CHARLOTTE — Memorial Day is an opportunity to pray for the souls of all the military men and women who have died serving our country, and for their families, said Bishop Peter Jugis.
BLACK MOUNTAIN — Several hundred young people from across the Diocese of Charlotte ended the month of April by jumping into the "Ocean of Mercy" at the annual Diocesan Youth Conference.
The 39th annual retreat April 29-May 1 at Ridgecrest Conference Center brought together high school youth for a weekend of workshops led by youth and adults alike, keynote speakers, entertainment, Mass, Adoration and confession.
Throughout the retreat, the youths were encouraged to dive in and share their Christian joy with others – in part by striving for continual conversion of heart, with the Holy Spirit as their guide. There were also talks on a wide range of everyday Catholic topics given by priests and women religious. The event was organized by the diocesan Youth Ministry Office, led by Director Paul Kotlowski, and a group of youth volunteers.
"This year our annual youth conference providentially landed in the middle of the Jubilee of Mercy, an opportune moment to stop and reflect on what impact, if any, has been made on our lives, to recalibrate ourselves for the rest of the year in order to ensure that we embrace God's mercy for ourselves, and boldly offer the corporal and spiritual works of mercy to those around us," Kotlowski said.
Also part of this year's programming was the first Mass in the Extraordinary Form celebrated in the DYC's 39-year history, with principal celebrant Father Matthew Kauth, chaplain at Charlotte Catholic High School and rector of the diocese's new St. Joseph College Seminary. Youths also participated in a Eucharistic procession around the retreat grounds, despite rainy weather.
Father Noah Carter, parochial vicar of Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro, was presented with the St. John Paul II Award for exceptional work in the field of youth ministry by clergy.
Caitlin Dibble was given the Bishop Begley Award for outstanding commit-ment to social justice, and Steven Sheppard and Sophie Fleming received the St. Timothy Award for exceptional youth leadership.
— Brandon Berryhill, correspondent. Photos by Brandon Berryhill and Deacon Ruben Tamayo, Catholic News Herald.
CHARLOTTE — St. Basil the Great Ukrainian Catholic Mission marked the 10th anniversary of its establishment with several recent liturgies.
The Divine Liturgy (Mass) which inaugurated St. Basil Mission was celebrated on Sunday, April 30, 2006, by then Bishop Robert Moskal of the Eparchy (Diocese) of St. Josaphat in Parma, Ohio.
The pastor of St. Basil Mission, Father Mark Shuey, offered Divine Liturgy April 30, the Feast of St. James the Apostle on the Byzantine-rite liturgical calendar. Also that evening, Father Joseph Matlak from St. Josaphat Cathedral in Parma celebrated Great Vespers. Another Divine Liturgy was celebrated May 1.
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which follows the Byzantine rite, is in full communion with the pope. The mission worships at the chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte. For more infor-mation about St. Basil Mission, go to www.stbasil.weebly.com.
— Gretchen Filz, Catholic News Herald
Convent housed Oblate Sisters of Providence for 30-plus years
CHARLOTTE — Ask any alumnus of Our Lady of Consolation School what they think about their Oblate Sisters of Providence teachers, and the response is always something like, "They were wonderful!" or "I just loved the sisters!" Admiration and gratitude for the nuns, part of the parish family over more than 30 years, are tangible.
Those memories are even more treasured now as the Charlotte parish has had to demolish the nuns' former convent and eyes rehabilitating other decades-old properties on the parish campus.
Charlotte's only African-American Catholic parish was founded in 1955, yet has roots stretching back to the 1940s. The Oblate Sisters of Providence came to Our Lady of Consolation Parish in 1957. Their order was the first Roman Catholic sisterhood in the world established by women of African descent, with the primary mission of teaching and caring for African-American children.
By the 1950s there were more than 300 Oblate Sisters of Providence teaching and caring for African-American children, including the students at Our Lady of Consolation School.
So it was with mixed emotions that the parish's building committee decided to tear down the old convent last month. The building had deteriorated too much over the years since the school was shuttered and the sisters left the diocese in the late 1980s.
"The convent building was on the verge of collapsing. Rain water had leaked in and caused some of the timbers to rot," noted Father Carl Del Giudice, pastor.
The site is being repurposed as a much-needed gravel parking lot for the land-locked parish at the corner of Statesville Avenue and Badger Court. The church has needed more parking space for parishioners to attend Mass and functions for some time, Father Del Giudice said.
The demolition and parking lot project cost approximately $16,000, he said.
Parishioners hope to refurbish the other church, school and cafeteria buildings that date from the 1950s, he added, although fundraising will be needed to accomplish these aims. They particularly would like to get the old cafeteria up and running again as a fellowship hall, and an architect is working on a plan for that, Father Del Giudice said.
The only structure on the parish campus that doesn't date from the 1950s is a family life center, built in 2005. Large Masses and many other parish and community events are hosted inside this 14,000-square-foot building, as the church itself seats only 260.
Our Lady of Consolation School alumn Valerie Adams tearfully watched the demolition of the convent over the course of several days. She was able to retrieve a wall crucifix from the convent building before it was demolished.
"My years there were so phenomenal," Adams said. "They (the sisters) made a profound difference in my life. Our Lady of Consolation School set a foundation for me."
Pearline Carr, one of the original graduates of Our Lady of Consolation School, has great memories of the Sisters of Providence and the convent. She, her sister Dolores and brother Bernard all attended Our Lady of Consolation School in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
The convent which once housed the Oblate Sisters of Providence at Our Lady of Consolation Church was razed in April after parish leaders determined the building was too deteriorated to salvage. The sisters taught at the school adjacent to the parish for more than 30 years and left in the late 1980s when the school closed. (Photos provided by Valerie Adams)"The sisters were wonderful," Carr recalled. "Mother Dolorosa was remarkable. She could sing opera. We did all kinds of plays and stuff. We used to go bowling with the sisters. The nuns did a lot of things with us. They were very strict, and they were very smart."
Carr said that occasionally some of the students would attend Mass in the convent chapel with the sisters.
"The nuns were excellent," she said. "It broke my heart when they closed the school."
Father Del Giudice said he appreciates the many memories that parishioners and graduates hold dear, and how difficult it has been for them to see the convent being torn down.
"A few folks have shed some tears. Some of them went to school here. Some were brought up in this parish. To them, it is part of an era that is gone," he said. "The Sisters of Providence were very dedicated women who worked here. Many generations of this parish were taught by the sisters. Their presence is missed."
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
CHARLOTTE — The Obama administration's May 13 directive on transgender access to bathrooms "that treats 'a student's gender identity as the student's sex' is deeply disturbing," said Bishop Peter J. Jugis May 18.
Bishop Jugis reiterated a May 16 joint statement from chairmen of two U.S. Catholic bishops' committees, who said, "The guidance fails to address a number of important concerns and contradicts a basic understanding of human formation so well expressed by Pope Francis: that 'the young need to be helped to accept their own body as it was created' ("Amoris Laetitia," 285).
The statement was issued by U.S. Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo, N.Y., who chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, and Archbishop George J. Lucas of Omaha, Neb., who chairs the USCCB's Committee on Catholic Education.
"The Catholic Church consistently affirms the inherent dignity of each and every human person and advocates for the wellbeing of all people, particularly the most vulnerable. Especially at a young age and in schools, it is important that our children understand the depth of God's love for them and their intrinsic worth and beauty. Children should always be and feel safe and secure and know they are loved," the bishops said.
"Children, youth and parents in these difficult situations deserve compassion, sensitivity and respect. All of these can be expressed without infringing on legitimate concerns about privacy and security on the part of the other young students and parents," they said. "The federal regulatory guidance issued on May 13 does not even attempt to achieve this balance."
"It unfortunately does not respect the ongoing political discussion at the state and local levels and in Congress, or the broader cultural discussion, about how best to address these sensitive issues. Rather, the guidance short-circuits those discussions entirely," they said.
