June 12, 2026

At a glance

JUNE 12, 2026

VOLUME 35 • NUMBER 18

1123 S. CHURCH ST. CHARLOTTE, N.C. 28203-4003 catholicnews@rcdoc.org 704-370-3333

PUBLISHER

The Most Reverend Michael T. Martin, OFM Conv., Bishop of Charlotte

PopeCATHOLIC ALL WEEK

Timely tips for blending faith & life

Leo XIV embarked on his first major European trip with his June 6-12 visit to Spain, themed “Lift up your eyes.” One of the highlights of the papal visit was his June 10 stop at the Basilica of the Holy Family in Barcelona, where the world did just that as he inaugurated its 564-foot Tower of Jesus Christ. Here is a look at the fascinating history of the basilica that has become the tallest church in the world.

HISTORIC ROOTS

The idea of the basilica, known in Spanish as Sagrada Familia, was proposed by St. Josep Manyanet Vives, a Catalan priest known for his devotion to the Holy Family. In 1871, a Catholic association dedicated to St. Joseph embarked on a pilgrimage to Rome that included a stop at the famed Marian shrine of Loreto. The original neo-Gothic design of the basilica was intended to resemble the shrine in Loreto. The design was altered two years after the cornerstone was laid due to differences between the bishop and the project’s first architect, Francisco de Paula del Villar. The project was then taken over by famed Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí, whose sainthood cause is underway. Pope Leo inaugurated the tower on the 100th anniversary of Gaudí’s death.

PAPAL CONNECTIONS

EDITOR: Trish Stukbauer

704-370-3392, tmstukbauer@rcdoc.org

ADVERTISING MANAGER: Kevin Eagan 704-370-3332, keeagan@rcdoc.org

MULTIMEDIA DESIGNER: David Puckett 704-808-4521, dwpuckett@rcdoc.org

EDITORIAL TEAM: Kimberly Bender 704-370-3394, kdbender@rcdoc.org Lisa Geraci 704-370-3294, lmgeraci@rcdoc.org

Troy C. Hull 704-370-3288, tchull@rcdoc.org

Christina Lee Knauss 704-370-0783, clknauss@rcdoc.org Amelia Kudela 980-374-3411, arkudela@rcdoc.org Brian Segovia 704-370-3235, bmsegovia@rcdoc.org

COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT/CIRCULATION: Maria De Ugarte 704-370-3333, catholicnews@rcdoc.org

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Liz Chandler 704-370-3336, lchandler@rcdoc.org

ASSISTANT COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Patricia L. Guilfoyle 704-370-3334, plguilfoyle@rcdoc.org

THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte 26 times a year.

NEWS: The Catholic News Herald welcomes your news and photos. Please e-mail information, attaching photos in JPG format with a recommended resolution of 150 dpi or higher, to catholicnews@rcdoc.org All submitted items become the property of the Catholic News Herald and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives.

ADVERTISING: Reach 165,000 Catholics across western North Carolina! For advertising rates and information, contact Advertising Manager Kevin Eagan at 704-370-3332 or keeagan@rcdoc.org. The Catholic News Herald reserves the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason, and does not recommend or guarantee any product, service or benefit claimed by our advertisers.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $17.25 per year for registered families of the Diocese of Charlotte and $25 per year for all others

POSTMASTER: Periodicals Class postage (USPC 007-393) paid at Charlotte, N.C. Send address corrections to the Catholic News Herald, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, N.C. 28203.

The pope’s visit offers a unique historical symmetry: The basilica’s cornerstone was laid in 1882 during the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII. Now, 144 years later, his namesake inaugurated the Tower of Jesus Christ. St. John Paul II visited the partially constructed basilica on Nov. 7, 1982, noting that while the basilica was “not yet finished,” its presence has “been solid from the beginning,” which he compared to “another structure built with living stones: the Christian family.” The next time a Roman pontiff would visit the basilica was in 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the altar during a dedication ceremony, thus opening it for public worship.

VISITING THE BASILICA

If a visit to Spain is in your summer travel plans, the basilica is a can’t-miss UNESCO World Heritage site that offers a variety of tours. If you are staying closer to home, there are virtual and photographic tours on the basilica’s website of this breathtaking landmark whose towers to Mary and the four evangelists reach up to the heavens. Educational resources for students and schools can also be found on the site.

— Catholic News Herald, OSV News, Wikipedia

Basilica of the Holy Family in Barcelona, Spain

Scan the QR code for this week’s recommended prayers and activities

Diocesan calendar of events

EVENTS

PROTECTING OUR DAUGHTERS

Mary Summa, J.D., general counsel with the N.C. Values Coalition, will lead a talk on how parents can help protect their girls from gender ideology and the abortion pill. The free event will be 7 p.m. Thursday, June 18, at St. Mark Church’s Kerin Center, 14740 Stumptown Road, Huntersville. Details: www. defendthefamily.org/protect.

PRAYER SERVICE FOR IMMIGRANTS: Join in a bilingual service of prayer, scripture, reflection and witness at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 20, in the Meditation Garden at St. Peter Church, 507 S. Tryon Street, Charlotte. For more information, email stpetercatholicsocialjustice@

gmail.com

45+ SINGLES FELLOWSHIP EVENT: Join St. Mark Parish’s 45+ Singles for fellowship and fun 5-8 p.m. Sunday, June 28, at Ed’s Tavern, 17044 Kenton Dr., Cornelius. Sign up at https://bit.ly/4nJa1kJ or email 45plussingles@gmail.com with questions.

PRAYER SERVICES

VIGIL OF THE TWO HEARTS: Vigil begins with 8 p.m. First Friday Mass on July 3, followed by Eucharistic Adoration and concludes with 8 a.m. First Saturday Mass July 4. St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. Details: www. defendthefamily.org/two-hearts.

JUNE 15 – 6 P.M.

Confirmation St. Philip the Apostle Church, Statesville

JUNE 16 – 6 P.M.

Confirmation Holy Spirit Church, Denver

JUNE 18 – 9:30 A.M.

Mass for Quo Vadis Days

Belmont Abbey, Belmont

participate in the following events over the coming weeks:

JUNE 18 – 3 P.M.

Dedication of new children’s campus Holy Angels, Belmont

JUNE 20 – 4:30 P.M.

Mass for Sisters of Mercy Jubilarians* Sacred Heart Convent, Belmont

JUNE 22 – 6 P.M.

Confirmation

St. Dorothy Church, Lincolnton

JUNE 23 – 6 P.M.

Confirmation St. Francis of Assisi Church, Lenoir

JUNE 24-25

Atlanta Province Bishops’ Meeting Atlanta, Georgia

JUNE 28 – 9 A.M.

Confirmation

St. Jude Church, Sapphire

JUNE 28 – 10:30 A.M.

Groundbreaking St. Jude Church, Sapphire

* Denotes a private event.

Our faith

Liturgical rites and symbols reveal God’s presence

The rites and symbols of the liturgy are not arbitrary ceremonies but the means through which Catholics encounter God and are formed in faith, Pope Leo XIV said June 3.

Continuing his series on the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, “Sacrosanctum Concilium,” the pope reflected on the role of rites, signs and symbols in Catholic worship during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

“The rites of the Christian liturgy are not a mere external covering of the sacramental mystery, a collection of arbitrary ceremonies, but are the ecclesial mediation through which the divine gift reaches us,” he said.

The pope said liturgical rites shape the spiritual lives of believers, teaching them to recognize God’s presence and participate more fully in the life of the Church.

“Rite gives shape to liturgical action and, through it, to our lives, generating in us a spiritual sensibility that makes us capable of savoring the presence of God through Jesus Christ,” he said.

Catholics are called to participate in the liturgy with their “body, mind and heart,” the pope said, allowing themselves to be formed through listening to Scripture, giving thanks, adoration, fraternal sharing and communion.

He added that while the structure of the liturgy may seem at odds with modern preferences for spontaneity, its rhythms help believers step away from a culture focused on productivity and rediscover what is essential.

“In the rite we experience a logic of gratuitousness, we find a pause that regenerates the heart, we recognize that we are preceded by divine grace, we learn to live in a rhythm inhabited by the Holy Spirit,” he said.

Quoting Pope Francis’ apostolic letter “Desiderio Desideravi,” Pope Leo said Christians must once again become capable of understanding symbols and allowing themselves to be educated by the Church’s liturgical rites.

The experience of a living and devout liturgy, accompanied by sound catechesis, remains “the best resource for reawakening in everyone that openness to the encounter with God,” he said.

Did you know you can pray with the pope?

Website allows people to join with Pope Leo’s monthly prayer intentions

COURTNEY MARES OSV News

With the FIFA World Cup opening this month and a summer of sports travel looming for many families, Pope Leo XIV has dedicated his June prayer intention to the power of sport to build bridges between cultures and nations. He released a video prayer calling on athletes, coaches and fans alike to embrace the field as a space of encounter rather than division.

The Vatican released the monthly “Pray with the Pope” video on June 2 in which the pope prayed that “sport may always be a school of fraternity, not of empty rivalry, a space of encounter, not exclusion, a path of peace, not violence.”

The monthly video is part of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, a global network of 22 million people in 90 countries led by the Society of Jesus who pray for the pope’s monthly intentions. The website shares prayers, a monthly audio message from the pope, and other resources to help individuals and groups connect with the global Church community.

The pope’s official prayer intention for the month of June reads, “For the values of sports: Let us pray that sport may be an instrument of peace, encounter and dialogue between cultures and peoples, and may promote values such as respect, solidarity, and personal growth.”

The American pope’s prayer intention comes as his home country will begin cohosting the World Cup on June 11 alongside Mexico and Canada. A record 48 national teams will compete across 104 matches in the three host nations through July 19.

“Lord of life, we thank you for the gift of sport, for those who glorify God through the exercise of their bodies, for the friendships born on the field and the joy of playing as a team,” Pope Leo said in the video, recorded inside the Church of San Pellegrino in Vatican City.

“May those who play, train or cheer discover in sport a universal language that brings cultures together, unites peoples, and sows respect, solidarity and personal growth,” he added.

From the first days of his pontificate, Pope Leo has been known for his love of sport. He is an avid tennis player and a fan of Major League Baseball’s Chicago White Sox.

In his first interview as pope, he was asked who he would cheer for if the United States and Peru (where he served as a missionary for years and is also a citizen) were to face each other in the World Cup.

He said he would cheer for Peru. As it happens, neither Peru nor Italy qualified for the 2026 tournament, sparing him any potential conflict of allegiances.

In April, the pope welcomed Italian Olympic and Paralympic athletes who competed in the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games to the Vatican. In May, the pope received the players and management of Inter Milan, winners of this season’s Italian Serie A title, for a Vatican audience.

In the prayer video, Pope Leo drew a connection between athletic life and the Christian journey.

“Lord Jesus, may every sport become a parable of life lived with you, working with joy and effort, living with humility in defeat and with gratitude in the victory you offer in your Resurrection,” he prayed.

