KERNERSVILLE — Landon Privette, a member of Boy Scout Troop 944 at Holy Cross Church, recently completed his Eagle Scout project at the office of Forsyth Pediatrics. With the help of Bill Ricketts, PA, at Forsyth Pediatrics, fellow Scouts and friends, Privette installed two children’s benches and two outdoor book lending boxes. Pictured with Privette are Ricketts, Samantha Walker, David Privette and Caleb Howell.
— John Bunyea | Catholic News Herald
CHARLOTTE — James Johnson of Boy Scout Troop 172 with Our Lady of Consolation Church recently completed his Eagle Scout project: a Marian Garden on the parish grounds.
Johnson said he wanted his Eagle Scout project to benefit his parish, and he came up with the idea for a Marian Garden after noticing that there were no places to sit and pray outside the church. The parish’s former outdoor prayer garden had been removed years ago, he discovered.
“That’s when I decided we needed one,” he said, “because the church is locked throughout the week, and if someone wanted to pray while being on church property and holy ground they could have that space.”
Johnson recruited help from his fellow Scouts and parishioners, as well as the parish’s Men’s Group and Knights of Columbus Council 770 – all of whom he thanks for their support, equipment donations and financial assistance.
The Marian Garden features a landscaped area with benches, flowers, outdoor lights and a statue of Mary.
— Photos via Facebook
CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte Latin Mass Community and St. Ann parish celebrated the feast of St. Peter of Verona with the annual blessing of St. Peter palms on his feast day Sunday April 29.
St. Peter of Verona (also called St. Peter Martyr) was a 13th century Dominican priest and inquisitor who successfully combated the Manichean heresy which plagued Italy at the time. After many years of preaching and converting Manicheans back to the faith, he was martyred in 1252. St. Peter’s murderer, Blessed Carino of Balsamo, later repented of his sin, became a Dominican brother and was eventually beatified by the Church for his life of sanctity.
The St. Peter palms, which were blessed by St. Ann pastor Father Timothy Reid, prior to Mass, are to be buried in the four corners of one’s property and tradition holds these palms protect against natural disasters.
For more information about the Charlotte Latin Mass Community please contact Chris Lauer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit: www.charlottelatinmass.org.
— Mike FitzGerald. Photos by Markus Kuncoro
CHARLOTTE — Father Timothy Reid, pastor of St. Ann Church, led parishioners in praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet after the 10:30 a.m. Mass April 8. The parish marked the fourth anniversary of the death of seminarian Michael Kitson, a parishioner who passed away in the early hours of Divine Mercy Sunday in 2014. His parents, Nancy and Michael Kitson (pictured at right), set up an endowment in their late son’s name to assist seminarians in the Diocese of Charlotte.
— SueAnn Howell | Catholic News Herald
MARION — Father Carl Kaltreider, parochial administrator, led the congregation Sunday afternoon at Our Lady of the Angels Mission in reciting the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, followed by the Litany of Divine Mercy and concluding with the reading of a message on Divine Mercy by St. John Paul ll.
— Giuliana Polinari Riley | Catholic News Herald
HUNTERSVILLE — Parishioners at St. Mark Church prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet in English and Spanish on Divine Mercy Sunday. The day also included a presentation by Father John Putnam entitled “St. Faustina and Spiritual Warfare,” followed by Benediction and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Father Brian Becker, parochial vicar, also gave a reflection in English and Spanish.
—Photo provided by Amy Burger
CHARLOTTE — “On Tuesday, May 1, of this past week, the Church around the world celebrated the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, which gives us the opportunity to come together to celebrate our patron saint. But did you realize that this past week there was another date which is significant for St. Joseph Parish? This past Wednesday, May 2, was the 14th anniversary of the dedication of this parish church.”
Bishop Peter Jugis thus began his homily during a special Mass May 6 at St. Joseph Vietnamese Church in Charlotte, commemorating the church’s dedication in 2004 – one of the first Bishop Jugis presided over after being installed as the Bishop of Charlotte.
Addressing more than a thousand faithful who filled the pews and overflowed into the narthex, Bishop Jugis said he remembered very well that important date, “a beautiful day,” when the church was solemnly dedicated to God under the patronage of St. Joseph.
“It was a wonderful day of celebration for the whole parish. Many of you were probably here for that Mass of Dedication. Here we are, together again, in the Easter season, to celebrate our Catholic faith and to honor the great St. Joseph,” Bishop Jugis said.
“Every week we come together to this altar to celebrate Jesus’ great love for us in the sacrifice of the Eucharist,” the bishop continued, emphasizing the day’s Gospel reading in which Jesus gives His disciples the commandment to love one another, a command He gave at the Last Supper.
“The Eucharist is the gift of His great love,” he said. “The Eucharist helps us grow continually in our love for God and our love for others. Jesus in the Eucharist unites all of us in love; we become one in Him.”
Recalling the prayers of the dedication Mass, the bishop said that the parish’s prayers are being answered and its members are now witnessing the fruits of God’s blessings, because “we are growing together in love.”
He prayed, “At this celebration today, let us ask St. Joseph to continue to bless this parish with His protection, His love and His prayers. And let us also ask the Blessed Mother to bless us with her powerful prayers. May all of you continue to grow together in God’s love. May you fulfill Jesus’ command to love one another as He loved us, and thus build up this parish’s family in love.”
