Bishop Jugis opens home for thriving college seminary
to help form priests to serve growing Catholic population
Bishop Jugis opens home for thriving college seminary 'Let us continue to pray for, and especially to encourage, vocations to the holy priesthood throughout the Church, especially here in the Diocese of Charlotte.'
MOUNT HOLLY — Tuesday was a day to thank God for sending more laborers to gather His harvest, Diocese of Charlotte leaders said as they blessed and formally opened St. Joseph College Seminary.
The newly completed college seminary was blessed by Charlotte Bishop Peter Jugis Sept. 15, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, after an official ribbon-cutting ceremony.
With its striking Gothic architecture and 30,000 square feet of living-and-learning space, the college seminary serves as home to young men who are exploring a vocation to the Catholic priesthood while also pursuing undergraduate degrees at nearby Belmont Abbey College. St. Joseph is the only college seminary program between Washington, D.C., and Miami and has been a magnet for young men wanting to discern the priesthood.
The program has proven so popular that construction on a permanent home for the seminary had to be accelerated. Enrollment has more than tripled since the program began in 2016, and upon opening the college seminary building is already at two-thirds of capacity with 27 out of 40 seminarian slots filled. Private donors have already contributed more than $15.5 million toward the $20 million project.
Bishop Jugis and others at Tuesday's ceremony gave thanks to God for answering prayers to provide more vocations to the priesthood – more laborers for His harvest, as noted in the Gospel of Matthew (chapter 9) that was read during the opening ceremony.
"We dare to ask the Master of the harvest to fill up St. Joseph College Seminary," the bishop said, then added with a grin, "We hear there are still a few vacant rooms available."
The bishop also acknowledged the intercessory prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of St. Joseph, patron of the college seminary.
"With all that has been done here with the guidance of Our Blessed Lord and the help of the Holy Spirit, let there be for us and into the future, many more blessings to come," the bishop said.
"Let us continue to pray for, and especially to encourage, vocations to the holy priesthood throughout the Church, especially here in the Diocese of Charlotte," he added.
The success of the college seminary couldn't come at a better time. The Catholic population in western North Carolina has swelled to more than 400,000 – up 900 percent since the diocese was founded in 1972. "The growth here has been extraordinary," noted Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor.
Noting the quality building materials and artisanal skills devoted to constructing the college seminary, Monsignor Winslow added, "We're going to be here now and into the future" and "continue to reflect the Gospel to the larger community."
Tuesday's opening ceremony was held exactly two years after ground was broken on the site for the college seminary. On Sept. 15, 2018, the bishop, seminarians and the college seminary's rector Father Matthew Kauth braved wind and rain from Tropical Storm Florence for the groundbreaking.
Two years onward, Father Kauth reminded those gathered of the purpose for the seminary: to form men to serve as holy priests for the growing Church in western North Carolina. The work of the Church goes on, he said, despite storms, crises or pandemics.
God has blessed this project, Father Kauth said. "He has put His finger down here and He has blessed us."
"What we are about here at St. Joseph College Seminary is building men – building men of nobility, of integrity and authenticity," he said. "The building, the structure – beautiful as it is – is attempting in its nobility and strength to be an image of that: a reminder of what we are supposed to become as men of virtue."
The aim of the college seminary is to nurture local vocations among the parishes and families in the Charlotte diocese, close to home, before the men graduate and go on to major seminary out of state to complete their priestly formation and return for ordination to serve in the diocese's growing parishes.
With Gothic architecture and brickwork inspired by nearby Belmont Abbey, where in 1876 Benedictine monks planted the roots of Catholicism in western North Carolina, the two-story college seminary includes 40 dorm rooms, a chapel, classroom and library, faculty offices, a refectory and kitchen, and a picturesque cloister walk where students can meditate and pray.
The building reflects a monastic-style design meant to foster prayer, quiet and reflection even as its communal spaces provide opportunities for the young men to bond as friends and brothers in Christ. Architectural details including custom lion-tail door pulls, stained glass windows, brickwork and archways were all fashioned by local artisans, Father Kauth noted. Many of the furnishings and artwork were donated to the college seminary. Edifice LLC of Charlotte served as general contractor.
The young men enrolled at St. Joseph College Seminary come from communities across the diocese including Arden, Boone, Charlotte, Forest City, Gastonia, Huntersville, Lenoir and Salisbury.
"I'm very happy to be here. I found peace here at the seminary," said Kolbe Murrey, a fourth-year student who's a member of St. John the Baptist Church in Tryon. The college seminary enables him to take the time to "really listen to what God wants me to do with my life."
It means "having a life of prayer and study and being with just a great bunch of other young men my age who want to discern a call to the priesthood," he said, and the experience has given him a broader perspective. "The Church and God's work in the Church is bigger than just my vocation," he said.
As a joyful end to Tuesday’s opening ceremony, the college seminarians formed a line in front of the building to sing the seminary’s Latin fight song, the hymn “Salve Pater,” which salutes St. Joseph as the college’s patron.
— Catholic News Herald
Pictured at top: Bishop Peter Jugis officially cuts the ribbon to open St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly Sept. 15. Standing with him are (from left) Father Matthew Buettner, house spiritual director; Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the diocese; and Father Matthew Kauth, rector of the college seminary.
Seminary fundraising campaign nears $20M goal
CHARLOTTE — Fundraising for the construction of St. Joseph College Seminary is moving into a wider phase, with an introductory letter from Bishop Peter Jugis going out to every registered household at the end of this month.
Private donors have already contributed $15.5 million towards the $20 million project. Diocese of Charlotte officials hope to raise the remaining $4.5 million before Dec. 31 to complete the campaign and avoid paying higher interest costs on the college seminary’s construction loan.
Bishop Jugis is asking each household to prayerfully consider pledging to the campaign to support the development of future priest vocations in the diocese.
The bishop’s letter will be followed by an invitation to support the seminary campaign in mid-November.
“The need for well-formed, faithful priests to serve our growing Catholic population is great,” he writes in the letter, noting that the number of priests serving the diocese has grown 76 percent since 1972 while the Catholic population has grown 900 percent!
“The preparation of priests is our collective responsibility and one that benefits each and every soul in our diocesan family,” he writes.
“The Diocese of Charlotte is a family of faith where everyone counts and all are needed. Together we can complete this momentous phase in the life of St. Joseph College Seminary.
“With your support, these men will emerge formed, sanctified and prepared to be the servant leaders we need.”
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
Learn more
At www.stjosephcollegeseminary.org: Get more information about the St. Joseph College Seminary and learn how you can contribute to the capital campaign. You can also contact Jim Kelley, diocesan development director, at 704-608-0359 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