“May your Spirit never be lacking in us, making us one team, united with you to build communion and fraternity in history.”

More online

At www.popesprayer.va : Join the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network

will the darkness be.” — Matthew 6:22-23, part of the daily readings for June 19

For the values of sports

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord of life, we thank you for the gift of sport, for those who glorify God through the exercise of their bodies, for the friendships born on the field and the joy of playing as a team.

You teach us that in life, as in the game, no one is saved alone.

We need others to grow, to learn respect, to overcome our limits, and to celebrate together the victories we achieve.

We ask that sport may always be a school of fraternity, not of empty rivalry, a space of encounter, not exclusion, a path of peace, not violence.

May those who play, train or cheer discover in sport a universal language that brings cultures together, unites peoples, and sows respect, solidarity and personal growth.

Lord Jesus, may every sport become a parable of life lived with you, working with joy and effort, living with humility in defeat and with gratitude in the victory you offer in your Resurrection.

May your Spirit never be lacking in us, making us one team, united with you to build communion and fraternity in history.

Amen.

— Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network

Snap the QR code (right) to get the Mass readings for every day, in English or Spanish, online at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website.

Our diocese

‘A

day of great joy for the Church’ Record

10 men ordained to the priesthood

HUNTERSVILLE — The 10 new priests ordained for the Diocese of Charlotte are preparing to start their first assignments July 1, after a historic ordination that Bishop Michael Martin called “a day of great joy for the Church and for these 10 men as we come together with hearts filled with joy.”

The newly ordained are Father Robert Bauman, Father Michael Camilleri, Father Daniel Chaves Peña, Father John Cuppett, Father Maximilian Frei, Father Juan González Hernández, Father Bryan Ilagor, Father Michael Lugo, Father Peter Townsend and Father James Tweed.

The ordination on May 30 at St. Mark Church in Huntersville saw the largest ordination class in the diocese’s history – breaking the previous record, set in 2000 and tied in 2024, of seven men. With only two priests retiring this summer, this year’s newly ordained will join the 145 priests

now serving in some capacity for a Catholic population that now tops 575,000.

Their assignments range from chaplains at high schools and colleges to serving at parishes large and small as well as the new Catholic Community of Waxhaw. (See list on page 8.)

COMMITMENT TO SERVE

The ordination Mass drew a crowd of 1,640 people, many arriving more than two hours early to get a seat in the church to witness the solemn and beautiful event.

About 1,400 people filled the pews while another 240 watched a livestream of the ordination from an overflow space at the adjacent St. Mark School. Online, the livestream drew another 500 people.

Bishop Martin’s homily focused on both the sheer joy of the day and the commitment the men must show to the people they will serve.

“We’re here to rejoice in the thousands whose lives will

‘Un día de gran alegría para la Iglesia’

Récord de 10 hombres ordenados al sacerdocio

Un número récord de 10 hombres fueron ordenados sacerdotes para la Diócesis de Charlotte el 30 de mayo en la Iglesia de San Marcos, en Huntersville. Los nuevos sacerdotes se están preparando ahora para comenzar sus primeras asignaciones el 1 de julio en parroquias, escuelas y universidades de toda la diócesis.

CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS | FOTOS DE TROY C. HULL, AMY BURGER Y PATRICK SCHNEIDER clknauss@rcdoc.org

HUNTERSVILLE — Los 10 nuevos sacerdotes ordenados para la Diócesis de Charlotte se preparan para comenzar sus primeras asignaciones el 1 de julio, después de una ordenación histórica que el obispo Michael Martin calificó como “un día de gran alegría para la Iglesia y para estos 10 hombres, al reunirnos con corazones llenos de gozo”.

Los recién ordenados son el padre Robert Bauman, el padre Michael Camilleri, el padre Daniel Chaves Peña, el padre John Cuppett, el padre Maximilian Frei, el padre Juan González Hernández, el padre Bryan Ilagor, el padre Michael Lugo, el padre Peter Townsend y el padre James Tweed. La ordenación, celebrada el 30 de mayo en la Iglesia de San Marcos de Huntersville, contó con la clase de ordenación más numerosa en la historia de la diócesis, superando el récord anterior de siete hombres, establecido en el año 2000 e igualado en 2024. Con solo dos sacerdotes que se jubilarán este verano, los nuevos sacerdotes ordenados este año se unirán a los 145 sacerdotes que actualmente sirven en alguna función para una población

El ordenando Bryan Ilagor se arrodilla ante el obispo Michael Martin por primera vez durante la ceremonia de ordenación, mientras hace su promesa de obediencia.

católica que ya supera los 575,000 fieles. Sus asignaciones abarcan desde capellanías en escuelas secundarias y universidades hasta el servicio en parroquias grandes y pequeñas, así como en la nueva comunidad de Waxhaw. (Véase la lista en la página 8.)

La Liturgia de Ordenación atrajo a una multitud de 1,640 personas que comenzaron a llegar más de dos horas antes para conseguir un asiento en la iglesia y presenciar este solemne y hermoso acontecimiento.

COMPROMISO DE SERVIR

Alrededor de 1,400 personas llenaron los bancos de la iglesia, mientras que otras 240 siguieron la transmisión en vivo de la ordenación desde un espacio adicional en la escuela St. Mark, ubicada junto al templo. Autobuses de enlace transportaron a quienes estacionaron en una escuela primaria pública cercana hasta el campus.

El obispo Martin pronunció una homilía centrada tanto en la inmensa alegría del día como en el compromiso que estos hombres deben demostrar hacia las personas a quienes servirán.

“Estamos aquí para alegrarnos por los miles de vidas que serán tocadas por Jesucristo a través de sus manos, a través de sus palabras”, dijo.

Las lecturas del día, tomadas de Números, Hebreos y el Evangelio de Juan, ofrecían, según explicó, un enfoque especial sobre la labor que realizarán como sacerdotes: ofrecer el Sacrificio de la Misa y llevar el mensaje de Cristo al mundo, siendo conscientes de la necesidad de encontrarse con las personas allí donde se encuentran.

SACERDOTES, PASA A LA PÁGINA 7

PRIESTS

be touched by Jesus Christ through your hands, through your words,” he said.

The day’s readings from Numbers, Hebrews and John’s Gospel, he said, offered a special focus on the work the men will do as priests, offering the Sacrifice of the Mass and bringing the message of Christ to the world while being conscious of the need to meet people where they are.

“Your voices in this kingly dimension of the priesthood must be believable such that people will follow not just what you say, but follow who you are,” he said. “They need to see Jesus Christ in each of you. … You have to sit at the feet of the master and place your lives before Him so that others will see Him.”

The Gospel reading, in which Jesus tells Peter to “feed my lambs,” offered a poignant example of the work the men have ahead of them.

“You have to love the people of God you’re being sent out to serve,” he said. “His sheep are every human person on the face of the

Earth, every person in whatever school or parish, every community, every hospital or nursing home. Wherever you go, love them all … you cannot wait for them to come to you, you have to go out to them. That is the

nature of the apostolic Church. As you feed them with this holy banquet, you nourish them in ways only the Lord can.”

When the homily concluded, the men lay prostrate during the Litany of Supplication.

The bishop then laid his hands on their heads and prayed over them. A long line of more than 95 priests who attended the ceremony then laid hands on the men as a symbol of priestly unity.

The 10 were then vested with their stole and chasuble by priests who had played meaningful roles in their lives. They were anointed with sacred chrism and received bread and wine as a symbol of their new ability to celebrate Holy Mass. They then received the fraternal kiss of peace from Bishop Martin and the other priests in attendance.

The diocesan choir offered a beautiful selection of hymns and anthems during the liturgy, and the choir from Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte sang the offertory hymn “I Love the Lord, He Heard my Cry.”

At the end of the Mass, the new priests processed out of the church to applause from the crowd that had gathered outside.

CELEBRATING GOD’S GLORY

Maria Mossman, a parishioner at St. Mark, attended the ordination with her five children, including son Gabriel, 8, who is interested in the priesthood.

“It was so beautiful – I was crying for almost the whole time,” she said. “It’s wonderful to see the tradition of the Church and the fraternity this brings to these men as they become priests.”

Father James Tweed’s mother and stepfather, Mary and Tom Hall, had wide smiles on their faces at the end of Mass.

“Today is about celebrating the glory of God and recognizing him as our son and a priest in the line of Melchizedek,” Tom Hall said, referring to the antiphon sung while his son was being vested with his stole and chasuble. Mary Hall said it was both “overwhelming and humbling” to watch her son being ordained.

“I feel like an overflowing fountain today,” she said. “We’re all just covered in blessings today.”

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com : Learn more about our newest priests.

El obispo unge las palmas de las manos de Juan González Hernández con el santo óleo del Crisma, que consagra sus manos para administrar los sacramentos. Luego se utiliza el maniturgio para retirar el exceso de aceite y mantener las manos unidas mientras el óleo es absorbido.

SACERDOTES

VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 5

“Sus voces, en esta dimensión real del sacerdocio, deben ser creíbles para que las personas sigan no solo lo que dicen, sino también quiénes son ustedes”, afirmó. “Necesitan ver a Jesucristo en cada uno de ustedes... Deben sentarse a los pies del Maestro y poner sus vidas ante Él para que otros puedan verlo.”

La lectura del Evangelio, en la que Jesús le dice a Pedro: “Apacienta mis corderos”, ofreció un ejemplo conmovedor de la misión que tienen por delante.

“Deben amar al pueblo de Dios al que son enviados a servir”, señaló. “Sus ovejas son todas las personas sobre la faz de la Tierra, cada persona en cualquier escuela o parroquia, cada comunidad, cada hospital o residencia de ancianos. Dondequiera que vayan, ámenlos a todos... no pueden esperar a que ellos vengan a ustedes; tienen que salir a buscarlos. Esa es la naturaleza de la Iglesia apostólica. Mientras los alimentan con este santo

Las manos del ordenando Daniel Chaves Peña (izquierda) son ungidas con santo crisma durante la ceremonia. El ordenando Michael Lugo es revestido con los ornamentos litúrgicos.

Los ordenandos aparecen al inicio de la ordenación mientras son presentados al obispo

Martin y a la congregación.

(De izquierda a derecha) El padre Bryan Ilagor da su primera bendición al obispo Martin. El obispo Martin impone sus manos sobre la cabeza del James Tweed.

sobre sus cabezas y oró por ellos. Una larga fila de más de 95 sacerdotes presentes en la ceremonia también impuso las manos sobre los candidatos como símbolo de la unidad sacerdotal.

Posteriormente, los 10 hombres fueron revestidos con la estola y la casulla por sacerdotes que habían desempeñado un papel significativo en sus vidas. Fueron ungidos con el santo crisma y recibieron pan y vino como símbolo de su nueva capacidad para celebrar la Santa Misa. Después recibieron el beso fraternal de la paz del obispo Martin y de los demás sacerdotes presentes.