Father Tri Truong, pastor, credited the commitment, love and personal connection Bishop Jugis has had with the Vietnamese parish.
“When Bishop Jugis became bishop, this was the second church he dedicated as bishop in 2004,” Father Truong noted. “And then in 2007, Bishop Jugis elevated this community to a parish. Also, it was Bishop Jugis who blessed the Stations of the Cross outside. And it was Bishop Jugis who blessed the statue of St. Joseph for us, too. So basically, what we have here is because of our beloved bishop – so thank you, Bishop. Thank you very much,” he said.
The anniversary celebration included an outdoor procession before Mass, when hundreds of faithful and delegations of the parish’s ministries processed around the church carrying a statue of their patron St. Joseph. After Mass, parishioners enjoyed a generous feast of traditional Vietnamese food.
Jeremy Icard, parishioner and parish council member of St. Joseph Church, said he was happy to participate in the life of the parish and see how it has grown over the years. Married to a woman of Vietnamese origin, Icard said he learned the language and, with his wife and children, has become fully integrated into parish life at St. Joseph Church.
“We live in Concord,” he said, but his family makes the long drive to the southwest Charlotte parish every week so that they can celebrate their Catholic faith, keep alive their Vietnamese heritage and language, and build relationships with others in their parish family.
Paul Tran, also a member of the parish council, said this date is a milestone for the entire parish community.
“We came to this property 20 years ago,” Tran said. “This was a long but a very blessed journey. We built a new church, we built a family center, and we are growing.”
The parish also honored Father Truong’s 10th anniversary of priesthood ordination, which is coming up in June.
— Story and video by César Hurtado, Hispanic Reporter; photos by John Cosmas, Catholic News Herald
St. Matthew faith formation initiative
CHARLOTTE — Nearly 3,000 children in St. Matthew Church faith formation programs recently participated in “Love Your Neighbor,” an outreach initiative in partnership with Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte.
Young people in preschool through the eighth grade donated thousands of items to fill “blessing bags” and “blessing buckets” to aid people in need in Charlotte and those affected by a recent tornado in Greensboro.
Pictured: Children in St. Matthew Church’s faith formation program assembled 300 “blessing bags” and 90 “blessing buckets” to distribute to people in need, praying as they filled each one with cleaning supplies and personal care supplies. (Photos provided by Kelly Matsey)
Each of the 300 blessing bags was filled with a toothbrush, toothpaste, bar of soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, deodorant and a washcloth. Ninety blessing buckets containing laundry detergent, household spray cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, sponges, paper towels and dish soap were also assembled.
“The items were collected as part of our Lenten prayer time,” explained Diane Kiradjieff, the parish’s religious education director. “The children were all asked to bring in the various items (which) we assigned by grade to ensure we had enough of each item.”
When it was time to put the blessing bags and buckets together, the preschool children rolled the washcloths and made “Thumbody Loves You” fingerprint cards. The other classes, divided into grades K-3, 4-6 and 7-8, then rotated through the gym to assemble the blessing bags and buckets.
After a brief introduction from Catholic Charities staff on who they are and who they serve, there was a prayer “service” time. Each class made a prayer circle, and within the circle were enough items to build two to three blessing bags or a blessing bucket. A modern-day parable based upon the Good Samaritan was read, describing a family displaced from their home by violence or a natural disaster. The passersby in the parable were different towns who either ignored or made the family feel unwanted, until in a third town the family was recognized as God’s children and received help from the community.
Following the parable, different scripture verses were read alluding to the items that would fill the bags and buckets. The children decided which item was needed and began filling the bags and buckets. Before they finished, the children placed their hands on the bags and buckets and prayed for the families that would be receiving them.
In total, 2,969 young people collected more than 6,000 items to fill the blessing bags and blessing buckets.
“In a faith formation program, it is too easy to get so focused on the learning that we sometimes forget about the doing,” Kiradjieff said. “One of the biggest challenges for catechists is to make sure what we are teaching is relevant to the students’ life – that they are able to take their Catholic faith into their daily life and live it to the fullest.”
She explained that the three goals with the project were: to do as Jesus asked in loving one’s neighbor and helping people in need, remembering that one’s “neighbor” is all of God’s children and not just those within a particular community; to help the children understand that they can make a difference, and it is their responsibility as Catholics to do so; and to spread peace and love through their actions, especially in bringing together the individual classes as one faith formation community.
“Our faith formation team is intentional about making the connection between faith and works of mercy for our students and their families,” noted Father Pat Hoare, pastor of St. Matthew Church. “Our faith is a living faith. The Lord is not only someone to “learn about.” He sends the Holy Spirit, allowing us to make the love of God present in the world.”
“I encourage the children to not only bring in toiletries or make sandwiches, but to remember in prayer the people they are serving, because God loves each of them very much,” he said.
“This service project at St. Matthew Church was a tremendous success in connecting the faith formation of our young people with the charitable works of mercy,” said Dr. Gerard Carter, executive director of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte.
“Many of the items collected by the children were able to be transported to Greensboro to help those impacted by the recent tornadoes. This reinforces that we are one community of the faithful helping out those in need across many miles.”
“It is our hope that similar opportunities will be taken up by parishes across the diocese,” he added.
Kiradjieff said the Catholic Charities project “gave us the chance to be His hands and His feet, and truly be able to live out what we learn in our faith formation classrooms and from the Church.”
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter