CHARLOTTE — Father Joseph Matlak discovered something surprising last summer: the chapel at Holy Trinity Middle School where he serves as chaplain had never been officially named a permanent chapel.
He made this discovery with the help of the Diocese of Charlotte archives department, and then requested to have the 27-year-old chapel formally dedicated.
The efforts culminated in a Jan. 31 Mass and chapel blessing, aptly timed for the middle of Catholic Schools Week. Twenty-five students in the school’s Little Flower, Knights of Saint Joseph and Pro-Life clubs gathered with officials from the diocesan schools office and Holy Trinity administrators to mark the occasion.
Father Matlak celebrated the Mass and blessed the chapel with Father Timothy Reid, the diocese’s Vicar of Education for Catholic Schools, and Father Christopher Roux, rector of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, concelebrating. Also assisting was Deacon Peter Tonon of St. Ann Church in Charlotte.
“By the bishop's decree, Holy Trinity’s chapel has been dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima, and Bishop Jugis has delegated me to bless the chapel,” Father Matlak said.
Principal Kevin Parks said no funds were required to complete the blessing and official dedication to Our Lady of Fatima, adding that there are plans to use school funds to replace the flooring and paint the chapel in the spring.
Father Matlak and Holy Trinity theology teacher Shane Sayre composed a special prayer for the occasion that ends with an invocation to Our Lady of Fatima.
In his homily, Father Matlak shared the significance of the concluding line of the prayer and the connections between Our Lady and the Holy Trinity.
“Ending a prayer with an invocation of the Mother of God is not simply a flowery decoration. God decided to become incarnate, to come into the world, through Mary, which means that every way to return to Him must also somehow go through her,” he said.
“Our chapel is being dedicated to the Blessed Virgin under the title of Our Lady of Fatima, referring, of course, to the apparitions of Our Lady to the three shepherd children, Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco, in Fatima, Portugal in 1917.”
Father Matlak said he was slightly biased by this, being half Portuguese and coming from a family that has experienced miracles through devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. However, the appropriateness of the title and connection with the school runs much deeper, he added.
“My first year as chaplain coincided with the 100th anniversary of the apparitions in Fatima,” he said. “On May 13, 2017, I consecrated the school to her Immaculate Heart with a prayer that ended with these words: May the reign of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, together with your reign, enter this school … so that, we may one day deserve eternal happiness in the presence of the Holy Trinity.”
Father Matlak’s words resonated with Superintendent Dr. Greg Monroe, who was present for the Mass and blessing.
“We're trying to get closer to God in everything we do in the schools,” he said. “This chapel dedication provides a focal point and a continuing orientation toward those things which are most important: our faith and coming together as a Catholic community to support each other and push each other to excel.”
—Annie Ferguson. Photos by Troy Hull.
Holy Trinity Chapel Prayer
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy on us!
O Lady, who appeared to the three children at Fatima, hear our plea this day as we ask you to pray for us who have recourse to thee. Amidst the turbulence and fear facing the world around them, you were sent by God to bring to these children a message of peace and hope. You charged us, your faithful children, to be the bearers of these fruits through repentance and renewed devotion to the fruit of your womb, your Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We dedicate this chapel to you and to your Immaculate Heart, as the beginning of that renewal and repentance. We dedicate this sacred space as a haven for the faithful—a refuge for the exile—to escape the wickedness and anxieties that the world seeks to burden us with. Wrap us in your maternal mantle of prayer as we strive to be liberated from the shackles of attachments; attachments that seek to distract us and drive us away from the source of our true freedom, our Lord Jesus Christ. Let this sacred space bring this peace and hope to all those who enter. Let them become a vessel and channel of peace and hope as they face the evils within this world. Let the graces that flow from the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar console the hearts of your children who long to see the face of your Son. Let them become temples of the Holy Spirit as He is poured out from their hearts and unto the hearts of those that they encounter. And let the blessings of Fatima radiate from this humble chapel to convert the whole world back to our Lord Jesus Christ.
To You, O Blessed Trinity, be praise, and honor, and thanksgiving, for ever and ever! Amen.
— Father Joseph Matlak and Shane Sayre
HUNTERSVILLE — School officials alerted parents and students Tuesday after learning that a man who coached girls basketball last season at Christ the King High School had been arrested following child sexual abuse allegations in Ohio.
Jason Paul Dawson, 35, was arrested March 25 and charged with two felony counts of sexual battery involving a minor and one felony count of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor, according to Franklin County, Ohio, Municipal Court records.
The allegations stem from his time working as a teacher and coach of the girls basketball team at Worthington Christian School in Columbus, Ohio. According to Ohio police and municipal court records, two female student-athletes allege that Dawson engaged in sexual activity with one of them from 2019 to 2023, and the other from 2020 to 2023. The records say police confiscated cell phone videos and text messages from both victims.
As of March 27, Dawson was being held at the Mecklenburg County Jail, awaiting extradition to Ohio.
After several successful seasons, Dawson left as coach at Worthington Christian School in April 2022 and moved to North Carolina. In a statement, Worthington Christian School said he resigned following “two incidents of employment discipline on matters not related to allegations of criminal activity but clear violations of our policies.”
Dawson worked as a temporary contract coach for the girls basketball team at Christ the King High School for the 2023-24 season. He passed a background check in June 2023 and worked as a coach until March 1, 2024.
Dawson also conducted basketball clinics at St. Mark School in Huntersville for two weeks in late July and early August 2023, school leaders said. St. Mark School alerted parents whose children attended and noted that other adults were present for the two-hour clinics, including personnel from The Carolina Factory (an athlete training facility), varsity athletes from Christ the King, as well as St. Mark parents and volunteers. Dawson worked at The Carolina Factory, which terminated him on Wednesday.
Leaders from both Christ the King and St. Mark schools said they are investigating but are unaware of any issues that occurred during Dawson’s time coaching there.
Christ the King and St. Mark school leaders learned of the arrest on March 26 and notified students and parents that day, as well as met with Christ the King basketball team members to answer questions and offer support.
“Of course we are dismayed to hear this news, but we are committed to supporting our players and keeping the Christ the King community informed,” School President Carl Semmler said Wednesday. “Nothing is more important to us than the safety and well-being of our students, and we will assist in this matter in any way we can.”
— Catholic News Herald