.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte. Homilist: Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte.
n Deacon Anthony del Cid Lucero: 11:45 a.m. Spanish Mass at St. Joseph Church in Newton. Homilist: Father Alphonso Gomez, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Lenoir.
n Deacon Nicholas Kramer: 2:30 p.m. at St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville. Homilist: Father Brian Becker, vocations promoter for the Diocese of Charlotte.
n Deacon Kolbe Murrey: 11 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Church in Tryon. Homilist: Father Matthew Kauth, rector of St. Joseph College Seminary.
n Deacon Andrew Templeton: 9 a.m. at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Gastonia. Homilist: Father Tim Reid, pastor of St. Ann Parish in Charlotte.
n Deacon Joseph Yellico: 9 a.m. at St. Mark Church in Huntersville. Homilist: Father John Putnam, pastor of St. Mark Parish.
to take the leap to seminary, Deacon Kramer said, is one of the reasons he is days away from becoming a priest. Being able to easily visit the seminary before he made a commitment and then to stay within the diocese – with other students he knows and with priests he has known –played a vital role in building his vocational foundation.
“It is a really important thing
for us early on in our formation to get connected to our diocese, because for us, our diocese is the place in which, unless the bishop decides to send me somewhere else, I will be ministering for the rest of my life,” Deacon Kramer said. “It’s very important to know your diocese and for them to know you, so that when you do show up at their parish 10 years down the road, you’re not a new face.”
Deacon Templeton said he’s looking forward to the beautiful moments he’s going to have as a priest, from his first confession to his first Mass and first anointing.
In addition to the seminary, the diocese has helped foster many vocations through its programs.
Quo Vadis Days, a week-long vocation discernment camp for young men, helped several deacons determine their path to the priesthood at an early age.
Deacon Angermeyer, for example, attended the diocese’s first camp in 2013.
“It was very helpful in being able to talk to priests and discuss how to live a good life, how to live a holy life, so I can actually hear my call,” Deacon Angermeyer said. “It was very influential on actually helping me develop my spiritual life so that I could actually hear our Lord’s call.”
The Eucharistic Congress, held in Charlotte each fall, is where Deacon del Cid Lucero first saw the vibrancy and diversity of the Church as a whole.
“It was always exciting to see the Church outside of just my parish,” he recalls of going to the annual event as a young child.
“I saw people from different backgrounds and kids my own age engaging in the faith in a
deeper way.”
Any time a classmate becomes a priest, Deacon Yellico says, it’s inspirational because they’ve played a role in each other’s vocational path. Yet Deacon Yellico, the first from the “Delta class” – the fourth class at St. Joseph College Seminary – is especially excited to be receiving holy orders alongside five others who walked the same path.
“We’re going to be serving this diocese, who has been so generous to us. But not only are we going to be serving it, but we’re going to be serving it together as brothers,” he said. “Even when we’re dispersed among the diocese at different parishes that we’re going to, we’ll still be doing it as a fraternity.”
Deacon Angermeyer said it’s a blessing to be among the first full class from St. Joseph College Seminary to be ordained to the priesthood together.
“My brothers are the ones that can challenge me at times and push me to go farther, to be holier, to pursue Our Lord more, and to grow in virtue,” he said.
As diversity in the diocese continues to grow, Deacon del Cid Lucero said he hopes to help unify the communities as one Church.
“Our faith is what’s going to bring us to salvation. One of the things that I hope to work on is bringing communities together –the English-speaking community, the Hispanic community. We’re here to work together to continue building the Church of God. We are one universal Church,” he said.
All are welcome to attend the 9 a.m. ordination Mass Saturday, June 14, at St. Mark Church, located at 14740 Stumptown Road in Huntersville. Overflow seating will be in the St. Mark School gym.
Additional parking with shuttle service will be available starting at 7:30 a.m. from Grand Oaks Elementary School, 15410 Stumptown Road.
A reception will follow Mass in the Monsignor Kerin Center. The new priests will offer first blessings from 1 to 3 p.m. in St. Mark Church.
Angermeyer Kramer Del Cid Lucero Murrey Templeton Yellico
The two Prevosts
Wingate professor shares name with new pope
LISA M. GERACI lmgeraci@rcdoc.org
WINGATE — As white smoke billowed from the roof of the Sistine Chapel and the new pope was introduced to the world on May 8, things got “real wild,” says Robert Prevost.
Not Robert Prevost, the new pope. Robert Prevost, the professor.
Prevost, an associate professor of philosophy at Wingate University and a St. Luke parishioner, has been swept up into a whirlwind of media attention over the past few weeks because of the name he shares with the new pontiff.
It was not a situation he expected to find himself in, Professor Prevost says, although in the days leading up to the pope’s election, he was already being teased by his friends as “His Holiness” and getting requests for blessings.
“It was funny, but I completely discounted it because I truly believed there would never be an American pope,” he says.
Shared Prevost traits
Then Robert Prevost, Chicago native and Catholic cardinal, was elected pope. Now both Prevosts are caught up in worldwide media attention – though for the professor, it’s accidental.
The confusion isn’t just over the name. The two men share other key traits (see box at right).
Plus, during their college years, they lived within 30 miles of each another, while the future pope attended Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and the future professor went to Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois.
CONGRATULATIONS POUR IN
The craziness began as soon as “Habemus Papam” was announced, Professor Prevost says. He started getting congratulatory emails from all over the world.
“The very first one I got was a fellow who emailed me on my LinkedIn account. He identified himself as a Turkish Muslim,” he chuckles. “He congratulated me on becoming the new pope and hoped that I would work towards world peace.”
Traffic to Professor Prevost’s website spiked, and emails flooded in from Turkey, Brazil, Germany – pretty much everywhere. Many of those who wrote asked about his 1992 doctoral dissertation from Oxford. The fact the paper dealt
The confusion isn’t just over the name – Professor Robert Prevost and the pope share other key traits. Both:
n are Catholic
n are American
n were born in 1955
n are writers interested in theology and mathematics
n have two siblings
n are of French descent
with the existence of God added to the confusion over the author’s identity.
Jordan McGillis, an editor for “City Journal,” posted May 8 on X: “Robert Francis Prevost’s ‘Probability and Theistic Explanation’ offers one of the most compelling cases for the rationality of belief in God without demanding certainty. Written over three decades ago, long before he became Pope Leo XIV …”
It was a nice review, despite the wrong attribution.
CHARLOTTE — Diocese of Charlotte seminarian Elijah Buerkle recently took the next step in formation for the priesthood.
During a special Mass celebrated May 27 by Bishop Michael Martin at St. Patrick Cathedral, Buerkle publicly expressed his intention to complete his preparation for holy orders and his resolve to fully invest himself in that effort to serve Christ and the Church.
In a homily directed to Buerkle, Bishop
In online discussions, on talk radio and in the media, confusion between the two Prevosts ran rampant. Even now, an online search of the phrase “Robert Prevost went to Oxford” renders this AI response: “Yes, Robert Francis Prevost earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the University of Oxford. He later became Pope Leo XIV.”
The pope never attended Oxford. He attended the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. Professor Prevost is the real Oxford grad.
The Brazilian online publication “G1” has been among those apologizing for the mix-up, writing a correction: “G1 made a mistake when reporting that mathematician Robert Francis Prevost, who would later become Leo XIV, published a book on the probability of the existence of God. The text was written by a homonym. The author is an American also named Robert Prevost, who, like the current pontiff, graduated in mathematics.”
GLOBAL ATTENTION
Professor Prevost is handling all the attention with good humor, and he’s excited that people are now reading and discussing his dissertation from the ’90s.
“It feels good to have people paying attention to my writing, even if it is just because of the confusion,” he says.
The entertaining ambiguity with the two Prevosts has since gone global. There was a BBC interview. The Argentinian news outlet “The Reporter” wrote an article addressing the situation headlined “Confusion in the Vatican: The ‘other’ Pope appeared, and he’s not an imposter ...”
The article attributed the confusion to algorithms: “The curious thing is that the cross-identity didn’t arise from a single error. Several online searches revealed the philosopher as ‘the new pope,’ because his name appeared before that of the newly elected cardinal in various databases and web archives.”
Even as the professor was being interviewed by the BBC, he noticed a new Wikipedia page about himself devoted to the brouhaha, with a subheading titled, “Confusion with Pope Leo XIV.”
Professor Prevost says he enjoys all the fun, noting that he has yet to receive an invitation to the Vatican but already knows what he would like to talk about with the pope.
“I would ask him about his genealogy to see if there is a chance that maybe we have a similar background. Then, I would talk to him a little bit about baseball because he’s such a Chicago White Sox fan, and I’m a Texas Rangers fan.
“Finally, I would congratulate him and tell him that our prayers are with him as he guides the Church.”
Buerkle admitted to candidacy for holy orders
Martin encouraged the seminarian to put his trust in God, focus on deepening his relationship with Jesus, and commit to sharing the Gospel with a world that is hungering for the Good News. The work of a priest should be about doing the work of God, he said, so “trust in Him, place your heart in
His, put your hands to the plow, and don’t look back.”
“You’re not alone – you’re in fact part of something so much greater,” he told Buerkle. “We all commit ourselves to walking with you on this journey.”
The Rite of Admission to Candidacy for Holy Orders is celebrated when a seminarian, usually in his second year of graduate study, has reached a maturity of purpose in his formation and has demonstrated the necessary qualifications
for ordination. Buerkle’s home parish is St. Mark in Huntersville. This fall, he will join three other Diocese of Charlotte seminarians who are studying in Rome at the Gregorian University and living at the Pontifical North American College.
The next steps in his formation are ministry of lector, ministry of acolyte, ordination to the transitional diaconate, and finally, ordination to the priesthood. — Catholic News Herald
Buerkle
LISA M. GERACI | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Wingate professor and St. Luke parishioner Professor Robert Prevost holds a magazine devoted to that other Robert Prevost. The professor has been confused with the pope so often by the press that a Wikipedia page has been created to explain the confusion.
In Brief
Canonical proceedings involving Father Hoare conclude; St. Matthew pastor named
CHARLOTTE — Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., recently shared the outcome of canonical proceedings involving Father Patrick Hoare, the former pastor of St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte who has been on administrative leave since December 2019 following allegations of boundary violations with minors. After five years, the canonical appeals process in Rome concluded with a finding by the Holy See that then-Bishop Peter Jugis’ removal of Father Hoare as pastor was in accord with Church law. Father Hoare will remain out of ministry while completing an assessment and education program, as recommended by the diocese’s Lay Review Board.
Bishop Martin’s full update is online at www.charlottediocese.org/ communications
During the appeals process, a pastor could not be appointed for St. Matthew Parish, so Father John Allen stepped in to serve as administrator from December 2019 to 2025.
Effective July 8, Father Patrick Cahill will be assigned pastor, Bishop Martin announced.
Father Cahill is currently pastor of St. Eugene Parish in Asheville and administrator of Asheville Catholic School. He grew up in the Charlotte area and was ordained in 2007 at St. Matthew, where he also served his first priestly assignment.
Father Cahill directs the diocese’s Mission Office, which welcomes speakers to the diocese to spotlight the Church’s worldwide missionary work, and he serves on the bishop’s two priest advisory groups: the Presbyteral Council and the College of Consultors.
“This is like a homecoming for him,” Father Allen wrote in a May 30 letter to parishioners announcing Father Cahill’s return.
