CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte’s Lay Ministry office is sponsoring a study pilgrimage to the Holy Land Feb. 10-19, 2017. The 10-day trip is the first of its kind offered by the diocese. Dr. Frank Villaronga, diocesan director of the Lay Ministry program and Father Fidel Melo, vicar of Hispanic Ministry, will lead the pilgrimage.
The study pilgrimage is open to anyone. People who have completed the Lay Ministry program or a similar formation program are encouraged to attend. Villaronga is creating specific reflections to correspond to Scripture and the holy sites and cities on the pilgrimage route.
Pilgrims will visit Galilee, Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes, Tabgha, Magdala, Tabor, Nazareth, Cana, Mount Carmel, Caesarea Maritima, Bethlehem, Jericho, Masada, the Dead Sea, Mount Zion, Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, St. Anne’s Church and Ein Karem.
“The pilgrimage begins before we get on the airplane,” Villaronga said. “I am creating some reflection materials so people can prepare ahead of time by reflecting on some of the passages mentioning the places we will be going.”
One example is a reflection Villaronga is preparing on St. Elijah and Mount Carmel. The pilgrims will also visit the Mount of Beatitudes, so he is creating a scripture reflection for that, too.
“There is not going to be heavy studying, but some kind of reflection,” he said. “I would like to possibly have people meet in small groups to reflect together (on what they experience). People won’t have to worry about reading a lot ahead of time because I will have the materials prepared for them.”
The pilgrimage will primarily be in English, but Spanish-speaking pilgrims are also encouraged to attend as Father Melo and a bilingual guide will provide information in Spanish during the pilgrimage.
“One of the things I like about this particular pilgrimage is we have something called ‘Share the Bread,’ where we break up into groups of four to five and have dinner in the homes of Christians there. It is really nice because you get to talk to the people who live there and find out what the reality of living there and to share a meal,” Villaronga said.
He hopes to take between 20 and 30 people to the Holy Land on this inaugural Lay Ministry Study Pilgrimage.
A deposit of $500 per person is due by Oct. 28 to hold a spot on the pilgrimage. Full payment is due Nov. 8. Cost for the pilgrimage including airfare starts at $3,295. Land-only fees start at $2,295.
For details, contact Villaronga at 704-370-3274 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
'The true battlefield is within the human heart ... Storm and loot your hearts, not the streets, if you want true change for the good'
'The true battlefield is within the human heart ... Storm and loot your hearts, not the streets, if you want true change for the good'CHARLOTTE — After two nights of violence in Charlotte, Bishop Peter J. Jugis called on “the half-million Catholic men, women and children of the Diocese of Charlotte” to join him in prayers for “peace and justice” for all victims of violence and for law enforcement personnel who have been victims of “unjust violence.”
“Let us pray for all men and women of good will to be instruments of harmony and the always-shining light of Christ in our neighborhoods, workplaces, schools and public places,” Bishop Jugis said in a statement Sept. 22.
The protests began late Sept. 20 following the fatal police shooting of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott, an African-American, outside an apartment complex on Old Concord Road. In their statement, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said Officer Brentley Vinson, who also is an African-American, perceived an “imminent deadly threat” and shot Scott. Scott later died at a local hospital.
Family members insisted that Scott was unarmed and was reading a book while waiting in the parking lot to pick up his son from a nearby school bus stop. Police said they recovered a weapon from the scene, not a book.
Vinson has been placed on administrative leave while police conduct an investigation that includes eyewitness interviews and review of police video footage.
When Scott family members took to social media to criticize police the evening of Sept. 20, people began to gather at the site of the shooting. By 11 p.m., the protest had swelled to about 1,000 people.
When some protesters began throwing rocks and smashing the windows of several police cars, police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, but people continued to protest and block roadways. Police arrested one person. More than a dozen police officers were slightly injured in the melee.
At St. Thomas Aquinas Church, just a few blocks from the scene of the police shooting and the first day of protests, about 150 people gathered to pray for peace Sept. 21.
During Wednesday evening Eucharistic Adoration and benediction, Father Patrick Winslow, pastor, offered prayers for police and for people who have suffered injustice, as well as prayers for his neighborhood and the city of Charlotte.
“Last evening we were all taken by surprise when two events collided here in Charlotte – you could even say, in our own backyard,” Father Winslow said. “One, the national ongoing concern about racism in law enforcement and, two, the incident of an African-American man who lost his life in an altercation with local police.”
“In times such as these, it is good to recall that light shines in the darkness, and it must shine through you,” Father Winslow urged parishioners. “Knowing the genuine spirit of our parishioners, I am confident that you will embrace a path of peace, prayer and charity.”
Referring to the Gospel according to St. John, Father Winslow said, “Retrospectively reflecting upon the events of Christ’s cross, His death and resurrection, he observes that the ‘light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.’
“This bold declaration refers to the triumph of the cross of Christ where the friction of human injustice set ablaze the Light of God in an otherwise dark world.”
“Since then,” Father Winslow continued, “history has made it clear that the true battlefield upon which the light vanquishes that darkness is not between nations, it is not between races, nor is it in the streets of Charlotte or any U.S. city.
“The true battlefield is within the human heart – within each of us. This is where injustice must be defeated. This is where prejudice and unjust discrimination live. This is the place from which fear and darkness enter the world. And likewise, it is the place where it can be vanquished.”
“I beg you, storm and loot your hearts, not the streets, if you want true change for the good,” he said. “Vanquish the enemy within and then you will truly help your neighbor.”
Protests turned violent for a second night Sept. 21 in uptown Charlotte, about 10 miles away from the site of the fatal police shooting.
Protester Justin Carr was shot and later died, several other people were injured, and a few businesses vandalized and looted. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police again used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
State leaders declared a state of emergency Sept. 21, triggering the North Carolina National Guard and the State Highway Patrol to assist local law enforcement in responding to the violence, and city leaders put in place a midnight curfew that was not lifted until Sept. 25.
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor
Pictured at top: Father Patrick Winslow, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church, leads benediction during a prayer service Sept. 21, following a night of protests in the Charlotte parish's neighborhood that were sparked by a fatal police shooting.
Statement from The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte
After two nights of violence in the city of Charlotte I call upon the half-million Catholic men, women and children of the Diocese of Charlotte to join me in prayer.
Let us pray for peace and for justice, not only for the victims of violence in Charlotte, but for all of the victims throughout our country.
Let us pray for the members of our law enforcement organizations who have been victims of unjust violence.
Let us pray for all men and women of good will to be instruments of harmony and the always-shining light of Christ in our neighborhoods, work places, schools and public spaces.
Sisters of Mercy speak out against Charlotte violence
BELMONT — The Sisters of Mercy - South Central Community also spoke out against the violence in Charlotte Sept. 21, issuing a statement calling for everyone to follow the Golden Rule.
“We invite everyone to join us in praying for a world that is merciful, loving and without violence and inequities,” said Mercy Sister Jane Hotstream, president of the community of sisters located just west of Charlotte. “It is time for each of us to examine our hearts deeply and to find our way to treating all our neighbors as we wish to be treated.”
“Our hearts are broken by the violence and racism that continue to plague not only our local communities but our world as a whole,” Sister Jane said in the statement.
“The Sisters of Mercy believe it’s necessary to examine the root causes of these issues and seek systemic change," the statement continued. "As long as some of God’s people are denied basic human dignity and suffer from poverty, a lack of resources, and opportunities such as health care, education and fulfilling work, we will all continue to struggle with division and strife.”
— Catholic News Herald