El coro diocesano interpretó una hermosa selección de himnos y cantos durante la liturgia, y el coro de la Iglesia

Our Lady of Consolation de Charlotte cantó el himno del ofertorio “Amo al Señor, porque escuchó mi clamor”.

incluido Gabriel, de 8 años, quien está interesado en el sacerdocio.

“Fue tan hermoso; estuve llorando casi todo el tiempo”, comentó. “Es maravilloso ver la tradición de la Iglesia y la fraternidad que esto brinda a estos hombres al convertirse en sacerdotes.”

La madre y el padrastro del Padre James Tweed, Mary y Tom Hall, mostraban amplias sonrisas al concluir la Misa.

“Hoy se trata de celebrar la gloria de Dios y reconocerlo como nuestro hijo y como sacerdote según el orden de Melquisedec”, dijo Tom Hall, haciendo referencia a la antífona cantada mientras su hijo era revestido con la estola y la casulla.

Mary Hall expresó que observar la ordenación de su hijo fue algo a la vez “abrumador y humilde”.

banquete, los nutren de maneras que solo el Señor puede hacerlo.”

Al concluir la homilía, los hombres se postraron durante las Letanías de los Santos. Luego, el obispo impuso las manos

Al final de la Misa, los nuevos sacerdotes salieron en procesión de la iglesia entre los aplausos de la multitud reunida en el patio.

CELEBRANDO LA GLORIA DE DIOS

Maria Mossman, feligresa de St. Mark, asistió a la ordenación con sus cinco hijos,

“Hoy me siento como una fuente desbordante”, dijo. “Todos estamos cubiertos de bendiciones en este día.”

Más online

En www.catholicnewsherald.com Conozca más sobre nuestros sacerdotes recién ordenados.

with a hearty round of applause. The men are going to a variety of

Where the diocese’s newest priests will be serving

CHARLOTTE — At the end of the ordination Mass, Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., announced where each of the new priests will serve, effective July 1:

n Father Robert W. Bauman: Chaplain of Appalachian State University in Boone

n Father Michael P. Camilleri: Parochial Vicar of St. Leo the Great Parish in Winston-Salem

n Father Daniel E. Chavez Peña: Parochial Vicar of Immaculate Conception Parish in Hendersonville

n Father John W. Cuppett: Chaplain of Christ the King Catholic High School in Huntersville

n Father Maximillian K. Frei: Parochial Vicar of St. Pius X Parish in Greensboro

n Father Juan González Hernández: Parochial Vicar of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Monroe

n Father Bryan Ilagor: Parochial Vicar of St. Therese Parish in Mooresville

n Father Michael J. Lugo: Parochial Vicar of Queen of the Apostles Parish in Belmont

n Father Peter J. Townsend: Parochial Vicar of Holy Infant Parish in Reidsville and St. Joseph of the Hills Parish in Eden

n Father James C. Tweed: Parochial Vicar serving the faithful of the Catholic Community of Waxhaw

Dónde servirán

CHARLOTTE — Tras su ordenación, el obispo Michael Martin, OFM Conv., anunció dónde servirá cada uno de los nuevos sacerdotes, con efecto a partir del 1 de julio:

n Padre Robert W. Bauman: Capellán de la Universidad Estatal de Appalachian en Boone

n Padre Michael P. Camilleri: Vicario parroquial de la parroquia San León Magno en Winston-Salem

n Padre Daniel E. Chávez Peña: Vicario parroquial de la parroquia Inmaculada Concepción en Hendersonville

n Padre John W. Cuppett: Capellán de la Escuela Secundaria Católica Cristo Rey en Huntersville

n Padre Maximillian K. Frei: Vicario parroquial de la parroquia San Pío X en Greensboro

n Padre Juan González Hernández: Vicario parroquial de la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Lourdes en Monroe

n Padre Bryan Ilagor: Vicario parroquial de la parroquia Santa Teresa en Mooresville

n Padre Michael J. Lugo: Vicario

de la

Reina de los

en

n Padre Peter J. Townsend: Vicario parroquial de la parroquia Santo Niño Jesús en Reidsville y de la parroquia San José de las

n Padre James C.

In Brief

Parochial vicar assigned to St. Mary’s Parish in Greensboro

GREENSBORO — The Congregation of the Mission has assigned Vincentian Father Joseph Minh Huu Hien Nguyen (pictured at left) as parochial vicar of St. Mary’s Parish, effective June 1.

He replaces Vincentian Joseph Anh Nguyen, who is returning to his home province in Vietnam after eight years of service to St. Mary’s.

He recently earned a master’s degree in pastoral ministry from St. John’s University in Queens, New York. He is assigned to general ministry at St. Mary’s, but his primary focus will be serving the people of Holy Family Vietnamese Catholic Community of Greensboro. — Catholic News Herald

Student from St. Therese Parish awarded Clark Ross Scholarship

MOORESVILLE — Rachel Shay is the recipient of a $10,000 college scholarship awarded to a parishioner of St. Therese Parish.

The Clark Ross Scholarship was created by long-time parishioner and retired Davidson College economics professor Dr. Clark Ross. This is the sixth scholarship awarded to date.

Pictured (from left) are Ross, Shay, St. Therese’s pastor Father Mark Lawlor and scholarship administrator Aisling Zaccarelli. Shay plans to study political science at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee this fall.

— Nancy Broderick

Learn about religious freedom

Religious Freedom Week, which will take place this year June 22-29, is an opportunity to highlight the importance of preserving the essential right of religious freedom, now and in the future, for Catholics and for people of all faiths. The yearly observance is sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The USCCB webpage, www.usccb.org/ ReligiousFreedomWeek, offers resources in English and Spanish to help people pray for, reflect on and take action for religious liberty in the United States and abroad.

— Joseph T. Purello

National Eucharistic Pilgrimage travels through diocese

LISA M. GERACI lmgeraci@rcdoc.org

MONROE — As the nine perpetual pilgrims from the 2026 National Eucharist Pilgrimage drove across the North Carolina state line from the Diocese of Charleston on May 30, they were greeted by more than 100 joyous Catholics at Our Lady of Lourdes Church. That scene would be repeated throughout the pilgrimage’s five stops over four days through the Diocese of Charlotte, drawing more than 1,000 people.

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage celebrates America’s 250th anniversary with the theme “One Nation Under God,” and incorporates key sites in the history of the country and its Catholic roots.

The pilgrimage began on Memorial Day weekend in St. Augustine, Florida, where the first Mass in what would become the United States was celebrated, and will end on the Fourth of July weekend in Philadelphia, just steps from where the Declaration of Independence was signed.

The 2,200-mile route dubbed “The Cabrini Route” in honor of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, an Italian immigrant who became the first U.S. citizen to be canonized after a lifetime of work ministering to immigrants, will stretch through the 13 original colonies. North Carolina was the fourth state on the tour up the East Coast.

At Our Lady of Lourdes Church, the pilgrims accompanying the Blessed Sacrament processed from the “monstrance van,” a van that has a built-in tabernacle, into their first Holy Hour in North Carolina.

For perpetual pilgrim Mary Carmen Zakrajsek, the spiritual journey stirs her soul.

“To see the People of God come together in such expectation and hope and excitement continues to amaze me,” Zakrajsek said. “It has been a great privilege and beauty to bring Him. Even though He resides in every tabernacle at any Catholic church, there is something very special about processing with Him to the Church.”

After the Holy Hour, Our Lady of Lourdes’ pastor Father Benjamin Roberts celebrated a joyful Mass punctuated with a homily that emphasized the importance of God’s love.

“Our faith is a love story. Our message is a love story. Our destiny is a love story,” he said. “Because God is love, and in His perfect Trinity, nothing is needed, nothing is lacking. There is no loneliness. There is no isolation. There is only love.”

FOLLOWING THE BISHOP’S CHARGE

The second day of the pilgrimage was bustling with activity. Charlotte Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., celebrated Mass for Trinity Sunday at St. Peter Church in Charlotte – the oldest active parish in the diocese – as more than 450 people turned out, filling the church and an overflow area.

“God does so much of the work in helping us to engage and encounter the mystery of the Trinity,” the bishop said. “We are left with the work of how we are going to use that.”

He commended the perpetual pilgrims on bringing the Gospel reading, John 3:16, to life.

“(Pilgrimage) is a metaphor for life. We are all on a pilgrimage,” he said. “They are bringing the Real Presence of Jesus to this place and that.”

Yet, Jesus’ Body and Blood are not only given to us to adore, the bishop cautioned; God asks us to take action.

“He has touched us with His Body and Blood and tasked us to be His presence in the world,” the bishop said.

After Mass, the pilgrims gathered to meet parishioners, but first they lived the homily message by engaging with those present on the street. They then visited a nearby retirement home, breaking bread with those who shared their own faith journeys.

Before watching the free screening of “Cabrini,” co-sponsored by St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte, the pilgrims brought the Blessed Sacrament to St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte for a Spanish Mass, Eucharistic procession and Holy Hour.

Perpetual pilgrim Sharon Phillips from

Washington loved bringing the Blessed Sacrament to others. “I am really enjoying my stay in Charlotte,” Phillips said.

‘HE IS NOT JUST A SYMBOL’

Monday morning looked more like an overflowing Sunday as more than 400 people processed across the campus of St. Philip the Apostle Church in Statesville before Mass. Father Bernard I. Oleru, M.S.P., a native of Nigeria, reflected on the theme of the pilgrimage and the gift of God within the Eucharist with reverence.

“The greatest thing we have is the Eucharist,” he said. “We are Catholic because Jesus is here in the Eucharist. He is not just a symbol. The same Jesus who died on the cross, the same Jesus who rose from the dead, the same Jesus who promised the disciples the Holy Spirit, that is the same Jesus who is here.”

Given that, he cautioned Catholics never to get so comfortable that they forget God’s real presence in the Host.

Ron Wasserman, who was vacationing from Indianapolis, certainly saw God that morning. The urge to better recognize God’s presence led him to the little church in a small town. Determined to travel to one destination along the Cabrini route, he moved his plans to visit his sister and

La Peregrinación Eucarística Nacional recorre la diócesis

BRIAN SEGOVIA bmsegiva@rcdoc.org

CHARLOTTE — En la parroquia de San Vicente de Paúl, en el sur de Charlotte, los feligreses hispanos dieron la bienvenida a la Peregrinación Eucarística Nacional durante una concurrida Misa dominical celebrada a las 2 p. m. Encabezada por el padre franciscano capuchino Michael Herlihey, la Misa llevó una alegre celebración a esta parada vespertina, uniendo a la comunidad hispana con los nueve peregrinos perpetuos que recorren la ruta.

La Peregrinación Eucarística Nacional 2026 celebra el 250.º aniversario de Estados Unidos con el lema“Una Nación Bajo Dios”, e incluye lugares clave en la historia del país y de sus raíces católicas.

