CHARLOTTE — Today’s rising costs for food, fuel and other essentials create a greater demand for assistance. Together, through our combined gifts to the annual Diocesan Support Appeal, Catholics can help thousands of people in need across western North Carolina.
To date, the 2022 DSA has received $4.8 million – about 76 percent of its $6.3 million goal – with a few months remaining in this year’s campaign to receive the remaining $1.5 million.
“Faith More Precious Than Gold,” the theme of the 2022 Diocesan Support Appeal, echoes the diocese’s 50th anniversary celebration and is taken from 1 Peter 1:7: “so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
The theme “reminds us that our faith in the Lord, and in His love for us, is more important than anything else in our lives,” Bishop Peter Jugis noted in his letter announcing this year’s DSA.
The DSA campaign funds more than 50 ministries and programs that serve thousands of people across the diocese. Most notably, the DSA is a significant funding source for Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte for its counseling, food pantries, pregnancy support, refugee resettlement, elder ministry and other programs, as well as the programs and ministries of the Education Vicariate.
The DSA also supports the education of our 46 seminarians, multicultural ministries, the permanent diaconate program, and the annual Eucharistic Congress.
The Education Vicariate receives 31 percent of the funds collected in the campaign. Other DSA funds are allocated to Catholic Charities (30 percent), vocations (14 percent), multicultural ministries (13 percent), the Eucharistic Congress and the Office of Family Life (6 percent). Campaign administrative costs are projected to be 6 percent.
Parishioners in all 92 parishes and missions help fund the annual DSA. Through their contributions, people across the diocese are able to join together to do the Lord’s work – works of love and service that no one person or parish can do alone.
Last year, parishioners surpassed their $6.2 million goal.
Bishop Jugis asks parishioners that, as we celebrate the diocese’s 50th anniversary, we come together as a diocesan family to share God’s love with others through our prayers and financial gifts to the Diocesan Support Appeal, always giving thanks to God for the precious gift of our faith, which truly is “more precious than gold.”
— Catholic News Herald
How to support the DSA
- ONLINE: Go to www.charlottediocese.org/dsa to make a secure online donation.
- PHONE: Call 704-370-3302 to make a gift over the phone.
- ENVELOPE: Mail the pledge card you received in the mail or at Mass to: Diocese of Charlotte, 2022 Diocesan Support Appeal, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, N.C. 28203. (Pledges are to be paid by Dec. 31, 2022.)
Questions? Contact David Walsh at 704-370-3302 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
BodnerGREENSBORO — St. Benedict Church is receiving much needed exterior repairs thanks to an estate gift from longtime parishioner Dr. William Raymond Bodner Jr., who passed away at age 81 in 2019.
Bodner and his wife Anne, who passed away in 2017, moved to Greensboro in 1973. A psychiatrist, Bodner had his own medical practice and also worked with veterans at the Veterans Affairs hospitals in both Winston-Salem and New Bern.
In total, he and his wife left $130,000 to St. Benedict Parish: a $65,000 estate gift to be used for general purposes and a $65,000 endowment, which will continue to earn income over time to provide for parish needs.
Kim Garcia, a member of the parish’s finance council, said the parish is using funds from the estate gift to help restore the church’s exterior.
“We began the restoration several years ago, but the pandemic put it on hold and the craftsman we had on the project retired. The church was built in 1899 and the mortar had begun to break down, so we are using funds to replace the mortar. It is a very specialized craft and technique,” Garcia noted.
She says the funds from the Bodners meant the parish did not have to dip into its savings to finish the project.
“Our current plan for the Bodner Endowment Fund is to let it grow, so in the future when there may be a need, that will again be a tribute (to the family),” she explained. “We’re very grateful. It’s so inspiring when people leave something to a charity that they care about.”
Jim Kelley, diocesan development director, noted, “We are so grateful that so many are leaving gifts to the Church in their estate plans. These gifts will go into endowments for parishes and other entities that will help provide financial security for the work of the Church for generations to come.”
Fund an endowment
Interested in setting up an endowment or adding to an existing endowment at your parish or Catholic school? Establish an endowment in the Diocese of Charlotte Foundation by leaving a bequest in a will; a beneficiary designation from a retirement plan; a gift of real estate; a gift of life insurance, cash or securities sufficient to set up an endowment; or a life income arrangement, such as a trust or annuity.
For details, contact Gina Rhodes at 704-370-3364 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
CHARLOTTE — Thirteen grants totaling $56,605 from the Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte will provide tangible assistance to families in need and help bridge cultural barriers.
The annual awards, ranging from $2,000 to $5,000, are based on need and on the impact the funds are expected to have on local communities. This year, six parishes and two missions, two food pantries and three Catholic schools will benefit from these grants.
This year’s recipients include critical ministries working to provide food assistance during these challenging economic times. Both the Sister Mary Robert Food Ministry at Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury and the Casa Marillac Food Pantry at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Charlotte each received $5,000.
Holy Cross Church in Kernersville will use its $5,000 grant to break down language and cultural barriers that prevent parish families from interacting with each other. The funds will sponsor a parish-based program called “Deconstructing Babel.” This original program, created by parish staff in the education and formation office, is a bilingual, intercultural program that will bring parishioners together to share a meal and conversation each week.
During the mealtime, parishioners will have assigned seats. Each table will have cards to help with simple conversation phrases and dialogue in both English and Spanish. After the meal, the groups will split into their preferred language group. The Spanish-speaking group will learn about the traditions and cultural elements of the United States. The English-speaking group will learn about the traditions and cultural elements of Hispanic cultures and families.
