‘A welcoming place to be with the Lord’
Parishioners of St. Aloysius Church celebrated the 10-year anniversary of Perpetual Adoration at the parish on the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Aug. 15. The day-long celebration included Masses, recitation of the rosary, Holy Hour and Benediction – all in English and in Spanish – along with a festive meal prepared jointly by the Knights of Columbus and the Hispanic community. (Photos by Barbara Case Speers | Catholic News Herald)HICKORY — Parishioners at St. Aloysius Church gathered Aug. 15 to celebrate a joyful milestone: 10 years of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration.
The Mass and anniversary celebration coincided with the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when the parish’s Perpetual Adoration Chapel first opened in 2011. Father Bob Ferris, former pastor, returned to offer the Mass, remembering the joy but also the work it took to open the Perpetual Adoration Chapel 10 years earlier.
The effort took about three years, Father Ferris recalled, starting with educating parishioners about the importance of Eucharistic Adoration, along with the usual logistical planning: finding a location for the chapel, lining up adorers to man the round-the-clock schedule, and organizing a core committee of volunteers to oversee the project to completion, among other tasks. Yet their hard work was inspired by the knowledge that Adoration – spending time with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist – would bring spiritual graces to the entire parish community.
“My motivation to institute Perpetual Adoration was based on my personal experiences in Adoration, both before I was a priest and during my first year as a priest serving at St. Gabriel in Charlotte, where Perpetual Adoration had already been established for years,” Father Ferris remembers. “I found great comfort and peace being present before Jesus in the monstrance. It was there that clarity of thought and deep peace occurred for me and a deepening of my love for Jesus.”
He notes the importance of Eucharistic Adoration was defined by Pope Benedict XVI in his encyclical “Sacramentum Caritas” (“Sacrament of Love”): “In the Eucharist, the Son of God comes to meet us and desires to become one with us; Eucharistic adoration is simply the natural consequence of the Eucharistic celebration, which is itself the Church’s supreme act of adoration. ... The act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself. Indeed, only in adoration can a profound and genuine reception mature. And it is precisely this personal encounter with the Lord that then strengthens the social mission contained in the Eucharist, which seeks to break down not only the walls that separate the Lord and ourselves, but also and especially the walls that separate us from one another (191-193).”
“This last point is particularly important in today’s society,” Father Ferris says.
St. Aloysius’ day-long celebration included Masses, recitation of the rosary, Holy Hour and Benediction – all in English and in Spanish – along with a festive meal prepared jointly by the Knights of Columbus and the Hispanic community. Unity in the love of Christ was the unspoken theme of the day.
Fifty-eight of the original adorers are still involved, notes Barbara Hancock, who oversees the ministry. Evening and early morning time slots – among the most difficult to fill – have been a special focus for Hispanic parishioners, she notes.
Hancock expresses thanks to God “for all the favors He has bestowed upon us, and also to thank our adorers both past and present and, hopefully, elicit new adorers.”
She has always “felt a sense of peace and unconditional love whenever I was in private devotion with the Holy Eucharist,” calling it a “perfect time to reflect on life and all that God has given us.”
In her role as coordinator of the ministry, which she considers a calling from God, Hancock oversees all aspects of the chapel, both spiritual and physical. The ministry has continued despite the challenges of the pandemic.
“We were very fortunate to have been able to keep the Adoration Chapel open during the pandemic due to the devotion of our adorers, especially our senior citizens and our Hispanic community,” Hancock says.
“This time with Jesus is a time of self-healing, a time of friendship with the Lord, a time of self-reflection when all personal problems and cares are put into proper perspective, a time to feel the love of Jesus and know that He is always there interceding on our behalf.”
John and Lorraine Lamonica have been praying at the Adoration Chapel for 10 years, every Saturday at 1 a.m. “We selected the 1 a.m. hour to have peace and quiet, get closer to God,” John Lamonica says. “During this time we pray, read, meditate and, yes, sometimes nap,” and during that time, “all of the week’s trials and concerns are lifted off.”
His wife Lorraine says, “I had to ask John why did he want to do 1 a.m. in the morning – we’ll get no sleep! He said it’s a tiny sacrifice to spend time with the Lord.”
Gia Maxson spends the 10 a.m. hour every other Friday at the chapel, as she has for a decade. “I wanted the silence,” she says. “Adoration gives me peace.” She thought the chapel could use more stained glass, though, so she got the green light to hold a garage sale in Holy Family Hall that has raised over a thousand dollars to put toward new windows.
Hancock points out several other physical improvements have been made to the chapel thanks to the support of parishioners and adorers, including reupholstering of the chairs and kneelers, new carpets and installation of a sanctuary lamp.
Current pastor Father Larry LoMonaco calls the Adoration Chapel “a good neighbor.”
“It is wonderful to look out my window and see people praying continuously day and night. I cannot calculate the good that comes from all these prayers. I am grateful for all the dedicated adorers who persevere even during inclement weather – rain, snow, ice and sleet – to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament,” Father LoMonaco says, noting that even non-Catholics stop by to find “the Adoration Chapel a welcoming place to be with the Lord.”