La peregrinación comenzó durante el fin de semana del Día de los Caídos (Memorial Day) en San Agustín, Florida, donde se celebró la primera Misa de la nación, y concluirá el 5 de julio en Filadelfia, a pocos pasos del lugar donde se firmó la Declaración de Independencia.

La ruta de 2,200 millas, denominada“Ruta Cabrini”en honor a Santa Francisca Javier Cabrini, la religiosa e inmigrante italiana que se convirtió en la primera ciudadana estadounidense canonizada tras una vida dedicada al servicio de los inmigrantes, atravesará las 13 colonias originales. Carolina del Norte es la cuarta de ellas.

En su homilía, el padre Herlihey habló tanto en español como en inglés sobre un mismo tema: actuar con humildad en la presencia del Señor. En su homilía en español, explicó por qué los católicos muestran reverencia en la presencia de Dios en Su Iglesia: para imitar la humildad que Cristo mostró en la cruz. “Dios eligió hacerse hombre y tener un cuerpo, y nos entregó Su cuerpo en Su sacrificio”, dijo el padre Herlihey. “Él quiere santificar nuestros cuerpos invitándonos a adorarlo”.

Después de la homilía en español, habló en inglés, dirigiéndose a los jóvenes presentes y compartiendo la historia de Tim Tebow, el exmariscal de campo de la NFL que se hizo famoso por escribir versículos bíblicos como “Juan 3:16” en las franjas negras debajo de sus ojos. El padre Herlihey explicó que Tebow jugó una vez un partido en el que lanzó exactamente 316 yardas y registró varias otras estadísticas relacionadas con el número 316. Ese día, Juan 3:16 y su mensaje se convirtieron en uno de los términos más buscados en internet, presentando el versículo a millones de personas. El padre Herlihey explicó que, debido a que Tebow eligió destacar a Dios en lugar de a sí mismo, millones de personas conocieron la esperanza que se encuentra en Cristo. “Sé que todos queremos hacernos virales”, dijo el padre Herlihey. “Pero gracias a un acto de humildad, Jesús se hizo viral”.

Después de la Misa, más de 200 feligreses participaron en una procesión con el Santísimo Sacramento alrededor de la parroquia y por una calle cercana, donde personas que pasaban en sus vehículos saludaban a los fieles mientras caminaban con Cristo. Cuando el padre Herlihey levantó la custodia antes de regresar a la parroquia, muchos jóvenes feligreses se arrodillaron y levantaron la mirada hacia

El padre franciscano capuchino Michael Herlihey, lidera la procesión eucarística alrededor de la parroquia San Vicente de Paúl, mientras multitudes de fieles, profundamente conmovidas, participan en la celebración.

Jesús, como señal de su devoción hacia Él. Reflexionando sobre la Misa, la procesión y la posterior hora santa, Pat Walker, quien ha vivido en la zona durante 38 años, afirmó que la Peregrinación Eucarística Nacional fomenta la unidad.

“Una nación bajo Dios; para mí, eso lo dice todo”, expresó Walker.

Manuel Pérez, un joven residente de Charlotte que asiste a Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, dijo que esa devoción se manifiesta de una manera especialmente cercana durante una procesión eucarística.

“No es muy frecuente que veamos procesiones eucarísticas como esta, pero cuando tuvimos la oportunidad, vinimos como grupo de jóvenes adultos para dar testimonio de Cristo vivo”, dijo Pérez.

Más online

En www.catholicnewsherald.com : Vea fotos y videos de la Peregrinación Eucarística Nacional en nuestra diócesis.

(Desde arriba) En la iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Lourdes en Monroe, el padre Benjamin Roberts encabezó la Peregrinación Eucarística Nacional al entrar en el templo. Cientos de feligreses de San Felipe Apóstol en Statesville se arrodillaron ante el Santísimo Sacramento. Los peregrinos se reúnen en la iglesia de San Vicente de Paúl en Charlotte para una velada de oración. Los peregrinos perpetuos se sentaron a la iglesia de San Pedro para escuchar la homilía.

Kennedy Lecture explores past, present and future women’s roles within the Church

LISA M. GERACI lmgeraci@rcdoc.org

CHARLOTTE — The 26th annual Kennedy Lecture – a longstanding series hosted by St. Peter Parish that brings nationally recognized voices in religion and ethics to Charlotte – examined the roles of women in the early Church and ongoing discussions about future leadership roles, including as deacons.

The May 30 lecture – “Women Leaders in the Early Jesus Movement: Could the pivotal role women played in Jesus’ earthly ministry point the way to a greater role in the modern Church?” – was originally slated for Jan. 31 but postponed because of winter storms.

This year’s Kennedy Lecturer was Dominican Sister Barbara Reid, a nationally known biblical scholar and feminist theologian. She is the first woman religious to serve as president of the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and has written extensively on Scripture, discipleship and the role of women in the Gospel accounts.

Sister Reid, who professed her vows in 1974, described growing up seeing only men and boys having liturgical roles at Mass.

“I remember as a little girl watching male classmates serve at the altar and saying, ‘I wish I could do that,’” she recalled.

“Now, we don’t just have women altar servers, but women lectors … women serving in all different pastoral roles that didn’t exist when I was younger,” she said.

Yet a common complaint is that including women in Church leadership roles has been slow, Sister Reid said, so she looks to the example of the early Church to offer insights as today’s Church leaders explore more ways women can serve and leverage their skills to build up the Church.

“The question about women leaders is complex, but what I will offer is one important piece of the conversation,

providing medical care, ministering to the poor, serving parishes – through religious communities.

mainly the role of women leaders in the early Jesus movement,” she said.

In the early Church, she said, “The types of ministerial leadership that women exercised as disciples in the New Testament are many. They were apostles, deacons, prophets, teachers, preachers, evangelizers, heads of house churches and more.”

Sister Reid introduced attendees to women who typically go unnoticed, including Junia, a noted first-century Christian leader and missionary. In Romans 16:7 Paul commended her: “Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and my fellow prisoners; they are prominent among the apostles, and they were in Christ before me.”

St. Mary Magdalene was an apostle to the apostles, according to Hippolytus of Rome.

The Samaritan woman at the well in John’s Gospel later rose to the role of apostle and missionary after her encounter with Jesus.

Sister Reid also pointed out that the early title from which the word “deacon” evolved was given to a woman named Phoebe, as noted in Romans 16:1, where Paul wrote, “I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a diakonos of the Church in Cenchreae.”

While the concept of female deacons may now appear revolutionary, Sister Reid outlined its historical roots.

Women, she said, served as “deaconesses” until the 5th or 6th centuries in the Western Church and until the 11th to 12th century in the Eastern Church. By then, the role of deacon had shifted to being a step toward priesthood, and women were instead exercising diaconal duties – teaching,

“Women then and now provide crucial gifts and skills that benefit the whole Church, not only other female members,” Sister Reid said. “The New Testament gives us only glimpses of leadership in the past, but it does give us a firm foundation for advancing leadership in the present and future of the Church.”

Today, she said, the issue of women deacons “has become a center of attention, and remains an open question.”

Pope Francis established two commissions to study the possibility of women becoming deacons. The most recent 2020 “Study Commission on the Female Diaconate” voted against the possibility of ordaining women deacons but supported further study and broader access to current ministries, according to a report released by Pope Leo XIV in 2025. Sister Reid mentioned scholars such as Hofstra University scholar Dr. Phyllis Zagano, who advocates for ordaining

Schools superintendent sees power of prayer in niece’s snakebite survival

JANE POPE catholicnews@rcdoc.org

AURORA, Colorado — The prayers of people from Charlotte and around the world played a part in the recovery of a 2-yearold girl – the niece of Dr. Greg Monroe, superintendent of the Diocese of Charlotte Catholic Schools – after two bites from a rattlesnake nearly took her life.

“Thanks be to God, she is now experiencing what can only be described as a miraculous recovery,” Monroe said. “Doctors were flabbergasted.”

It was a blessed end to a terrifying seven days.

The last week of May should have been joyful.

Relatives were beginning to gather in Colorado for a family wedding, and Quinn Robertson eagerly anticipated her role as a flower girl. But tragedy struck on Monday when she stepped on the venomous snake outside her family’s Airbnb.

Her mom, Colleen Robertson, who was 8 months pregnant, started CPR until medical personnel arrived 20 minutes later, according

to CBS News. Quinn was then airlifted to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora, where she received almost 40 vials of antivenom – far more than the average amount – as well as a blood transfusion. A team of 30 medical providers gave her round-theclock care as her body processed an allergic reaction to the venom.

Monroe said it was scary in the beginning with Quinn “unable to breathe on her own, falling in and out of consciousness.”

But by the weekend, Quinn began sitting up and using her hands. On May 30, the day of the wedding, the bride and groom came to the hospital and re-enacted the walk down the aisle so Quinn could take part. It was one of many moments of grace, Monroe said.

And on June 1, exactly one week after the snakebite, Quinn went home to Kansas.

Quinn’s mother is appreciative of the care she received from Children’s Hospital Colorado, which is a leader in treating snake bite victims, and its incredible team of nurses, doctors and toxicologists.

Monroe gives credit not only to the excellent medical care she received but to the prayers of people near and far.

“That meant so much to us,” he said.

“People stopped what they were doing to pray for this little girl. That grace is truly what

made the difference in helping her not have complications that would lead to terrible outcomes.”

Monroe said he is grateful for the support he received from the diocesan office and from all who prayed for Quinn and asked others

to pray. Church groups, an influencer on Instagram, military prayer groups and many people with no relationship to the family told Quinn’s story. From there, social media pages spread the story, and prayers poured in.

The niece he describes as a “super vivacious, super energetic” girl who “loves animals, people and running around outside” faces a long recovery.

Quinn’s mother told CBS News, “There’s a lot of tissue damage from the bite since it was so severe and deep.. There’s still a lot of unknowns right now as far as when she’ll be able to dance and jump again.”

What does the school superintendent want others to learn from his family’s experience?

“First, you can’t underestimate the power of prayer,” Monroe said. “Second, God’s providence can be trusted through everything. Although this was a tragedy, good has come out of it. Visiting doctors have been coming to the hospital to study her case, and we have been told that a new protocol for treating venomous snakebites in children is being developed, thanks to Quinn. Third, it emphasizes the importance of family and the Christian community. Her story can uplift other people in terrible times. We don’t believe she would be where she is without the prayer warriors who said rosaries and prayed Masses.”

Diocese weighs real estate strategy to manage growth, prepare for future

PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE plguilfoyle@rcdoc.org

CHARLOTTE — As the Diocese of Charlotte continues to face unprecedented growth, leaders are developing a new framework for evaluating land holdings and real estate opportunities to ensure they are managed effectively to support the Church’s mission across western North Carolina.

In a “real estate summit” last month, the diocese brought together Church leaders and Catholic professionals in the fields of real estate, development, law, construction and finance to help shape a comprehensive strategy for managing its property portfolio and future needs.

