CHARLOTTE — MiraVia will host its 27th annual fundraising banquet at the Charlotte Convention Center’s Crown Ballroom this year, with the option to watch online, from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14.
Bishop Peter Jugis and other priests and deacons of the diocese will be in attendance.
The “Proclaiming Truth and Life” banquet will feature keynote speaker Alison Centofante, a powerful pro-life activist and director of external relations for Live Action, the nation’s largest pro-life media group focused on shifting public opinion through education.
MiraVia, which began as Room At The Inn in 1994, helps abortion-vulnerable women choose life and build independent, healthy lives for themselves and their children.
At its outreach facility in Charlotte, MiraVia offers free life skills classes, material assistance and moral support to the women who come to them for help. Since its founding, MiraVia has helped nearly 9,091 women and their children at its outreach program.
In 2013 it opened a 10,000-square-foot maternity home at Belmont Abbey College that can house up to 15 young women with an unplanned pregnancy who want to complete their college education and care for their babies. To date, MiraVia has provided this free housing at its college maternity residence to 62 mothers and their children. Since the first pregnant mother’s admission in December 1994, the residential program has served 587 mothers and children.
Registration to view the “Proclaiming Truth and Life” banquet online is still open, although sign-ups for in-person attendance have ended. Go to www.miravia.org for more information and to register. Questions? Contact Megan Whiteside at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 704-525-4673, ext. 13.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
Annual Blessing of the Animals were held in honor of the Feast Day of St. Francis on Oct. 4. Blessings were held the weekend of Oct. 1-3 at parishes and schools across the Diocese of Charlotte. St Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals, merchants and ecology.
Another opportunity
Charlotte residents: Missed having your pet blessed last weekend? St. Matthew Church will host a pet blessing at noon Saturday, Oct. 9. Go to the Pets Memorial Garden next to the main church at the corner of Rea Road and Ballantyne Commons Parkway. Animals need to be on a leash or in a carrier.
CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte has passed an independent review of its compliance to nationally prescribed child protection procedures for the 19th straight year.
The yearly assessment by Stonebridge Business Partners of Rochester, N.Y., monitors U.S. dioceses’ compliance with the U.S. bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” which addresses the Church’s commitment to respond effectively, appropriately and compassionately to cases of abuse of minors by clergy or other Church personnel.
The audit for the period of July 2020 through June 2021 was conducted in August. The diocese has been found to be compliant with the provisions of the charter each year since the audits began in 2003.
The external review checks compliance with reporting requirements of the charter, including the diocese’s efforts to ensure the protection of children through criminal background checks and educational awareness programs on recognizing and preventing abuse.
In the fiscal year that ran from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, the diocese conducted 3,786 background checks, which are required on an ongoing basis for all diocesan clergy, employees and volunteers. Since 2002, more than 75,400 background checks have been conducted. That includes rechecking active volunteers and employees every five years.
The COVID-19 pandemic slowed the need for volunteer assistance in parishes and schools over this past fiscal year, so fewer in-person training classes of “Protecting God’s Children” were held. A total of 2,190 adults in the diocese received training, down from the usual number of 4,000 participants.
More than 59,000 adults in the diocese have received training in this abuse prevention awareness program since it began in 2002.
“Protecting God’s Children” helps adults learn to recognize the warning signs of abuse and the many ways that sexual abuse harms victims, families, parishes and communities. It teaches them appropriate ways to respond to suspicious behaviors and how they can help prevent abuse.
The training program was recently updated with revamped videos and discussion points.
— Catholic News Herald
CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter Jugis has made new appointments in the Diocese of Charlotte’s permanent diaconate program, a leadership change that occurs regularly every few years. He also established an advisory board to ensure continuity in the permanent diaconate program.
As of Oct. 4, Deacon John Kopfle takes over as director of the program, succeeding Deacon John Martino.
During Deacon Martino’s five-year tenure, 27 permanent deacons were ordained for the diocese.
“I am humbled and blessed to be a part of the deacon community and to have played a small role with others in the formation, ministry and life of the diaconate for the Diocese of Charlotte,” Deacon Martino said.
Deacon Kopfle, who with his wife Nancy has served at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte for the past 33 years, brings to the directorship 15 years of diaconal ministry and nine years of leadership as its Charlotte regional coordinator.
He points out that the documents of the Second Vatican Council and the U.S. Bishops’ National Directory describe beautifully the mission of deacons: Deacons are to be “a driving force for the Church’s service toward the Christian communities … and as a sign of Christ Himself.” And also, “The deacon’s ministry of service is linked with the missionary dimension of the Church … ministry of word, ministry of liturgy and works of charity, which are carried into daily life.”
“The permanent diaconate in the Diocese of Charlotte is growing to fulfill this role,” Deacon Kopfle said. “With the ordination of 12 men on Sept. 25, we are blessed to now have 146 deacons, the largest number ever. Our community of deacon wives continues to grow as well, and we thank them for the very important role they play in our ministry.”
“In carrying out our diaconal calling, we are tasked to respond to the needs of this place and time,” he said. “The Diocese of Charlotte continues to grow, comprising over 500,000 Catholics and nearly 100 parishes and missions throughout western North Carolina. This growth provides great opportunities as well as challenges, such as how to minister to those affected by economic, social and health issues, and to our expanding ethnic and cultural communities.”
Deacon Bill Schreiber will assume the role of formation director for the permanent diaconate, succeeding Deacon Ed Konarski.
“I am humbled and blessed to be chosen to follow in the footsteps of my deacon predecessors who have established an exceptional formation program in our diocese,” Deacon Schreiber said. “Our program has successfully guided the formation of deacons in the diocese for decades. We have accomplished this by inspiring holy men to be humble servants in our churches throughout the diocese with a focus on the development of the human, pastoral, spiritual and intellectual dimensions essential to the life of a deacon.
He recalled that St. John Paul II stated at a general audience in 1993 that “In the diaconate an effort is made to carry out what Jesus stated about His mission: ‘The Son of Man has not come to be served but to serve – to give His life in ransom for many’” (Mk 10:45; Mt 20:28).
“Today in our diocese and throughout the world, deacons are actively supporting Our Lord’s mission as St. John Paul II said. These words are ingrained in my mind, and they will guide my efforts serving as the director of deacon formation. With the help of the Holy Spirit and our formation team, I look forward to the opportunity to serve in this capacity and guide the future growth and development of our program within the Diocese of Charlotte.”
Deacon David Faunce has been appointed assistant director of deacons. He served as program’s Hickory regional coordinator for the past two years. Deacon
James Trombley is stepping into the role of Hickory regional coordinator.
“My assignment as the new assistant director of formation is certainly a testament to the fact that Our Lord calls us at times and to places that we may not always anticipate or envision ourselves,” Deacon Faunce said. “I continue to ask for the prayers of all of our brothers and sisters as Deacons Schreiber, Kopfle and I work to fulfill our roles in the diaconal formation ministry. I’m comforted and honored that I’ll be serving alongside a cohort of experienced, dedicated deacons from whom
I’m certain to glean important direction and insight, knowing that God’s grace will always guide us in our work within His vineyard.”
As of Oct. 4, the deacon advisory board will consist of Deacons Scott Gilfillan, Ed Konarski and John Martino.
“The greater days of service are ahead of all of us,” Deacon Martino noted. “I am grateful for those who will lead the diaconate in the years to come and for the deacons, wives, widows and families within our deacon community who put others before themselves. May God bless our bishop, the faithful of our diocese and the Church we all love.”
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Interested in the permanent diaconate?
Catholic men who are active in their parish, who bring a certain experience of the spiritual life including apostolic zeal and a desire to increase their faith through obedience and fraternal communion, and who are at least 32 years old, married or unmarried, can inquire into becoming a permanent deacon in the diocese.
Preparation for the permanent diaconate takes several years to complete.
Only those men who appear to have a genuine call to formation as a deacon will be invited by the Formation Team to complete application for admission to the next formation class.
The norms required for application to the formation program can be found on the Diocese of Charlotte’s website at www.charlottediocese.org/permanent-diaconate/permanent-diaconate (click on “Application Norms”).
If you are interested in serving as a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Charlotte, contact Deacon John Kopfle, director of the permanent diaconate, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 704-370-3344.
Your DSA contributions at work
Your DSA contributions at workThe diocese’s Permanent Diaconate Ministry is funded in part by the annual Diocesan Support Appeal. Learn more about the DSA and how to donate online at www.charlottediocese.org/dsa.
CHARLOTTE — An allegation of child sexual abuse has been reported against a Jesuit priest, Father Francis P. Gillespie, who served at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish more than 20 years ago.
Father Gillespie was pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption Church and School from 1994 to 2001, and the abuse is alleged to occurred at the church in the mid- to late 1990s, when the claimant was a student at the school.
The allegation was recently reported to the Diocese of Charlotte and to Father Gillespie’s supervising religious order, the New York-based USA East Province of the Society of Jesus, which removed Father Gillespie from ministry on Sept. 29 while the allegation is investigated.
The Diocese of Charlotte reported the allegation to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police and to Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services on Sept. 28. Announcements were made during weekend Masses at Our Lady of the Assumption Church Oct. 2-3, as well as to school families.
The diocese told parishioners it would cooperate fully with any investigation, and said in a statement: “The Charlotte diocese has zero tolerance for child sexual abuse, and anyone who has been the victim of abuse is encouraged to seek help and report to law enforcement authorities.”
“An independent review of the diocese’s personnel and other files in 2019 found no record of abuse allegations from anyone against Gillespie,” the statement also said.
Ordained in 1972, Father Gillespie, now 79, has not served at any other parishes in the Charlotte diocese.
In 2002, the Jesuits assigned him to work in the Diocese of Raleigh, where he served until 2008, then moved him to the Diocese of Charleston, S.C. Father Gillespie was returned to ministry in the Diocese of Raleigh in January 2021, and since August has been serving as administrator of a parish in Laurinburg.
In a statement, the Jesuits said they are cooperating with law enforcement “to conduct a thorough investigation that will include examination by an outside review board.”
“We continue to pray for the victims of sexual abuse and for those working with us to protect those we serve,” the statement said.
Over the past two decades, the Church has installed sweeping measures to prevent child sexual abuse. In 2002, the U.S. Catholic Bishops adopted the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, mandating strict protocols for all U.S. dioceses that have continued to be expanded and refined.
In 2019, the diocese published accountability.charlottediocese.org, detailing historical abuse data and a list of 14 clergy credibly accused of child sexual abuse since the diocese was established in 1972. Reflecting a national trend, most abuse in the Charlotte diocese was alleged to have occurred decades ago and was not reported until many years later. The diocese has said it will add to the list if additional clergy are found to be credibly accused, no matter when the abuse occurred.
— Catholic News Herald
Report abuse
If you have information about possible sexual abuse or misconduct by any clergy, employee or volunteer of the Diocese of Charlotte, please contact local law enforcement. Concerns can also be reported safely, securely and anonymously 24/7 to the diocese at 1-888-630-5929 or www.redflagreporting.com/rcdoc. Please note: The Diocese of Charlotte reports all allegations of sexual abuse of a minor to local law enforcement.