— Catholic News Herald
Summer assignments in parishes and ministries are announced for diocese’s 21 seminarians
CHARLOTTE — Twenty-one Diocese of Charlotte seminarians have been assigned to work in parishes or ministries this summer, the diocese’s Vocations Office has announced. They will serve from June 7 through Aug. 3. Seminarians and their assignments are:
n Clement Akerblom: St. Ann Parish in Charlotte
n Robert Bauman: St. Barnabas Parish in Arden
n Mark Becker: Navy Officer Development School/Navy Chaplain Candidate Program, Newport, Rhode Island
n Elijah Buerkle: Italian language studies/Pontifical North American College in Rome
n Michael Camilleri: St. Gabriel Parish in Charlotte
n John Cuppett: Community of Jesus Crucified in St. Martinville, Louisiana, a lay apostolate that ministers to people who are in most need and suffering, especially the sick and dying, those in nursing homes, and the unserved or underserved
n Max Frei: Sacred Heart Parish in Salisbury
n John Harrison: Italian language studies and missionary work
n Bryan Ilagor: St. Mary Help of Christians Parish in Shelby
n James Johnson: Our Lady of Grace Parish in Greensboro
n Bradley Loftin: St. Leo the Great Parish in Winston-Salem
n Gabriel Lugo: Italian language studies and missionary work
n Michael Lugo: St. Mark Parish in Huntersville
n Patrick Martin: Spanish immersion in Mexico
n Ronan Ostendorf: Italian language studies and missionary work
n Mateo Perez: Divine Redeemer Parish in Boonville
n Matthew Stanley: Holy Cross Parish in Kernersville
n Peter Townsend: St. Ann Parish in Charlotte
n James Tweed: Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte and in residence at St. Mark Parish in Huntersville
n Bailey Van Nosdall: Spanish immersion in Mexico
n Connor White: St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Jefferson
Learn how to fight human trafficking
BELMONT — Could you spot a human trafficking victim if you saw one?
Learn more about the crime of human trafficking at a free seminar on June 25 hosted by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte and the Sisters of Mercy in collaboration with Project Light Rowan.
The free event will be in Curtin Hall on the Sisters of Mercy campus (101 Mercy Dr.) starting at 7 p.m., preceded by light dinner fare and desserts at 6:30 p.m. Register to attend by emailing scaeducation@ccdoc.org by June 23. Due to the sensitive subject matter, it is recommended that attendees be at least 16 years old, and parental discretion is advised.
Get more information online at www.ccdoc.org/education
Latin Mass changes set by Vatican coming in October
Chapel being renovated in Mooresville for Traditional Latin Mass use
PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE plguilfoyle@rcdoc.org
CHARLOTTE — Changes to Traditional Latin Mass offerings in the Diocese of Charlotte will take effect Oct. 2 to align with a deadline mandated by the Vatican, Bishop Michael Martin has announced.
The diocese is setting aside and renovating a chapel in Mooresville for followers of the Traditional Latin Mass, and Father Brandon Jones has been appointed its chaplain.
Approximately 1,100 people each week regularly attend the older form of the Mass in the diocese, which uses prayers and a calendar predating the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
The move is the final phase of the diocese’s gradual implementation of Pope Francis’ 2021 instruction “Traditionis Custodes,” which restored limits on the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) in dioceses around the world but allows bishops to set up alternate worship sites.
In his letter announcing the changes, Bishop Martin wrote, “It is my heartfelt desire and prayer that this implementation of Traditionis Custodes will further ‘promote the concord and unity of the Church’ among the People of God in the Diocese of Charlotte so that, as Jesus prayed to His Father, we ‘may all be one’” (John 17:21).
TRANSITION BEGAN IN 2021
In 2021, Pope Francis restored limits on the Traditional Latin Mass that had been allowed or expanded by previous popes, a move he described as an effort to promote unity of worship in the Church.
“Traditionis Custodes” (“Guardians of the Tradition”) declared the liturgical books promulgated after the Second Vatican Council to be “the unique expression of the ‘lex orandi’ (law of worship) of the Roman Rite” and directed bishops not to establish new parishes or groups devoted to the old liturgy. While parish churches could not offer the Traditional Latin Mass, bishops could “designate one or more locations where the faithful adherents of these groups may gather for the eucharistic celebration.”
Then-Bishop Peter Jugis called for “a smooth and orderly transition to the new course charted by Traditionis Custodes” and in 2023 ended TLM celebrations at five of the diocese’s nine parishes with small numbers of followers. Four larger congregations – St. Ann and St. Thomas Aquinas in Charlotte, St. John the Baptist in Tryon, and Our Lady of Grace in Greensboro – received a temporary extension from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
That extension expires on Oct. 2. Should the Vatican issue any official changes to “Traditionis Custodes,” the diocese would abide by those instructions, Bishop Martin said.
CHAPEL BEING ESTABLISHED
The changes had been set to take effect in conjunction with the diocese’s annual clergy assignments on July 8, when dozens of priests will take on new assignments across the diocese’s 93 churches that encompass 565,000 Catholics. However, Bishop Martin told priests in an email earlier this week he was accepting a May 31 request from the four pastors with TLM faithful to wait until the Vatican’s deadline of Oct. 2 to implement the changes.
The bishop and the pastors agreed the extra time will allow the pastors to accompany people through the transition and for renovations to the chapel to be completed.
“It made sense to start these changes in July when dozens of our priests will be moving to their new parishes and other assignments,” Bishop Martin told the Catholic News Herald. “That said, I want to listen to the concerns of these parishioners and their priests, and I am willing to give them more time to absorb these changes.”
Extensive renovation work is already under way at the chapel in Mooresville, and diocesan construction officials said they expect it to be ready this October. The $700,000 renovation is being funded by the diocese.
TLM worship will be consolidated at the Mooresville chapel, with two Masses offered on Sundays and other holy days of obligation using the 1962 Roman Missal, and the option of adding another Sunday Mass if needed in the future.
The chapel, located at 757 Oakridge Farm Hwy. in Mooresville, is strategically situated between the diocese’s two largest population centers, Charlotte and the Triad.
The diocesan-owned property includes a 5,000-square-foot church that seats 345 and a school/gym building. It is adjacent to Curlin Commons, the diocese’s affordable senior apartment community.
Renovations, overseen by the diocese’s Construction and Real Estate Office, include a new ceiling, flooring, lighting, refitting the sanctuary for Catholic worship, pews with kneelers, a second restroom, and full repainting. Once finished this fall, the chapel will be consecrated and appropriately appointed for traditional liturgies. Father Jones comes to the chapel assignment from St. Margaret Mary Parish in Swannanoa, where he has served as parochial administrator since January. He has also served at St. Ann and St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, as well as parishes in Asheville, Andrews and Huntersville. A native North Carolinian and Catholic convert, he was ordained in 2008.
TheDiocese of Charlotte Catholic family continues to grow, with a recordbreaking 1,711 members entering the Church over the Easter season through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), according to Chris Beal, director of the diocese’s Catechetical and Faith Formation Office.
“The Holy Spirit is moving in a very particular way here in the Diocese of Charlotte. It is extraordinary to see the Church welcome so many new Catholics,” Beal said. “Many of our parishes, post-Covid, realize that it is not enough to keep doing what we have always done. They are asking how to reach people who aren’t here yet.”
Indeed, many of those joining the Church have taken unconventional paths and were helped along by faithful Catholics who extended a welcoming hand and spiritual support.
While the number is impressive, it’s the stories behind the numbers that reflect both the various ways people are drawn to the Church and the Holy Spirit at work.
MFinding their way home
Spirit-filled journeys of new Catholics in the Charlotte diocese
LISA M. GERACI lmgeraci@rcdoc.org
a
ost people have one name, but Chris Bennett was blessed with two: his adopted name, Chris Bennett, which he goes by, and his biological name, Gabriel Farley.
Bennett was adopted into a loving family when he was 10 months old. He knew some facts about his biological family. They were from Greensboro. He had a half-brother. His biological name was Gabriel.
Bennett had an early curiosity about God, hitching a ride with his grandmother to the local Moravian church, where he was baptized. However, the examples of a cousin and aunt’s fire for God led him to become a Reformed Baptist.
Bennett felt “pulled” to study theology due to his growing relationship with Christ and curiosity about doctrine. In his early 20s, he moved to England for two years to become a missionary.
“I was being exposed to all these historic buildings in England that used to be Catholic churches,” he said. “Looking at all these remnants of the Catholic faith was beautiful.”
As he investigated Church history, he became more unsettled with his beliefs.
He started engaging in the idea of becoming Anglican, Orthodox, High Presbyterian – anything except Catholic.
“I almost felt like I was being disobedient at this point, because I knew where the Lord was calling me, and it was the Catholic Church, but I was really trying to land somewhere else,” Bennett reflected, noting that many of his friends had a negative view of the Catholic Church. “Eventually, I just had to submit to the Lord and just obey,” he said.
When Bennett walked into Our Lady of Grace, his despair instantly vanished.
“It was beautiful. I loved it. I was so shocked and blown away by the richness of faith there,” said Bennett.
One of the first OLG events Bennett and his fiancée, Genesis, attended was a potluck. They became fast friends with another couple, parishioners Sean Farley and his fiancée, Josephine Riedell.
Soon after Bennett and Genesis were married, he confided
Chris Bennett
Our Lady of Grace, Greensboro
in her about his past.
“I brought home the pictures that I had of my biological family. She knew I was adopted, but I came out and told her that my name used to be Gabriel Farley. I told her I had a mom and brother that I had never met,” said Bennett.
Genesis scoured Facebook, Instagram and Google, using those scraps of information to find a woman she believed was Bennett’s biological mother on Facebook.
“When she told me what she was doing, I told her to go for it. When she said she found my biological mom on Facebook, I was pretty skeptical,” said Bennett.
She laughed, “She looks like you, plus …” Genesis clicked the “About” tab, and the only relative listed was Sean Farley.
“At this point I was freaking out,” he recalled. “I called Sean and said, ‘Hey, we might have a crazy family connection.’”
What is OCIA?
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), formerly known as Rite of Christian Initiation of Catholics (RCIA), is the process for people to enter the Catholic Church. The name change reflects a closer English translation of the Latin word “ordo” (using “order” instead of “rite”) and a more flexible, year-round formation process for entering the Church at different times, not just during the Easter season.
“Dude, you’re my cousin!” Farley replied with a laugh. “Your mother is my aunt. We always knew we had a cousin who was adopted.”
With glee, Sean readily invited his newfound family to his upcoming wedding. The reception was awkward because while Bennett knew he was watching his biological family, they had no idea who he was. The next day, Farley’s mom introduced Bennett to his biological family.
“It was a really beautiful and sweet reunion,” said Bennett. “I met all the extended family members and my cousins.”
Bennett quickly learned that his biological grandparents raised their eight children at OLG, many of them attending grade school there.
“I realized my whole family has been going to this church since the ’60s, and that was crazy,” he said. “Then I learned that my grandmother, every year on my birthday until she died, had Mass offered for me, Gabriel Farley, at Our Lady of Grace,” said Bennett. “It seemed like God divinely orchestrated this moment. By meeting my biological family here, it was also like God directly responded to the prayers of the Church.”
Chris Bennett, a.k.a. Gabriel Farley, and Genesis Bennett were welcomed into the Church this Easter season. There were more family members in attendance than he ever expected.
PHOTOS PROVIDED New Catholics come to the faith in
variety of ways, but many are encouraged in their journeys by supportive people they encounter along the way.