The summit examined how real estate can help address challenges created by growth – including overcrowded churches, rising school enrollment, expanding ministries and emerging pastoral needs. The goal is not simply to buy more land or construct new buildings, leaders said, but to anticipate and respond to real estate needs to more effectively serve its communities.

“As a significant landowner in western North Carolina, we need to be nimble as we invite and attract more people into the Catholic Church,” said Bishop Michael Martin, who convened the summit to seek advice and foster relationships with industry experts.

“We need to prepare now,” he said, “for realities we anticipate will be playing out in 20 years in our churches, schools and ministries.”

A comprehensive strategy would inform

and guide future decisions about property acquisitions and sales, development opportunities and facility investments. It would help the diocese stay ahead of real estate trends and pay attention to areas in need of the Church’s presence as communities grow.

‘We need to prepare now for realities we anticipate will be playing out in 20 years in our churches, schools and ministries.’

Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv.

An estimated 575,000 Catholics live within the 46 counties encompassed by the diocese, and projections indicate another 30% increase in population by 2050.

“We’ve got a lot more people we’re trying to serve now,” said Emmett Sapp, the diocese’s director of real estate and construction, “so we’re looking at all the different ways to respond to that.” The diocese is already building to accommodate the influx – with more than 80 parish, school and ministry projects undertaken since 2018. The diocese owns or oversees more than 100 properties from Greensboro to Asheville and beyond, including 93

churches and 20 schools.

Summit participant David Longo, chairman of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance and member of St. Matthew Parish in south Charlotte, said just as businesses do, the diocese must be ready to act when opportunities emerge.

“A comprehensive real estate strategy will give the diocese a consistent, overarching framework for making decisions, leveraging opportunities and finding creative ways to manage growth,” said Longo, one of a dozen local leaders who will continue to help guide the diocese.

A real estate strategy would help determine whether to expand a church or build a new one, purchase adjacent property near a parish or school, and acquire land in fast-growing areas for future ministry sites.

It would also help leaders further evaluate major projects, among them:

n The future of the diocese’s aging Pastoral Center in uptown Charlotte

n The possible location of a new parish in Charlotte that could also serve as a future cathedral site

n Planning for possible Catholic schools in currently underserved areas.

Complicating the diocese’s ability to respond to growth, leaders noted, is the fact that securing land is becoming more difficult as costs rise and availability declines. Land acquisition is among the diocese’s priorities in its $150 million philanthropic initiative “Making Room – for More to Know the Love of Jesus,” which the diocese launched this month.

Diocesan leaders said they were inspired by the urgency of growth as well as the

diocese’s history of strategic investments. In the 1980s, then-Bishop John Donoghue and his chancellor, Monsignor John McSweeney, bought land along the future Interstate 485 corridor before the Charlotte beltway was built, enabling the eventual establishment of St. Matthew, St. Mark and St. Luke parishes. Today, those congregations are among the diocese’s largest, serving 50,000 people.

Acquiring land in high-growth areas is only one option, Sapp said. Others might include expanding facilities, creating new parishes, or adding Masses to accommodate more people. Another focus is the diocese’s inventory of vacant and underutilized land.

The summit marks the beginning of an ongoing effort to ensure responsible stewardship of the resources, said Matt Ferrante, the diocese’s chief financial officer.

A Real Estate and Facilities Subcommittee is also being formed under the recently expanded Diocesan Finance Council to bring together professionals with deep expertise who will help advise diocesan leaders.

Leaders agree the goal is to take a forward-looking approach, rather than waiting until growth pressures become critical.

“We know the growth occurring throughout western North Carolina will continue to shape the needs of our parishes, schools and ministries,” Ferrante said. “Our goal is to be proactive, strategic and thoughtful in how we steward our facilities and real estate resources in support of the Church’s mission.”

Elementary School Teacher – Full Time

Join our dedicated team at St. Leo Catholic School! We are looking for a passionate and qualified teacher to inspire and educate our students.

■ Bachelor’s degree required (Masters preferred)

■ North Carolina or Diocesan Teaching License required

■ 5+ years of teaching experience preferred

To apply please contact: Katie Nance, Principal - knance@stleocatholic.com

After School Care Assistant - Part Time (3 pm - 5:30 pm)

The After School Care Assistant supports the supervision and care of students (PK–8) during after school hours. This individual helps provide a structured, safe, and welcoming environment while assisting with activities, homework time, and daily routines.

To apply please contact: Susie Douglas, Auxiliary Services Supervisor -sdouglas@stleocatholic.com

St. Leo Catholic School - Winston-Salem, NC – www.stleocatholic.com

Order of Malta brings heaven down to those in need through Lourdes

LISA M. GERACI lmgeraci@rcdoc.org

Terry Goitom, St. Gabriel Church parishioner, fell in love with Our Lady of Lourdes, long before she developed stage 3 ovarian cancer in 2023 and was finally able to visit her in person thanks to the Order of Malta’s annual pilgrimage.

“Even before the cancer, there was Lourdes. I had always wanted to go,” Goitom said. “This, to me, is a big miracle.”

This May, more than a dozen Order of Malta members from the Diocese of Charlotte traveled to Lourdes, France, to convene with global members of the oldest lay religious order for their annual pilgrimage.

Together, knights and dames carried “Malades” – people suffering from aggressive ailments – in pull-carts across the 130-acre sanctuary nestled next to the Gave de Pau River, which offers spiritual and healing pathways.

“Bringing the malades to the waters is just so fulfilling,” the region hospitaller for Charlotte, Dame Ellen Linares, said. “People are really able to see love in action, what Christ wanted us to be on Earth.”

to the Our Lady of Lourdes grotto apparition site for prayer, and assisted to the famed healing baths.

Dignitaries such as Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Cardinal Arthur Roche and Jesuit Cardinal Gianfranco Ghirlanda took turns preaching homilies full of hope and love.

Lourdes has been recognized as a healing site since 1858, when the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a young girl named Bernadette Soubirous and instructed her to dig. Dutifully, she burrowed through the dried mud Mary pointed to and drank the first dirty water that sprang from the hole. The next day, the puddle was transformed into a giant clear spring that still thrives.

More than 4 million pilgrims visit the site each year to bathe in the healing springs that are home to more than 7,000 recorded healings and 72 medical miracles confirmed by the Vatican.

THE

ROAD TO LOURDES

Goitom has felt a personal connection to Lourdes, through Belmont Abbey’s campus replica grotto, since 2021. Fittingly, she rolled off the plane in Lourdes and right into the arms of Abbot

For many years, she visited the Abbey every

On Valentine’s Day in 2023, Goitom went to Mass, but her side hurt too much to do much else. After months of physical therapy, a trip to the emergency room showed a misdiagnosis; it was an aggressive cancer causing her pain.

TURNING TO OUR LADY FOR HELP

Goitom prayed in the St. Joseph Adoration Chapel all that night. When her daughter Tecle, whose father was also in ill health, learned of her mother’s diagnosis, she fell into despair.

“I wanted my mom to be healed. It broke my heart,” she said. “I thought I was not praying enough, and I was getting punished because of me fleeing from the Church.”

For her birthday on Feb. 11, which is also the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes, Tecle visited the abbey grotto in the pouring rain and prayed.

“I said I know I am not your strongest Christian, but my mom is sick and she really wants to go to Lourdes,” Tecle begged.

Two weeks later, Don Meanor of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte called Goitom. They were going to Lourdes –Frank Grass, Order of Malta Knight and fellow member of St. Gabriel Parish, sponsored her and Tecle.

His wife, like Goitom, fell victim to ovarian cancer. He still wears the teal bracelet the couple received when she was diagnosed and has the bottle of holy water from Lourdes that he placed on her forehead every night. He now carries the hope of physical healing Goitom may experience in her place.

“Don saw this opportunity and batted for us. If it wasn’t for him, Frank and the Order of Malta. I don’t think it ever would have happened,” Tecle said.

In Lourdes, Goitom was given a sticker with her name and placed it on the largest candle she ever saw, which was put on the grotto rocks where passersby could pray for the malades. The candle burned all week, and she said she can still recall feeling its flame.

When they first saw the spring and grotto, the mother and daughter were overwhelmed.

“It was so beautiful, I couldn’t even take a picture. I just wanted to soak in every moment of it,” Tecle said. “It brought us to tears because we realized where we were and all the prayers and support it took us to get there.”

Meeting the other malades made Goitom’s own diagnosis fade.

“Some of the malade stories were so sad,” said Goitom. “All of us were there for the same reason, and it was amazing to see people still fighting, still smiling, still having so much faith.”

When Goitom was led to the bath waters, she prayed while the people surrounding her sang “Ave Maria.”

“People say there is a thin veil between heaven and earth, and I felt it. I felt warmth all through my body,” Goitom said. “When I was in the bath, I wanted to fully submerge, and it touched my heart. I was saying remove this cancer from my body. I felt very close to God. I was not fearful, just peaceful. Mary brought me there. I planned in all types of ways, but it never happened, but she got me there her own way.”

And, as the baths soothed Goitom, Tecle felt her own strength in Mary while she walked the life-sized Stations of the Cross.

“Mary was watching someone she loved suffer, and she was helpless,” Tecle said. “It was at the Ninth Dtation of the Cross when I

FAITH FAMILY FRATERNITY

Consider joining the over 2 million members of the largest, lay Catholic order in the world by signing up online today at: www.kofc.org/joinus Knights of Columbus

a Limited Time – FREE Online Membership –Use Promo Code (BLESSEDMCGIVNEY)

Our schools

With spring titles, high schools capture 10 team state championships

CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS clknauss@rcdoc.org

CHARLOTTE — Catholic high school teams are celebrating five state championships that rolled in over recent weeks – a reflection of the character, chemistry and discipline instilled by a devoted Catholic community, school leaders say.

Charlotte Catholic High School’s girls soccer team pulled off a dream season, going undefeated to rank first in the nation and to win the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s 6A state title.

“(It) was an amazing moment,” says Charlotte Catholic left forward Marguerite McPhillips, celebrating at a team gettogether on May 26. “We all are so close, such a tight- knit community, and we all wanted this for each other. … We knew what had to be done, and we put it all out there.”

Charlotte Catholic’s lacrosse program also achieved a coup, with both the girls and boys teams winning state championships.

Overall, the Cougars spring championships topped off a banner year in which student athletes captured a total of seven team state championships, the most of any NCHSAA school in North Carolina.

Christ the King High School also won state championships in girls soccer and boys golf this spring.

“There was so much joy in the moment when we won,” says Christ the King soccer coach Brooke Bradt, whose team won its fourth 2A state championship May 29, despite a season plagued with injuries and challenges.

Combined with the five team state championships captured last fall, the diocese’s Catholic schools won a total of 10 team titles for the 2025-26 school year – plus additional state championships captured by individual athletes.

