Diaz
PuthusseryCHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter Jugis announces the following religious order priest assignments:
- Father Walner D. Diaz, C.M., will serve as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Charlotte. Vincentian Father Diaz was ordained June 4 in Philadelphia by his order, the Eastern Province of the Congregation of the Mission.
- Father Baiju Paul Puthussery, OSFS, will serve at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in High Point effective July 1.
— Catholic News Herald
CHARLOTTE — Twenty-six Diocese of Charlotte seminarians have been assigned to work at parishes this summer, the diocese’s Vocations Office has announced.
They will serve from June 4 to Aug. 7.
Seminarians and their assignments are:
- Clement Åkerblom: St. Margaret Mary Parish in Swannanoa
- Christopher Angermeyer: St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Gastonia
- Robert Bauman: Sacred Heart Parish in Salisbury
- Deacon Christopher Brock: St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Charlotte
- John Cuppett: St. Leo the Great Parish in Winston-Salem
- Anthony del Cid Lucero: St. Mary Help of Christians Parish in Shelby
- Matthew Dimock Jr.: Our Lady of Grace Parish in Greensboro
- Maximilian Frei: St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte
- Christian Goduti: St. Mark Parish in Huntersville
- Matthew Harrison II: Divine Redeemer Parish in Boonville
- Nicholas Kramer: St. Joseph Vietnamese Parish in Charlotte
- Bradley Loftin: St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte
- Michael Lugo: Holy Cross Parish in Kernersville
- Luke Martin: St. Bernadette Parish in Linville
- Kevin Martinez: St. John the Baptist Parish in Tryon
- Kolbe Murrey: Holy Cross Parish in Kernersville
- Deacon Chinonso Nnebe-Agumadu: St. Mark Parish in Huntersville
- José Palma Torres: St. Jude Parish in Sapphire
- Deacon Peter Rusciolelli: St. Ann Parish in Charlotte
- Noé Sifuentes: St. Francis Assisi Parish in Jefferson
- Elliott Suttle: Holy Family Parish in Clemmons
- Andrew Templeton: Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Winston-Salem
- Peter Townsend: St. John the Baptist Parish in Tryon
- Kevin Tran: St. Gabriel Parish in Charlotte
- James Tweed: Queen of the Apostles Parish in Belmont
- Joseph Yellico: St. John the Evangelist Parish in Waynesville
WINSTON-SALEM — A former finance director at St. Leo the Great Church faces charges after she “fraudulently obtained” nearly $28,000 from the church, according to the Winston-Salem Police Department.
Marilyn Veronica Bertelsen, 61, was charged Friday with three felony counts of obtaining property by false pretense over a two-year period, police said.
Father Christopher Gober, pastor, informed parishioners shortly after the arrest, saying in an email that no other staff had been involved and that the insurance company had reimbursed St. Leo Church, so the parish felt no fiscal impact.
Shortly after his arrival as pastor in August 2020, Gober said the Diocese of Charlotte conducted a routine financial audit that found discrepancies in claimed reimbursements that were paid to Bertelsen. Police said they began an investigation in January 2021 and determined that Bertelsen had fraudulently obtained a total of $27,930.03 between February 2018 and March 2020.
Bertelsen, who resigned from the parish in November 2020, was taken to the Forsyth County Law Enforcement Detention Center on Friday, June 10, and released the same day on a $7,500 bond, with a preliminary court date of June 13.
“Personally, I want to say how much I appreciate your continued support since my arrival,” Father Gober told parishioners in his email. “And, while I am grateful this situation has been resolved, I am mindful of its impact on people’s lives. I kindly ask you to pray for everyone affected by this matter.”
— Catholic News Herald