ClarkCHARLOTTE — Darien N. Clark has been named director of the Diocese of Charlotte’s Campus and Young Adult Ministry.
Clark served as assistant director since 2018 and as acting director since July 2022, after longtime director Mary M. Wright retired.
Before coming to the Charlotte diocese, Clark served in campus ministry at colleges in the dioceses of Charleston, S.C.; St. Cloud, Minn.; and Richmond, Va. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history and religion from Syracuse University and a master’s degree in religious education from Fordham University. He and his wife, Clara, are members of St. Peter Parish in Charlotte.
“Darien has been a great team member of the Office of Campus and Young Adult Ministry as well as the various departments of the Education Vicariate and the diocese,” said Father Roger K. Arnsparger, diocesan vicar of education for catechetical formation, in a recent announcement. “The Education Vicariate offers him our support as we move forward and our gratitude for the good work he has already done as the acting director for this past year.
“This diocese is blessed with a gifted and devoted team of campus ministers who provide for the needs of our college students. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to advance and support this critical mission of the Church – ensuring that young adults have access to a Catholic community that is rooted in Christ and the Eucharist during college and beyond.”
— Catholic News Herald
VasquezCHARLOTTE — David Vasquez has joined the Diocese of Charlotte as its Safe Environment coordinator.
Vasquez is responsible for overseeing the diocese’s comprehensive program for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, ensuring compliance with the U.S. bishops’ Charter for the Protection for Children and Young People.
Vasquez brings more than three decades of professional experience in customer service and two decades of parish ministry leadership to this role.
While working in the banking and technology sectors, Vasquez focused on customer care and relationship management in highly regulated industries – particularly customer experience quality, complaint management and problem resolution. In senior leadership positions at both Ally Bank and Bank of America, he launched and supported digital products, services and processes to improve the customer experience, better address customers’ needs, and foster a responsive, problem-solving culture.
During his service on parish pastoral and finance councils, Vasquez gained an appreciation for the importance of the diocese’s mandatory Safe Environment training for employees and volunteers.
A Detroit native, he and his wife, Julie, moved to Waxhaw 20 years ago. They have three grown children and are members of St. Gabriel Parish in Charlotte.
“The diocese was an enthusiastic early adopter of Safe Environment protocols when the charter was established in 2002, and it has a successful record of compliance over the past two decades,” Vasquez said. “I look forward to continuing and building upon that commitment to accountability and transparency in this role.”
— Catholic News Herald