CHARLOTTE — The number of men studying for the priesthood for the Diocese of Charlotte has tripled in the past seven years, creating a greater need for funding to support these 49 seminarians.
The Seminarian Education Collection taken up in all parishes at Easter, April 8-9, is one of the primary ways people can support seminarians and foster vocations to help meet the growing need for priests to serve the growing Catholic population.
The past 10 years have seen remarkable growth in the diocese: a 26% increase, from 58,500 registered households a decade ago to 73,700 in 2020.
By 2025, diocesan officials project the number of registered households to be 86,800.
“For the past 25 years, the Seminarian Education Campaign has given faithful Catholics the opportunity to invest in the lives and ministry of our future priests,” said Bishop Peter Jugis in his annual letter to the faithful.
In the past decade, 20 priests have retired. Fourteen priests are already serving beyond the retirement age of 70. In the next 10 years, another 31 priests are expected to reach retirement age.
“Your financial gift will help prepare each of our young men to serve as priests in our diocese for an average of 40 years,” Bishop Jugis said.
“I cannot express how thankful I am for your continuous support,” said José Palma Torres of St. Joseph Parish in Asheboro, now in his third year of theology studies at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio. “You make it possible for us to be formed, so that one day we may minister the sacraments. I look forward to the day I am ordained because I want to help the faithful encounter Christ.”
Deacon Christopher Brock, of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte, is finishing up his studies at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and is expected to be ordained to the priesthood June 17. “Your support has made a tremendous difference in my life. Going through the process of seminary formation has been a huge blessing for me and has helped me to grow in so many ways. Your support is helping me prepare to live out my calling, and I am immensely grateful for that,” he said.
The Seminarian Education Program, in which 21 men are currently enrolled at St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly and 28 men are enrolled in major seminary at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, is primarily funded through the annual Diocesan Support Appeal, the Seminarian Education Campaign, and this collection.
— SueAnn Howell
Support seminarian education
There are four ways to make a gift to fund the education of the diocese’s seminarians through the Seminarian Education Collection:
- Use the envelope provided in your parish offertory packet
- Make a gift online at your parish’s website, if available
- Make a secure gift online at www.charlottediocese.org/donate (click on Seminarian Education)
- Use the envelope provided with the letter you received from Bishop Jugis and mail it back to the diocese