He also expresses thanks to everyone who helped organize the Aug. 15 celebration. “It took many hands working together to make our 10th anniversary celebration a huge success. I appreciate the willingness and dedication of all the volunteers who made this special occasion a celebration we will always remember.”
— Barbara Case Speers, Correspondent
BELMONT — Home to more than 1,500 students, Belmont Abbey College is a Benedictine liberal arts college that believes in the development of the whole person – mind, body and spirit – so that “in all things God may be glorified.”
Its mission is to provide an education that will enable students to lead lives of integrity, succeed professionally, become responsible citizens and be a blessing to themselves and others.
Belmont Abbey College is the only Catholic college between northern Virginia and Florida, and with its intimate, historic setting and low student/teacher ratio, enrollment continues to grow.
Incoming enrollment this fall in all the college’s various degree programs is expected to be more than 500 students – a record for the college.
In an Aug. 6 video update, Belmont Abbey College’s president Dr. William Thierfelder credited the college’s Catholic mission and Benedictine values for the college thriving despite the challenges posed by the pandemic over the past year and a half.
Founded in 1876, the college began as a small monastery and school that has grown to become the pride of the local Catholic community for its commitment to high academic standards and its Benedictine heritage.
The monks of Belmont Abbey are a constant presence on the beautiful campus, located only about 10 minutes from Charlotte, and it is this unique combination of liberal arts education coupled with a monastic connection that is so appealing to Catholic students in the region, across the nation and around the world. Though it is founded on
Benedictine traditions, the college welcomes a diverse body of students regardless of religious affiliation.
Besides its traditional undergraduate and graduate degree programs of study, the college recently announced a vibrant Abbey Online program which is a major draw for those wishing to change careers or continue their education.
With courses designed for flexibility while retaining the college’s Catholic identity, Abbey Online offers majors such as interdisciplinary studies, accounting, and business management. These degree programs – already leading programs for residential and commuter students – are completely accessible online.
Two eight-week sessions are offered each semester and one during the summer. Students are able to start in the summer, fall or spring. Applications may be submitted anytime. Classes are available on five start dates, with the first approximate start date this fall set for Aug. 17.
The Abbey Online degree programs are significantly less than in-person instruction at $349 per credit hour, and the online aspect gives those students the ability to manage their degree and their studies as they wish. For details, go online to www.bac.edu/abbeyonline.
In 2020, the college launched a partnership with CaroMont Health Inc. to build a hospital adjacent to campus.
CaroMont Regional Medical Center-Belmont will complement the college’s new healthcare degree programs, in which students pursuing degrees in nursing will have an opportunity to do their practicals. CaroMont partnered with the college to help design degrees in Health Information Management and Analytics, and the college’s first master’s level program, the Master in Health Administration, which launches this fall.
The hospital construction is underway with an estimated completion in the summer of 2023.
— Catholic News Herald
More Online
At www.bac.edu: Learn more about Belmont Abbey College
CHARLOTTE — Students in nine Catholic schools across the diocese will receive a total of $98,799 in financial aid from the C. Philip Johnston-Aline W. Kaneer Scholarship Fund, paying all of their tuition for the 2021-’22 academic year.
The fund was created by C. Philip Johnston with $4 million from his estate at his death in 2017.
Johnston was born in Charlotte but lived all over the country before retiring in the Southeast. He attended Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md., and earned a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1958. He worked in the entertainment industry, but when acting work became scarce, he took a “temporary job” working for Conrad Hilton in a new credit card venture called Carte Blanche. He rose to success in the emerging industry and, after reaching the position of senior vice president at a large regional bank in St. Louis, he left to lead a nonprofit organization specializing in consumer credit counseling.
Students from all 19 Catholic schools in the diocese are eligible for scholarship awards from the fund.
The Johnston scholarship follows students throughout their time in schools in the Charlotte diocese.
The schools that students will attend this year are: Charlotte Catholic High School; Christ the King High School in Huntersville; Immaculate Heart of Mary School in High Point; Our Lady of Assumption School in Charlotte; Our Lady of Grace School in Greensboro; Our Lady of Mercy School and St. Leo School in Winston-Salem; Sacred Heart School in Salisbury; and St. Michael School in Gastonia.
The scholarship awarded to each student ranges from $3,000 to $14,000 depending on the tuition cost and need. Each student can continue receiving assistance through the scholarship fund every year for the length of their academic career as long as they remain eligible.
“I first met with Mr. Johnston back in 1989. He made his decision to put this (scholarship) gift in his estate back then,” said Jim Kelley, diocesan director of development. “He never wavered from that commitment, even though he moved away from the diocese in his later years.”
Kelley noted he is finding that “more and more people across the diocese like Philip Johnston are remembering different ministries of the Church – such as Catholic schools, parishes, seminarian education, Catholic Charities, other ministries and St. Joseph College Seminary – and making plans in their wills and estates.”
Since 1986, diocesan entities including parishes, schools and ministries have received 32 gifts of $1 million or more from individuals like Johnston that typically help fund capital projects and long-term endowments.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Learn more
Interested in establishing an endowment to benefit the Church in western North Carolina? Set up 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 or 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 email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..