CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter Jugis will celebrate the patronal feast of St. Patrick Cathedral by offering Mass at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 17. Seating will be extremely limited.
Because of reduced seating capacity inside the cathedral, the Mass will be livestreamed on the parish’s YouTube channel so that more faithful across the Diocese of Charlotte can participate.
There will be no parish dinner or Irish dancers at the cathedral to mark the feast this year, due to pandemic restrictions on public gatherings.
To view the livestream at 7 p.m. March 17 on St. Patrick Cathedral’s YouTube channel, go to YouTube and search “St. Patrick’s Cathedral” or click the link on the homepage of their website, www.stpatricks.org.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter. CNH file photo, 2018.
CHARLOTTE — “If you fail to see Christ as the beggar in the door, you will fail to see Christ in the chalice.”
Those words from guest speaker Father Casey Cole, OFM, hit home for Catholic college students during Catholic Campus Ministry’s annual “Give Your Heart Away” event Feb. 10-17.
The annual diocesan event is normally a hands-on weekend of community service, educational talks and fellowship that emphasizes Catholic Social Teaching. Yet as with so many other activities amid the pandemic, this year it was converted into a virtual week of service and reflection in preparation for Lent.
A Zoom call with Father Cole and college students from across the Diocese of Charlotte kicked things off Feb. 10.
The author and blogger is a familiar name to students. His blog and YouTube channel are called “Breaking in the Habit,” and his books include: “Let Go: Seven Stumbling Blocks to Christian Discipleship” and “Called: What Happens After Saying Yes to God.”
Father Cole explained to students that “Catholic Social Teaching isn’t an option, it is a requirement of living out and witnessing our Catholic faith to the world around us,” noted Darien Clark, assistant director of the diocese’s Campus and Young Adult Ministry program.
“I really enjoyed Father Cole’s talk,” said Lisa Scarduzio, a junior at UNC-Greensboro who participated in Give Your Heart Away for the first time this year. “No matter who I cross paths with throughout my days, no matter what type of interaction we may have, I need to make the effort to see Christ in them.
“This powerful lesson was a beautiful start to my Lenten journey this year and something I will carry with me for the rest of my life,” she said.
Deacon Matthew Newsome, campus minister at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, agreed that Father Cole’s talk resonated with his students.
“Students really appreciated the insights Father Cole offered about the need for us to love our neighbor and the challenge of putting yourself in another’s shoes, to be able to identify with their needs and struggles.”
Campus Ministry participants were also invited to attend Mass Feb. 14, streamed live from the campus ministry center at High Point University. Father Moses Njoh, HPU’s campus minister, offered the Mass.
Father Njoh used the theme of this year’s Give Your Heart Away – connecting Lent and the corporal works of mercy – to conclude his homily: “As we draw closer to this year’s holy season of Lent, in which the Church would be asking us to intensify our spirits of prayer, fasting and alms giving, I pray that we may be able to understand the seven corporal works of mercy as a means of continuing the work of mercy Jesus started.”
While most of this year’s Give Your Heart Away took place online, students also found ways to do hands-on service projects within what public health restrictions allowed in their area.
Campus Ministry students at Appalachian State are collaborating with a club on campus to have a baby supply drive that will support the Hope Center, a pregnancy center located near campus. Students are collecting diapers, bottles, baby clothes and other baby supplies to help support the center’s mission.
Connor Theriot, a junior at UNC-Charlotte involved in Campus Ministry, also opted to do something a little different this year since he could not attend the usual program events: volunteering at Loaves and Fishes in Charlotte.
“It is important to remember that there are always those out there who are less fortunate and that the pandemic is affecting us all in different ways,” Theriot said. “Not only does volunteering help those in need, but also makes one more conscious of what others may be struggling with and to be kind to everyone you meet and to always be grateful.”
Wake Forest University’s campus minister Liz Orr observed that this year’s Give Your Heart Away week had a positive impact on students and their commitment to Lenten observances.
“Give Your Heart Away drew to a close on Ash Wednesday – an intentional decision made by the planning committee in the hopes of drawing a very clear connection between the corporal works of mercy and Lent,” she said. “That’s probably one of the bigger differences between this year’s GYHA and other years. Students felt inspired to carry out the spirit of service after the event was over – which is exactly what we hope to inspire every year!”
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Your DSA contributions at work
The diocese’s Catholic Campus Ministry program is funded in part by contributions to the annual Diocesan Support Appeal.
Learn more about the DSA and how you can contribute at www.charlottediocese.org/dsa.
Catholic Campus Ministry
At www.catholiconcampus.com: Learn more about Catholic Campus Ministry, which serves 21 college campuses in western North Carolina.
Find a campus ministry location near you, support their mission to help students grow in their Catholic faith, or contact a campus minister for assistance.