‘Give them joy’
GRAHAM — Joyful prayer and song in both Spanish and English filled Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Graham Apr. 25, when Atlanta Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., ordained his brother friar, Edgar Iván Varela, OFM Conv., to the priesthood.
“Go to the margins,” Archbishop Hartmayer said. “You know what it is like to come from a family that crosses borders, that speaks two languages, that carries the faith from one world to another. Many of the people you serve will carry those same stories. Meet them there. Franciscan poverty is not only material; it is a poverty that creates space for others to encounter God.”
Principal concelebrants were Our Lady of the Angels Province Minister Provincial Friar Michael Heine, OFM Conv.; Vicar Provincial Friar Gary Johnson, OFM Conv.; Prefect of Formation Friar John Koziol, OFM Conv. and Blessed Sacrament Pastor Friar Vincent Rubino, OFM Conv. Rev. Mr. Michael Pray of the Diocese of Springfield served as deacon. Charlotte Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., also belongs to Our Lady of the Angels Province.
Friar Heine cited their order’s founder in his remarks.
“Ordained in the spirit of Saint Francis of Assisi, whose 800th anniversary of his transitus into heaven we commemorate this year, Friar Edgar embraces a priesthood rooted in humility, fraternity, and joyful service, offering his life so that others may encounter the mercy and love of Christ,” Friar Heine
The son of Maribel and Manuel Varela, Friar Edgar was born in Phoenix. He has four siblings: Yessenia, Erica, Sergio and German, and several nieces and nephews. Friar Edgar was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Loyola University in Chicago and earned Master of Divinity from The Catholic University of America. He served as a deacon at St. Stanislaus Basilica in Chicopee, Massachusetts.
“It is a great blessing for me to receive the ministry of priesthood,” Father Varela said. “I receive this gift, not just for myself, but considering that it is for the Church. Through this ministry, I hope to bring Christ’s presence, love, and mercy to all, and most especially to the forgotten, the exiled, and the outcasted. Please pray for me as I begin this wonderful ministry as a Franciscan friar-priest. Let us together pray for more vocations to religious life and priesthood.”
Archbishop Hartmayer concluded with some advice, “Be joyful. Francis sang. He laughed. He called the sun his brother and the moon his sister. The world already has enough grim religion. Give them joy. The joy of the resurrection. The joy of the Gospel. The joy of a man who has found. The one thing necessary and given everything for it.”
— Catholic News Herald
CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte is refreshing its visual identity with a new logomark that honors its history while embracing modern digital usage – part of a larger effort to express more clearly what the diocese and its ministries stand for.
The visual identity includes a refined formal coat of arms and a new digital logo, as part of a broad communications platform to help the growing diocese present a consistent, recognizable visual presence and welcoming message.
Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the diocese, led the effort over several years in collaboration with two bishops, the diocese’s Communications Office, and award-winning brand strategy firm BROOKHOUSE, based in Charlotte.
The effort began in 2022 as the diocese sought to update its coat of arms after its 50th anniversary.
“We came to appreciate that our logomark was just the tip of the iceberg,” Monsignor Winslow said.
“We also needed to more clearly articulate who we are as a diocese and how our mission fits within the universal Church.”
The diocese’s new “brand platform,” he said, includes a new look and a promise the diocese and its ministries aspire to deliver.
“At a time when people are searching for meaning and belonging, the Catholic Church of western North Carolina offers people ‘something more’ – God and the truth of the Gospel set within a joyful, hospitable and authentic community grounded in 2,000 years of the teaching and traditions of the Catholic faith. Here, we help people encounter Jesus Christ and share Him and His love with others.”
The promise is evident in the Church’s sacramental life and should be in all of its daily interactions with parishioners and the broader community, he said.
“‘Something more’ is not a slogan, it is what we offer to those we are interacting with – as well as a call to action for our parishes, schools and ministries,” he said. “It expresses a truth at the heart of our faith. In the Eucharist, there is ‘something more’ than bread and wine. In baptism, there is ‘something more’ than water washing over you.
And when you interact with us, at the diocese and in all of our ministries, we should go the extra mile to deliver ‘something more,’ something deeper, than you might expect.”
The refreshed coat of arms preserves the essential symbolism chosen by the diocese’s first bishop, Bishop Michael Begley. It continues to feature a Celtic cross on a green background – recalling the Irish immigrants who were among the first Catholics to settle in North Carolina and honoring St. Patrick, patron of the diocese’s St. Patrick Cathedral. A crown on a Marian blue field symbolizes two queens: Queen Charlotte, the wife of British King George III for whom the diocese’s see city is named, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven and Mother of the Church.
The design has been simplified and refined with a cleaner style in keeping with other dioceses’ coats of arms, and its updated color palette of blue, green and gold provides improved flexibility in printing and reproduction.
The logotype is a version of Capitolium, an award-winning serif typeface designed by Dutch type designer Gerard Unger for the Jubilee of the Catholic Church in 2000.
The diocese also introduced a simplified secondary mark more suitable for digital platforms and community outreach. It pulls the Celtic cross from the formal coat of arms to provide a more immediate and recognizable expression of the diocese’s identity while remaining visually connected to the formal coat of arms.
Both logos were created by Charlotte-based designer Todd Aldridge, a successful freelance designer and Brand Creative Operations director for Harley-Davidson Motor Co.
Aldridge has developed brand identities for nationally recognized organizations, including the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he designed the university’s iconic “C” logo.
The Diocese of Charlotte’s coat of arms has evolved several times since the diocese was established in 1972, most recently with a commemorative gold version created for its 50th anniversary in 2022.
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle
