‘How blessed we are to be in the presence of this Blessed Sacrament’
BELMONT — Rain and gray skies could not dampen the spirits of more than 1,100 young people, seminarians, religious and chaperones who attended the 14th annual Bishop’s Youth Pilgrimage April 7 at Belmont Abbey College.
The Bishop’s Youth Pilgrimage – a component of the annual Eucharistic Congress – shares the annual Eucharistic Congress theme which for 2018 is based on the words of the Gospel of John 6:51: “I am the Living Bread.” This verse is a part of the discourse on the bread of life in which Christ repeatedly explains to His followers that they must eat His Body and drink His Blood to have eternal life.
The youth pilgrimage, held each spring, is designed to provide young people of the Diocese of Charlotte with a day of reflection, prayer, formation, vocation awareness and fellowship.
Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari of Belmont Abbey welcomed the youth and visitors as the day’s events began and served as main celebrant at Mass. Father Benjamin Roberts, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe, brought 13 youth from his parish and concelebrated the Mass. They were assisted by Deacon Ruben Tamayo, youth minister at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte.
During his homily, Abbot Placid told the youth, “If it (the faith) is going to be passed on for however many thousands of years until the Lord comes again, it is because of you. (To) Jesus’ words today, ‘Go out into the world and proclaim the Good News’ – you’ll say ‘yes.’
“You’ll do it by what you say. What you say has to be backed up by the way you live, by the way you treat others, by the way that you give witness to the Truth.”
Confession, midday prayer led by Benedictine Brother Edward Mancuso, talks, Eucharistic Adoration and a Eucharistic Procession inside the Wheeler Center were also highlights of the annual pilgrimage.
In his address to the youth during the period of Adoration, Bishop Peter Jugis touched on the theme of this year’s Eucharistic Congress and the youth pilgrimage.
“How blessed we are to be in the presence of this Blessed Sacrament which He left for us as the perpetual continuation of the gift of Himself at the Last Supper, and the gift of Himself in His passion, His death and His resurrection – the gift of Himself for our salvation,” Bishop Jugis said.
“He wanted to make sure that was perpetually remembered and celebrated, so He left His living presence with us in the Holy Eucharist.”
Bishop Jugis recalled that Jesus came, stood amid His apostles and said, “Peace be with you.” He reminded those gathered that in His passion, death and resurrection, Jesus conquered sin.
“If He conquers death, then He also conquers what causes death, which is sin. (Jesus is) Conqueror, victor over death and sin; in other words, giving us freedom, the freedom of the children of God to live in His grace.
“It’s beautiful what the Lord does for us during this whole Easter season."
"The Lord is the greatest friend that any of us can have. He is always faithful, always wise, and He is always there for you." – Bishop Peter Jugis
Rainy weather prevented an outdoor Eucharistic Procession on the grounds of Belmont Abbey College, but Bishop Jugis encouraged the young people to come to the Eucharistic Congress to participate in that outdoor procession through the streets of Charlotte Sept. 8.
“That Eucharistic Procession is another sign of the Church’s love for the Eucharist,” he said. “It is really inspiring to see tens of thousands of people walking peacefully, prayerfully through the streets of Charlotte in Adoration of Jesus.
“It really imitates what the people of God do in their procession throughout human history – the people of God on a journey to our promised land. That procession imitates the people of God walking with Jesus, He as our Good Shepherd, leading us to the Promised Land.”
Bishop Jugis spoke to the youth about the gifts that Our Lord gives to His people. He enumerated on the gift of peace, given by Jesus, and the gift of charity, praying for others while in Adoration.
“The Eucharist is a living gift of Jesus giving His life to you in love,” he said.
The Eucharist is living bread, he explained. “That is not said of any other bread on the face of the earth. Living bread? You can’t say that of any bread that you buy from the grocery store.”
“It (the Eucharist) is alive. It’s a life that never dies because Jesus’ life is forever. When you see the Living Bread, even in Adoration when we receive the Living Bread spiritually, we are receiving the Living Bread and we are receiving eternal life. We are on the way to heaven with Him,” he said.
Bishop Jugis also spoke of the gift of friendship with Christ, which all of us can cultivate by spending time in the presence of the Eucharist.
“The Lord is the greatest friend that any of us can have,” he said. “He is always faithful, always wise, and He is always there for you.”
