GREENSBORO — St. Pius X Church welcomed the spirit and relics of St. Pio of Pietrelcina the weekend of April 14.
“It was a beautiful weekend,” said Lindsay Kohl, the parish’s director of formational studies. Kohl, along with parishioners Rita and Mario Pugliese, planned and coordinated Padre Fortunato Grottola’s visit to the Greensboro parish.
Pictured: Parishioners at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro were blessed by a relic of St. Pio of Pietrelcina during a recent visit from Capuchin Friar Fortunato Grottola, now the superior guardian in Pietrelcina, where the saint once lived. (Photos by Georgianna Penn | Catholic News Herald)
A Capuchin friar, Padre Fortunato helps to oversee the Shrine of St. Padre Pio in southern Italy and has most recently been assigned the superior guardian in Pietrelcina, where St. Pio once lived.
With four weekend Masses, an Italian dinner celebration, time with the youth and a seniors luncheon, the people of the parish felt truly blessed by Padre Fortunato’s visit.
The friar also visited the sick who reside at Maryfield in High Point, which was very important to him.
“He visited one of our very sick parishioners between Masses,” Kohl added.
St. Pio of Pietrelcina, known simply as Padre Pio, is dearly loved by many, especially in Italy.
During his time in Greensboro, Padre Fortunato shared many stories of the great saint, stigmatist and mystic who died in 1968. As a child, Fortunato even met Padre Pio, when a school trip afforded him the opportunity to shake Padre Pio’s hand which bore the wounds of Christ.
Padre Fortunato brought several relics with him which were used during the blessings after each Mass: Padre Pio’s habit from 1918, the one he wore shortly after having received the stigmata. A wool scarf he used to cover his head and shoulders, as he is so often pictured. A wool glove which he used to cover his hand so the stigmata would not always be visible to people. Blood that flowed from his wounded side, wrapped by a linen he used for this purpose.
Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor, and Rita and Mario Pugliese and their daughter Sara are pictured with a scarf that once belonged to St. Pio. Sara said she felt drawn to the scarf all weekend, and Padre Fortunato even gave it to her to sleep with one night when she was feeling scared.Frances Giaimo and her husband Sal were among three families who hosted an Italian celebration at the parish to welcome Padre Fortunato. Sharing recipes and expertise, the Giaimos, Errichiellos and Puglieses created a “labor of love” Italian feast for the parish and their Italian guest.
St. Pio is a saint of many gifts: family, vocations, hope and healing, parishioners described.
“What’s amazing is that there are so many parishioners here at St. Pius X who have had personal encounters with St. Pio and his many blessings,” noted St. Pius X staff member Carolyn Painley.
During an interview at the seniors’ luncheon, parishioner Janet Corrigan shared her son’s story of hope and answered prayers. Sean and Elaine Corrigan traveled to Medjugorje many years ago for the purpose of praying to the Blessed Virgin Mary to have a child. They had tried for years, but had been unable to conceive. While there, they met pro-life speaker Molly Kelly. When the Corrigans shared their reason for traveling to Medjugorje, Kelly enthusiastically told them that a priest accompanying her carried a glove of Padre Pio’s. The Corrigans arranged for a blessing, and the priest placed the glove over Elaine Corrigan’s womb and prayed. The Corrigans now have four children.
“Pray big,” Pattie Murray told her sister Joan Hennessey, who was diagnosed with a rare sarcoma in 2005. Murray, a Secular Franciscan and St. Pius X parishioner, said everyone in her family prayed to St. Pio for her sister to be healed, even taking her to the National Centre for Padre Pio in Barto, Pa., and to the St. Padre Pio Shrine in Landisville, N.J. After extensive surgeries and clinical trials, her sister’s cancer was declared in remission a year later.
“She had prayed to St. Pio – he was it,” Murray said.
Unfortunately, she continued, her sister’s cancer came back.
“Her prayer at that point was that she could see both of her daughters graduate from high school,” Murray said.
Her sister’s prayer was answered, living long enough to see them both graduate before passing away on the sixth anniversary of St. Pio’s canonization, on June 16, 2008. “That’s something many people may not see as significant, but I do,” Murray said.