“The spiritual life of our parishioners is directly tied to how much they identify as equal members of the same parish family,” said Father Noah Carter, pastor. “In my experience, there is a subtle and unspoken fear about experiencing a different culture and feeling out of place. ‘Deconstructing Babel’ is about bringing together our members in ways where they are free to ask questions, make mistakes, and learn about each other’s outlooks on life from their diverse backgrounds and experience.
“In the end, we hope that this program will bind up families from different cultures and make all of us proud to call all our fellow parishioners a brother or sister in Christ,” he added.
Since 2001, the foundation has awarded 409 grants totaling $1,152,509. These grants are distributed from four of the foundation’s 300-plus endowments.
“These grants have helped improve the lives of thousands of people. We are so thankful to the individuals and families who establish endowments to make it possible,” said Gina Rhodes, diocesan director of planned giving.
2022 Diocesan Foundation grant recipients
- Holy Cross Church in Kernersville: “Deconstructing Babel – bridging the ESL and SSL communities,” $5,000
- Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Charlotte: Casa Marillac Food Pantry, $5,000
- Our Lady of the Assumption School in Charlotte: “Spirit and Song” book grant, $4,080
- Our Lady of the Assumption School in Charlotte: flexible seating for focused learning, $2,000
- Our Lady of the Mountains Mission in Highlands: mold remediation in the rectory, $5,000
- Prince of Peace Mission in Robbinsville: replace heating and cooling system, $4,025
- Sacred Heart School in Salisbury: school master garden and greenhouse, $5,000
- Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury: food pantry run by the Sister Mary Robert Food Ministry, $5,000
- St. Ann School in Charlotte: learning support resource enhancements, $3,000
- St. Ann School in Charlotte: 10 new iPads for the first-grade classroom, $5,000
- St. Benedict the Moor Church in Winston-Salem: replace church and rectory doors, $5,000
- St. Mary, Mother of God Church in Shelby: construction of a children’s play area next to the parish center, $3,500
- St. Therese Church in Mooresville: faith formation restructuring curriculum, $5,000
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Celebrating Natural Family Planning Week
From July 24 to July 30, the Diocese of Charlotte will join dioceses across the United States in celebrating Natural Family Planning Awareness Week.
“Called to the joy of love” is the theme of this year’s campaign. It is organized each year by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to celebrate married love and promote awareness of Natural Family Planning methods. The dates coincide with the anniversary of
“Humanae vitae” (July 25) as well as the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne (July 26), the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Natural Family Planning methods, which represent a healthy, safe and moral alternative to artificial contraception, are growing in popularity in Catholic and non-Catholic circles alike.
The Church supports NFP methods because they respect God’s design for marriage and procreation while assisting couples to either pursue or avoid pregnancy when there is a just reason to do so. Natural Family Planning methods are based on observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman’s menstrual cycle. No drugs, devices or surgical procedures are necessary to avoid pregnancy.
The practice of NFP protects the dignity of the human person within the context of marriage and family life. The method is grounded in an outlook that values openness to life within marriage and recognizes a child as a gift.
By respecting the connection between the love-giving and life-giving aspects of sexual union, NFP also helps to enrich the bond between husband and wife by providing them with the skills to live in harmony with God’s divine plan for marriage, conjugal love and responsible parenthood.
Batrice Adcock, MSN, serves as the diocese’s Natural Family Planning program director. Adcock said the major initiatives of the program currently are to increase the number of bilingual instructors and to increase outreach to young women and girls with their mothers.
Tracking the menstrual cycle, as is done with NFP methods, can be valuable for any cycling woman as a tool for optimizing health and well-being, Adcock said. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics encourage tracking the menstrual cycle as a vital sign, but paradoxically, many women are put on the pill by their doctors to manage negative symptoms.
“Rather than ‘treating’ symptoms such as acne or migraines by suppressing ovulation with the pill, women are looking to restore normal hormone balance and health,” Adcock said. “Even though this approach requires more education and discipline, women are willing, to protect their future fertility and address the root cause of their health issue.”
Adcock said it is crucial that teens get educated on the importance of their cycles for their overall health.
“Ovulation impacts bone growth and brain development, the cardiovascular system, and overall well-being. The answer to menstrual problems is not suppressing ovulation with the pill and its inherent risks of decreased bone density, depression and stroke,” she said.
“Teens and pre-teens are encouraged to track their cycles as well. A young woman can use cycle tracking to assess the impact her lifestyle choices have on her health. She grows immensely in self-awareness – coming to understand, with time, how her hormones impact her energy, emotions and behavior,” she added.
One way the diocese is educating teens focuses on a method of Natural Family Planning called FEMM (Fertility Education and Medical Management), which can be practiced with the aid of a free app. Several instructors around the diocese, English- and Spanish-speaking, offer instruction in FEMM and other NFP methods.
In the Charlotte diocese, several teenFEMM retreats have been offered with success. The NFP Program has plans to launch a similar program for younger girls with their mothers, called CyclePrep.
“Parents and their daughters are learning the basics of the menstrual cycle, in the context of Church teaching on feminine dignity,” Adcock said.
Learn more
Get information from the diocese’s Family Life Office about NFP, in English and Spanish, online at www.charlottediocese.org/office-of-family-life. Included is a registration form for learning NFP in person or online, an instructor directory, related Church teaching, supportive health professionals and more.
For questions, contact Batrice Adcock, MSN, Natural Family Planning program director, at 704-370-3230 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..