He paraphrased: “(Jesus) says, ‘Come to me all of you who labor or who are heavily burdened, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart and your soul will find rest. My yoke is easy and my burden is light.’
“He is here to listen and to respond.”
Stephanie Lugo, a Belmont Abbey College senior, is a Hintemeyer Scholar who served as the college event organizer and rallied more than 85 Belmont Abbey students to host the youth pilgrimage on campus.
“Even as a high school participant attending the pilgrimage, I hoped to eventually help run the event as a student at Belmont Abbey. The event has been very meaningful to me in my life because of its central focus on the Eucharist, and I want to share this opportunity to encounter Christ with others.
“My hope is that students who attend the pilgrimage from across the diocese (today) will benefit from an afternoon which invites them to listen attentively to the voice of Christ and experience His deeply personal love for each of us individually.”
A group of 17 young people and chaperones from St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte came with Dominican Sisters Zeny Mofada and Edeva Jover. “It’s good for our youth to have an encounter with Bishop Jugis himself,” Sister Zeny said. “Our youth who are preparing for confirmation, we ask them to write a letter to the bishop. I was reflecting that being here, they will realize the value of the bishop. That sacrament is very important. Being with the bishop and being guided properly to the power of the Catholic faith, (the Eucharist) is important.”
Bernard Malloy, a junior at Christ the King High School in Huntersville, attended the youth pilgrimage for the sixth time. “I really enjoy the experience with Adoration, having reflection time with the priests. It’s a blast being with everyone,” he said.
Second-timer Nicole Sanchez, a ninth-grader from St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte, added, “It’s nice to come here, to separate from most of the world. I like to learn more about my faith. It enlightens you, makes you feel better, gives you peace about your faith.”
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte Foundation has surpassed the milestone of more than $50 million in assets.
The foundation, established in 1994, provides a means for people and organizations to provide long-term financial stability for the diocese and its more than 180 churches, schools, agencies and organizations.
Over the past 24 years, the foundation has grown to encompass 255 endowments that total $51.4 million in assets as of Feb. 27. The foundation had reached $40 million in assets just over a year ago.
An endowment is a permanent fund, the principal of which is never touched, but the income from which can be used in accordance with the wishes of the donor organization or individual. Endowments provide a way to generate income and help sustain the long-term strength and viability of the diocese and its parishes, schools, agencies and ministries.
“The endowments in the foundation range from a few thousand dollars to over $4 million. We are also finding that more and more people are establishing named endowments to honor or remember a loved one. Currently, 126 of the 255 endowments are named endowments,” said Jim Kelley, diocesan director of development.
Those who make a planned gift to the foundation, the diocese, or any of its parishes, schools, ministries or agencies become members of the Catholic Heritage Society. The society is the diocese’s way of honoring the Christian generosity of Catholic friends who are providing for the future of the Church in western North Carolina.
The Catholic Heritage Society is comprised of more than 1,100 people in the diocese, many of whom are leaving gifts to the foundation in their wills and estate plans.
The foundation sends reports out to all these endowment holders every quarter stating where their endowment stands and how much is available to distribute. As a rule, the foundation makes available 5 percent of a rolling three-year average value of its total assets. Since 1994, the foundation has distributed more than $8.5 million to the diocese and its parishes, schools and ministries.
One example of an endowment recently bequeathed to St. Benedict Church and St. Pius X Church in Greensboro was received through the generosity of Helen Doyle Black, 98, who passed away on July 27, 2016, at Pennybyrn’s Taylor Village in High Point. She left a total bequest of approximately $83,000 in her will that is going to both parishes.
Black was a parishioner of St. Pius X Church and a former parishioner of St. Benedict Church. Her gift is being split between the two parishes: approximately $68,000 will benefit St. Benedict Church and approximately $15,000 will benefit St. Pius X Church, with a portion going into endowments for each parish and a portion going directly to each parish.
“We are finding more and more people in the diocese are remembering the Church in their estates,” Kelley noted. “Many of them are establishing endowments in the foundation, where their gifts can have a lasting impact. Gifts made once in an endowment continue to give forever.”
For details about endowments or estate gifts, contact Ray Correia, diocesan director of planned giving, at 704-370-3364 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
– SueAnn Howell, senior reporter