Ben Dauphinais calls it a “triple-decker sacrament sandwich.” He received baptism, Communion and confirmation this Easter Vigil at Holy Family Church in Clemmons.
“The Ben now is just not the same Ben of November 2023,” claims Dauphinais. “I went from papal hater to papal enthusiast in a little over a year.”
Dauphinais was adamantly opposed to the Catholic faith his entire life.
“I can quote myself saying that ‘Catholics are not Christian.’ I was very outspoken and very astonishingly antiCatholic,” he said, cringing at the memory.
To be fair, Dauphinais found fault with most faiths – the Methodists, the Lutherans, the Baptists. Something was always not quite right. He was a non-denominational Christian with a lot of unanswered questions.
The one Catholic thing he did like was Gregorian chant. Ever since he was 16, he had an affinity for listening to Gregorian chant on YouTube. He heard the music so much that he accidentally taught himself Latin, but that was just a glitch, he thought.
“I thought they were amazing, and I listened to them all the time,” said Dauphinais. “I just disregarded the lyrics that didn’t fit into my beliefs.”
In 2023, Dauphinais decided it was time for him to find the truth about God and get to the bottom of the denominational divisions.
Dauphinais used the internet as his textbook, and through scrolling and some open-mindedness, he started crossing out Christian denominations that didn’t make sense.
Deven and Cassie Dickerson always considered themselves blessed, with a happy marriage, two incredible sons and careers. Deven was a teacher and Cassie a nanny.
The couple was taken by surprise when Cassie’s employer and St. Gabriel parishioner, Erin Doyle, asked Deven for his resume for an open position at St. Gabriel. Even though he was satisfied with his position at Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, the opportunity was intriguing.
“St. Gabe’s is known to retain teachers. They rarely leave,” said Deven, who is now wrapping up his fourth year of teaching fifth-graders at St. Gabriel. The move was the best career decision he ever made, he said. Yet, there was a caveat. While teaching, he sat in his pew and watched as his students received Communion at weekly Masses.
Now, he can join them because Deven and Cassie recently became Catholics.
“I used to just sit there and pray and read,” he said. “Finally, I can be their faithful leader and receive Communion with them.”
Deven was baptized Catholic when he was a baby, but his journey temporarily ended there, while Cassie was exposed to Catholicism through Deven’s teaching position.
Listening to Father Richard Sutter’s homilies, in addition to witnessing the faith of his students and their parents and Principal Michele Snoke’s spiritual guidance, Deven found himself drawn into the possibility of joining the Church.
“The school influenced me first, and then we started visiting St. Luke,” he said.
When Deven expressed an interest, Cassie followed her husband to St. Luke. She was not entirely convinced, but after meeting Father Thomas Kessler, that changed.
Chidindu Ohaegbulam is a Davidson College freshman who traveled overseas to double major in economics and physics. He is from Antigua, a Caribbean country known for having a beach for every day of the year, 365.
His parents were Nigerian cradle Catholics who became Pentecostal by the time he was born. Still, they opted to send him and his brother to Catholic primary and secondary schools. Ohaegbulam remembers his school experience as being full of Catholic Masses and prayer, with priests and nuns making sure he and his classmates were being spiritually fed.
He had to cross his hands over his chest during the Communion procession at school Masses and go to Pentecostal services on Sundays, but otherwise he always felt Catholic.
Attending secular pre-college left him feeling spiritually disconnected.
“I definitely didn’t feel excluded, but it just didn’t feel at all like my high school experience, which was more spiritual,” he said. “After a couple of months, I asked my mom if I could go to the Catholic church that was nearby.”
His whole family started attending, and the priest asked
Ben Dauphinais
Holy Family, Clemmons
After a deep dive into the letters of the Church Fathers, lots of listening to old Archbishop Fulton Sheen radio broadcasts, and devouring both YouTube videos and books by Catholic apologist Trent Horn, he was shocked to find Catholicism
“When we had that first initial meeting with Father Kessler, we just looked at each other in the car and we thought, ‘This is it,’” Deven said. “That guy just won us over, and he wasn’t even trying.”
Father Kessler’s endless stories and good humor made the young couple start the OCIA process and set the Wednesday meetings as their top priority.
was the only contender left on his list.
“I found Catholicism is rooted in tradition, in history, and it makes sense,” said Dauphinais. “Everything rang true. I knew what I had to do.”
Dauphinais replayed Catholic Masses on YouTube. He memorized prayers, practiced responses and learned when it was appropriate to kneel, stand and sit.
The etiquette was daunting, but by August 2024, he felt confident enough to attend a Mass at Holy Family.
“My first Mass was one of the most nerve-racking things I’ve ever done. I was so anxious because I just wanted to make sure that I did everything right,” Dauphinais said.
To his surprise, no one called him out those couple of times he went to kneel when he was supposed to stand, and he felt a calm sense of belonging.
He was also in disbelief of his family’s acceptance when he broke the news that he was converting.
He knew some of what was covered in OCIA after his extensive research, yet the camaraderie he found within the group intrigued him.
“He was a great contributor to our discussions,” said Deacon John Harrison. “It was wonderful to see him grow during the year. He was really all in.”
Dauphinais was received into the Church at the Easter Vigil, and he looks forward to helping future Catholics by teaching the next OCIA class alongside Deacon Harrison.
“I have grown exponentially in my relationship with God. I pray more than ever before,” he said. “I ask the Holy Spirit to help me all the time. I went from a sprig to a lofty oak in just a little over a year.”
Uncharacteristically, they rescheduled important appointments and even sometimes missed their children’s sporting events to attend.
“It was easy for us to make that choice for God,” Deven said. “Father Kessler was strict about what he wanted out of the OCIA class and what he expected from us. It made us thrive, and my wife and I loved it.”
As the OCIA meetings continued over the next six months, the family started going to church every Sunday, and their bond with Father Kessler became even stronger.
They were both welcomed into the Church on Easter Vigil. That next Monday, Cassie and Deven were remarried in the Catholic Church by Father Kessler, surrounded by family and friends.
“My brothers were amazed, and my grandmother, a 92-year-old cradle Catholic who still goes to church every Sunday, started crying when my mom showed her the picture,” Deven said.
Deven looks at himself and his wife and finds the transformation remarkable. Cassie is training to become a lector and is signing up for volunteer opportunities.
“I have never been happier than I am now. I have never had less stress,” he said.
Since being welcomed into the Church, Deven has gotten shout-outs from faculty, presents from his students, and even a surprise photo op with Bishop Michael Martin. Yet, as a teacher, he is most eager to be that shepherd who can now receive Communion and go to confession alongside his students.
“Devon and Cassie are very excited. As a priest, that’s so rewarding and inspirational,” Father Kessler said. “They’re on fire with God. It would be so great for them to share their journey. We need them. People learn from the faithful.”
Ohaegbulam if he’d be interested in an audiovisual job.
“I ended up in that position for a year. At that point, I felt like this is where I found community,” Ohaegbulam said.
Yet examinations were on the horizon, and he felt he couldn’t tackle OCIA and school at the same time. He decided he would put it off until he went to Davidson College.
“When you go to a liberal arts college, it’s tough to be like, ‘Yeah, I’m converting to Catholicism,’” said Ohaegbulam. “People have preconceived notions and biases about what Catholic people are like, but it felt pretty cool to represent the Catholic Church in a good light.”
Catholic Campus Ministry leader Scott Salvato met with Ohaegbulam each Monday for OCIA classes, and Ohaegbulam was baptized into the Church at St. Mark on the Easter Vigil.
“It was something that I was waiting on for a while. Everything was leading up towards this, and I definitely felt like it was the right decision,” he said.
His parents are overjoyed by his conversion and are still living in Antigua, attending the same Catholic church. Now, his brother has taken over Ohaegbulam’s audiovisual job and is preparing to attend OCIA himself.
Chidindu Ohaegbulam Campus Ministry, Davidson College
Deven and Cassie Dickerson St. Luke, Mint Hill
BACCALAUREATE CELEBRATIONS
Charlotte Catholic’s 2025 graduates celebrate at Baccalaureate Mass
CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS clknauss@rcdoc.org
CHARLOTTE — Graduating seniors from Charlotte Catholic High School heard an inspiring message from Bishop Michael Martin at their Baccalaureate Mass May 20 at St. Matthew Church.
The largest of the diocese’s four high schools, CCHS celebrated the success of their seniors who to date have been accepted into nearly 200 colleges across the country from the Ivy League to the full spectrum of North Carolina colleges to Southeast regional draws to the U.S. military academies.
The special liturgy marked the first time Bishop Martin has celebrated a Baccalaureate Mass for graduates in the diocese since his installation in 2024. He brought joy and enthusiasm to the event, speaking with students and their families before and after the Mass and posing for photographs. His homily focused on “stretching” and started with him asking students, parents and teachers how they had been asked to stretch themselves through over
the past four years. Bishop Martin spoke of the hard work both parents and teachers do and then reminded the students that their challenges are just beginning.
“If you think the stretch is over, you’re sadly mistaken,” he said. “If you bring something with you from this experience, know this. As real as your stretch has been, there’s
Bishop Martin urges Bishop McGuinness
LISA M. GERACI lmgeraci@rcdoc.org
KERNERSVILLE — Bishop Michael Martin made his first visit to Holy Cross Church in Kernersville to remind 114 Bishop McGuinness High School graduates to “remain in Him” during their Baccalaureate Mass May 22.
The church was standing-room only, with more than 600 parents, teachers, friends and graduates gathered for the occasion. “Leave your mark and remain in Him” was the bishop’s message to the Villains.
“As much as He wants you to go, He wants you to remain,” Bishop Martin told the seniors. “His challenge to you is to take it all out into the world without the security and structure this school presented for you and find a way to still remain in Him. Can you do that? Can you find that way?”
Principal Claire Willis believes the Class of 2025 is ready. “I hope they will save all their memories from high school and use those memories ‘to remain in Him’ through their adulthood. They will all certainly remember this,” she said.
Bishop Martin’s homily reflected the theme of John 15:9-11, “Abide in My Love.” He opened with a question: “Do you think that you have left more of a mark on Bishop
more to come, and you’d better be ready, you’d better be malleable.”
He reminded the students that even though their lives after high school will throw them both exciting challenges and many failures, they will always be able to pull through by relying on Christ.
“Are you willing to celebrate some of your failures, some of the ways in which Christ took your defeat, Christ took your sinfulness, Christ took some failure of yours and did not leave you in that tomb?” he asked. “I hope you’ve learned that over these last four years … in some small measure you’ve seen when I turn to the Lord in my weakness, in my brokenness, in humility, when I do that, His forgiveness is there, and I come to a new place. I am stretched.”
He encouraged the students to take the knowledge of Christ they’ve received through their years at Charlotte Catholic and be willing to share it with people they meet at college, in the military or in the work world. Without Christ’s love, he said, there is no real life.
“If you learned nothing else at Charlotte Catholic, I pray it is that
you realize that there is nothing that any of us on this earth can accomplish unless we are rooted in who the Father is and the love that He has for us,” he said. “You should take pride in each other. Know that your parents do incredibly. Know that your teachers do. And know that God does, too.”
The evening was special for Hans Lengers and his daughter, Meredith Lengers. Charlotte Catholic has played a big role in their family – Hans is an alumnus and now is preparing to watch Meredith receive her diploma.