Catholic Schools Superintendent Greg Monroe attributes the athletic success to the investment teachers and coaches make in their students – as well as the modeling and support of families. Also, he cites:

n Catholic School athletes are typically strong academically, he says, and “the discipline required to excel in the classroom translates to excellence on the field.”

n Catholic Schools are relatively small, so students often play multiple sports, cross-training that makes them stronger in their preferred sports.

n Many students have been playing together for years, moving through Catholic schools together beginning in

elementary school. “They get along, they have good chemistry, and they play to each other’s strengths,” Monroe says.

Here’s a closer look at the spring victories:

CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC SOCCER

The girls team won 1-0 over the Jacksonville Cardinals in the May 29 title game. The team learned earlier in the day it had been ranked No. 1 in the country by nationally recognized high school sports tracker MaxPreps.

Junior Savannah Leckner scored the winning – and only – goal.

Right wing Mary Martin Spinner cites one key to the championship: “We never took a game lightly and we always showed up and put the work in. Honestly, I feel like we really deserved the championship this year, and we got it done.”

Longtime Cougar soccer coach Gary Hoilett agrees. “The girls just had a fantastic year. They bonded well, they played as a team and from the beginning of the season showed determination.”

CHRIST THE KING SOCCER

The girls team overcame a challenging season to win the 2A state championship on May 29 with a 3-0 victory over Franklin Academy from Wake Forest. Junior Addison Pierce had a hat trick, scoring all

three of the team’s goals. It was the team’s fourth state title in five years.

The victory was especially sweet, coach Bradt says, following repeated challenges in the run-up to the championship, including multiple player injuries and an inability to play on their home field because of ongoing renovations. Bradt coached most of the season while expecting a baby that was born on May 1.

“This championship meant a lot to us, especially after everything we’ve gone through this season,” she says. “With all the ups and downs and how much work the girls have put in, they deserved it 100 percent.”

CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC LACROSSE

Both the girls and boys lacrosse teams won state championships May 29, in a developing division spanning 1A through 6A schools.

Both won with the same score, 9-8.

The boys team beat Middle Creek High School from Apex in a highly anticipated matchup after the NCHSAA expanded its playoff brackets to allow more teams to compete. It was the lacrosse team’s second state championship.

The girls team won in overtime, defeating East Chapel Hill High School. The program has two previous state championships, most recently in 2014.

Best of the Best

Athletic teams at Diocese of Charlotte high schools won a total of 10 team state championships, as well as individual titles in spring and fall sports during the 2025-’26 school year.

Charlotte Catholic (6A): Girls teams: Golf, tennis, swimming, soccer and lacrosse. Boys teams: soccer and lacrosse. Individuals: Girls Golf, Elizabeth Guthrie. Tennis doubles, Ella Davis and Madison McWilliams. Wrestling, Jackson D’Ettore. Swimming, 50-meter freestyle, Kathryn Kern; 100-meter butterfly, Madi Hertzig; 100-meter freestyle, CJ Bernardo; Diving, Reagan Leckner; 200-meter freestyle relay, Kathryn Kern, Ellie Druhan, Olivia Jacobson and Madi Hertzig; 400-meter freestyle relay, CJ Bernardo, Caroline Meehan, Olivia Jacobson and Madi Hertzig.

Christ the King (2A): Boys teams: Golf and volleyball (1A-4A) division). Individuals: Diving, Avery Noonan. Track, 4x800 meter relay – Brandi Malloy, Claire Oglesby, Shea Roche and Anna White (1A-2A division).

Bishop McGuinness (2A): Boys teams: Cross country. Individuals: Cross country, Drew Pacholke.

CHRIST THE KING GOLF

Earlier in May, the boys golf team won the program’s first state championship May 11-12, capturing the 2A championship over Mitchell High School in Bakersville. The outcome came down to the final hole, with Christ the King winning by just two strokes to gain the title with a final team score of 650.

OTHER STATE TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS:

This spring topped off a 2025-’26 school year of state team championships for all three Catholic high schools.

Charlotte Catholic also captured state team championships in girls tennis, boys soccer, girls swimming and girls golf.

Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville captured the boys 2A cross country state championship.

Christ the King’s girls cross country team also won the 2A state championships in the fall.

Two high schools also captured club championships in sports being newly introduced to the league: Charlotte Catholic in boys rugby and Christ the King in boys volleyball.

Belmont Abbey College receives grant to expand AED access, nursing education

BELMONT — A tragic accident that claimed the life of a community leader has led to Belmont Abbey College receiving a $73,526 grant from the CaroMont Health Foundation to strengthen community cardiac emergency preparedness. The grant comes in response to a Jan. 7 incident in downtown Belmont, where the absence of nearby Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) contributed to the emergency in which Nancy Litwak, 39, lost her life. Her death highlighted a critical gap in the community’s

emergency response resources, inspired changes to the downtown policy, and motivated Belmont Abbey College to pursue this grant to help prevent future tragedies.

In collaboration with the City of Belmont, the grant will fund a public AED initiative. The project will:

n Install nine AEDs: Six in downtown Belmont locations and three on the college campus, ensuring any point in the downtown corridor is within a two-minute walk to an AED, well within the critical

four-minute window for defibrillation.

n Train faculty and the community: Four nursing faculty will become certified American Heart Association CPR instructors.

Recurring CPR and AED training will be offered to local employees, organizational staff and community members.

n Establish sustainable preparedness: The initiative will create a faculty-led model for ongoing community cardiac emergency preparedness and education.

“The safety and well-being of our community is always a top priority,”

said Belmont Mayor Joe Jordan. “This collaboration with Belmont Abbey College and the support of the CaroMont Health Foundation will ensure that lifesaving resources, like AEDs and CPR training, are accessible to everyone in our town. ” As Dr. Lee-Ann Kenny, chair and nursing program director at Belmont Abbey College, said, “This grant from the CaroMont Health Foundation equips both our students and our community to respond effectively in lifesaving situations.”

— Belmont Abbey College

C| June 12, 2026

La fiesta de Corpus Christi

on las custodias elevadas en alto, miles de feligreses participaron con reverencia en procesiones por carreteras, senderos y campus de toda la Diócesis de Charlotte durante el Domingo de Corpus Christi. La Fiesta de Corpus Christi, también conocida como la Solemnidad del Santísimo Cuerpo y Sangre de Cristo, celebra la Presencia Real de Jesucristo en la Eucaristía: su Cuerpo, Sangre, Alma y Divinidad. Muchas parroquias tienen tradiciones

únicas para conmemorar esta festividad, que los católicos de todo el mundo celebran desde 1264. Mediante elaboradas alfombras de aserrín que representaban imágenes de cálices y hostias, altares adornados con rosas y engalanados con pan y uvas, y calles decoradas con diseños creados con pétalos de flores, la belleza de nuestra fe eucarística se manifestó de manera creativa a través de diversas culturas, todas reunidas como una sola Iglesia.

Los

jóvenes exploran

la belleza de la creación de Dios

El domingo se llevó a cabo una excursión de senderismo y kayak organizada por el grupo juvenil de San José de Kannapolis. Veinte participantes, junto con algunos padres de familia, disfrutaron de un día lleno de diversión entre las maravillas de la creación de nuestro Dios. La actividad estuvo guiada por su asesora adulta, Anabel Hernández.

Los ritos y símbolos litúrgicos revelan la presencia de Dios

Los ritos y símbolos de la liturgia no son ceremonias arbitrarias, sino los medios a través de los cuales los católicos se encuentran con Dios y se forman en la fe, afirmó el Papa León XIV el 3 de junio.

Continuando con su serie de catequesis sobre la Constitución del Concilio Vaticano II sobre la Sagrada Liturgia, “Sacrosanctum Concilium”, el Papa reflexionó sobre el papel de los ritos, los signos y los símbolos en el culto católico durante su audiencia general semanal en la Plaza de San Pedro.

“Los ritos de la liturgia cristiana no son un revestimiento exterior del ministerio sacramental, un conjunto de ceremonias arbitrarias, sino que son la mediación eclesial a través de la que nos llega el don divino”, dijo. El Papa señaló que los ritos litúrgicos dan forma a la vida espiritual de los creyentes, enseñándoles a reconocer la presencia de Dios y a participar más plenamente en la vida de la Iglesia.

“El rito da forma a la acción litúrgica y, a través de ella, a nuestra vida, generando en nosotros una sensibilidad espiritual que nos hace capaces de saborear la presencia de Dios por medio de Jesucristo”, dijo.

Los católicos están llamados a participar en la liturgia con su “cuerpo, mente y corazón”, dijo el Papa, dejándose formar a través de la escucha de la Escritura, la acción de gracias, la adoración, el compartir fraterno y la comunión.

Añadió que, si bien la estructura de la liturgia puede parecer en desacuerdo con las preferencias modernas por la espontaneidad, sus ritmos ayudan a los creyentes a alejarse de una cultura centrada en la productividad y a redescubrir lo esencial.

“En el rito experimentamos una lógica de gratuidad, encontramos un descanso que regenera el corazón, reconocemos que nos precede la gracia divina, aprendemos a vivir a un ritmo habitado por el Espíritu Santo”, dijo.

Al referirse a los signos y símbolos, el Papa León citó el Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica, que enseña que su significado tiene sus raíces en la creación, la cultura humana y la historia de la salvación, y se revela plenamente en Cristo.

El Papa también destacó acciones simbólicas como arrodillarse e intercambiar el signo de la paz, diciendo que fomentan un sentido de pertenencia y ayudan a crear “auténticas relaciones eclesiales”.

Citando la carta apostólica del Papa Francisco “Desiderio Desideravi”, el Papa León dijo que los cristianos deben volver a ser capaces de comprender los símbolos y dejarse educar por los ritos litúrgicos de la Iglesia.

KIRBY LEE-IMAGN IMAGES VÍA REUTERS | OSV NEWS

¿Sabías que puedes rezar con el Papa?

El sitio web permite a las personas unirse a las intenciones mensuales de oración del papa León

COURTNEY MARES OSV News

Apocos días de la inauguración de la Copa Mundial de la FIFA, el Papa León XIV ha dedicado su intención de oración de junio al poder del deporte para tender puentes entre culturas y naciones, publicando un video de oración en el que insta a deportistas, entrenadores y aficionados por igual a considerar el campo como un espacio de encuentro y no de división.

El Vaticano publicó el 2 de junio el video mensual “Reza con el Papa”, en el que el Papa rezaba para que “el deporte sea siempre escuela de fraternidad y no de rivalidad vacía, espacio de encuentro y no de exclusión, camino de paz y no de violencia”.

El video mensual forma parte de la Red Mundial de Oración del Papa, una red global de 22 millones de personas en 90 países, dirigida por la Compañía de Jesús, que rezan por las intenciones mensuales del Papa. El sitio web comparte oraciones, un mensaje mensual en audio del Papa y otros recursos para ayudar a personas y grupos a conectarse con la comunidad de la Iglesia universal. la intención de oración del Papa León para junio es que el deporte fomente la paz y el encuentro.

La intención de oración oficial del Papa para este mes es: “Por los valores del deportes: Oremos para que el deporte sea un instrumento de paz, encuentro y diálogo entre culturas y naciones y para que promueva valores como el respeto, la solidaridad y la superación personal”.

