CHARLOTTE — Niyah Lang’s first Communion was extra special.
The altar bread that became the body of Christ for the April 21 Masses at St. Peter Church in Charlotte was made by her aunt, a cloistered Benedictine sister who lives inside the Monastery of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Vermont, and her sisters.
“It was really special for our whole family as well as the other children celebrating the sacrament,” said Niyah’s mom Sarah Lang.
After Sarah Lang’s sister, Sister Benedict McLaughlin, suggested that her monastery could provide the altar bread for Niyah’s first Holy Communion, the parish was very supportive, she said. Since Sister Benedict was not able to travel to Charlotte for the Mass, this was a way she could be present for her niece in this special moment.
“Father James Shea gave us a resounding ‘yes,’” she said. “He even mentioned during the Mass where the bread came from and the importance of family to help deepen your spirituality. It helped Niyah have a stronger connection to the experience and she felt very proud.”
Niyah’s older sister, Tianna, was also an altar server during the Mass.
Sister Benedict celebrated her 25th jubilee last summer. The Lang family traveled to Vermont for the occasion, and Niyah and her sisters met their aunt for the first time. There Niyah was able to see some of the tools the women use to make the altar bread and learn more about her calling and the community. Sister Benedict emailed her sister Sarah to tell her she was praying for Niyah and suggested that they could provide bread for her first Holy Communion. Immaculate Heart of Mary monastery made 3.7 million hosts last year and provided it to hundreds of parishes in 24 states.
Sister Benedict sent a really nice card to St. Peter Church along with the bread, as well. They also had a Mass said in Vermont for the children receiving the sacrament, at the same time as their first Communion Mass, Sarah Lang said.
“The sisters were wrapping their arms around the kids in prayer all the way up from Vermont,” Sarah Lang said. “It was very special.”
Before their first Holy Communion, the children were shown a news story video from the monastery in Vermont that shows how the nuns make the hosts.
“Niyah was really excited to know that my sister was praying with her and knew she was there in spirit,” Sarah Lang said. “We’re very thankful Father Shea and the church allowed us to do that.”
— Kimberly Bender, Online reporter
Video: See inside the Monastery of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Vermont
CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis celebrated the first Baccalaureate Mass for St. Joseph College Seminary May 13 at St. Ann Church in Charlotte.
Seminarians Aaron Huber and Harry Ohlhaut are the first two college seminarians to graduate from Belmont Abbey College. They will begin formal studies towards priestly formation at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary at the Athenaeum in Cincinnati, Ohio, this fall. Also pictured are the college seminary’s rector, Father Matthew Kauth; Father Matthew Buettner; Belmont Abbey College’s president, Dr. William Thierfelder; and Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari.
— Belmont Abbey College and SueAnn Howell | Catholic News Herald
Hunley honored for refugee mentoring work
CHARLOTTE — Hundreds of friends and supporters gathered April 26 for Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte’s 15th annual Vineyard of Hope dinner and fundraising event.
The gala raised approximately $117,000 for Catholic Charities’ efforts to strengthen families, build communities and reduce poverty in the Charlotte region. Sponsorships and donations exceeded previous years’ events, organizers noted with gratitude.
Catholic Charities’ leaders summarized accomplishments of their Charlotte-area initiatives over the past year – including highlighting the Burial Assistance Program, which helped 86 families with a dignified burial for their loved ones in Mecklenburg
County last year, and the Refugee Resettlement Program, which welcomed 343 refugees from 19 countries last year.
In his remarks thanking the staff, volunteers and supporters for their efforts over the past year, Catholic Charities’ executive director, Dr. Gerard Carter, noted, “I see every day the incredible work carried out by our deeply dedicated staff and volunteers. The lives of so many people living on the peripheries are positively impacted through the work of so many people of goodwill. As I often reflect, one of the most rewarding components of my work with Catholic Charities is being in a position to thank so many donors and benefactors who make the work of this ministry possible.”
“Catholic Charities can only carry out this ministry because of the efforts of so many,” Carter said.
One of those honored during the event was volunteer Thomas Hunley, who received Catholic Charities’ Fruit of the Vine Award for his leadership in mentoring a refugee family of 11 from Somalia.
“We have a mentorship program that serves almost every volunteer interest and refugee need. What we didn’t have was a mentor program designed to serve an 11-person Somali family,” noted Tammy Greyshock, Catholic Charities’ volunteer coordinator, before presenting Hunley with the award.
“Enter Tom Hunley, a recently retired bank executive who had relocated with wife to Charlotte. Tom arrived in my office with a simple request of wanting to serve wherever needed. And, as the Holy Spirit often works, we had a need,” Greyshock said.
The Noor family, who had arrived in late 2016, needed someone to help them navigate life in the United States. Hunley and his mentor team of eight were with them every step of the way.
“Tom and his co-mentors responded to countless needs with a grace, compassion and steadfast resilience that are unmatched,” Greyshock said. “They saw and learned first-hand what living on the margins in America looks like. How extending a helping hand can warm the soul, cross cultural boundaries, create new friendships, provide hope in the most unlikely circumstances and impact a family for generations to come.”
Hunley credited all of the volunteers in the refugee resettlement program for their teamwork in assisting the Noor family and others who have escaped war, poverty and persecution to build new lives in this country.
Hunley quoted from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!” Then he added, “With that measure, everyone here, has succeeded.”
It is important to give thanks for the agency’s many blessings during the previous year, speaker Dennis Marstall of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte reminded everyone gathered at the event, but he added that there is more work to be done.
“Charlotte is the 17th largest city in the U.S. Nearly 60 people move here every day. It is a city with wealth, low unemployment, rising incomes, and rising home values. Beyond the gleaming Charlotte skyline, tree lined roads and well-manicured lawns is a population struggling every day just to make ends meet,” Marshall said. “In Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, the poverty rate is 15.8 percent, or roughly 150,000 people living below the federally-defined poverty level, making less than $25,100 for a family of four. Additionally, the working poor, hundreds of thousands of people, struggle to provide basic needs for the family each and every day.”
“Catholic Charities opens its doors to help those in need, to help rebuild lives and compassionately provide basic support. They even go a step further to open doors – and borders – to refugees and others facing persecution, strife and hardships that we cannot fathom.”
“Charlotte would not be the vibrant community it is without such a great organization and the willingness of so many in our community to lend a hand, volunteer or provide financial support to help their fellow neighbors and citizens,” he said.
— Lisa Geraci, correspondent
More online
At www.ccdoc.org: Learn how you can support Catholic Charities’ work across the Diocese of Charlotte
CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte Vocations Office announces that the following seminarians will have parish assignments this summer.
• Darren Balkey – St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Charlotte
• Colton Brown – Sacred Heart Church, Salisbury
• Michael Carlson – Saint Therese Church, Mooresville
• Alfonso Gamez Jr. – St. Mark Church, Huntersville
• Aaron Huber – Our Lady of Grace Church, Greensboro
• Jacob Mlakar – St. Mark Church, Huntersville
• Harry Ohlhaut – St. Elizabeth Church, Boone
• Camilo Salas-Bowen – St. Vincent de Paul Church, Charlotte
• Joseph Wasswa – St. Ann Church, Charlotte
Assignment dates vary, but overall the date range is June 4 - Aug. 20.
— Catholic News Herald