Meredith plans to attend Clemson University in South Carolina, where she’ll major in biological sciences. “I’m looking forward to meeting new people and being in a new environment, attending the football games and all the other college events,” she said.
“I’m excited for all the opportunities she has in front of her,” Hans Lengers said. “I remember her birth. She was a preemie, and I remember how small she was, and now here we are 18 years later, and I’m watching her go out on her own.”
grads to leave their mark and remain in Him
McGuinness High School, or has it left more of a mark on you?”
While history might answer that, he hoped the impact was mutual.
“I hope that you have found some relationships in this 2025 class of people that you treasure, people that will be in your wedding, people that will serve one day as godparents of your children. The
question is, what are you going to do with that?”
He asked seniors to consider how their friendships, and the guidance from parents and teachers, would continue to shape them.
“I am going to encourage you to consider that there is something greater that you’re here for, something greater that this
“The future is not easy but messy. ‘Remaining in Him’ is a decision.”
Bishop Michael Martin
moment is set to impress upon,” he said.
That greater something is God, he said. Echoing the Gospel, he invited students to declare together, “Remain in Me,” as both a truth and a prayer.
“The future is not easy but messy. ‘Remaining in Him’ is a decision,” he said. “I feel confident that you can, but it doesn’t just happen. It’s something you have to choose, something you decide to do each and every day.”
He reminded them they wouldn’t do it alone. “It is not just remaining in Him – it is remaining in Him together,” he said. “It’s a shared experience, which is the epitome of what the Church is. There is something greater in the shared experience.”
Closing his homily, Bishop Martin praised their achievements. “Your accomplishments …
whatever they may be, are the imprint that you left. Every person in this church right now is incredibly proud of what you have done, and you should be proud of what you have done,” he said. “We can’t wait to see the gift you will bring to the rest of the world. … But always remain in Him.”
Seniors participated in the Liturgy of the Word and the offertory procession. Lindsay Truong led the Communion hymn. The Mass ended with a Bishop McGuinness tradition as each graduate gave their mother a red rose, honoring both mothers and the Blessed Mother.
After Mass, Bishop Martin stayed for fist bumps, handshakes, hugs and some fatherly advice.
“I thought it was awesome that he came for us, because we haven’t seen a bishop celebrate the Baccalaureate Mass since middle school,” said senior Miller Oha. “He makes everything really fun. His speeches are always really awesome.”
Principal Willis wasn’t surprised. “Whatever Bishop Martin says resonates so well with them, and we appreciate how he’s able to connect to them,” she said. “They’re going to be doing some amazing things in the future. Hopefully, Bishop McGuinness has been a good launching pad for them.”
TROY C. HULL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Bishop Michael Martin encouraged Charlotte Catholic High School graduates to take the knowledge of Christ that they have received through their years in the school and share that with the people they meet in college, in the military or in the work world.
LISA M. GERACI | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Bishop McGuinness High School graduates celebrate their academic careers with a Mass and their tradition of giving a red rose to each of their mothers in honor of Mary.
BACCALAUREATE CELEBRATIONS
Stay in ‘His lane,’ Bishop Martin tells Christ the King graduates
LISA M. GERACI lmgeraci@rcdoc.org
HUNTERSVILLE — Bishop Michael Martin shared his favorite response to the phrase “stay in your lane” with Christ the King’s graduating class during their Baccalaureate Mass on May 21 at St. Mark in Huntersville. His answer: “It was never ‘your lane.’ It’s His.”
“I pray for you that if CTK has taught you anything over these last four years, it taught you at least this one eternal truth. It’s not your lane. It’s Christ the King’s lane,” the bishop said. “It’s His lane. We’re just walkers in His lane on His journey.”
More than 500 parents, teachers and parishioners surrounded the 106 graduating Crusaders as Bishop Martin celebrated the Mass with concelebrants Father Aaron Huber, Father John Putnam and Father Chinonso NnebeAgumadu. His homily addressed the entire community: faculty, parents and graduates.
Bishop Martin joked that he loves parents – “having two of his own” – but added they often don’t stay in their lane, especially in the early years.
“When you were in elementary or middle school, they walked for you,” he said. “Now, they are not walking for you. They’re walking with you.”
He urged graduates to stay in God’s lane as they move forward.
“Get out of His lane at your own peril. If you don’t think that’s true, good luck, you have learned nothing from this four-year experience, and you have learned nothing from your parents,” he warned. “The first moment they held you in their arms (they realized) this wasn’t all about them, but there was something much, much deeper. That it was His world, and we are just walking in His lane.”
Quoting John 15:5 – “Without Me you can do nothing” – the bishop encouraged students to repeat that message each morning: “Without You, I can’t do anything in this world.”
Referring to the Gospel passage about the vine and branches, he motioned with his arms to show how life can twist unpredictably. “It goes this way and that way. You try to figure out the way, but He knows where it will take you,” he said. He reminded them that, like the branches, their path won’t always be smooth or beautiful. It can be messy – but they are never alone.
Canongate grads honored
“Christ the King Catholic High School is a better place because you walked these halls,” he said. “Now we need you to go out into the world to walk different halls, but not by yourself. Continue to unite with others through humility and grace to build God’s kingdom on Earth.”
Graduating senior Nicholas Ferlaino
ARDEN — Canongate High School’s Class of 2025 was honored May 31 at St. Barnabas Church.
are: (front
from
Allison
Clare
Millie
Juan Pablo Gonzalez and Avila Dellinger. The independent Catholic high school, an affiliate of the diocese’s Catholic schools system, serves families in the Asheville region. Canongate’s culture is one of immersion and hands-on learning experiences in an individualized educational setting. The classical curriculum focuses on four “educational pillars”: wonder, attention, freedom and joy. The school’s motto is “Ex umbris in veritatem” (“Out of the shadows into the truth”).
appreciated the message. “His homily was surprisingly applicable. He did a good job of relating it to people our age,” he said.
“The bishop captured everything we are trying to share with our students,” said theology teacher Justice Blankenbaker.
“These students are people of beautiful faith.”
The 2025 graduates of Christ the King High School are congratulated by staff and faculty members including English teacher Barbara Samanta May 23 as they prepare to graduate and step into the next chapter of their lives. The celebration honored the students’ academic achievements as well as the deep bonds formed between the students, their teachers and the school community.
CONGRATULATIONS, GRADUATES!
Graduates of the Class of 2025 at all four Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Charlotte recently attended Baccalaureate Masses to give thanks to God before their graduation ceremonies.
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY NICOLE SEELING AND ZACHARIAH BLANKENBAKER, CHRIST THE KING HIGH SCHOOL AND LISA M. GERACI
Pictured
row,
left)
Perez-Morales, Emeline Murrey, Adelaide Murrey and Filomena Lance; (second row, from left)
Kelsch,
Hernandez,
Hooah, Oorah and Hooyah! MACS celebrates graduates securing military appointments
LISA M. GERACI AND CHRISTINA L. KNAUSS catholicnews@rcdoc.org
CHARLOTTE — As Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools seniors wrap up their high-school experience with graduation parties and vacations, nine graduates are preparing for upcoming military appointments.
Christ the King has one Crusader attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, two gearing up for the Air Force Academy, and three getting ready for the Naval Academy. Charlotte Catholic will also send three Cougars to the Naval Academy.
“We are very proud of all of our appointees to the academies. It is very clear to us that their hard work, love of virtue, and high level of intelligence will serve them well in service to our country,” said Christ the King Guidance Counselor Todd Porter.
Gaining admission to one of the five federally instituted military academies goes beyond top-notch grades and high SAT scores – it takes physical endurance, leadership skills and a passion to serve one’s country. Having nine seniors and 12 appointments (some students received multiple appointments) emerge from MACS schools is a remarkable feat, school leaders say. That’s because the application process is rigorous: with a fitness assessment, a medical exam, an essay, congressional nomination, letters of recommendation and an interview. Each academy has 12,000 to 20,000 applicants, but only 1,200 freshman slots available each year.
“It’s quite exceptional” to have so many appointments among a graduating class of 106, Porter noted – and even more so, to have so many appointments from a single academy.
FLYING HIGH WITH THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY
Defying all the odds, CTK’s Andrew Bauders gained three appointments: to the Air Force Academy, U.S. Military
Academy and Naval Academy. This is an extraordinary recognition only a handful of seniors nationwide can claim.
Bauders ultimately chose the Air Force and credits his CTK education and faculty for his success, along with his time as an altar server at St. Mark Church and being an active member of the Student Government Association.
“Christ the King provided me with the foundation necessary to pursue opportunities. Attending a school with dedicated and engaged faculty has significantly advanced my education, allowing me to grow beyond what I initially thought possible,” Bauders said.
Luke Travers from CTK will join the ranks as an Air Force cadet, reporting to Colorado Springs, Colo., with Bauders.
“You will excel at the Air Force Academy because of your Catholic education from here,” said C.C. Bottner, retired Air Force major. “Not just because you’re used to wearing a uniform and already having the discipline and the ability to
prioritize. But, because you know about teamwork, and you have faith, and I encourage you to rely on that faith while at the academy.”
MARCHING TO WEST POINT
Ben Habel from CTK accepted a letter of assurance and plans on attending West Point Prep School, with a full academic scholarship. Habel committed to play on the lacrosse team, trading in his Crusader jersey for a Division I Black Knight one, and will start basic training after Reception Day, June 30.
Matt Reyes, West Point district field force liaison, presented Habel with a plaque for this honor and said CTK is gaining national attention.
“This school broke some kind of record for how many students were admitted to all the service academies,” said Reyes. “You, Crusaders, are really blazing trails. This sets us up for greatness moving forward, so just keep it up. I’m totally proud of you.”
Reyes also presented ROTC scholarships to CTK students Jake Travers and Kyle Corrigan, who will both begin the fall semester at the University of Tennessee.
SHIPPING OFF TO THE NAVAL ACADEMY
Xavia Berry-Candelario, Finley Costello and Romen Hyland (who also was accepted at West Point) from Charlotte Catholic High School will study at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Hyland is slated to continue his football career on the roster of the Navy Midshipmen.
They are part of a proud tradition of Charlotte Catholic grads heading on to the military academies.
“We are fortunate and blessed to have our young adults work so diligently to earn both a congressional nomination and an academy appointment,” said Sandy Needham, a MILITARY, SEE PAGE 13
LISA M. GERACI | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Andrew Bauders and Luke Travers from Christ the King are two of the seniors headed to military academies this fall.
Idea Lab at St. Ann School ‘digs into’ learning
CHARLOTTE — Students at St. Ann School recently dug into the past – literally.
The students in the school’s Idea Lab/Innovations program took part in an outdoor architectural dig on the St. Ann campus.
The dig was part of the school’s unique approach to provide learning geared for students who demonstrate advanced academic achievement, visual-spatial strengths, or are considered “twice exceptional” – that is, gifted but also face challenges such as learning differences, ADHD or anxiety.
Idea Lab/Innovations, developed by St. Ann’s gifted education specialist Darlene Konopasek, offers an enriching learning environment that nurtures both intellect and imagination.
The program begins in fourth grade and operates on a two-year cycle. Each year, students delve into a thematic unit that encourages interdisciplinary thinking and deep exploration. One year focuses on architecture, while the following shifts to the ancient wonders of archaeology.
This year’s archaeology unit guided students through the study of renowned excavation sites and religious artifacts, including the Shroud of Turin. The program culminated in a hands-on, collaborative project where students designed their own fictional cultures and created artifacts to reflect their beliefs and customs.
