CHARLOTTE — Crystal Koury has been named as second assistant superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Charlotte, the schools office announced May 19.
During the past year, Koury has served as the educational liaison for the Catholic Schools Office. She will join the administration team of Dr. Gregory Monroe, incoming superintendent; Debbie Mixer, assistant superintendent; and the office staff.
“I very much look forward to working with Mrs. Koury and the Catholic Schools Office for the future growth and development of the Catholic schools in the diocese,” said
Father Roger Arnsparger, vicar of education for the diocese. “As a product of the Catholic schools in Charlotte, she brings a rich history of learning, teaching and administrative service in our Catholic schools.”
Koury has spent 14 years in education. She started her career in the public sector, where she was named “Beginning Teacher of the Year.”
She began teaching fourth grade at St. Patrick School in Charlotte, and taught literacy to advanced students at the school in grades two through five. She also completed internships in both the public and private sectors in elementary, middle and high school levels to round out her Master in Educational Leadership.
In the diocese, she has served as an assistant principal at St. Mark School in Huntersville and as principal at St. Michael School in Gastonia.
Koury said she is proud of the fact that her and her husband are both of products of the Catholic schools system, and they have two children who attend St. Ann School in Charlotte.
She is grateful for the opportunity to serve the Church and the mission of the diocese’s Catholic schools, she said.
— Catholic News Herald
CHARLOTTE — Atrium Health’s COVID-19 mobile testing bus was out April 29 at Our Lady of Consolation Church, screening 170 people and testing 123 people who drove up throughout the day.
Part of Atrium Health’s ongoing effort to address underserved and minority communities in Charlotte that have limited access to COVID-19 testing, healthcare professionals at the Coronavirus Testing Center conducted free screenings and immediate tests for COVID-19 as well as assess other health issues with patients, including the ability to socially isolate and quarantine, and make connections to other resources such as access to food or a pharmacy.
Atrium Health officials noted that the mobile testing event at the church located off Statesville Avenue was the most successful it has had to date.
Atrium Health continues to schedule mobile Coronavirus Testing Centers around the Charlotte area – for details, go to www.atriumhealth.org/about-us/coronavirus/mobile-unit.
— Photos by Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican announced that it will commemorate the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis' encyclical on the environment with a yearlong series of initiatives dedicated to the safeguarding and care for the Earth.
In a statement released by the Vatican press office May 16, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announced a "Special Laudato Si' Anniversary Year" from May 24, 2020, to May 24, 2021, which will emphasize "ecological conversion in action."
As the world continues to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, the dicastery said, the encyclical's message is "just as prophetic today as it was in 2015."
"Truly, COVID-19 has made clear how deeply we are all interconnected and interdependent. As we begin to envision a post-COVID world, we need above all an integral approach as everything is closely interrelated and today's problems call for a vision capable of taking into account every aspect of the global crisis," the statement said.
Among the events set to take place throughout the year are prayer services and webinars dedicated to environmental care, education and the economy. The dicastery also detailed the rollout of a "seven-year journey toward integral ecology" for families, dioceses, schools, universities, hospitals, businesses, farms and religious orders.
The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development said that amid the current pandemic, "Laudato Si'" can "indeed provide the moral and spiritual compass for the journey to create a more caring, fraternal, peaceful and sustainable world."
"We have, in fact, a unique opportunity to transform the present groaning and travail into the birth pangs of a new way of living together, bonded together in love, compassion and solidarity and a more harmonious relationship with the natural world, our common home," the dicastery's statement said.
"As Pope Francis reminds us," it said, "'all of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements and talents.'"
Recalling the fifth anniversary of his encyclical after reciting the "Regina Coeli" prayer May 17, Pope Francis expressed his hope that the message of "Laudato Si'" will encourage people to take upon themselves the shared responsibility of caring for the Earth.
"In these times of pandemic, in which we are more aware of the importance of caring for our common home, I hope that all our common reflection and commitment will help to create and strengthen constructive behaviors for the care of creation," the pope said.
— Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service
Go online
At www.usccb.org/environment: Learn more about “Laudato Si’” and get educational resources in English and Spanish for this year-long anniversary celebration, including a link to the full encyclical, prayers, a summary video, and study guides.