The Obama administration's guidance applies to all public schools, colleges and universities that receive federal funding under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs and activities, like sports.
The Diocese of Charlotte's 19 Catholic schools do not receive any Title IX funding, said diocesan spokesman David Hains, and presumably are not directly impacted by the Obama administration's May 13 guidance.
But Charlotte has been "ground zero" for the controversy since March 2015, when the Charlotte City Council first attempted to enshrine rights of "gender expression" and "gender identity" in the city's existing anti-discrimination ordinance.
That first effort failed, but last March the council approved revisions to the anti-discrimination ordinance that would allow people who do not identify with their biological sex to access the public bathroom and shower facilities of their choice. For example, men who identify as women could use a women's bathroom or public shower.
Many local religious leaders, including Bishop Peter Jugis, called the move a threat to public safety and decorum.
"God made men and women biologically different. As a society we must respect that difference, and continue to maintain separate public bathrooms for men and women for the sake of modesty and safety," Bishop Jugis said at the time.
Public backlash over Charlotte's new ordinance prompted North Carolina legislators and Gov. Pat McCrory to intervene with a special one-day legislative session March 23, overruling the city and passing what became known as "House Bill 2." Among other things, the legislation requires people to use the public restroom or shower facility corresponding to their biological sex.
Controversial from the start, House Bill 2 drew criticism from the Obama administration within days of its passage and in early May ignited competing lawsuits between North Carolina and the federal Department of Justice.
— Catholic News Herald. Catholic News Service contributed.
Obama directive on transgender access to facilities 'deeply disturbing'
WASHINGTON, D.C. —The Obama administration's May 13 directive on transgender access to bathrooms "that treats 'a student's gender identity as the student's sex' is deeply disturbing," said the chairmen of two U.S. Catholic bishops' committees.
"The guidance fails to address a number of important concerns and contradicts a basic understanding of human formation so well expressed by Pope Francis: that 'the young need to be helped to accept their own body as it was created,'" the two bishops said in a statement May 16.
The statement was issued by Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo, New York, who is chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, and Archbishop George J. Lucas of Omaha, Nebraska, who chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Catholic Education.
The directive, or guidance, was issued by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education. The departments said it applies to all public schools and colleges and universities that received federal funding. It "summarizes a school's Title IX obligations regarding transgender students," they said, and also explains how the Education and Justice departments will "evaluate a school's compliance with these obligations."
The federal Title IX statute prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs and activities, like sports. AP reported that the Obama administration earlier had warned schools that denying transgender students access to the facilities and activities of their choice was illegal under its interpretation of federal sex discrimination laws.
In their statement Bishop Malone and Archbishop Lucas noted that the Catholic Church "consistently affirms the inherent dignity of each and every human person and advocates for the well being of all people, particularly the most vulnerable."
"Especially at a young age and in schools, it is important that our children understand the depth of God's love for them and their intrinsic worth and beauty. Children should always be and feel safe and secure and know they are loved," they said.
They said that children, youth and parents in "difficult situations," such as the focus of the federal guidance, "deserve compassion, sensitivity and respect."
"All of these can be expressed without infringing on legitimate concerns about privacy and security on the part of the other young students and parents," the two prelates said, but pointed out that the guidance issued May 13 "does not even attempt to achieve this balance."
"It unfortunately does not respect the ongoing political discussion at the state and local levels and in Congress, or the broader cultural discussion, about how best to address these sensitive issues," they said. "Rather, the guidance short-circuits those discussions entirely."
They quoted Pope Francis, who said recently that "biological sex and the sociocultural role of sex (gender) can be distinguished but not separated.
"We pray that the government make room for more just and compassionate approaches and policies in this sensitive area, in order to serve the good of all students and parents, as well as the common good," Bishop Malone and Archbishop Lucas said. "We will be studying the guidance further to understand the full extent of its implications."
— Catholic News Service