“It was 1968, in Catholic grade school in Miami,” Dr. Juan Fernandez shared in an interview after the Italian feast celebration. “A group of people was going around the country talking about Padre Pio. They were trying to get signatures for his beatification and they showed a lot of pictures and talked about the miracles and the stigmata,” he said.
Young Fernandez, an eighth-grader at the school, became really impressed with Padre Pio, who had died earlier that year, and he signed the petition. “It’s hard to believe – I get choked up 50 years later – that I was able to get his blessing from the gloves that he wore,” he said.
After learning about Padre Pio, Fernandez felt called to discern the priesthood and spent time at St. John Vianney Minor Seminary in Miami.
“My high school would allow me to go and spend time there to see if I really had the vocation,” he recalled. “But God showed me a different path, to become a physician.”
Now an obstetrician and gynecologist, Fernandez has delivered approximately 10,000 babies over his 35-year medical career. After he retires in August, he and his wife will be going on the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) pilgrimage, he said.
After Padre Fortunato’s visit, Fernandez said he feels he is being called once again. “I don’t know what it is, but He knows my mind, my heart and my soul are open to whatever it is He wants me to do next.”
Dr. Juan Fernandez brought a statue of St. Pio to be blessed by Padre Fortunato. His devotion to the saint led him to his vocation of becoming a physician, and he has delivered almost 10,000 babies over his medical career.From vocations, to family to hope and healing, St. Pio shares a wide range of gifts with God’s people.
“Every time I talked to Padre Fortunato, I was overcome with emotion,” Kohl said. “Saints are funny. They find a way to help people.”
Rita and Mario Pugliese hosted Padre Fortunato during his visit to Greensboro.
“I feel very full,” said Rita Pugliese. “He left a peace in my house. Each time he entered my home, he would say, ‘Pace a questa casa,’” she said.
The Puglieses have a personal connection to St. Pio. Originally from Monte di Procida, a small town near Naples, Italy, Mario Pugliese’s mother met St. Pio more than 50 years ago when she was having trouble getting pregnant. She wrote him a letter and he wrote back, inviting her to a special Mass. She went to the Mass and even though it was extremely crowded, she got close enough to him to receive his blessing. He pointed to her and said, “You will have kids.” She soon had her first child, then Mario, and later a third child.
Rita Pugliese said Padre Fortunato feels part of the St. Pius X family now. He could really feel the faith and love of the parishioners and see it in their eyes, she said.
“Padre Pio in a singular way manifested so many spiritual gifts. It was a great privilege to welcome Father Fortunato to St. Pius and have him bring the spiritual legacy of this great saint to life for us,” said Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor. “Padre Pio was a powerful intercessor in life, and we know this to be even more true since he has joined the company of saints. Many people at St. Pius felt that intercession in a very poignant and personal way.”
— Georgianna Penn, correspondent
CHARLOTTE — They come from along the Red Sea, where their uniquely East African traditions blend with incense and the sounds of drums and Catholic prayers chanted in an ancient Semitic tongue.
They are Eritrean Catholics, and they have found a home at St. Gabriel Church, where they meet monthly to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, or Mass.
About a hundred Eritrean Catholics gathered April 7 for their latest Eucharistic celebration, in which they commemorated Easter during a two-hour-long Mass in the Ge’ez rite, a liturgy rooted in the Church of Alexandria in Egypt. Men sat on the left side of the church, women on the right, wearing white robes covering their heads. Most of the Mass was chanted in Ge’ez, an ancient, dead language now used exclusively for liturgical celebrations.
The celebration was led by Father Kidanemariam Hadgu Gebrehiwot, who simply goes by Father Kidane. He travels from Atlanta every first Saturday of the month to offer Mass for the Eritrean Catholics in Charlotte, who number about 300.
Father Kidane comes from the Archeparchy (Archdiocese) of Asmara, Eritrea, the mother see of the Eritrean Catholic Church. The priest of 27 years serves at Corpus Christi Church in Stone Mountain, Ga., as well as serving as vicar for the Catholic Geez Rite community in the Atlanta area. Besides traveling regularly between Atlanta and Charlotte, he also ministers to Eritrean Catholics in Dallas, Texas.
Father Kidane says he is grateful to the Diocese of Charlotte and to St. Gabriel Parish for welcoming the Eritrean Catholics and helping them to practice their faith.
“We have felt very blessed and welcomed by all,” he says. “They have given us not only a space to celebrate, but also a space to share our culture.”
George Joseph, one of the organizers of the Eritrean community in Charlotte, arrived in 1992, shortly a border conflict erupted between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Like many of the immigrants, Joseph had to flee the region, which over several decades has been stricken by war, famine and drought. After earning a degree in finance from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, he worked at several banks before establishing himself in the convenience store and real estate industries.
“I’ve been in Charlotte for 25 years. And I’ve seen years in which there was nothing to remind us where we were born. We had no leaders, no place to go,” Joseph recalls. Finally, after getting better organized, the local Eritreans sought help from the Archdiocese of Atlanta and began receiving visits from Father Kidane, who “for the community has been a blessing.”
“Our main objective is not to promote our rite, but to exercise our faith and be able to participate in the sacraments without any obstacle or restriction. This parish and the diocese have given us the opportunity we were looking for,” Joseph emphasizes.
Dawit Michael, who has lived in the United States for 10 years, adds, “One of the difficulties that immigrants have is finding a community that we feel part of, and the Church is one of those instruments of integration. At St. Gabriel they welcomed us, and here, in addition to the Mass, we program other activities for children and young people.”
Passing down the faith to their children and keeping young adults active in their faith is important, leaders say. At the April 7 Mass, the presence of many children and young adults was noticeable.
Erin Joseph, a student who was born in the United States to Eritrean immigrant parents, says he feels drawn to his Eritrean Catholic heritage and the Ge’ez rite liturgy. “I like it. It is very attractive. The music is different, more cheerful; people applaud. I feel very comfortable, like I’m in my own home.”
The opportunity to come together each month is about more than attending Mass, Joseph says. It’s about building community among what are mostly recent immigrants, many of whom work in convenience stores or drive taxis. The time spent in fellowship after Mass is important, he says, because “it is the way we meet, we greet each other, we see ourselves as a family.”
Father Kidane is hopeful about the prospects of the small but faith-filled Eritrean Catholic community in Charlotte. Perhaps, one day, they will be able to build a church of their own, but in the meantime, they appreciate the hospitality they have received from St. Gabriel Parish.
“Everything is in the hands of God,” he says.
— Cesar Hurtado, Hispanic Reporter
‘How blessed we are to be in the presence of this Blessed Sacrament’
BELMONT — Rain and gray skies could not dampen the spirits of more than 1,100 young people, seminarians, religious and chaperones who attended the 14th annual Bishop’s Youth Pilgrimage April 7 at Belmont Abbey College.
The Bishop’s Youth Pilgrimage – a component of the annual Eucharistic Congress – shares the annual Eucharistic Congress theme which for 2018 is based on the words of the Gospel of John 6:51: “I am the Living Bread.” This verse is a part of the discourse on the bread of life in which Christ repeatedly explains to His followers that they must eat His Body and drink His Blood to have eternal life.
The youth pilgrimage, held each spring, is designed to provide young people of the Diocese of Charlotte with a day of reflection, prayer, formation, vocation awareness and fellowship.
Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari of Belmont Abbey welcomed the youth and visitors as the day’s events began and served as main celebrant at Mass. Father Benjamin Roberts, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe, brought 13 youth from his parish and concelebrated the Mass. They were assisted by Deacon Ruben Tamayo, youth minister at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte.
During his homily, Abbot Placid told the youth, “If it (the faith) is going to be passed on for however many thousands of years until the Lord comes again, it is because of you. (To) Jesus’ words today, ‘Go out into the world and proclaim the Good News’ – you’ll say ‘yes.’
“You’ll do it by what you say. What you say has to be backed up by the way you live, by the way you treat others, by the way that you give witness to the Truth.”
Confession, midday prayer led by Benedictine Brother Edward Mancuso, talks, Eucharistic Adoration and a Eucharistic Procession inside the Wheeler Center were also highlights of the annual pilgrimage.
In his address to the youth during the period of Adoration, Bishop Peter Jugis touched on the theme of this year’s Eucharistic Congress and the youth pilgrimage.
“How blessed we are to be in the presence of this Blessed Sacrament which He left for us as the perpetual continuation of the gift of Himself at the Last Supper, and the gift of Himself in His passion, His death and His resurrection – the gift of Himself for our salvation,” Bishop Jugis said.