These items were then buried for another grade to uncover, simulating an authentic archaeological dig.
Students gathered outside in the warm spring air May 21 and 22 to uncover their designated artifacts. Smiles and a sense of fun were part of both days.
The students had their own reactions to the work. Their favorite parts of the project were “learning from real life experience and not textbooks,” “creating the culture” and “making the artifacts because you get to be creative and travel to a whole different time.” One of the students noted that their culture took place inside a volcano filled with crystals.
The hardest part of the project? Navigating all the rocks while digging.
“This class gives them a place to be themselves,” Konopasek said. “It’s about more than academics. It’s about confidence, collaboration and creative problem-solving. It’s incredible to see the creativity and teamwork that comes out of this. They take ownership of their learning.”
— Darlene Konopasek and Christina Lee Knauss
counselor at Charlotte Catholic and faculty advisor of the Academy Club. “Charlotte Catholic has averaged three graduates per year attending one of the five U.S. Service Academies for more than 20 years.”
CTK also has three appointees starting at the Naval Academy on Induction Day.
Malerie Lague, a golfer since the age of 8, is the NCHSAA state champion and the Colonial States Athletic Conference Golfer of the Year. She will continue playing Division I golf for the Naval Academy.
Patrick Walsh, an all-star baseball player who won the CSAC player of the year in 2024 – leading the conference in home runs, doubles and extra-base hits – also committed to continuing his baseball career in the Navy.
Kellen Azzopardi will major in biomedical engineering at the Naval Academy.
Porter is currently verifying whether four naval appointments, including Bauders’ appointment, is a national record.
“I have reached out to the Naval Academy via phone. All the contacts I spoke with stated they have not encountered this situation before,” said Porter.
“While I was interviewing these candidates, two words came to mind: ‘servant leaders.’ Each student possessed an apparent selfless desire to serve our nation,” said Melissa McCaslin, Blue and Gold officer for the U.S. Naval Academy. “I can undoubtedly say with full confidence that our nation will be in excellent hands with these individuals.”
Military appointments are equivalent to full-ride scholarships. Graduates will obtain a bachelor’s degree and become commissioned officers, after which they will serve a minimum of five years.
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY SIOBHAN LORRAINE PHOTOGRAPHY
Students in St. Ann School’s Idea Lab/Innovations program got to dig into the past as part of a two-year program that recently culminated in a simulated architectural dig on their campus.
protected? ”
George Pitman Fund awards scholarships to 17 Catholic students
CHARLOTTE — Seventeen college students who are Catholic parishioners in North Carolina have been awarded a total of $51,000 in scholarships from the George Pitman Endowment Fund.
Created with an estate gift of $1.2 million by the late George Warren Pitman, a businessman and philanthropist, the
His Excellency
Michael T. Martin, OFM Conv. Bishop of Charlotte
requests the honor of your presence at the
Liturgy of Ordination to the Holy Priesthood
scholarships are available to applicants who live in Mecklenburg County or Dunn.
Pitman was a renowned designer and ran his firm, George Pitman Inc., from his home for more than 30 years until his death in 2007 at age 79. Pitman was a graduate of Mount St. Mary’s College in Maryland and Bright’s School of Design in Chicago.
Through the George Warren Pitman Scholarship Fund, college-bound Catholics can apply for renewable awards of up to $3,000, depending on the type of college (twoyear, four-year or vocational) they attend.
Please pray for the following priests who died during the month of June:
Rev. Msgr. Richard Allen 2005
Rev. Sebastian Doris, OSB 1990
Rev. Kurt M. Fohn 2022
Rev. Guy E. Morse 2000
Rev. Msgr. Roueche 2000
Rev. Gabriel Stupasky, OSB 1974
Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus www.kofcnc.org
Of the 17, six are first-time recipients. Two will attend UNC-Chapel Hill, while others will attend N.C. State University, Hillsdale College, Auburn University and American University.
Of the 11 students who received renewal scholarships, six attend UNC-Chapel Hill, and the others are students at the University of South Carolina, University of Tennessee, Denison University, Clemson University and The Catholic University of America.
“Mr. Pitman’s transformative gift continues to benefit Catholic students to attend a college or university of their choice,” said Jim Kelley, diocesan director of development.
“More and more people across the diocese are remembering the Church in their estate plans – gifts from thousands to millions – and we are thankful for their generosity.”
The Pitman Scholarship has given out
Rev. Mr. Christopher William Angermeyer
Rev. Mr. Anthony del Cid Lucero
Rev. Mr. Nicholas James Kramer
Rev. Mr. Kolbe Raymond Murrey
Rev. Mr. Andrew Jeffery Templeton
Saturday, the 14th day of June
Two thousand twenty-five at nine o’clock in the morning Saint Mark Catholic Church 14740
Rev. Mr. Joseph Gerard Yellico of Light reception immediately following Monsignor Joseph A. Kerin Family Center
St. Matthew’s Parishioner
Acosta, Fatima
Aguilar Rodriguez, Maximiliano Aho, Miller Bryce Anderson, Mary Alice Argenta, Conner Joseph Arnold, Sienna Rose
Aufrance, Anna Elizabeth Bandle, Clare Addison Barber, Abigail Louisa Beck, Elizabeth Dawn Bennett, Edward William Bigwood, Raphaela Rae Bowen, Mackenzie Ann Brown, Jack Edward Byrd, Douglass Rhea Carpino, Kendall Mackenzie Cetrone, Matthew Blaise Chase, James Henry Chom, Mahol Arop Connor, Hayden Grey Crowell, Lily Mackenzie Cupani, Alexandra Carmella DeBruhl, John Thomas Dennen, Kathleen Sarah Dixon-Velez, Alyssa Gabrielle Drabik, Miles Gregory Duggan, Patrick Nicholas Eddington, Owen Nathaniel Evans, Jacquelyn Makenzie Feeney, Keira Jean
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Fielden, Samuel Cody
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Ruelas Reyes, Samantha Saucedo, Samuel Edward Saunders, Ryan Wayne Schnaith-Ivan, Sofia Maria Sherrill, Samuel Gray Skoteiniadis, Evagelia Stone, Kaitlyn Scholl Stone, Olivia Isabella Strafaci, Giovanni Basil Sturgill, Tyler Robert Suire, Ella Frances Thoma, Gabriel Christian Thomas, Joshua John Thompson, Helen Elizabeth To, Ashley Han Truong, Lindsay Usrey, Isabella Grace Valencia Ramos, Joseph Valle-DeSimone, Gia Franchesca Villamizar, Juan Diego Vlachos, Lenia Ilias Vu, Thu Ngoc Anh Waterfield, Alexander Michael Waterman, Marian Forrest Watson, Georgia Ann Whalen, Dylan Thomas Wiedwald, Chase Hunter Wilde, Gabriel Lewis Workman, Karstin Brooke
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Charlotte Catholic High School Class of 2025
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Miles Ziemer
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Jake Vap
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Gio Delissio
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Mason Meads
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Aiden Brantley
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Lindsay Bello
Hunter Chromy
Taylor Delo
Sara DiVittorio
Kayla Farley
Brooke Gaertig
Sabrina Hankins
Alex Heiser
Harrison Lawrence
Caroline Matthews
Matt McKnight
Cooper Streiff
Josh Tillman
Anna Wall
Vivian Ware
Iris Whitlow
University of North Carolina
at Charlotte
Leonardo De Guzman
Caroline Fanning
Sam Fox
Isabel Guarisma
Kyliee Kelsey
John Mangieri
Samantha Martinez-Perez
Isabela Medina Haro
Andrew Newell
Preston Potter
Leonard Ramirez
Santiago Segura-Monachesi
Kenny Tran
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Lillie Saverin
North Carolina State University
Jehovani Boyou Mangongo
Eloise Brennan
Jules Cox
Nadine Cutinho
Lyla Elaasar
Charlie Giroux
Ian Gonzago
Gabriel Javillonar
Thomas Mees
Isabella Poole
Finley Powell
William Smarz
Martha Tucker
Mary Yerkes
University of North Carolina
at Wilmington
Isabel Apolinario
Mike Bateman
Katelyn Benson
Caitlin Croswell
Karen Dietrich
Cate Kellgren
Neve Kerrigan
Lilly Kollstedt
William Kollstedt
Parker Maguire
Angelina Marrero
Caroline Michaels
Corinne Monteith
Diana Moreno
Alivia Noonan
Matthew Purpura
Emerson Ryan
Kailey Winters
Northwestern University
Grace Derrico
University of Notre Dame
Natalie Idzerda
Jonathan Tyson
Oglethorpe University
Henry Cox
The Ohio State University
Addison Dolan
Avery Dolan
Anthony Magalhaes
Oklahoma University
Isabella Tarantelli
Penn State University
Billy Bambrick
Justin Tavares
PennWest Clarion
Jon Fijalkowski
Presbyterian College
Nicole Paz
Providence College
Cannon Ridinger
Caroline Tivnan
Purdue University
Nathan Waldron
Queens University of Charlotte
Sofia Fusco
Luciano Salas
Randolph-Macon College
Luke Colwell
University of Rhode Island
Emma Cosgrove
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Rodríguez Báez Saint Mary’s College
Keese
Salisbury University
Leonard San Diego State University
Patcha
University of South Carolina
Bergren
Brady
Campbell Joseph Duggan Emanuele Durazzo
Annabel Duross
The Senior Class of 2025 has earned a total of $17,242,184 in scholarships.
Patrick Haley Porter Heywood
Alex Hill
Ben Huecker
Meara O’Farrell
Sarah Grace Pearson Zach Sweeney
University of South Florida Montsi McGee
The Space Cobi Tucker
University of Tennessee
Conor Christian
Sophie Dahle
Riggs Daniel Paige Gonci
William Haskell
Sullivan Howes
Vincent Keller
Danny Kelly
Alexandra Sarrantonio
Ian Schroeder
Matthew Stokes
Texas Christian University
Keane LoCascio
Kinsey Simpson
Trade Apprenticeship Davis Biggs
Trident Technical College Chase Davies
Tufts University Jordyn Miller
Tulane University Ellie Partridge
United States Coast Guard Andrew Albritton
United States Naval Academy
Xavia Berry-Candelario Finley Costello Roman Hyland
Vanderbilt University Will Hartman
University of Virginia Madison Morrison
Virginia Tech
Thomas Bambrick
Maddy Baumgratz
Alyson Duffy
Matteo Ferruzzi
Thomas Glowish
John Reiley Gregory Matthew Griffin
Lizzie Harlick Erin Mall
Delaney Quinlan
Morgan Richards
Rocio Vega-Saenz
Wake Forest University
Dulce Flores
Hugh O’Brien
Benjamin Shea
Washington and Lee University
Annabelle Grogan
Thomas Wakefield
Western Carolina University
Gabrielle Daly
Jack Parks
Wingate University
Mikah LeGrande
Wofford College Audrey Pardue
We congratulate these seniors, as well as the entire senior class, for their many outstanding accomplishments.
CHRIST THE KING CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
Congratulations to the Class of 2025
As you embark on your next journey, continue to “Believe Sincerely, Think Critically, and Serve Others in the Name of Christ the King.”
