CHARLOTTE — Hundreds of Catholic families from across western North Carolina joined Bishop Peter Jugis and priests, seminarians and women religious Friday night at "Catholic Night" at the Charlotte Knights.
The Sept. 9 baseball game at Truist Field is the final diocese-wide social event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Diocese of Charlotte.
The evening started with a special first pitch thrown out by Sister Lucia Palma of the Daughters of the Virgin Mother of Gastonia. Sister Lucia “bested” one of the diocese’s seminarians who played baseball for Belmont Abbey College in a recent pitching contest at the 18th annual Eucharistic Congress last month.
Tom Savoy, choir master of St. Joseph College Seminary, provided musical entertainment featuring a barbershop quartet-style singing everyone’s favorite baseball jingle, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”
There was also a special Diocese of Charlotte 50th anniversary video presentation and Carolina Catholic Media Network broadcast live from the stadium.
The Charlotte Knights lost to the Nashville Sounds 9-1, and the evening was capped off with a fireworks display.
— Photos by Alex Cason Photography and SueAnn Howell