“He wanted to make sure that was perpetually remembered and celebrated, so He left His living presence with us in the Holy Eucharist.”
Bishop Jugis recalled that Jesus came, stood amid His apostles and said, “Peace be with you.” He reminded those gathered that in His passion, death and resurrection, Jesus conquered sin.
“If He conquers death, then He also conquers what causes death, which is sin. (Jesus is) Conqueror, victor over death and sin; in other words, giving us freedom, the freedom of the children of God to live in His grace.
“It’s beautiful what the Lord does for us during this whole Easter season."
"The Lord is the greatest friend that any of us can have. He is always faithful, always wise, and He is always there for you." – Bishop Peter Jugis
Rainy weather prevented an outdoor Eucharistic Procession on the grounds of Belmont Abbey College, but Bishop Jugis encouraged the young people to come to the Eucharistic Congress to participate in that outdoor procession through the streets of Charlotte Sept. 8.
“That Eucharistic Procession is another sign of the Church’s love for the Eucharist,” he said. “It is really inspiring to see tens of thousands of people walking peacefully, prayerfully through the streets of Charlotte in Adoration of Jesus.
“It really imitates what the people of God do in their procession throughout human history – the people of God on a journey to our promised land. That procession imitates the people of God walking with Jesus, He as our Good Shepherd, leading us to the Promised Land.”
Bishop Jugis spoke to the youth about the gifts that Our Lord gives to His people. He enumerated on the gift of peace, given by Jesus, and the gift of charity, praying for others while in Adoration.
“The Eucharist is a living gift of Jesus giving His life to you in love,” he said.
The Eucharist is living bread, he explained. “That is not said of any other bread on the face of the earth. Living bread? You can’t say that of any bread that you buy from the grocery store.”
“It (the Eucharist) is alive. It’s a life that never dies because Jesus’ life is forever. When you see the Living Bread, even in Adoration when we receive the Living Bread spiritually, we are receiving the Living Bread and we are receiving eternal life. We are on the way to heaven with Him,” he said.
Bishop Jugis also spoke of the gift of friendship with Christ, which all of us can cultivate by spending time in the presence of the Eucharist.
“The Lord is the greatest friend that any of us can have,” he said. “He is always faithful, always wise, and He is always there for you.”
He paraphrased: “(Jesus) says, ‘Come to me all of you who labor or who are heavily burdened, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart and your soul will find rest. My yoke is easy and my burden is light.’
“He is here to listen and to respond.”
Stephanie Lugo, a Belmont Abbey College senior, is a Hintemeyer Scholar who served as the college event organizer and rallied more than 85 Belmont Abbey students to host the youth pilgrimage on campus.
“Even as a high school participant attending the pilgrimage, I hoped to eventually help run the event as a student at Belmont Abbey. The event has been very meaningful to me in my life because of its central focus on the Eucharist, and I want to share this opportunity to encounter Christ with others.
“My hope is that students who attend the pilgrimage from across the diocese (today) will benefit from an afternoon which invites them to listen attentively to the voice of Christ and experience His deeply personal love for each of us individually.”
A group of 17 young people and chaperones from St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte came with Dominican Sisters Zeny Mofada and Edeva Jover. “It’s good for our youth to have an encounter with Bishop Jugis himself,” Sister Zeny said. “Our youth who are preparing for confirmation, we ask them to write a letter to the bishop. I was reflecting that being here, they will realize the value of the bishop. That sacrament is very important. Being with the bishop and being guided properly to the power of the Catholic faith, (the Eucharist) is important.”
Bernard Malloy, a junior at Christ the King High School in Huntersville, attended the youth pilgrimage for the sixth time. “I really enjoy the experience with Adoration, having reflection time with the priests. It’s a blast being with everyone,” he said.
Second-timer Nicole Sanchez, a ninth-grader from St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte, added, “It’s nice to come here, to separate from most of the world. I like to learn more about my faith. It enlightens you, makes you feel better, gives you peace about your faith.”
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
FOREST CITY — There’s a new online Catholic radio station based in the Diocese of Charlotte and broadcasting in two languages.