La intención de oración del pontífice estadounidense se produce cuando su país natal comenzará a coorganizar la Copa

Por los valores del deporte

En el nombre del Padre, y del Hijo, y del Espíritu Santo. Amén.

Señor de la vida, te damos gracias por el don del deporte, por quienes glorifican a Dios con el ejercicio de sus cuerpos, por las amistades que nacen en la cancha y la alegría de jugar en equipo.

Tú nos enseñas que en la vida, como en el juego, nadie se salva solo.

Necesitamos del otro para crecer, para aprender a respetar, superar límites, y celebrar juntos los logros alcanzados.

Te pedimos que el deporte sea siempre escuela de fraternidad y no de rivalidad vacía, espacio de encuentro y no de exclusión, camino de paz y no de violencia.

Haz que quienes practican, entrenan o animan descubran en el deporte un lenguaje universal que acerca culturas, une pueblos, y siembra respeto, solidaridad y superación personal.

Señor Jesús, que cada deporte sea parábola de una vida vivida contigo, colaborando con esfuerzo y alegría, viviendo con humildad en la derrota y gratitud en la victoria que nos ofreces en tu resurrección.

Que nunca falte en nosotros tu Espíritu, que nos hace un solo equipo, unido contigo para construir comunión y fraternidad en la historia.

Amén.

— Red Mundial de Oración del Papa

Mundial de Fútbol el 11 de junio, junto con México y Canadá. Un número récord de 48 selecciones nacionales competirán en 104 partidos en los tres países anfitriones

hasta el 19 de julio.

“Señor de la vida, te damos gracias por el don del deporte, por quienes glorifican a Dios con el ejercicio de sus cuerpos, por las amistades que nacen en la cancha y la alegría de jugar en equipo”, dijo el Papa León en el video, grabado en la Iglesia de San Pellegrino en la Ciudad del Vaticano. “Haz que quienes practican, entrenan o animan descubran en el deporte un lenguaje universal que acerca culturas, une pueblos, y siembra respeto, solidaridad y superación personal”, añadió. Desde los primeros días de su pontificado, el Papa León se ha caracterizado por su amor al deporte. Es un ávido tenista y seguidor de los Chicago White Sox de las Grandes Ligas de Béisbol. En su primera entrevista como Papa, le preguntaron a quién apoyaría si Estados Unidos y Perú (país donde fue misionero durante años y del que también es ciudadano) se enfrentaran en el Mundial. Respondió que apoyaría a Perú. Casualmente, ni Perú ni Italia se clasificaron para el torneo de 2026, lo que le evitó cualquier posible conflicto de lealtades.

En abril, el Papa recibió en el Vaticano a los atletas olímpicos y paralímpicos italianos que compitieron en los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno de Milán Cortina 2026. En mayo, recibió en audiencia vaticana a los jugadores y al cuerpo técnico del Inter de Milán, campeones de la Serie A italiana esta temporada. En el video de oración, el Papa León estableció una conexión entre la vida deportiva y la vida cristiana.

“Señor Jesús, que cada deporte sea parábola de una vida vivida contigo, colaborando con esfuerzo y alegría, viviendo con humildad en la derrota y gratitud en la victoria que nos ofreces en tu resurrección”, oró.

“Que nunca falte en nosotros tu Espíritu, que nos hace un solo equipo, unido contigo para construir comunión y fraternidad en la historia”.

Más online

En www.popesprayer.va : Únase a la Red Mundial de Oración del Papa Un anuncio de Adidas protagonizado por Lionel Messi para la Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2026 se exhibe en el hotel E-Central Los Angeles el 28 de mayo. A medida que se acerca la Copa Mundial, que se celebrará del 11 de junio al 19 de julio, la intención de oración del Papa León XIV para junio es que el deporte promueva la paz y el encuentro entre las culturas.

Our nation

Pope’s warnings come as Americans grapple with AI, data center expansions

TYLER ARNOLD Catholic News Agency

Pope Leo XIV issued stark warnings against building “a new Tower of Babel” when developing artificial intelligence in his recently released encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” at a time when many Americans are growing concerned with the impact of the new technology and the rapid data center expansion that supports it.

His encyclical, the title of which means “magnificent humanity,” pleads for AI development that safeguards Earth’s natural resources, preserves the dignity of work, builds up human solidarity and ensures that all people benefit from the innovation.

As American companies move to expand AI data centers – with more than 4,000 operating and thousands more under construction – projects face local protests and critics cite environmental concerns, noise pollution, lack of long-term employment, and skepticism of AI’s impact on society.

Although a March Gallup poll of 1,000 Americans found 71% oppose local AI data centers and only 27% support them, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum promoted data center expansion on Fox Business on May 26, citing productivity benefits across many sectors of the economy.

The protests, he claimed, are “foreign-directed propaganda” campaigns from nations competing with the United States. He dismissed Pope Leo’s guidance while laughing and said: “I didn’t know that tech editorializing was part of the role of being pope.”

Yet AI skepticism is quite prominent among the American public. A June 2025 Pew survey of 5,000 people found 50% are more concerned than excited about AI, 38% are equally excited and concerned, and just 10% are more excited than concerned. An NBC poll of 1,000 people in March found that

57% believe the risks of AI outweigh the benefits and 34% said the opposite.

David Cloutier, a Notre Dame theology professor and academic director of the Business Ethics and Society Program, said: “I think the resistance to data centers is rooted in a larger suspicion of the technology itself.”

DIGNITY OF WORK AND POWER CONCENTRATION

Data centers often receive significant state and local tax incentives. At least 28 states – including North Carolina –offer tax incentives specific to data centers.

Father Philip Larrey, a philosophy professor at Boston College, told EWTN News “it doesn’t make sense to me” to offer those incentives because “you don’t need many people to actually run these things.”

“What advantage is there for the local people to have a data center in their city?” he questioned. “Probably none.”

Judith McGill, vice president of strategic marketing for data center developer DataBank and a practicing Catholic, told EWTN News that she believes critics’ objections about employment are misleading, because although the centers themselves do not employ “a lot of people,” the services benefit “all of the employees of our customers” who use AI. She said governments would not offer incentives if investments were not “a net economic benefit to those communities.”

ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES

In his encyclical, Pope Leo warned of a “tendency to overlook the environmental impact” of AI and the “enormous amounts of energy and water” needed for data centers, which puts “heavy demands on natural resources” and influences carbon dioxide emissions.

A report from the Electric Power Research Institute found 4%-5% of national energy is consumed by data centers, but that will rise to between 9% and 17% by 2030, mostly because of AI.

Cloutier said environmental concerns are “a very important point that is very easy to miss,” adding that “the amount of computer work that has to go on in order for the AI company to answer [a] question is very, very large.”

Larrey said water and energy are two concerns people have: “They need huge data centers in order to run the servers that give us these large AI models that are only going to get larger and larger as time goes on.”

McGill said Pope Leo’s environmental concerns and broader concerns are “well taken” and even though data center developers are not religious organizations, it “doesn’t absolve us from behaving responsibly.”

At Pennybyrn’s Melvin and Ruth Witcher Adult Day Center, every detail is designed to enrich the lives of older adults while o ering support and respite for their caregivers. Our safe, welcoming and vibrant environment o ers more than just care— it inspires joy, sparks learning and builds meaningful social connections. A thoughtfully planned variety of daily activities promotes better overall health, greater emotional well-being and a higher quality of life.

In Brief For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

Steaks, barbecue at play in bishops’ Stanley Cup wager

RALEIGH — As the Stanley Cup Final unfolds between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Las Vegas Golden Knights, two Catholic bishops are adding a lighthearted twist with a friendly wager built around regional foods.

On one side, Bishop Luis R. Zarama of Raleigh is supporting the Hurricanes and putting forward a North Carolina culinary package featuring Carolina barbecue and pecan pie.

On the other, Las Vegas Archbishop George Leo Thomas is backing the Golden Knights and offering a dining package from Golden Steer Steakhouse, a longtime Las Vegas landmark.

The matchup carries plenty of excitement for both fan bases in each diocese, with Bishop Zarama saying he was happy “to share in this way the blessings of our respective dioceses as we root for our home teams.”

The Hurricanes are making their third Stanley Cup Final appearance and won the championship in 2006. The Golden Knights, which entered the NHL in the 2017-’18 season, have enjoyed remarkable early success, reaching the final for the third time in franchise history after capturing the Cup in 2023.

The bishops’ wager also echoes a broader message from Pope Leo XIV. In the prayer intention video published by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network on June 2, Pope Leo XIV encouraged Catholics to pray that sports promote peace, fraternity and human growth.

Minnesota missionary priest likely to be on path to sainthood

DULUTH, Minn. — The U.S. bishops are set to take a key step in the sainthood cause of Monsignor Joseph Francis Buh (1833-1922). The 19th-century missionary priest whose ministry left a lasting mark on northeastern Minnesota.

Caring for Charlotte Area Catholic Families in Their Hour of Need Since 1926 FUNERAL SERVICE, INC.

Charlotte 704-334-6421

704-544-1412

Hill 704-545-4864 Derita 704-596-3291

During their spring plenary assembly in Orlando, Florida, in mid-June 2026, the bishops will hold an episcopal consultation on Monsignor Buh’s cause and then are expected to conduct a voice vote signaling their support for moving the process forward.

A native of Slovenia, Monsignor Buh served communities in northeastern Minnesota, dedicating himself to missionary work among Native American and Slovenian populations.

Father Richard Kunst of the Diocese of Duluth, who helped launch the initial phase of the sainthood effort, described Monsignor Buh as a priest who completely sacrificed himself for the good of the Church and the local faithful.

While Monsignor Buh was venerated in Minnesota as the “Patriarch of the Diocese Duluth” in the decades after his death for his missionary efforts, the cause gained momentum after Bishop Daniel J. Felton of Duluth began formally exploring his path to sainthood in 2023.

Bishops release prayer service

commemorating immigrants

and the enslaved with call to action

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, the nation’s Catholic bishops have released a prayer service text commemorating its immigrants and refugees, as well as those trafficked under historic and modern forms of slavery in the U.S.

“A Path Toward Justice: A National Prayer Service Honoring the Many Journeys that Shaped America” was recently posted in English and Spanish to the resource page of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website.

The document is designed “to acknowledge and honor the many diverse communities that have journeyed to the United States in search of hope, safety, and opportunity,” said the bishops in the introduction.

At the same time, the prayer service recognizes “the voices, sufferings, and enduring contributions of those who were forcibly brought to this land,” they said.

It also includes a “call to action” inviting the faithful to assist immigrants and refugees in concrete ways, “while faithfully advocating for just and humane immigration reform that upholds the dignity of every human person created in the image of God.”