Anderson University
Appalachian State University
Belmont Abbey College
Bryan College
Catholic University of America
Central Piedmont Comm. College
University of Cincinnati
The Citadel
Clemson University
Coastal Carolina University
College of Charleston
Emory & Henry University
Florida State University
Franciscan University
Furman University
University of Georgia
High Point University
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James Madison University
LaSalle University
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Miami University
Middlebury College
University of Mississippi
Newberry College
UNC Chapel Hill
UNC Charlotte
UNC Greensboro
UNC Wilmington
North Carolina State University
Queens University of Charlotte
Savannah College of Art and Design
Select Generation Academy
Siena College
University of South Carolina
Spelman College
Taccoa Falls College
University of Tampa
University of Tennessee
U.S. Air Force Academy
U. S. Naval Academy
U. S. Military Academy at West Point
Washington College
Western Carolina University
Wingate University
Wofford College
Xavier University
Edith Greer
Christian LaPorta
Phoebe Higgins
Habel
Natalie Millar
James Zimmerman Givonne Wright
Gavin Clapp Katelynn Dulski
Oliviero Sastoque
Carlos Coello
Padre Julio Domínguez
Junio, el corazón del año, el corazón
de Jesús
El Padre Domínguez es nombrado párroco de la parroquia de Newton
La diócesis actúa para atender a la creciente comunidad hispana
PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE plguilfoyle@rcdoc.org
Que hermoso es el mes de junio y que maravilloso poder integrarlo de una manera muy positiva en la vida parroquial.
De mis tesoros de los recuerdos puedo decirles que el mes de Junio era algo maravilloso en la parroquia a la cual asistía de niño. Primera cosa que nuestro párroco hacia era invitar a todos los de la confirmación a estar presentes y llevar un distintivo rojo. Todos los demás niños se les daba un listón rojo. Una imagen impresionante del Sagrado Corazón se ponía en medio de la Iglesia y se empezaba el rosario.
Ahora las niñas estaban en la parte de atrás y todos los varones en las bancas de enfrente, era algo tan natural para nosotros pues ya sabíamos que era el mes del Sagrado Corazón. En cada misterio los niños llevaban flores y en el último misterio todos llevábamos nuestro listón rojo que se nos había dado al inicio.
Como recuerdo las prisas que teníamos por llegar temprano a la parroquia, pues si llegabas tarde ya no te daban el listón y no tenías nada que ofrecer. En este mes, al final de cada rosario, el sacerdote aprovechaba para hablarnos de la vocación a la vida sacerdotal y consagrada. Pedíamos por los sacerdotes de nuestra diócesis y sobre todo por los que iban a ser ordenados ese año. Al final, el sacerdote llamaba a todos los jóvenes de la confirmación y les daba una bendición especial pues a finales de junio siempre teníamos las confirmaciones parroquiales.
Como me gustaría ver estas tradiciones en nuestras parroquias y volver a recuperar el sentido de la piedad popular. Yo pienso que estos momentos de piedad marcan nuestras vidas y si funcionan en gran escala pues tan solo de mi parroquia el año que yo me fui al seminario, salimos 8 jóvenes al sacerdocio y 4 señoritas a la vida religiosa.
La gran tentación es pensar que estas tradiciones ya se hicieron viejas, pero la gran pregunta que yo me hago continuamente es: con que las hemos reemplazado y la respuesta es que no estamos haciendo mucho por motivar a nuestros niños y jóvenes a proponerse las vocaciones a las que Dios podría llamarlos en sus vidas.
CHARLOTTE — Después de cinco años sirviendo como Vicario Episcopal del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte, el Padre Julio Domínguez regresará a la vida parroquial. El Padre Domínguez ha dirigido la Oficina del Ministerio Hispano de la diócesis desde 2020 y fue reelegido en 2024. Durante su mandato, el ministerio ha crecido significativamente, sirviendo a una población católica que ahora es más del 50 % hispana de los 565,000 católicos de la diócesis.
A partir del 8 de julio, el Padre Domínguez será el párroco de la Parroquia de San José en Newton, sucediendo al Padre James Collins, quien se retira.
El nuevo nombramiento del Padre Domínguez, anunciado el 30 de mayo por el Obispo Michael Martin, refleja el compromiso continuo de la diócesis de ofrecer más sacerdotes que hablen español en parroquias con comunidades católicas hispanas en crecimiento.
A través de sus visitas pastorales durante los últimos dos años, el Padre Domínguez ha sido testigo directo del crecimiento de la comunidad católica hispana. Ha conversado con miles de católicos hispanos en toda la diócesis, participando en diálogos y encuestas con el fin de fortalecer su papel en la Iglesia y capacitarlos para evangelizar en sus comunidades.
“Estas visitas pastorales me
confirmaron que nuestra comunidad hispana es fiel y desea acercarse más al Señor”, dijo el Padre Domínguez. “Ha sido una bendición caminar con ellos y escuchar sus esperanzas y preocupaciones”.
Nacido en Tamaulipas, México, el Padre Domínguez sintió el llamado al sacerdocio desde joven. Desde su ordenación para la Diócesis de Charlotte en 2003, ha servido
8–14 DE JUNIO
Domingo (Domingo de Pentecostés): Hch 2,1-11, Sal 103,1.24.29-30.31.34, 1 Cor 12,3b7.12-13 o Rom 8,8-17, Jn 20,19-23 o Jn 14,1516.23b-26; Lunes (Santa María Virgen, Madre de la Iglesia): Gn 3,9-15.20 o Hch 1,1214, Sal 86,1-2.3 y 5.6-7, Jn 19,25-34; Martes: 2 Cor 1,18-22, Sal 118,129.130.131.132.133.135, Mt 5,13-16; Miércoles (San Bernabé, apóstol): Hch 11,21b-26, 13,1-3, Sal 97,1.2-3ab.3cd-4.5-6, Mt 5,17-19; Jueves: 2 Cor 3,15–4,1.3-6, Sal 84,9ab y 10.11-12.1314, Mt 5,20-26; Viernes (San Antonio de Padua, presbítero y doctor de la Iglesia): 2 Cor 4,7-15, Sal 115,10-11.15-16.17-18, Mt 5,2732; Sábado: 2 Cor 5,14-21, Sal 102,1-2.3-4.910.11-12, Mt 5,33-37
15–21 DE JUNIO
Domingo (Solemnidad de la Santísima Trinidad): Prov 8,22-31, Sal 8,4-5.6-7.8-9, Rom 5,1-5, Jn 16,12-15; Lunes: 2 Cor 6,1-10, Sal 97,1.2b.3ab.3cd-4, Mt 5,38-42; Martes: 2 Cor 8,1-9, Sal 145,2.5-6ab.6c-7.8-9a, Mt 5,43-48; Miércoles: 2 Cor 9,6-11, Sal 111,1bc2.3-4.9, Mt 6,1-6.16-18; Jueves: 2 Cor 11,1-11, Sal 110,1b-2.3-4.7-8, Mt 6,7-15; Viernes: 2 Cor 11,18.21-30, Sal 33,2-3.4-5.6-7, Mt 6,19-23; Sábado (San Luis Gonzaga, religioso): 2 Cor 12,1-10, Sal 33,8-9.10-11.12-13, Mt 6,24-34
en parroquias en Salisbury, Hickory y Lenoir. También ha sido miembro del Consejo Presbiteral, ha trabajado en el equipo diocesano de vocaciones y ha supervisado la programación en español del Congreso Eucarístico anual.
En un mensaje especial el 30 de mayo, el Padre Domínguez agradeció al personal del Ministerio Hispano y a los líderes parroquiales. “Puedo decirles que hicieron de mi vida una aventura y aprendí muchas cosas de todos ustedes, especialmente su ferviente servicio”, expresó.
Aunque está agradecido por la experiencia de haber dirigido el programa del Ministerio Hispano, dijo que espera con alegría volver al trabajo parroquial.
“Servir en una parroquia hace que mi corazón se llene de alegría, ya que todo sacerdote se siente llamado a ello por la naturaleza de su ordenación”, comentó. Establecido a fines de la década de 1980, el Ministerio Hispano de la diócesis es notable entre las diócesis de Estados Unidos por colocar coordinadores de tiempo completo en cada uno de sus 10 vicariatos o regiones. El ministerio colabora con otras oficinas diocesanas para integrar plenamente a los católicos hispanos en la vida y misión de la Iglesia. Ofrece formación de líderes laicos, preparación sacramental y formación en la fe para jóvenes y adultos, y apoya a una amplia variedad de grupos apostólicos como la Legión de María, el Cursillo y los Apóstoles de la Palabra. El Padre Domínguez dijo estar confiado en que el trabajo del Ministerio Hispano seguirá creciendo. “El Obispo Martin reconoce cuán importante es el Ministerio Hispano en nuestra diócesis y me ha asegurado que está comprometido a ayudarnos a brindar aún más apoyo pastoral a parroquias y sacerdotes”.
22–28 DE JUNIO
Domingo (Solemnidad del Santísimo Cuerpo y Sangre de Cristo): Gn 14,18-20, Sal 109,1.2.3.4, 1 Cor 11,23-26, Lc 9,11b-17; Lunes: Gn 12,1-9, Sal 32,12-13.18-19.20 y 22, Mt 7,1-5; Martes (Solemnidad del Nacimiento de San Juan Bautista): Is 49,1-6, Sal 138,1b-3.13-14ab.14c-15, Hch 13,22-26, Lc 1,57-66.80; Miércoles: Gn 15,112.17-18, Sal 104,1-2.3-4.6-7.8-9, Mt 7,15-20; Jueves: Gn 16,1-12.15-16 o Gn 16,6b-12.15-16, Sal 105,1b-2.3-4a.4b-5, Mt 7,21-29; Viernes (Solemnidad del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús): Ez 34,11-16, Sal 22,1-3a.3b-4.5.6, Rom 5,5b-11, Lc 15,3-7; Sábado: Gn 18,1-15, Lc 1,46-47.48-49.50 y 53.54-55, Mt 8,5-17
Lecturas Diarias
EL PADRE
JULIO DOMÍNGUEZ es Vicario Episcopal del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte.
Domínguez
FILE | CATHOLIC NEW HERALD
El padre Julio Domínguez se convertirá en párroco de la parroquia de San José en Newton después como vicario episcopal del Ministerio Hispano.
Talitha Koum
Our nation
in nature to the Industrial Revolution, which changed culture and the nature of work, and the view of a human person,” said Aaron Dominguez, CUA provost and professor of physics. “Maybe not everybody realizes it, but it has happened. And it means we’re probably not going back.”
‘Change of era’ prompts degrees in artificial intelligence
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a strategic response to the rapid, even dizzying, developments in artificial intelligence, the Catholic University of America in Washington has launched two new degrees in artificial intelligence: a bachelor of science and a master of science in artificial intelligence. Both will debut this fall. Specialized tracks will include AI in health care, robotics, ethical AI design and large language models.
“We are in this change of era – and I think Pope Leo recognizes this, too – that is similar
Different types of AI, he observed, should also be envisioned – and they “should not be morally neutral, nor should they isolate their users.”
Society in general, and Catholic social teaching in particular, has provided a framework for medical and bioethical issues, said Dominguez, and can do the same for AI.
Dolan warns that New York
lawmakers ‘may conclude that some lives aren’t worth living’
NEW YORK — Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York urged Empire State lawmakers to reject legislation that would legalize physicianassisted suicide.
The New York Assembly April 29 passed a bill that would allow a terminally ill adult with a prognosis of six months or less to request from a physician medication that would hasten death.
In a May 29 Wall Street Journal commentary, Cardinal Dolan praised state officials for other efforts to prevent suicide and argued that this bill is contradictory to those efforts.
“Which is why I am more than puzzled, I am stunned, when I read that New York lawmakers are on the verge of legalizing suicide – not by leaping from a bridge but via a poison cocktail easily provided by physicians and pharmacists,” Cardinal Dolan wrote.
“Our government will marshal all its resources to save the life of one hopeless and despondent man. Yet it may conclude that some lives aren’t worth living – perhaps due to a serious illness or disability – and we will hand those despondent women and men a proverbial loaded gun.”
He recalled being in rush hour trying to cross the George Washington Bridge when a man was “threatening to jump.” Traffic stopped and horns blared, he said, but after word spread about the man, “everyone’s mood changed in an instant” and they prayed his life would be saved by rescue workers.
Catholic universities look to support foreign students
NEW YORK — Amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on foreign student
visas, several Catholic universities contacted by OSV News said they are actively seeking to support affected students.
“Our international students, scholars and their families are important and vital members of our campus community, and we will continue working to ensure that they are welcomed and supported at Notre Dame,” the university told OSV News in an emailed statement May 29.
Fordham University, which counts more than 1,800 international students among its total student body of 17,000, has created a dedicated webpage with extensive information for those impacted by the administration’s new policies on immigration, research, financial aid and other concerns.
The school encouraged international students, faculty and staff to carry their passport, visa stamp, nonimmigrant status certificates “and any other relevant documents with them,” while advising them to direct any law enforcement inquiries to its public safety department.
Santa Clara University said May 30 it is “highly concerned and troubled” that the administration is creating uncertainty for its international students and admissions process. The school said it “continues to support newly admitted and current international students during this process.”
Pastor: Embers of fire have burned out but not ‘embers of faith’
MARIA STEIN, Ohio — The Catholic community of Maria Stein is mourning the loss
of a historic spiritual home after fire destroyed St. John the Baptist Church on May 29.
The late 19th-century Romanesque Revivalstyle church, dedicated in 1891, saw its roof and steeple collapse as nearly 20 fire departments battled the blaze. No injuries were reported. The cause remains under investigation.
At a May 30 Mass at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church in nearby Chicksaw, Father Ken Schnipke told parishioners, “The embers have now burned out – but not the embers of faith.”
St. John, Most Precious Blood and three other parishes form the Marion Catholic Community, part of the Christ Our Light family of parishes. Despite the heartbreaking destruction, Father Schnipke, a Missionary of the Precious Blood and pastor of Christ Our Light, expressed hope, noting early efforts to recover items and begin planning for the future. “I’ve been seeing many signs of hope,” he said.
The principal celebrant of the Mass was Archbishop Robert G. Casey of Cincinnati, who was present to offer comfort and solidarity to the grieving faithful.
Supreme Court rejects appeal over mine’s threat to sacred site
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court on May 27 rejected an appeal from a coalition of Western Apache people, along with other Native American and non-Indigenous supporters, that sought to protect their sacred site at Oak Flat, Arizona, from destruction by a copper mining giant.
The high court left in place lower court decisions that will permit the transfer of Oak Flat in Tonto National Forest to Resolution Copper, a foreign-owned mining company.
An environmental impact report for the project mandated by the National Environmental Protection Act estimated that mining the site would result in a crater nearly 2 miles in diameter and about 800 to 1,000 feet deep. In a dissent, Justice Neil Gorsuch, joined by Justice Clarence Thomas, argued the court made “a grave mistake” in declining the case. Luke Goodrich, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, a religious liberty law firm representing the coalition known as Apache Stronghold, called the court’s decision “a tragic departure from its strong record of defending religious freedom.” He said, “It is hard to imagine a more brazen attack on faith than blasting the birthplace of Apache religion into a gaping crater.” The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Knights of Columbus and Notre Dame Law School’s religious liberty clinic were among the groups that filed briefs in support of Apache Stronghold.
— Catholic News Service and OSV News
Reach out to families; let them know God loves them, pope says
VATICAN CITY — The Catholic Church, its ministers and its members must find new ways to reach out to and welcome families who are distant from the Church and have no understanding of how much God loves them, Pope Leo XIV said.
Writing to 40 theologians and pastoral ministers participating in a seminar on evangelizing with families, the pope said the first goal of outreach is to help people longing for love and meaning to find that in Jesus.
“How often, even in the not too distant past, have we forgotten this truth and presented Christian life mostly as a set of rules to be kept, replacing the marvelous experience of encountering Jesus – God who gives Himself to us – with a moralistic, burdensome and unappealing religion that, in some ways, is impossible to live in concrete daily life,” the pope wrote in a June 2 message.
The Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life gathered the experts at its Vatican office June 2-3 to reflect on the theme “Evangelizing with the Families of Today and Tomorrow: Ecclesiological and Pastoral Challenges.” The seminar followed the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly.
Pope, Romanian bishops, officials pay tribute to martyred bishop
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV, along with representatives of the Romanian Church and the country’s Jewish community, paid tribute to Blessed Iuliu Hossu, the Romanian Greek Catholic bishop of Cluj-Gherla, martyred in 1944, during an evening ceremony June 2 in the Sistine Chapel.
The bishop was arrested, imprisoned and denied his freedom for decades because he refused to join the Orthodox Church after the Greek Catholic Church was outlawed by the communist government. But the ceremony in the Sistine Chapel also honored the bishop
for what Pope Leo described as “his courage and heroism before the communist takeover of Romania,” when he stood up for and saved thousands of Jews in Northern Transylvania between 1940 and 1944 as “the Nazis were carrying out their heinous plan of deporting them to extermination camps.”
Polish nuns beatified for heroic witness amid wartime horror
BRANIEWO, Poland — In a powerful ceremony on May 31 in Braniewo, the Church beatified 15 nuns from the Congregation of St. Catherine of Alexandria who were martyred in 1945 during the brutal final months of World War II.
The sisters chose to stay behind to care for the sick and vulnerable as Soviet troops advanced, ultimately dying at the hands of soldiers while defending their faith, purity and dignity.
In remarks after the Regina Caeli prayer on June 1, Pope Leo XIV said, “Despite a climate of hatred and of terror against the Catholic faith,” the sisters “persevered in their service to the sick and orphans.” Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, presiding as the pope’s envoy, called their martyrdom a “supreme testimony of faith” and a challenge to today’s culture of hatred and division. He emphasized their legacy of forgiveness and courage – not revenge.
“We seek to receive what is most precious from them: forgiveness, mercy and love for every human being,” the cardinal said. Their beatification comes as the world reflects on the 80th anniversary of the war’s end. Church leaders say the sisters’ sacrifice carries a message of hope, resilience and mercy in the face of violence. As one nun put it: “They trusted God to the end. They all forgave.”
Take care of body, mind, heart and spirit, pope tells cyclists
VATICAN CITY — In a tribute to Pope Francis and his message of hope for the Jubilee Year, elite cyclists rode through Vatican City and its gardens before starting the last stage of the Giro d’Italia in Rome.
The 159 cyclists from 29 countries whooshed past Swiss Guards and Vatican police at the gates to the tiny Vatican City State and made a short pit stop in the sunny square dedicated to the Roman Protomartyrs next to the sacristy of St. Peter’s Basilica June 1.
Pope Leo XIV greeted the special guests and told them, “Know that you are role models for young people all over the world,” especially as the Giro d’Italia is loved by many people, and not just in Italy. “Cycling is so important – as is sport in general,” said the pope, who is a fan of American baseball and was an amateur tennis player.
“I hope that as you have learned to take care of the body, may your spirit also always be blessed,” he said, encouraging them to always “be attentive to the whole human being: body, mind, heart and spirit.”
“Congratulations to all of you, and may you know that you are always welcome here in the Vatican, you are always welcomed by the Church, which represents God’s love for all people,” he said, conferring his blessings.
Pope asks priests to be signs of reconciliation in Church and world
VATICAN CITY — In a Church and a world divided and fractured, priests are called to be witnesses of God’s love and forgiveness, which reconciles people and makes them one community, Pope Leo XIV told new priests.
Leading Christian communities not as “lords” but as stewards, “we will rebuild the credibility of a wounded Church sent to a wounded humanity within a wounded creation,” he told the 11 men he was about to ordain to the priesthood May 31.
“It is not important to be perfect, but it is necessary to be credible,” the pope said in his homily at the Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The 11 men had been scheduled to be ordained May 10 by Pope Francis, but the ordination was
pushed back when the pope died April 21. Seven of the new priests studied at the Rome diocesan seminary, while four of them attended the Rome Redemptoris Mater Seminary.
Nawrocki wins Polish election with Catholic values platform
In a tightly contested runoff election, nationalist candidate Karol Nawrocki won Poland’s presidency with 50.89% of the vote, narrowly defeating Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski’s 49.11%, according to results announced June 2
Nawrocki, a 42-year-old historian and former amateur boxer, ran on a platform emphasizing traditional Catholic values and cultural and political conservatism. He has vowed to maintain close ties between the Polish government and the Catholic Church, saying he views faith as a cornerstone of national culture.
During the campaign, Nawrocki made headlines by shredding a copy of “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” signaling his opposition to progressive policies. He has pledged to veto any legislation liberalizing Poland’s abortion laws or introducing same-sex civil unions, citing the Church’s teachings on sexual ethics and the need to protect family structures.
Digitization of Vatican Library archives gets underway
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican Library is the custodian of a major part of humanity’s literary heritage, including more than 80,000 ancient manuscripts and 2 million books.
The library is in the process of digitizing and publishing its manuscripts online, a project that started in 2012. So far, 30,000 manuscripts have been published online.
The effort is a collaboration between the Vatican Library and the Colnaghi Foundation, a gallery founded in 1760.
A five-year agreement provides for the reorganization of the archives’ storage facilities, which will improve preservation of documents spanning the 10th to the 20th century. The collection includes documents of exceptional historical value.
— OSV News and Catholic News Service
PENTECOST
Father Benjamin A. Roberts
From comfort to calling: The Spirit sends us out
About five months ago, we were gathered together at Bethlehem. We were there on the night that the Lord Jesus was born. We saw the manger. We saw the shepherds. We heard the angels and we saw Our Lady and St. Joseph, and we beheld the face of the invisible God in the face of a baby.
Fifty days ago, we were gathered at the empty tomb. We were there on the morning of the glorious resurrection. We saw the stone that was rolled away. We saw the burial cloths. We heard the announcement of the angels and the message of Mary Magdalene. We heard the voice of Jesus, and we recognized Him in a gardener who knew our name.
A little more than a week ago, we were gathered on the mountain. We were gathered as the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven and took His place at the right hand of the Father. We received His blessing. We heard the voices of the angels. We were filled with joy because the Lord promised to remain with us always. And we were told to await the gift of the Holy Spirit. Today, gathered in the Upper Room, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and we are sent out. We are sent out to all of the world, or some small part of it. We are sent out with the power from on high that appeared in tongues of fire over the heads of the apostles. We are sent out with the message of forgiveness and mercy and life and holiness. We are sent out from the Upper Room.
But honestly, dear brothers and sisters, I was comfortable at Bethlehem. I was comfortable at the empty tomb. I was even comfortable on the mountain of the Ascension. At Bethlehem, at the empty tomb and on the mountain of the Ascension, we were accepted and we were loved. We were gathered together in the presence of the Lord. We were embraced by the love of God that comes before us. We were embraced by the love of God that surrounds us. We are embraced by the love of God that is promised to us. At Bethlehem, at the empty tomb, and on the mountain of the Ascension, we were accepted and we were loved. I was comfortable there, and maybe you are, too.
