CHARLOTTE — There are 131 priests – 87 diocesan clergy and 44 clergy from nine religious orders – serving the People of God in the Diocese of Charlotte. When it comes time for them to retire, the diocese wants to ensure they are taken care of since we have been blessed by their service through the years.
Bishop Peter Jugis, who shepherds the 92 churches and missions in the diocese, is asking the faithful to respond generously and with grateful hearts to the needs of the priests who faithfully serve us by contributing to the second collection Sept. 16-17 that will be taken up in all parishes.
“With the annual collection to fund the priests’ retirement and benefits plans, we financially sustain these men who give their lives to preach the Gospel and teach the Catholic faith; to lead God’s people in love; and to celebrate the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, in 92 parishes and missions throughout western North Carolina,” Bishop Jugis stated in a message to all parishioners.
He also points out that “even through the years of their retirement, these priests will continue to serve the people of our diocese. They will visit the sick in nursing homes and hospitals. They will go to our prisons, where they will counsel the inmates.
“Retired priests pray daily for the people of the diocese, offer Mass for the intentions of parishioners, and give of their time and talent to help with weekend Masses and confessions in parishes throughout the diocese.”
The diocese’s goal for the 2017 collection for the priests’ retirement and benefits plan is $1,823,000. Each parish is assessed 3.5% of their annual offertory to support the priests’ retirement and benefits plans. This second collection defrays the amount that the parishes pay from their operating budgets.
Contributions from this collection will be added to pension plans for all active priests currently serving in our diocese, as well as the health benefits plan for active diocesan priests when they retire. For every dollar contributed, 55 cents goes to the Diocese of Charlotte Priests Pension Plan; 29 cents goes to the Diocese of Charlotte Retired Clergy Health Plan; 13 cents goes to pension contributions for religious order priests; and 3 cents goes to campaign costs.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
‘‘Humanae vitae’ 50 Years Later: Prophecy and Prescription for our Culture’
ARDEN — The Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte Respect Life office will sponsor a conference on “‘Humanae vitae’ 50 Years Later: Prophecy and Prescription for our Culture” from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, at St. Barnabas Church. Anyone interested in learning more about Church teaching on life issues is welcome to attend.
The keynote speaker will be Dr. John S. Grabowski, associate professor of Moral Theology and director of the Moral Theology/Ethics department at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Grabowski earned a B.A. in theology at the University of Steubenville and a Ph.D. at Marquette University. He has served on the faculty at Catholic University for the past 25 years.
He and his wife Claire were appointed to the Pontifical Council for the Family by Pope Benedict XVI in the fall of 2009, where they have served as a member couple. He is also serving as a theological advisor to the USCCB’s Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family and Youth. In 2015 he was appointed by Pope Francis to serve as an expert (adiutor) at the Synod of Bishops on the Family.
Grabowski has published widely in the areas of moral theology, marriage, sexuality and bioethics. His articles have appeared in scholarly journals as Nova et Vetera, The Thomist, The Heythrop Journal, and the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly as well as popular journals such as America, Commonweal, The Living Light and Share the Word.
His books include “Sex and Virtue: An Introduction to Sexual Ethics” (CUA Press, 2003) and “Transformed in Christ: Essays on the Renewal of Moral Theology” (Sapientia Press, 2017). He also wrote the foreword to the 1997 English edition of St. John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body.”
Grabowski has also taught a variety of courses for adults, catechists and lay ministers in the Washington area and has presented at conferences across the United States.
Other presenters during the Respect Life conference include Debbie Shinskie, who will address the topic of human trafficking. She has worked for a number of years as a maternal-child health registered nurse and educator for parents and professionals. She has two published textbooks in the field of human lactation.
Also active in her parishes and diocese, Shinskie has served as a parish Respect Life coordinator and master catechist with a focus in teaching Theology of the Body and RCIA topics before becoming director of the Respect Life Office of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Presentations by Be Not Afraid Ministry and discussions of topics such as diocesan resources, end-of-life ethics, legislative Respect Life work, post-abortion healing/Rachel’s Vineyard, pregnancy support, regional pro-life resources and USCCB pro-life updates will also take place during the conference.
To register for the conference, contact Jessica Grabowski, diocesan Respect Life program director, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 910-585-2460 or 704-370-3229.
The diocesan Respect Life office is funded in part by the annual Diocesan Support Appeal.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter