COLUMBUS, Ohio — In preparation for ordination to the transitional diaconate, seminarians in their third year of graduate study at the Pontifical College Josephinum – including Diocese of Charlotte seminarian Joseph Wasswa – made the profession of faith and took the oath of fidelity in the presence of Father Steven Beseau, rector, and the seminary community Feb. 11.
Candidates for ordination pledge to remain faithful to the teachings of the Church and swear to be faithful teachers of the Gospel.
— Photo provided by Carolyn A. Dinovo and Peter Stetson
CHARLOTTE — The 2019 Diocesan Support Appeal campaign, “We Are His Hands,” raised $6.32 million from 16,551 donors across the Diocese of Charlotte – surpassing the campaign goal of $6.08 million by 4 percent.
Overall, 25 percent of registered parishioners across the diocese shared an average gift of $382, up from an average gift of $373 in the 2018 campaign. Sixty-one percent of parishes and missions across the diocese reached or exceeded their goal.
Parishioners in all 92 parishes and missions in the Charlotte diocese fund the DSA.
Parishes that exceed their goal keep the extra funds they collect, while parishes that fall short of their goal in donations from parishioners make up the shortfall from their operating budgets.
Some of the parishes receiving rebate funds include: Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Lexington; St. Benedict the Moor Church in Winston-Salem; St. Francis of Assisi Church in Mocksville; St. John Baptist de la Salle Church in North Wilkesboro; St. Mary Help of Christians Church in Shelby; and St. Philip the Apostle Church in Statesville.
“It is heartwarming to know that so many parishioners serve others by giving gifts to the DSA, helping to change thousands of lives through DSA-funded ministries and programs,” said Barb De Mase, the diocese’s associate director of development.
The 2019 campaign continues a trend of the DSA campaign goal being achieved every year in the diocese. The 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 DSA campaigns also broke each prior year’s fundraising total and campaign goal.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
CHARLOTTE — All are invited to celebrate the lunar new year during St. Joseph Vietnamese Church’s annual Têt Festival, this year being held Friday to Sunday, Jan. 24-26.
The faithful will pray for God’s blessings in the new year during Masses on Sunday, Jan. 26. The weekend Têt Festival kicking off Friday night will include traditional Vietnamese cuisine, music, games and more. More than a hundred traditional dishes can be tasted only on this special occasion, including drinks and sweets.
Father Tri Truong, pastor, welcomes everyone to the parish for the festival as an opportunity “where we will be showing our Vietnamese culture and food that we wish to share with all of you.”
Foodies will be able to enjoy popular Vietnamese dishes including square rice cakes (bánh chung), sticky rice (xôi), Vietnamese ham/sausage (goi cha), Vietnamese soup (pho) and Vietnamese spring rolls (goi cuon).
The Têt Festival will feature performances by the parish’s Hidden Dragon Lion Dance team, a group of youth who perform the traditional acrobatic dances in elaborate lion costumes. The art requires tremendous physical effort, and members study and prepare for months in advance of each special performance.
The lion dance is one way the Vietnamese welcome the new year with joy and hope, Father Truong explained. “We, as humans, dance like other forms of God’s creation. Therefore, even the lion also dances happily together with us, for the arrival of the new year that we firmly believe God will bless with greater abundance than last year.”
The year 2020 is the “Year of the Rat,” which in the Eastern tradition is a symbol of protection and prosperity.
The annual the festival represents a great effort for the entire Catholic community of St. Joseph Vietnamese Parish. The planning work began several weeks ago and “the beautiful thing is that everyone joins and works together,” Father Truong said.
“As a community it is a blessing for us to share our Vietnamese heritage and culture, as well as our Catholic faith, with all of you.”
The Têt Festival will be held from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24, and Saturday, Jan. 25. On Sunday, Jan, 26, the festival will continue from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. St. Joseph Vietnamese Church is located at 4929 Sandy Porter Road in Charlotte.
— César Hurtado, Reporter
‘You have given everything over to Him’
CHARLOTTE — Dozens of religious sisters, brothers and priests gathered with Bishop Peter Jugis to celebrate World Day for Consecrated Life with a Mass Feb. 1 at St. Patrick Cathedral.
During his homily, Bishop Jugis recognized seven Sisters of Mercy from the South Central Community in Belmont for their longtime service to the Church: Sister Maureen Dees (75 years); Sister Mary Jerome Spradley, Sister Mary Robert Williams and Sister Maria Goretti Weldon (70 years); Sister Barbara Wheeley and Sister Mary Schmuck (60 years); and Sister Mary Rose Bumpus (50 years).