But the Spirit sends us out.
The Spirit sends us out from the Upper Room. The Spirit sends us out to the world, but in the world we meet rejection. The Spirit sends us out, and we meet persecution, division and indifference. The Spirit sends us out, and we meet hatred and jealousy and hostility. I was comfortable in the Upper Room, and maybe you were, too.
But the Spirit sends us out. The Spirit sends us out with the power from on high. The Spirit sends us out with the joy of the Gospel. The Spirit sends us out equipped for every good work to build up the Kingdom. The Spirit sends us out to the places He has already prepared.
For the Spirit is already present and working where the Spirit is sending us. And there, already, the Spirit embraces us. The Spirit empowers us. The Spirit sends us forth, and by the fire of His love, He burns away the fear in our hearts.
And now the Spirit draws us to the table of the Savior. Here, the Lord Jesus will consecrate bread and wine, and He will consecrate us anew to share His life, His love, His promise and His salvation. And the Spirit will lead us forth from here with power from on high, with the joy of the Gospel, and with lives consecrated to His service.
Do not be afraid to be sent by the Spirit. Amen.
FATHER
The Holy Spirit has the power to transform
Pentecost is one of my favorite celebrations in the Church because it is a scene of such great triumph and transformation, which continues to this very day.
Just over a decade ago, I was baptized and confirmed, receiving the Holy Spirit as I was brought into communion with the Catholic Church. I believe strongly in the power of what happened that day and the real effect it has had on my soul.
Though it was at the Easter Vigil that I was baptized and received into the Church, Pentecost has always felt more appropriate for reflecting on the great gift that we are given in the Holy Spirit. Before a deep conversion of faith, we can feel very much like the apostles as they huddled in the Upper Room, unsure what to make of things they had witnessed and what the future might hold. We might say, “Jesus lived so long ago, but He’s not here now and we don’t know when He’ll return. How can we follow someone who isn’t even here?”
‘Let us step out boldly and speak God’s truth to the world, regardless of hostilities or judgments that we might face.’
We must remember Christ’s words to the apostles before He ascended into heaven. “He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.’” (Acts 1:7-8)
Jesus was not speaking just to the apostles, but, through the divine inspiration of Scripture, He was speaking to us as well. The Holy Spirit is given to us just as it was given to Mary and the apostles at Pentecost, though perhaps not always with the same flare as a mighty rush of wind. We, too, are given the power to witness to Christ “to the end of the earth.”
To understand the transforming ability of the Holy Spirit on our lives, we must only look at the example of St. Peter.
Throughout the four gospels, Peter was enthusiastic in following the Lord, but also rash and cowardly as well. He stepped out of the boat to walk on water when called by Christ in the storm, but then he gave heed to the winds and began to fear and sink into the sea. After witnessing the Transfiguration, he became confused and didn’t know what to say, rambling unproductively about
making booths. And shortly after declaring at the Last Supper that he would die for Jesus, he then denied three times even knowing Him.
At Caesarea Philippi, he spoke with conviction in declaring Jesus’ divinity, but it’s easy to speak boldly when surrounded by friends and likeminded believers. Peter had belief and inner conviction, but he often struggled to hold to those convictions when challenged by the world.
All of that was changed with the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Immediately upon receiving the Holy Spirit, Peter stands up and delivers a powerhouse homily on the witnessed Resurrection of Christ, and as a result we are told that 3,000 people were converted on that single day. This is a far cry from his stumbling words after the Transfiguration.
Reading about Peter in the Acts of the Apostles is a true inspiration, as he delivers bold and unwavering speeches, faces threats of death and persecution, and weathers beatings and imprisonment.
As the world now watches Peter’s successor, Pope Leo XIV, we can see the Holy Spirit still at work on a global scale. During the homily of his inaugural Mass, Pope Leo spoke about the working of the Holy Spirit during the conclave which elected him as pontiff. He talked about how the Spirit “was able to bring us into harmony, like musical instruments, so that our heartstrings could vibrate in a single melody.”
The Spirit stirred the hearts of many as Pope Leo appeared on the balcony and sang the Regina Caeli in Latin, starting his pontificate by beautifully and humbly honoring Our Lady.
I have followed very little of the reporting on the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, because I am more interested in the words and actions of nowPope Leo XIV. I am fascinated to see how the Holy Spirit will work in him and through him, guiding the universal Church and shepherding souls.
All of us are called to invite the Holy Spirit into our souls, transforming us into a closer likeness to Christ. Like St. Peter, like Pope Leo, let us step out boldly and speak God’s truth to the world, regardless of hostilities or judgments that we might face. Let us be witnesses of God’s love, seeking unity with our brothers and sisters, but a unity always based on sanctifying souls. And as the apostles sat with Our Lady waiting for Pentecost, as Pope Leo sang her praises as one of his first actions, let us always remember that Mary, as spouse of the Holy Spirit, is always our greatest advocate and loving mother.
Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of the faithful.
KATHRYN EVANS HEIM is an author, wife and mother living outside Salisbury, where she gardens, raises chickens, experiments with cooking and reads too many books. Find her work at www. evanswriting.com.
BENJAMIN A. ROBERTS is the pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Monroe.
Kathryn Evans Heim
The Good News transcends all barriers
We all heard it when we were kids, that dire warning: “Don’t play with fire!”
“Stay away from the stove, it’s hot!”
On Pentecost Sunday, though, that goes out the window. As we see in the Gospel reading for this Sunday (John 20:19-23), the apostles start to play with fire –those tongues of flame that come to rest above them – and the rest is history. It is a history that affects every believing Christian, and it is a history that is still unfolding. Pentecost, of course, marks the time we traditionally refer to as the “birthday of the Church.” (Which reminds me: what birthday would be complete without candles burning and little tongues of flame?) It’s a moment of divine revelation, when the Holy Spirit arrives and the apostles set out to spread the Gospel to anyone who can hear it and anyone who can understand it – which, it turns out, is everyone.
The first reading at Mass for Pentecost Sunday, from Acts 2:1-11, makes it plain: “Each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, ‘Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?’”
What they soon realize is something we have known all along: the message of Jesus – the teachings of the Gospel, the Good News of healing and faith, restoration and salvation – knows no barriers. It transcends language. It touches everyone. And this day we are reminded that it does so with an unquenchable fire.
It’s useful to look through Scripture and see where else flames appear. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus Himself (perhaps foreshadowing this day) says He has come to set the earth on fire. In Chronicles, the author gives us fire coming down from heaven. But the most famous, perhaps, is in Exodus, when God speaks to Moses from a burning bush. From that encounter eventually comes the greatest of biblical journeys, the Exodus.
IGNITING HEARTS
It was the most significant trek in Scripture – but perhaps we should realize that what happened centuries later at Pentecost launched yet another journey. In Scripture, a flame is just the beginning. But what a beginning. Many of us witnessed it for ourselves at the very start of the season that is now drawing to a close. At the Easter Vigil – which, not insignificantly, always begins with a burst of fire – we saw how many of our friends and neighbors burned with newfound faith.
What we were seeing and experiencing was a reminder: Pentecost wasn’t just one day. We’re living in it now. It started in an Upper Room in a corner of Israel, and there it was catching fire again and again and again, in churches from places as varied as Brooklyn and Barcelona. But we all know what was on fire was more than just the candles we saw during the service. That divine flame thrower, the Holy Spirit, was igniting hearts.
This weekend is a blessed opportunity for us to give thanks for all the fires of the Easter season, all the candles that remind us of the birthday of the Church and the light of Christ that continues to spread with every Easter, every Pentecost, every soul seeking a spirit of renewal and hope. Give thanks for that spirit, the Holy Spirit!
And then, maybe, we should ask ourselves: how can we keep that fire going? The apostles were unafraid to “play with fire.” What about us? How can we bear witness to the Gospel in our own lives, and speak the “native language” of faith to others?
Once the Easter season is over and the baskets and bonnets are packed away, we’re still “Easter people.” Pentecost endures.
How will we live that out in the world?
PENTECOST
We can participate in Pentecost
When the disciples of the Lord Jesus gathered for the celebration of Pentecost after His resurrection, the Holy Spirit was revealed in an extraordinary way. The disciples were transformed, changed forever – a transformation manifested in signs and wonders.
But Pentecost is not simply an event from long ago. It is a reality that we participate in ourselves by participating in the Mass.
Through the Mass, the Holy Spirit desires to unleash for us signs and wonders, gifts for our mission, gifts that imbue the Church with creativity, enthusiasm and life. The marvelous
at every Mass
If Pentecost can be understood as the power God unleashes in our experience of the worship of the Mass and through our adoration and reception of the Eucharistic Mystery of the Blessed Sacrament, then what is this Holy Spirit, this Spirit that unleashes heavenly gifts and imbues disciples with vigorous strength for mission?
HOLY SPIRIT: GIVER OF GIFTS FOR MISSION
The Holy Spirit is the love that is shared between God the Father and God the Son. This is perhaps the most helpful way to think about what the Holy Spirit is.
Therefore, to receive the Holy Spirit means that you receive the same love that is shared between God the Father and God the Son. The Holy Spirit gives you the relationship Christ has with His Heavenly Father.
This is why those who have received the Holy Spirit often do such marvelous things, because those that have received the love that Christ shares with His Heavenly Father and share the relationship that Christ has with his Heavenly Father become more and more like Christ.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are those qualities that make us like Christ.
The power of the Holy Spirit is the power to make us like Christ.
Becoming more and more like Christ is what it means to be holy.
Holiness is not simply an attitude that favors the spiritual or that means you are interested in religion. Holiness is being like and becoming like Christ.
CHURCH’S ROLE: PROMOTE HOLINESS
This is what the Church is about: helping us to become holy, which means helping us to become more and more like Christ.
The Church transforms the world, not through institutional projects, political causes or faith-based curricula, but by inviting people to know Christ and helping people to become like Christ. The Church’s strategy for changing the world is to help more and more people become holy, become like Christ.
signs and wonders described in the Book of Acts are meant to be gifts given to us, gifts that are imparted through the Mass.
This is what the Church’s worship in the Mass is meant to accomplish: to unleash in us heavenly gifts that have the power to change us and to change the world. This can happen if we are willing to cooperate with the Lord and accept the Eucharist He gives to us, a Eucharist that is what it is by the Holy Spirit – not just an experience of individualistic spiritualized affirmation, but a real communion with the divine person of the Lord Jesus.
Every Mass is meant to be another Pentecost.
Becoming like Christ becomes possible for us because we participate in the sacraments. The sacraments are possible for us because of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit draws us to Christ in the sacraments, and through the sacraments, offers us the possibility and the opportunity of becoming like Christ.
Becoming like Christ is what it means to be holy.
And when this happens, the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit are not only given to us, they are lavished on the whole world.
FATHER STEVE GRUNOW, a priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago, is CEO of Word on Fire. This is excerpted from a commentary originally published at www.wordonfire.org.
DEACON GREG KANDRA is an award-winning author and journalist, and creator of the blog “The Deacon’s Bench.”
Deacon Greg Kandra
Father Steve Grunow
CNS | FRIDA LARIOS
At Pentecost, which is June 8 this year, the Catholic Church celebrates the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. “The moral life of Christians is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us (1830).
Pedro Macheño Muñoz
Fr. John Riccardo