Published: 27 October 2022

From: Rutherfordton

Age: 22

Home parish: Immaculate Conception, Forest City

Status: Started Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Cincinnati, in August 2022
Favorite verse or teaching: “O God, you are my God – it is you I seek! For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts, in a land parched, lifeless, and without water.” (Ps 63:2)

Favorite saint: St. Agnes of Rome, a martyr known for her purity and refusal to denounce her faith

Interests (outside of faith): Piano, theater, skiing, euchre

CHARLOTTE — Michael Lugo is a young man of many talents. He grew up, the second of six children, on his family’s farm in Rutherfordton, where he would rise early every morning to milk cows and feed the pigs and chickens.

As a child, he discovered a love of acting in the local community theater. That grew into a passion for backstage and technical work as a teen – yet something was missing.

Lugo, 22, had been home-schooled in a family with a sincere love of their Catholic faith. And while he was drawn to the excitement of theater, he realized it would not fulfill his deepest desires. “I could easily see myself getting lost in the world of production, but I realized that wasn’t how God wanted me to pursue truth and beauty.”

So, in 2018, Lugo entered the St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly, where he spent three years discerning a call to the priesthood. He graduated last August and moved on with nine of his fellow seminarians to attend Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Cincinnati – among 49 men currently in some stage of formation to serve as priests in the Diocese of Charlotte.

He reflects on his journey in a conversation with the Catholic News Herald:

CNH: When did you first hear the call to a vocation to the priesthood?

Lugo: As I was growing up, there were several times I remember thinking God might be calling me to the priesthood. I began to seriously consider seminary after attending Quo Vadis Days (the diocese’s annual discernment retreat for young men) in the summer of 2018. Throughout the course of that week, spending time in prayer and learning about the priesthood, it seemed to me that the priesthood was the summation of everything I wanted out of life, particularly the way in which the life of a priest is completely dedicated to one thing: the service of God.

CNH: Looking back, what has most helped you evaluate God’s will for your vocation?

Lugo: Other than prayer and spiritual direction, I think being in seminary and receiving the seminary formation. I did not have any certainty about my vocation upon entering seminary, but I wanted an environment where I could discern more seriously and clearly. Being in such an immersive experience, where everything is designed to help foster an interior life and aid your discernment, is what has helped me the most in coming to greater clarity about my vocation.

CNH: Can you tell us something special about your time in seminary?

Lugo: One thing I have grown to greatly enjoy studying in seminary is languages. Over the course of my time at St. Joseph College Seminary, we had several Latin language immersions which were always a great time and very beneficial. I also had the opportunity to study Greek one summer, which was a great experience, and I am continuing to take Greek at major seminary with the end goal of being able to read the New Testament in its original language.

CNH: What do you love about being a seminarian for the Diocese of Charlotte?

Lugo: I love the fraternity among the seminarians. Having such a strong community made the transition to (major) seminary this year much easier, because we already had nearly 20 brother seminarians at Mount St. Mary’s, some of whom had previously studied at St. Joseph College Seminary.

CNH: When you envision your life as a priest of the Diocese of Charlotte, what do you see?

Lugo: I very much look forward to celebrating the sacraments. I pray that I can be a faithful priest acting in the person of Christ and as an instrument of His grace.

— SueAnn Howell

Your DSA contributions at work

Seminarian education is funded in part by the annual Diocesan Support Appeal. Learn more about the DSA and how to donate online at www.charlottediocese.org/dsa.

Published: 21 June 2023

During my first five years as a deacon, I have received many blessings, and I wish to share a few now.

Proclaiming the Gospel at Mass has been a highlight of my vocation. What a beautiful privilege it is at each Mass to proclaim the words of Jesus. Serving at the altar has brought me closer to our Lord. At each Mass I am transported to the Last Supper as I kneel from the epiclesis through the consecration. Leading Benediction regularly has drawn me closer to our Lord as I can now adore Him in a more intimate way than I had before.

Being a deacon has also allowed me to participate in the sacraments of marriage and baptism regularly. Working with engaged couples preparing for marriage or married couples preparing to have their child baptized has allowed me to share my vocations as a husband, father and deacon with those involved. When I perform baptisms or witness marriages, I feel a special joy to be able to participate in the delivery of these beautiful sacraments.

As a deacon, I have also enjoyed my role in speaking at Bible studies and providing spiritual direction to the Cursillo group in our parish and diocese.

I have also been blessed with the privilege of serving Jesus in the disguise of the poor, the sick, and the prisoner. I have enjoyed volunteering monthly at the homeless shelter and leading devotionals. I have been blessed to deliver Meals on Wheels every Thursday for more than a decade. And last year, I became a participant and leader in our Jail and Prison ministries, visiting and ministering to men on a regular basis. Each of these ministries have helped me to see our Lord in the many diverse faces of those around me.

Finally, as a deacon, I have grown to love praying the liturgy of the hours (morning and evening prayers) daily with my wife Carey. Through the love and support of

Bishop Peter Jugis, former pastor Father Brian Cook and current pastor Christopher Gober, my family, my wife Carey, and Our Lord, I have been able to live my vocation as a deacon, and I am truly thankful to all of them for this.

Deacon Ralph D’Agostino Jr. serves at St. Leo the Great Parish in Winston-Salem.