“I am happy to be celebrating this World Day for Consecrated Life with you, the consecrated religious of in our diocese, and especially at this Mass to be honoring those sisters who are celebrating special anniversaries of religious profession this year,” Bishop Jugis said.
The annual celebration for the World Day for Consecrated Life was instituted for three purposes, he noted:
“Firstly, to thank God for the gift of consecrated life in the Church – a marvelous blessing He has bestowed upon the Church in every age. Secondly, it was instituted in order to continue to promote appreciation for the vocation of the consecrated life among the people of God, that people would see the value and the blessing and the beauty of this calling from God and continue to appreciate it as part of the local Church. And thirdly, this annual commemoration was instituted to affirm consecrated persons themselves in their vocations: religious sisters, religious brothers and religious priests.”
Bishop Jugis went on to preach that the Gospel reading chosen for the Mass, Matthew 16:24-27, has special meaning for consecrated persons.
“Jesus says, ‘Whoever loses life for my sake will save it.’ Whoever gives over one’s life to Jesus will save it,” he said. They receive “a new life of freedom in Christ, a new life of joy, a new life of self-offering in service to Jesus and the Kingdom of God.”
“You, my sisters and brothers, are living that Gospel passage by your consecration to God – handing your life over to the Lord.”
We should give thanks to God for His gift of religious to the Church in western North Carolina, Bishop Jugis added.
Looking out over the congregation, he said, “I consider your personal witness of consecrated holiness to be very important to our diocese. And the witness of all the religious families in our diocese to be very important, to be essential in filling out the universal call to holiness in our Church.”
Consecrated religious are like “anchors of holiness” in our diocese, he said, just as vital to the spiritual strength of our diocese as those who are ordained clergy and those who choose the vocation of holy matrimony.
“All of these anchors keeping us grounded in our life in Christ and in the Gospel are so essential, so integral, so necessary to the complete picture of the life of our diocese,” he said.
“Together we are all contributing in some way, according to our special vocations, to the flourishing culture of holiness. Therefore, the Church of Charlotte is able to shine brightly with the presence of Christ,” he said.
Mercy Sister Maria Goretti Weldon, 91, is celebrating 70 years of religious life this year. She has loved working with people throughout her long ministry. “I did a lot of work with sisters, I loved that. In the community, in the diocese and in the mountains. It was very joy-filled. I feel blessed.”
“There have been a variety of wonderful, God-filled blessings in my life,” she added. “The people I have been able to associate with have blessed me. It is a very rich, very rewarding, very blessed way to live.”
Also celebrating her 70th jubilee this year is Mercy Sister Mary Robert Williams. She served 17 years as a teacher and 13 years as a school principal. For the past 31 years, she has served as a pastoral associate in Salisbury. “I really love that work, working with people,” she said.
They both have seen major changes in the Church and in their religious community over the years.
“We were young through Vatican II and all of the changes and all of the implementing the documents of Vatican II applied to religious. We lived through all of the changes and the adaptations,” Sister Maria Goretti said.
Their advice to women discerning a religious vocation? “Let it unfold and trust the Holy Spirit,” Sister Maria Goretti said.
At the conclusion of his homily, Bishop Jugis prayed that God will bestow His blessing on all of the religious jubilarians celebrating special anniversaries this year.
“May God keep all of us close to Jesus,” he prayed.
Instituted by Pope John Paul II in 1997, World Day for Consecrated Life is marked in conjunction with the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known as Candlemas Day, commemorating the coming of Christ, the Light of the World, through the symbolic lighting of candles. Similarly, consecrated men and women are called to spread the light and love of Jesus Christ through their unique witness of selfless service, such as caring for the poor, the contemplative work of prayer, or through their professional careers.
On Feb. 2, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to recognize and pray for the essential role of consecrated persons in the life of the Church and to express gratitude for their service to the Church.
The Charlotte diocese was among those in the United States that celebrated the vocation to consecrated life during the weekend of Feb. 1-2 to recognize the essential role of consecrated religious in the life of the Church. As engaged members of their local communities, consecrated men and women bring the presence of Jesus to all they encounter throughout their day, allowing His Spirit to live and move within them so that the truth of the Gospel can be proclaimed to all.
In a statement Bishop James F. Checchio of Metuchen, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations, reiterated the importance of the witness offered by those in consecrated life: “Consecrated men and women are a special treasure in the Church who allow the love of Jesus to become tangible. By dedicating their entire lives to following Christ, consecrated persons are particularly able to reach out to those on the peripheries of our society and bring the message of the Gospel to all those in need.”
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter. USCCB contributed. Photos by James Sarkis and SueAnn Howell.