MOORESVILLE — Parishioners at St. Thérèse Church are reacting with sadness following the news that the Jesuits, who have staffed the Mooresville parish since 1970, will be leaving next summer. Starting July 11, 2017, the parish will revert to the care of priests of the Diocese of Charlotte.
Jesuit Father Vincent Curtin, pastor, shared the decision from the order's Maryland Province with parishioners at weekend Masses June 4-5.
The parish's explosive growth is one reason the order is turning the parish back over to the diocese. Established in 1956, St. Thérèse has been among the fastest-growing parishes in the Charlotte diocese in recent years. It now ranks as the diocese's third-largest parish with 3,662 registered families, behind St. Matthew Church in Charlotte (10,000-plus families) and St. Mark Church in Huntersville (5,468 families), according to diocesan statistics.
In a June 4 letter to parishioners, Father Robert M. Hussey, provincial of the Maryland Province, congratulated the parish for its rapid growth and vitality, as well as the dedication last year of a new 21,000-square-foot church. But he noted that the province's aging Jesuit community cannot meet the increasing demands of such a large parish.
Father Hussey wrote, "In the forty-six years that the Jesuits of Maryland Province have served St. Thérèse, the parish has grown dramatically and flourished beyond expectations. I am grateful for the many Jesuits who have served with you and helped lead St. Thérèse to its current thriving. Your beautiful new church, joyful liturgies, active lay leadership in Ignatian Spirituality, stewardship, outreach to the poor, and faith formation all speak of a vibrant faith community.
"Yet, in the midst of your blessings, I cannot overlook the fact that the average age of this Jesuit community is 80 years old. The parish needs younger priests to accompany the larger community into the future. In truth, with the shrinking number of available Jesuits, we cannot provide these younger priests."
He acknowledged that the leadership change would be difficult for some to accept. "I realize that for many of you this is a surprising and unwelcome announcement. You have formed bonds of affection for the Jesuits serving your community, as they have for you. This is a wonderful sign of the presence of God and part of the reason for your strong community."
The Jesuits have led St. Thérèse Parish for most of its 60-year history. Redemptorist priests from St. Joseph Church in Kannapolis staffed the faith community in its early years as a mission, followed by diocesan priests from 1954 to 1970, according to the parish's history.
Parishioners have been expressing sadness, concern and hope in response to the news that Father Curtin, Father Donald Ward, Father Dominic Totaro and Father Frank Reese would be leaving within a year.
"The Jesuits have been my parish priests since I moved to North Carolina almost 44 years ago. They baptized all my children and administered their sacraments, they presided at my mother's funeral and, more recently, at my husband's," said Rosemary Hyman, parish liturgy coordinator. "The Jesuits I have known through these years have exemplified Jesus' teaching to live our lives as men and women for others, and it shows in their joyful demeanor. I will miss them terribly."
"This news is so upsetting. Yes, I know that God will put great priests in place to help guide us. However, I have never experienced the warmth, the joyfulness, the fun, and the absolute human-ness of our Jesuit priests before. They truly embody Pope Francis and his teachings. Losing them makes me feel very sad," wrote Valerie Holland-Snyder on the parish RCIA group's Facebook page.
Bill Streiff, outgoing pastoral council chairman, said, "There are many, many people in the parish who are disappointed they are leaving. We are trying to put together a transition team, so we have a smooth transition."
Parishioners say they are praying that the leadership change will go well.
"We will grieve for our loss, but a great opportunity is in front of our community," wrote Jeff Wagner on the parish RCIA group's Facebook page. "Let's take this year as a reminder that, although our goal is eternal life with God, we should live our life on Earth joyfully and filled with the spirit of love for our 'fellow planetary travelers.' Let us not forget to share this love with the time we have left with our priests, our faith community, and our wider community at every opportunity, for we are not promised tomorrow."
Father Hussey noted in his letter to parishioners, "I hope you can support our efforts to discern where, with our limited resources, we can best serve those in need. I am confident that God will continue to guide and bless the community of St. Thérèse in the years to come.
"My great hope is that in the months ahead that all of you and the Jesuits now missioned to the parish, and others who have served in the past, can celebrate the many warm years of shared faith, service, and friendship. I thank you for understanding this difficult decision as together we hold in prayer the mission of both the Society of Jesus and the parish community of St. Thérèse."
Jesuits staff two other parishes in North Carolina: St. Peter Church in Charlotte and St. Raphael the Archangel Church in Raleigh.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
CHARLOTTE — Work to build a Christian community and seek the face of Christ in others: That was the message of Ukrainian Catholic Bishop Bohdan Danylo during his July 3 visit to Charlotte.
The bishop was in town to visit the growing St. Basil the Great Ukrainian Catholic Mission Parish, which will welcome its first full-time priest this fall, and to erect a second mission for Ukrainian-speaking Catholics in south Charlotte.
Bishop Danylo leads the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat, which is based in Parma, Ohio, and whose territory encompasses North Carolina. He celebrated two Divine Liturgies, or Masses – one in English at St. Basil Mission, which meets at the chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte, and one in Ukrainian at the chapel of Charlotte Catholic High School.
Too numerous to gather in St. Thomas Aquinas' chapel as usual, the faithful instead gathered in Aquinas Hall for the liturgy – "a little bit extended chapel," Bishop Danylo quipped.
In his homily Bishop Danylo encouraged everyone to seek out Christ and to look for the face of Christ in others, just as His original disciples did.
"Whatever needs you have, whatever God is calling each and every one of us to do, if you come to this church this summer, and every day of your life, with the same faith" as the blind man who was healed by Jesus, "trust me, God will hear," he said.
Recalling the Gospel account of the two disciples who encountered Christ on their way to Emmaus, Bishop Danylo pointed out how Christ questioned them about what was bothering them, He listened to them and He taught them. And during their encounter with Christ, they recognized Him in the breaking of the bread.
Bishop Danylo said Christ is also concerned about what is bothering us, and He desires to listen to us and to teach us. But are we receptive to Him?
"The question is, would we have the same joy as those two disciples on their way to Emmaus, to proclaim the Good News? Would we have the same faith that Mary Magdalene had when … she saw the risen Lord? That's what God's calling each and every one of us to do this Sunday, and every other Sunday," he said.
Encountering Christ and growing in our Christian faith are what we do in relationship with each other, he also noted.
As the Second Vatican Council taught, he said, "God in His wisdom desires to save us not as individuals, but as community."
"Only as a Christian community, only when we are in relationship (to others), will we truly know who we are," he said.
And we can better serve those among us who are less fortunate, as Christ calls us to do, when we build up our Christian communities, he said.
To aid in building up the community of St. Basil Mission, he said, he has assigned Father Joseph Matlak as full-time administrator effective Sept. 1.
Father Matlak comes to Charlotte from Parma, where he served as assistant to the administrator of St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral.
Father Matlak will also serve as administrator of the new St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Mission in Pineville, which will serve a community of about 70 Ukrainian-speaking Catholics in the area.
"It gives me great joy to be with you," Bishop Danylo concluded. "I hope that when you walk out through the doors of St. Thomas Aquinas Church today, and whatever place you will trod – either north or south or east or west, as I blessed with the candles – that wherever you stop for a good hamburger … or you stop at the gas station, (the people you encounter) will no longer be seen as Bodhan, James, John, Mary, but they will be seen as the face of Christ."
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor
Pictured above: Peter Hayes, the son of Kyle and Amanda Hayes, receives Holy Communion from Ukrainian Catholic Bishop Bohdan Danylo during a Divine Liturgy July 3 at St. Basil the Great Mission in Charlotte.
