CHARLOTTE — Diocesan officials have confirmed that the Bishop’s Youth Pilgrimage, scheduled for March 27 at Belmont Abbey College, is canceled again this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The annual event typically draws more than 1,000 middle school and high school youth from parishes across the diocese who gather at Belmont Abbey College for a day-long event centered on the Eucharist.
Public health measures, including North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s limit on mass gatherings, meant organizers had no choice but to cancel the event as they did last year when the pandemic emerged. There is no alternate date.
The Bishop’s Youth Pilgrimage is a component of the annual Eucharistic Congress. This year’s Eucharistic Congress theme is “As I Have Loved You,” from the Gospel of John 13:34.
The 17th annual Eucharistic Congress is scheduled for Sept. 17-18 at the Charlotte Convention Center. The popular event – an opportunity for people across the Diocese of Charlotte to come together for Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, educational talks and fellowship – was held virtually last fall because of the pandemic.
If the Eucharistic Congress takes place as an in-person event this fall, there will be an opportunity for youth to register and participate in youth tracks at the Eucharistic Congress during the day on Saturday, Sept. 18.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
Get updates online
At www.goeucharist.com: Get information about the 2021 Eucharistic Congress, in English and Spanish, as it is developed.
WINSTON-SALEM — Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte of the Piedmont Triad Region invites everyone to attend its “Partners in Hope” virtual fundraising event, set for 6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 11.
The fundraiser – a critical source of support for Catholic Charities in the Triad – is being held online this year due to public health restrictions on in-person gatherings. Through the virtual event, people will be able to gather online to celebrate and support Catholic Charities’ work in Forsyth, Guilford and surrounding counties.
The virtual event will feature speakers including Bishop Peter J. Jugis and Monsignor Patrick J. Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte.
Partners in Hope participants will also hear from Father Michael Buttner, retired pastor of Holy Family Church in Clemmons; Father John Eckert, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury; Becky DuBois, Winston-Salem’s regional director; and Dr. Gerard Carter, Catholic Charities’ executive director and CEO.
People who have participated in Catholic Charities’ programs will also share how their lives have been changed by the help they have received over the past year, thanks to the generosity of so many supporters and volunteers.
“Over this past year, we’ve witnessed the heavy toll of COVID-19 on the lives of so many people in the Piedmont Triad who come to Catholic Charities for assistance,” Carter said. “Because of the generous benefactors who contribute through Partners in Hope, we’re able to provide help and hope to those who are struggling.”
The March 11 virtual fundraising event aims to bring together parishioners, friends and clergy from across the Triad to raise the funds necessary to provide support and relief to even more people and families continuing to struggle during the pandemic, he said.
“We are so grateful to all of our partners in carrying out the Church’s ministry of charity,” he said.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
Register now
At ccpartnersinhope.org: Register and get more details about the 2021 Partners in Hope free virtual event