| Diocese of Charlotte Dioecesis Carolinana |
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| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Territory | Western North Carolina Vicariates of Albemarle, Asheville, Boone, Gastonia, Greensboro, Hickory, Mecklenburg, Salisbury, Smoky Mountain, Winston-Salem |
| Ecclesiastical province | Archdiocese of Atlanta |
| Metropolitan | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Statistics | |
| Population - Total |
4.1 million |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | November 12, 1971 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of Saint Patrick |
| Patron saint | Saint Patrick |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Benedict XVI |
| Bishop | Bishop of Charlotte Peter Joseph Jugis Bishop of Charlotte |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Wilton Daniel Gregory Archbishop of Atlanta |
| Map | |
| Website | |
| charlottediocese.org | |
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, formally in Latin Dioecesis Carolinana, is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southern United States comprising the counties of western North Carolina divided into ten vicariates named for and administered from Albemarle, Asheville, Boone, Gastonia, Greensboro, Hickory, Mecklenburg, Salisbury, Smoky Mountain, Winston-Salem[1]. Charlotte and the Piedmont Triad are the largest metropolitan areas in the diocese. The Charlotte See is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Atlanta.
Canonically erected on November 12, 1971 by Pope Paul VI, the diocese took its territories from the neighboring Diocese of Raleigh[2]. The Charlotte See is led by a bishop who serves as pastor of the Cathedral of Saint Patrick in Charlotte, North Carolina[1]. Peter Joseph Jugis is the current bishop[2]. The Diocese is also home to the only basilicas in North Carolina, the Basilica of St. Lawrence and the Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians.
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The Diocese of Charlotte adopted a mission statement that serves as a reminder for members and non-members of the diocese's purpose. The mission statement as published by the diocese[3] expresses,
| “ | We, the people of God in the Diocese of Charlotte, fortified in the Father, redeemed in the Son, empowered in the Spirit, are called to grow ever more perfectly into a community of praise, worship, and witness. We seek to become evermore enthusiastically a leaven of service and a sign of peace through love in Piedmont and Western North Carolina. | ” |
The mission statement features the Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—as being active in the life of the Church and its members. The Trinity is a central doctrine of Catholicism and some Christian denominations. Saint Patrick, the patron saint of the Diocese of Charlotte, is famous for the legend of his teaching of the Trinity using a shamrock.
The Diocese of Charlotte was established on 12 January 1972, with the Most Reverend Michael Joseph Begley, a priest of the Diocese of Raleigh, being ordained and installed as first Bishop of Charlotte. Bishop Begley served as Ordinary of the Diocese until his retirement at age seventy-five in May 1984; he was then named Apostolic Administrator.
The Most Reverend John Francis Donoghue, a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, having been appointed Bishop of Charlotte by the Holy See on 6 November 1984, succeeded Bishop Begley; he was ordained and installed as second Bishop of Charlotte on 18 December 1984. Bishop Donoghue was appointed Archbishop of Atlanta on 22 June 1993 and installed on 18 August 1993.
The Most Reverend William G. Curlin, Auxiliary Bishop of Washington and Titular Bishop of Rosemarkie, was appointed Bishop of Charlotte on 22 February 1994 and installed on 13 April 1994. Bishop Curlin served the Diocese of Charlotte until his retirement on September 10, 2002. On August 1, 2003, the Holy Father appointed the Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, Judicial Vicar and Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in Monroe, as the fourth Bishop of Charlotte.
The Diocese of Raleigh, established in 1924, was the first diocese in North Carolina; it included the entire State until the formation of the Diocese of Charlotte in January, 1972. At the time of the establishment of the new Diocese of Charlotte, the Catholic population of the area was just over 34,000; by the end of the year 2001, it was approaching 87,000. Because Catholics are a minority and, also, because there are many people who are considered "unchurched," there are many opportunities in the area of evangelization. In fact, the Bishop declared the 1990s to be the "Decade of Evangelization."
The diocese consists primarily of two areas: the mountains in the west and the Piedmont. The diocese encompasses 20,700 square miles (54,000 km2); it includes the 46 western counties of North Carolina. These areas are known as the Piedmont and Mountain area of the State.
The major industries are banking, furniture manufacturing, textiles, agriculture and tourism. In the Piedmont area, there is rapid growth of population because of high technology industry moving into the area, which is having a positive effect on the Catholic population. Although there is some manufacturing in the mountain area, tourism is the main industry.
The total population of the diocese is approximately 4.1 million people: of this number, approximately 124,000 are members of the Catholic Church. This number does not include another 120-125 thousand of unregistered Hispanic/Latino Catholics. Industries from other states continue to relocate to North Carolina, because of an active recruiting program of the State government. The movement of new industry continues to increase the number of Catholics, as many of these industries are moving from areas of the United States that have a heavy Catholic population.
The diocese encompasses three main areas of population: the Triad Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem; Charlotte; and the mountains. In both the Triad and the Charlotte areas, there are continuing efforts to cultivate and preserve the fine arts and the performing arts. Also, in the mountain area, there are great efforts being made to preserve the native culture and to promote the native arts.
In the larger and more metropolitan areas of the diocese, many of the Catholics are well educated and serve in management-level positions of employment. There are programs designed to assist the newcomers from other countries to learn English.
The See City of Charlotte is a dynamic, growing city, offering tremendous resources to industry and business. An excellent combination of moderate climate, market access and amenities are offered. Located in Southwest North Carolina near the South Carolina border, it is ideally situated two hours east of the Appalachian mountain range, as well as just three and one half hours from the Atlantic coast. Charlotte is the county seat, encompassing most of Mecklenburg County.
Charlotte was established in the mid-18th century and named for the German wife of England’s King George III. Historically, Charlotte has always been a center of trade, from earliest days at a convergence of two trading paths to present day as a financial center and transportation hub. Over a half-century preceding the California Gold Rush, the first major gold discovery took place near Charlotte, further enhancing Charlotte’s attractiveness to financial interests. Charlotte has become one of the nation’s major metropolitan areas. The city continues to act as a magnet for new and expanded business. Charlotte has had a long-standing cooperative relationship between its public and private sectors, which has facilitated much of its growth.
By December 2007, 14 priests of the diocese had attended a 5-day workshop on the 1962 version of the Mass, recognized in July of that year as an extraordinary form of the Roman Rite. Bishop Jugis noted that it would take some time, but that the diocese was trying to accommodate the people with an attachment to this form of Mass.
On the following January 13 the Tridentine Latin Mass or usus antiquor (older form) was celebrated for the first time in nearly 40 years at Our Lady Of Grace Church in Greensboro NC with Bishop Peter Jugis attending.
Father Samuel Weber O.S.B was the first to offer a regularly scheduled Mass in that form in the Diocese of Charlotte since 1969, at Davis Chapel.
Since its erection as a diocese in 1971, Charlotte has had four bishops:
Some notable churches within the Diocese of Charlotte include:
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