CHARLOTTE — Peace is the gift that Jesus brings each one of us, if we repent of our sins and approach Him with humble hearts.
That was the message from Bishop Peter Jugis as hundreds of people welcomed the birth of Christ during midnight Mass Dec. 25 at St. Patrick Cathedral.
"This little infant, this little child in a manger," the bishop said, looking over to the Nativity scene near the altar, "this is why He's here - to bring us His peace through the forgiveness of our sins."
The name Jesus means "God saves," he continued. "That is very significant, of course, because that is His mission and because salvation is something all of us need. All of us have sinned."
God loves us so much that He sent us His only Son to personally save us, he said. "Jesus, the savior, is born for you."
Referring to the first reading from Isaiah (Is 9:1-6), Bishop Jugis reflected on one of the titles the Old Testament prophet used to describe the Messiah: "Prince of Peace."
"Jesus is the Prince of Peace," he said. Jesus brings peace to people of goodwill, just as the angels heralded at His birth in Bethlehem.
"Jesus wants to purify your soul, so that you can live in peace - that you can live in peace with yourself, that you can live in peace with God, and you can live in peace with others," Bishop Jugis said.
"The greatest obstacle to peace in the world is sin, pure and simple," he continued. "The reason He has come is to engage Himself in the monumental battle to conquer and destroy sin in us and heal us. It's not just a battle, it's all-out war that Jesus has come to wage against sin, to conquer it and destroy it in every one of us."
Sin is the root of all human problems, he continued.
"Just think of the sheer magnitude of the problem. Only God could fix all of this. God had to come because the problem was so immense."
"Sin divides us from one another, sin makes us jealous of one another, sin makes us suspicious of one another, sin makes us desire to dominate or control or manipulate or abuse others."
We find sinfulness all around us, he said, especially over the past few months in which the clergy sexual abuse crisis has shaken the Church.
Sin "makes us treat others with contempt," he said. "It makes us treat others with disrespect, use others and abuse others."
"We must come to Jesus and repent of our sins," he said.
"Repentance is the path to peace," he emphasized. "To do honor to the Prince of Peace, we come to Him with humble, contrite and loving hearts, and say to Him, 'Jesus, give me peace. Jesus, be my savior."
"It's really not hard to love Jesus, but it does require humility and an honest assessment" of our hearts, Bishop Jugis said.
"At Christmas God gives the gift of Himself to you. Just think of that! This Christmas give the gift of yourself to Him and to everyone you meet in loving service and generosity. It's the least we can do, considering what God Himself has given to us."
He prayed, "May God bless you and all of your families this Christmas, and may He keep you always in His peace."
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor
Pictured at top: Bishop Peter Jugis celebrates Mass at midnight Dec. 25 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte. Concelebrants included Father Christopher Roux, rector; Father Christopher Bond, parochial vicar; and Father Paul McNulty, chaplain of Christ the King High School in Huntersville.
BELMONT — A one-year probation has been lifted from Belmont Abbey College by its accrediting agency.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges removed the Catholic liberal arts college from probation in a vote taken at a Dec. 9, 2018, Board of Trustees meeting in New Orleans, La.
The college had been placed on probation in December 2017 because it fell short on a compliance standard regarding financial stability. The probation was not related to any core requirement regarding financial stability, but rather a subset related to a pattern in the college’s finances, Rolando Rivas, communications director for the college, explained at the time.
The problem for the school arose out of its program to educate adult students (aged 23 and older). According to a December 2017 letter from Dr. William Thierfelder, president of Belmont Abbey College, revenue from adult students at the Loughridge Center for Continuing and Professional Studies declined at a slightly faster rate than the revenue gains from the traditional program.
Probation is the most serious public sanction imposed by SACSCOC short of loss of accreditation.
“SACSCOC has found the college in full compliance with its accrediting standards and ended the one-year probation that began this time last year,” Thierfelder announced in a letter to the college community Dec. 11, 2018. “As you know, in a time of challenges for small colleges everywhere, the probation raised a concern regarding our financial stability. After several meetings directly with SACS committees, including an on-site visit in which the committee found that Belmont Abbey College ‘was taking the appropriate steps to act in a financially responsible manner,’ SACS has decided to remove the college from probation.”
“This action is the culmination of a very positive year for Belmont Abbey College,” Thierfelder continued.
Belmont Abbey College has experienced record enrollment of traditional students and corresponding revenue increases, improved retention and graduation rates, and reduced operating costs over the past several years.
“We welcomed our largest incoming traditional student class, saw the largest year ever for fundraising, received recognition from U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, and The Newman Guide, and welcomed several key new staff and faculty, including Interim Provost, Dr. Linda Delene,” he wrote. “The college has also added five new majors and four new minors for the new academic year.”
“To our internal team, I am grateful to all of you for your hard work this past year as we were met with more meetings, more discussion, more analysis and more presentations to address SACS’ needs. We pulled together with stronger confidence in our mission sure that God had the wind at our backs. It’s due to your commitment that SACS has removed us from probation.”
“Belmont Abbey College now will begin the scheduled process for reaffirmation of its accreditation which is due in 2020,” he said, as part of SACSCOC’s regular 10-year review process.
— Catholic News Herald
MONROE — In just two years’ time, the interior of Our Lady of Lourdes Church has witnessed a transformation of Biblical proportions.
Father Benjamin Roberts, pastor, working with local artist Lisa Autry, has brought pivotal moments from Scripture to the formerly blank walls of the church in new murals thanks in part to money raised during the Diocese of Charlotte’s “Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love” campaign. An image of the Lamb of God is prominently centered over the tabernacle, and scenes from the Baptism of the Lord and the Transfiguration flank the altar.
The scenes are part of Father Roberts’ larger goal to promote an experience of heaven as people gather for worship.
“The Book of Revelation and the Letter to the Hebrews offer us images of heavenly worship,” he explains. “When we gather as a community for the celebration of the Eucharist, we participate in that worship. The beautiful artwork in this church (the windows, the Angels, the Lamb and the murals) draw us into a deeper encounter with the Lord.”
His inspiration for the project came after staring at the stark white walls for four years. He purchased new vestments with a donation from the Women’s Guild in 2016, featuring an image of the Lamb of God and a gold and burgundy pattern. Father Roberts thought the design might make a beautiful pattern for the apse wall, and parishioners agreed. He contacted Autry, who has done many projects in the diocese, including murals at Immaculate Conception Church in Forest City and St. Ann Church in Charlotte. Although she remains in high demand, Autry happened to be between projects when Father Roberts called her.
Autry created each mural in stages over the course of months, with the most recent floor-to-ceiling murals of the Baptism of the Lord and the Transfiguration completed in September.
They’re not done yet. Autry is working on additional artwork for the back wall of the church, featuring the symbols for the four evangelists, that Father Roberts hopes will be ready for Easter.
— Story and photos by SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
