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Three men to be ordained to priesthood June 17

Deacons Christopher Brock, Chinonso Nnebe-Agumadu and Peter Rusciolelli will be ordained to the priesthood June 17 at St. Mark Church in Huntersville by Atlanta Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer, OFM Conv.

Amid an ongoing health concern, Bishop Peter Jugis announced June 1 he will not officiate at the Diocese of Charlotte’s ordination liturgies, which instead will be celebrated by the archbishop.
Catholic News Herald

2023 priest assignments announced
 

CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis announces the following priest assignments, effective July 11, 2023, unless otherwise noted:

Father Darren Balkey, parochial vicar of St. Leo the Great Parish in Winston-Salem, will become parochial vicar of St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte.

Father Brian Becker, pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Swannanoa, will become the new director of the Propaedeutic Stage of Formation at St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly. He will continue serving as promoter of vocations for the Diocese of Charlotte.

Father Christian Cook, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Hendersonville, will become pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Swannanoa.

Father Alfonso Gamez, parochial vicar of Our Lady of Mercy Parish and Our Lady of Fatima Mission in Winston-Salem, will become parochial vicar of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Charlotte.

Father José Enrique Gonzalez Gaytán, parochial vicar of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Charlotte, will become pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Lenoir.

Father Andres F. Gutierrez, a new priest to the Diocese of Charlotte, will become pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Hendersonville.

Father Stephen Hoyt, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Lenoir, will become the chaplain to Maryfield at Pennybyrn in High Point.

Father Thomas J. Kessler, pastor of St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Statesville, will become parochial vicar of St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte.

Vincentian Father Bruce J. Krause is appointed parochial vicar of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Charlotte, effective June 29, 2023.

Father Jacob Mlakar, parochial vicar of Holy Cross Parish and assistant chaplain at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School, will be assigned to full-time studies at the Angelicum in Rome to complete his degree in Spiritual Theology.

Father Felix Nkafu, parochial vicar of St. Leo the Great Parish in Winston-Salem, will return to the Diocese of Buea in Cameroon, effective Aug. 28, 2023.

Father Bernard Oleru, of the Missionaries of St. Paul of Nigeria, will become pastor of St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Statesville. He served as parochial vicar at St. Therese Parish in Mooresville and most recently is returning to the Diocese of Charlotte from an extended Spanish immersion course.

Father Juan Miguel Sanchez, parochial vicar of St. Matthew Parish and part-time assistant chaplain at Charlotte Catholic High School in Charlotte, will become parochial vicar of Our Lady of Mercy Parish and Our Lady of Fatima Mission in Winston-Salem.

— Catholic News Herald

Atlanta archbishop presiding on behalf of Bishop Jugis at ordinations
Catholic News Herald

Catholic News Herald
 

One on One with Fr. Peter Ascik

In this episode of Carolina Catholic Showcase, Elizabeth Harris, Pro-Life Correspondent, captures the mission of the Office of Family Life in the Diocese of Charlotte through its Director Fr. Peter Ascik, who also serves as Pastor of St. Mary, Help of Christians and Christ the King Catholic Mission.

During the candid conversation, Elizabeth simultaneously elicits the essence of the heart of Fr. Peter and his honorable call from a very young age to affirm all human life from fertilization to natural death. The interview beckons us to approach the pro-life movement through a compassionate lens, drawing the listener closer to the merciful heart of Jesus through his Holy Mother, and how to get engaged in advocacy to authentically live the Gospel of Life.

WATCH NOW
 

Our world, our Church, and our families need 
heroic men to stand up and stand out.

Take a Tour Here!
 

Carolina Catholic Media is pleased to announce our newest podcast/video...
GRACE & GRIT with Sara Daigle and special guest host, Carolyn Klika (Abounding Joy Ministry).  The Grace and Grit podcast will flow with candid discussions on topics that are easy to avoid.  Anything from "Why I'm not a Feminist" to "Finding Life after Crisis". We're so happy you're here! 

Fourth episode Available Now
How to Show Hospitality in a Twenty-first Century Culture
Gen Z, roughly ages 11-26, are among the loneliest groups of our culture in spite of the fact they have more technology than any generation before them. Why is this, and how can we create interpersonal relationships in a postmodern era?
WATCH NOW

Find out more on Sara's website @ www.sara-daigle.org and click on the contact icon if you'd like a one-on-one conversation with her.
You'll also find Sara on Instagram and Facebook. 
 

Elizabeth Harris, Senior Regional Programs Manager of Sidewalk Advocates for Life talks with Tyler Brooks Senior Counsel for the Thomas More Society about the prolife movement and how abortion law continues to play a part in the fight for life.



 Elizabeth Harris talks with Founder, President and CEO of Sidewalk Advocates for Life - Lauren Muzyka. 



ALL SHOWCASE EPISODES ON-DEMAND
WATCH NOW!

 

NEW HOMILIES - CHECK HERE!
 

 

 

PRESCRIPTION: LIFE with Dr. Matthew Harrison

In this latest episode of "Prescription Life" with Dr. Matthew Harrison, Dr. Harrison speaks with Tracy Winsor, the co-founder and Administrative Coordinator of "Be Not Afraid," a beautiful ministry headquartered right here in North Carolina that provides tangible and loving support to parents whose unborn children receive difficult diagnoses and who still commit to carrying their children to term. After starting in western North Carolina, "Be Not Afraid" is now a national ministry serving families in all 50 states.
All Episodes available here!
LISTEN NOW

 

Sacred Heart Catholic School
Congratulations to all the 8th grade graduates! You have accomplished so much in your years at Sacred Heart, and now it's time to take the next step in your journey. We wish you all the best as you move forward into high school. Remember to chase your dreams and work hard every day. The future is yours for the taking, and we can't wait to see all the amazing things you'll achieve. Good luck, graduates! 

Catholic Conference Center
We are thrilled to be the 2023 host for the Cursillo - Catholic Diocese of Charlotte men's and women's weekends. Cursillo has been a life-changer for so many people.  Please pray for the Spirit to descend upon the Center this week and next.

Latin Masses this Week 
 

Thursday June 15, 7pm – St. Thomas Aquinas (Feria, e.g. no feast day)

Friday June 16, 7am – St. Ann (Solemnity of the feast of the Sacred Heart);

 

Jessica Mullen will be our PROTECT_NCKIDS correspondent.
  Jessica will begin by reporting on a number of protests taking place in June (Pride Month) across our region.
This past Wednesday Jessica spoke at the Monroe City Council meeting to shut down drag shows for all ages.
 

Hi everyone, 
Please share this with your parish social justice ministries, migrant out-reach ministries, bulletin contact persons and social media persons… Thank you!
=======
June 12 - World Day Against Child Labor

Choose Fair or Ethical Trade, not Child Labor …

Global estimates from the International Labor Organization (ILO) indicate that 160 million children between 5-17 years old were engaged in child labor in 2021… we must take action to stop this.

Choosing to buy ‘Ethically’ means taking better care of the most vulnerable in the world, our brothers and sisters, and the environment. 

When consumers choose ‘fair trade’ or ‘ethically sourced products’, they create demand for products that do not involve child labor, harsh conditions and unfair wages that contribute to poverty, and instead support the workers while providing safe, humane and sustainable employment.  Read labels, ask questions, find out how your favorite goods and products are made and demand justice and dignity for all those that work behind the label.

Learn more about labor trafficking in this module provided by the US Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking:   https://www.sistersagainsttrafficking.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/USCSAHT-HT-and-Children-module.pdf

Also in Spanish: También en español:
https://www.sistersagainsttrafficking.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/USCSAHT-HT-and-Children-module.pdf
 

 

For more information contact:
Kara Griffin
Charlotte Diocese CCDOC Human Trafficking Awareness Committee
CCDOC Human Trafficking Awareness Webpage 
CCDOC Ethical & Fair Trade Webpage
 http://www.ccdoc.org/humantrafficking 
Human Trafficking Updates Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/193533417675427/?ref=share

Office of Family Life of the Diocese of Charlotte.
Contact them at FamilyLife@rcdoc.org.  

JUNE PRO-LIFE & PRO-FAMILY EVENTS (Note: The U.S. Bishops invite all to pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart this Friday June 16 in reparation for the Los Angeles Dodgers honoring of a profane anti-Catholic group) While the secular world embraces anti-family, anti-Catholic, and anti-life initiatives this month, there are several pro-life and pro-family Catholic events occurring in Charlotte over the next few weeks that may be of interest to our readers. Friday June 16 – Prayers of Reparation for Feast of the Sacred Heart: The US Bishops invite all Catholics to pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart in reparation for the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball club honoring an anti-Catholic transgender organization that promotes blasphemy.  Some parishes are praying the litany after Friday Masses (feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus), but individuals are encouraged to pray this privately as well. To download the litany visit: https://www.kofc.org/en/resources/communications/litany-to-the-sacred-heart.pdf   To see the US Bishops statement click here. https://www.usccb.org/news/2023/catholics-invited-pray-act-reparation-solemnity-sacred-heart Tuesday June 20, 7pm - Transgender Talk at St. Ann Parish: St. Ann parish will host a talk on Transgenderism & the Catholic Church by Fr. Colin Blatchford, with Courage International   Saturday June 24, 8am – Mass & Pro-Life Talk for the 1 year anniversary of Dobbs: The Office of Family Life will host Mass, a talk, and pro-life panel discussion entitled Pro-Life After Dobbs: Next Steps for the Culture of Life. Mass is at 8am, followed by 9am talk, and 10am panel discussion. The event will be held at the Cathedral. See flyer here at this link. For questions contact: FamilyLife@rcdoc.org   Tuesday June 27, 10:30am C-PLAN monthly Regional respect Life meeting for Charlotte: C-PLAN hosts a monthly Respect Life meeting for the parish pro-life leaders, groups, and other Catholic volunteers. The meeting will be held at 10:30am at St. Vincent de Paul parish (6828 Old Reid Road, Charlotte). To learn more contact us at info@prolifecharlotte.org  ~  Our Lady of Fatima, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Teresa of Calcutta. St. Joseph, Blessed Karl of Austria, and Blessed Michael McGivney, pray for us!

 

 

Let the Children come, Overcoming Challenges at Church