The station www.chirhoradio.org streams local and national Catholic radio in English and Spanish, said Jim Brooks, parishioner of Immaculate Conception Church in Forest City and the station’s community programmer. The station launched in December, and it went live in Spanish earlier this month.
Born from the identified need for Catholic radio in the diocese, the station strives to educate, evangelize and provide entertainment, Brooks said.
The online radio station is a separate initiative from the Catholic Carolina Radio Network, which is in the process of developing a string of broadcast radio stations along the Interstate 85 corridor through the diocese.
After evaluating the costs involved with owning and broadcasting an over-the-air radio station, Brooks said he turned instead to streaming.
The online station is an affiliate of Light House Catholic Media and Ave Maria Radio. On Sundays, the station airs the “Swinging, Singing Deacon” with Deacon Andy Cilone of Immaculate Conception Church.
Sunday is the station’s most popular day, with up to 500 listeners an hour, Brook said. Currently, 80 percent of the audience is outside the diocese.
“Our goal is to celebrate and promote the faith. Our editorial guidelines is real simple: ‘Would Bishop (Fulton) Sheen play this?’ If it doesn’t fall under that category, it doesn’t get aired. It’s worked very, very well so far,” Brooks said.
Brooks said he would like to add full Latin Masses and homeschooling programs.
“We’re trying to find our footing on what programming works and what doesn’t,” he said. “It’s still trial and error. Audience feedback helps to decide what to run and when.”
The station is run by volunteers and funded by online subscriptions and advertising.
Brooks said he hopes as the station grows, it will be able to add additional language stations such as Korean and Vietnamese.
— Kimberly Bender, Online reporter
Listen online
At www.chirhoradio.org : Stream the station or download the app to stream it on your mobile device. You can also “subscribe” by donating $7 to help cover the station’s costs. For details, contact Jim Brooks at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte Foundation has surpassed the milestone of more than $50 million in assets.
The foundation, established in 1994, provides a means for people and organizations to provide long-term financial stability for the diocese and its more than 180 churches, schools, agencies and organizations.
Over the past 24 years, the foundation has grown to encompass 255 endowments that total $51.4 million in assets as of Feb. 27. The foundation had reached $40 million in assets just over a year ago.
An endowment is a permanent fund, the principal of which is never touched, but the income from which can be used in accordance with the wishes of the donor organization or individual. Endowments provide a way to generate income and help sustain the long-term strength and viability of the diocese and its parishes, schools, agencies and ministries.
“The endowments in the foundation range from a few thousand dollars to over $4 million. We are also finding that more and more people are establishing named endowments to honor or remember a loved one. Currently, 126 of the 255 endowments are named endowments,” said Jim Kelley, diocesan director of development.
Those who make a planned gift to the foundation, the diocese, or any of its parishes, schools, ministries or agencies become members of the Catholic Heritage Society. The society is the diocese’s way of honoring the Christian generosity of Catholic friends who are providing for the future of the Church in western North Carolina.
The Catholic Heritage Society is comprised of more than 1,100 people in the diocese, many of whom are leaving gifts to the foundation in their wills and estate plans.
The foundation sends reports out to all these endowment holders every quarter stating where their endowment stands and how much is available to distribute. As a rule, the foundation makes available 5 percent of a rolling three-year average value of its total assets. Since 1994, the foundation has distributed more than $8.5 million to the diocese and its parishes, schools and ministries.
One example of an endowment recently bequeathed to St. Benedict Church and St. Pius X Church in Greensboro was received through the generosity of Helen Doyle Black, 98, who passed away on July 27, 2016, at Pennybyrn’s Taylor Village in High Point. She left a total bequest of approximately $83,000 in her will that is going to both parishes.
Black was a parishioner of St. Pius X Church and a former parishioner of St. Benedict Church. Her gift is being split between the two parishes: approximately $68,000 will benefit St. Benedict Church and approximately $15,000 will benefit St. Pius X Church, with a portion going into endowments for each parish and a portion going directly to each parish.
“We are finding more and more people in the diocese are remembering the Church in their estates,” Kelley noted. “Many of them are establishing endowments in the foundation, where their gifts can have a lasting impact. Gifts made once in an endowment continue to give forever.”
For details about endowments or estate gifts, contact Ray Correia, diocesan director of planned giving, at 704-370-3364 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
– SueAnn Howell, senior reporter