CHARLOTTE — Record crowds attended St. Matthew Church’s parish mission last week. The mission, “60 Minutes with Jesus,” was led by Father Jim Sichko, a full-time preacher, evangelist and motivational speaker based in the Diocese of Lexington, Ky. More than 1,000 people attended each morning session and more than 2,000 people attended each evening session Jan. 22-24.
“The mission has left me with a heart on fire. I have taken everything in that Father Jim has said, and I am filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit. I love a good preacher and he is one of the best preachers and storytellers,” said Ann Hatton.
Said Janie Normile, “It has been really exciting being here with all these people who want more of a relationship with God. It has been extraordinary for me.
The laughter that Father Jim gives to us is another part of faith. Faith is serious, but it has to give us life and laughter at the same time. I am thrilled to be a part of this parish and what it does for me in my own personal faith life and for what it is doing constantly for the people of St. Matthew.”
— Photo provided by Julia Turner
CHARLOTTE — To help meet the growing attendance and spiritual needs of the Charlotte Latin Mass Community, Father Jason Barone has begun offering Latin Masses at the Charlotte Catholic High School chapel.
The Mass in the Extraordinary Form will be celebrated every Sunday at 9 a.m. until Palm Sunday, March 25. Confessions will be heard starting at 8:30 a.m.
An extension of St. Ann Church’s Latin Mass ministry, these Masses are Low Masses – a type of Mass that is silent, when prayers are recited quietly instead of sung, and with no musical accompaniment.
About 60 people attended the first Septuagesima Mass Jan. 28.
In the traditional liturgical calendar, several weeks before Lent is the Septuagesima season and begins with Septuagesima Sunday, which is the third Sunday before Ash Wednesday, approximately 70 days before Easter, representing 70 years of the Babylonian exile. It is followed by Sexagesima Sunday (60 days before Easter), and Quinquagesima Sunday (50 days before Easter), which is also the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. This pre-Lent season ends on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. It is a time for voluntary penance and fasting in preparation for the obligatory fasting and penance during Lent. The priest wears violet vestments, and the Gloria and Alleluia are omitted at the Masses.
For details about the Latin Mass in Charlotte, contact the Charlotte Latin Mass Community at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or go to www.charlottelatinmass.org.
— Markus Kuncoro, Charlotte Latin Mass Community