Father Patrick Winslow is Charlotte diocese’s fifth vicar general and chancellor
In the presence of Bishop Peter Jugis, Father Patrick Winslow made a profession of faith and took an oath of fidelity to the Church during Mass June 30 – part of taking on his new role as the Diocese of Charlotte's vicar general and chancellor.CHARLOTTE — “I, Father Patrick J. Winslow, on assuming the office of vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte, promise that I shall always preserve communion with the Catholic Church whether in the words I speak or in the way I act. With great care and fidelity, I shall carry out the responsibilities by which I am bound in relation both to the universal Church and to the particular Church to which I am called to exercise my service according to the requirements of the law...”
With these words at the start of Mass June 30, Father Patrick Winslow took the oath of fidelity to the Church and made a profession of faith to inaugurate his ministry as the diocese’s fifth vicar general and chancellor.
The Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, where Father Winslow has served as pastor since 2012, was filled with parishioners who came to witness the historic occasion and wish him well in his new assignment.
Bishop Peter Jugis commended Father Winslow’s work as pastor of the north Charlotte parish. He also expressed gratitude that parishioners were so willing to share their pastor with the wider diocese since April 29 when he appointed him to the role of vicar general and chancellor.
“I’m grateful for the sacrifices that the people of St. Thomas Aquinas made to share Father Winslow with the larger Church,” Bishop Jugis said, then elicited laughter from the congregation when he added with a smile, “In fact, I’m not only going to share him, but I’m going to take him from you.”
As vicar general, Father Winslow will report directly to the bishop on matters related to clergy and vocations as well as acting in place of the bishop in his absence. As chancellor, he will oversee the diocese’s day-to-day administrative and business operations.
Bishop Jugis noted that the role “is a tremendous responsibility, of course as you can imagine, that he is agreeing to undertake,” but added that Father Winslow will be supported by a “very competent and capable” team at the Pastoral Center.
He and Father Winslow depend on the help of many others to accomplish the Church’s mission, the bishop said. “All of us together, each in our own way, is called to serve the Kingdom of God, to build up the Kingdom of God in grace and holiness.”
In one of his last homilies as their pastor, Father Winslow thanked parishioners for all their efforts – starting with their welcome of him following the departure of the beloved Capuchin Franciscans who had served the parish for nearly two decades.
Also during the Mass, Bishop Jugis blessed the new baldachin, ambo and celebrant's chair inside St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte. The 30-foot baldachin, obtained from a church in Pennsylvania, capped off an extensive recent renovation of the church's sanctuary. “We’ve had a beautiful and amazing journey together as a parish,” he said, recounting a successful building campaign, monthly processions in honor of Our Lady of Fatima, and most recently, renovation of the sanctuary to include a dramatic baldachin over the altar.
From the beginning, Father Winslow said, “my focus was to make sure that the celebration of the Mass communicated sanctity, that everybody could touch the holy, that everybody could experience the holiness of God that is made present and that we know to be manifest in faith at this altar.”
The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, he noted, and parishioners’ deep devotion to the Eucharist has been “the heart of the parish.”
“I see faith, I see love, I see devotion, I see commitment,” Father Winslow said. “And I see people who have the look on their faces that they know they experience the holy.”
“I am grateful that I’ve had these seven years here with you,” he said. “St. Thomas (Aquinas) holds a singular place in my heart and my mind. It is my longest serving assignment, it will remain my home parish in Charlotte. Thank you for all these years.”
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor