CHARLOTTE — St. Basil the Great Eastern Catholic Mission has been raised to the status of parish by Bishop Bohdan Danylo of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma. Bishop Danylo made the announcement during his pastoral visit and celebration of the Divine Liturgy (Mass) on March 18.
The community was established in 2006, and persevered without a resident priest for a decade, noted pastor Father Joseph Matlak. “The elevation of the community to parish status recognizes their perseverance in faith and enduring love for the Church. The parish is focused on evangelization and mission, and seeks to make disciples of all people by the proclamation of the Gospel. The community hopes to raise funds for a traditional Eastern-Byzantine church to adorn the city of Charlotte and to welcome everyone to an encounter with the Risen Lord.”
St. Basil the Great Eastern Catholic Parish meets at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, located at 1400 Suther Road in Charlotte. It is an Eastern (Byzantine) church in full communion with the pope.
The parish has also recently planted two new missions: one in the greater Greenville, S.C., area and the other in the greater Columbia, S.C., area. Dormition (Assumption) of the Mother of God Eastern Catholic Mission in Greenville meets at St. Rafka Maronite Catholic Church in Greer, S.C., and Holy Cross Eastern Catholic Mission in Columbia meets at Transfiguration Roman Catholic Church in Blythewood, S.C.
To learn more about St. Basil the Great Parish, go to www.stbasil.weebly.com.
To learn more about the new missions, go to www.colabyzcatholic.weebly.com (Columbia) and www.dormition.weebly.com (Greenville).
ASHEVILLE — St. Eugene Church hosted a bilingual Global Solidarity and Parish Social Ministry Capacity Building Retreat March 10, jointly sponsored by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte and Catholic Relief Services.
Latino and Anglo parishioners from seven parishes in the Asheville, Hickory and Smoky Mountain Vicariates celebrated in song, prayer and mealtime fellowship, and heard presentations on such topics as: Global Solidarity Engagement in the Parish, Human Trafficking-Domestic and Global Perspectives, and Sharing the Journey with Migrants. Keynote presenters were Deacon Robert Vigil, director of pastoral outreach for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and a CRS Global Fellow, and Mercy Sister Rose Marie Tresp, director of justice for the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas South Central Community.
Pictured: Retreatants and presenters joined together to promote the two-year long “Share the Journey – Love Your Neighbor!” campaign of Caritas Internationals in support of migrants and refugees that was launched by Pope Francis last fall. Learn more about this campaign at www.sharejourney.org and find resources available in English and Spanish.
— Joseph T. Purello