—OSV News

Summer Bible Institute

July 13-16, 2026

Old Testament

Please pray for the following priests who died during the month of June:

Rev. Msgr. Richard Allen 2005

Rev. Sebastian Doris, OSB 1990

Rev. Kurt M. Fohn 2022

Rev. Guy E. Morse 2000

Rev. Msgr. Roueche 2000

Rev. Gabriel Stupasky, OSB 1974

Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus www.kofcnc.org

Fr. Edward Mazich, OSB

From David to the Son of David: Lessons from Israel’s Great King

Coming to understand David and have sympathy for him during his triumphs and tragedies – yet remaining prudent in our assessment of David’s flaws that caused those tragedies –will help us to negotiate our own path of discipleship as followers of Jesus, the Son of David.

Fr. Edward Mazich is a monk of St. Vincent Archabbey and the Rector of St. Vincent College Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. With degrees from the Pontifical Institute and Gregorian University in Rome and Oxford University, he has taught Scripture and written both academic and popular works. He also currently serves as an Associate editor for The Bible Today.

New Testament

Presented by Presented by

Sr. Barbara Reid, O.P.

Parables of Mercy and Justice in the Gospel of Matthew

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus exemplifies God’s mercy as the pathway to justice; that is, promoting right relationship with God, others, and the whole of creation. He teaches his disciples to do the same. One of his primary vehicles for teaching is through parables. In these sessions, we will explore parables that are unique to Matthew’s Gospel.

Sr. Barbara Reid is a Dominican Sister of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and former President of Catholic Theological Union (CTU) in Chicago, where she continues to teach New Testament Studies. She is an award-winning author, editor and speaker and has led retreats and study programs in a variety of Biblical lands.

This year’s Summer Bible Institute will be available in person and on-line. When registering, please indicate the chosen option.

Please indicate OT, NT or Both, when you register. A limited number of overnight accommodations are available.

Registration for the Summer Bible Institute may be made by email to oratorycenter@gmail.com with SBI in the subject line.

Our world

CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope Leo’s Corpus Christi Mass in Madrid draws 1.2 million

COURTNEY MARES OSV News

MADRID — More than 1.2 million people filled the streets of Madrid as Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass and led a Eucharistic procession through the heart of the Spanish capital June 7 for the solemnity of Corpus Christi, the liturgical feast celebrating the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

“We are gathered around the Eucharist, the gift of Christ’s living presence among us. He who wished to offer us His life so that we might enter into communion with the Father and become His children, is here as the living Bread come down from heaven, to nourish us with the very life of God, with a love stronger than death,” Pope Leo said in his homily.

“Just as Christ gives Himself as food in the Eucharistic celebration, the procession shows that He is not confined to the church, but comes out to meet us,” he added. “Jesus travels the streets, crosses the squares and visits our neighborhoods, dwelling in the settings of our daily lives.”

The pope offered Mass in the Plaza de Cibeles, the city’s iconic neoclassical fountain square where several of Madrid’s grand avenues converge, before leading the Corpus Christi procession that wound nearly a mile and a half through streets adorned with elaborate floral carpets crafted by local artisans from more than 30,000 carnations.

In his homily, Pope Leo reflected on the power of Eucharistic grace to transform people’s lives.

“It is not merely a matter of bringing out the monstrance, but of allowing ourselves to be brought out of our selfishness and indifference, of a comfortable, private faith, so as to respond to His invitation to conversion, to change our perspective, and to welcome His presence, which transforms us,” the pope said, telling Spaniards to live their faith courageously in the public square.

online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See photos of local Corpus Christi celebrations

What is Corpus Christi?

The Feast of Corpus Christi, also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, celebrates the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist – His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. This year, in the United States, it was celebrated on June 7.

Pope Leo highlights

faith, shares stage with Antonio Banderas

MADRID — Hours after celebrating Mass for an estimated 1.2 million people and leading a Corpus Christi procession through Madrid, Pope Leo XIV addressed a very different audience June 7 at Madrid’s Movistar Arena.

Speaking before about 12,000 attendees at an event titled “Building Networks with the World of Culture, Art, Economics and Sport,” the pope fielded questions from leaders in

culture, education, business and athletics on topics ranging from artificial intelligence to human dignity and society’s future.

Pope Leo said modern society struggles to preserve the soul of what it creates.

“We run the risk of becoming experts in the media and effective producers, yet uncertain as to why, for what purpose, with whom and for whom we produce,” he said.

Actor Antonio Banderas highlighted Christianity’s historic role in fostering creation.

“The Church has been the greatest producer of art in the history of humanity,” he said.

Misinformation, lack of aid key challenges in fighting Ebola

BALTIMORE — As international health officials warn the Ebola outbreak in central Africa had a “big head start,” Catholic Relief Services, the overseas relief and development arm of the Catholic Church in the U.S., is among the groups seeking to stop its spread.

The outbreak in Congo is the first since the administration shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development and withdrew from the World Health Organization last year.

Rafaramalala Volanarisoa, CRS head of office in Congo, said CRS “mobilized quickly” to help its local partners. The group, she said, is raising funds for food and medical supplies as well as water. Challenges to containing the Ebola outbreak, Volanarisoa said, include cultural practices surrounding burial, reduced capacity of centers to provide care, and misinformation surrounding the virus.

— OSV News

X Church in Greensboro. There, more than 300 people participated in a Eucharistic procession and Mass celebrated by Father Christian Cook.

women deacons, speculate that the issue eventually could be delegated to regional bishops’ conferences which could navigate local cultural norms and differences in gender roles.

Knowing Pope Leo from the Synod of Bishops, through consultations and from past educational endeavors, Sister Reid said she remains optimistic he will address the topic.

“(Pope Leo) always finds ways to build bridges and is committed to synodality,” she said.

Sister Reid ended her talk with questions to help move dialogue forward. “What does the Church need today that women can participate in?” she asked. “And what obstacles can be removed to achieve full flourishing for all?”

Sister Reid also signed books, including her newest, “Wisdom’s Feast: An Invitation to Feminist Interpretation of the Scriptures,” and “At the Table

of Holy Wisdom: Global Hungers and Feminist Biblical Interpretation.”

The Kennedy Lecture is sponsored by Thomas and Richard Kennedy in memory of their parents, Keith and Joan Kennedy.

The lecture was recorded and will be made available on the parish website, www.stpeterscatholic.org.

cried. I understood why I was there. I know when I leave this place, I know that I will never truly be alone in my burdens.”

Goitom does not know if she may be cured, but this trip taught her to surrender her burden to God.

“I don’t have any fear,” Goitom said. “I am praying and waiting. I have learned in my experience to surrender it to God. The doctors say something, but God has the final say, and I am not scared.”

brother-in-law in Taylorsville up one week to coincide with the pilgrimage.

“Today was glorious,” he said. “A great opportunity to worship God and spend time with Jesus in prayer and adoration and giving thanks for all the many blessings.”

The pilgrims ended their time in the diocese with an overnight visit to St. Pius

The next day, the pilgrims visited Greensboro Urban Ministry for one of their largest service projects, distributing food brought by Mass attendees to Greensboro Urban Ministry, with whom the parish has a longstanding partnership.

The pilgrims also handed out cookies made by St. Pius X’s youth.

ViewPoints

Trust in Jesus’ Sacred Heart, and let His love transform your life

In my bedroom as a child, there hung an 8.5-by-11-inch framed picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I am not sure how it got there (I think it also hung in my father’s bedroom when he was a child), or where it is today, but it is a significant part of my early spiritual journey. There was something about that image looking over me that gave me consolation, peace and inspiration – knowing that Jesus’ Sacred Heart was loving me, forgiving me and, ultimately, calling me. The power of images is real, especially when we are young, to communicate supernatural truths that on their surface may be hard to understand. Why would Jesus be so passionate about loving me?

The bishops of the United States dedicated our entire country June 11 to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the days just prior to the celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday, my brother bishops and I are entrusting ourselves and all the people of this great nation to the merciful and loving care of Jesus. We realize that the more we all focus our attention on Jesus’ heart of love, the more likely we all are to seek His love and mercy and then share His love and mercy with a world so much in need. To entrust us all to Jesus’ loving heart is to recognize, like the beloved disciple St. John, that we are most at home and at peace when our heads rest on the chest of Jesus, hearing the beat of the truest loving heart. This moment invites us to place our heads to rest on His Sacred Heart and experience the connection that is essential for our lives as beloved and our lives as lovers.

There are two lines in the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that have always stood out to me: “Heart of Jesus, salvation of all who trust in you… Have mercy on us; Heart of Jesus, hope of all who die in you… Have mercy on us.” The promise of a saved life every time we trust in Jesus, and the promise of eternal life when we die in Him, are the important moments of this life that make Jesus’ Sacred Heart beat on in ours.

Check your pulse and hear the beat of a heart that is now and forever dedicated to and connected with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and know that His mercy and love can and will transform us – and those with whom we share His powerful heart in this great land now consecrated to Him forever.

What the pope’s encyclical on AI is asking of you

Near the end of his new encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” Pope Leo XIV senses that his reader may be feeling overwhelmed. “At this point,” the Holy Father writes, “a subtle temptation may emerge, namely the thought that the problems are too big and we are too small, and that our choices, therefore, cannot make a difference.”

And here he turns to, of all people, J.R.R. Tolkien and “The Lord of the Rings”: “It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succor of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.”

The Holy Father just quoted Gandalf in an encyclical. And it was pitch perfect.

THE MANY THREATS OF AI

If you don’t yet understand why a pope would feel the need to offer that kind of reassurance, then you aren’t paying close enough attention to what Artificial Intelligence is doing and may do to our world.

Many have heard that this new technology threatens to displace all sorts of workers, but such a threat, as real and profound as it is, is by no means the only one.

The U.S. Department of War has sued an AI company to make sure it can create autonomous weapons that kill without any human oversight.

AI-generated child porn is now one of the fastestgrowing categories of online demonic debauchery.

The most recent version of Anthropic’s AI, Claude Mythos, was not only able to hack into virtually any phone or computer, during safety testing it was regularly able to discover it was under observation and act differently. This is not a future problem. This is a now problem.

WHAT SCARES AI’S CREATORS

Over the past few months, I developed a friendship with Chris Olah, one of Anthropic’s co-founders, and the same person who stood alongside Pope Leo at the Vatican press conference to call for critical dialogue and cooperation between the Church and the AI industry.

I can tell you with confidence that he means it. There is a great mystery underlying the nature of what it is they are building, and the worries Olah and others have about what the future may hold as AI systems get exponentially more powerful quite rightly keep them up at night.

Their existential fears, and their need for help,

underscore why the encyclical matters so much.

WILL AI ATTACK HUMAN DIGNITY?

Pope Leo builds his argument on three foundations Catholics should sit with carefully. The first is that something genuinely new is happening here. AI is not just a faster calculator or a smarter search engine. It “challenges the categories of Social Doctrine from within.”

The second is that labor should be at the heart of our concern. Leo XIV signed “Magnifica Humanitas” on the 135th anniversary of “Rerum Novarum,” Leo XIII’s great encyclical on behalf of workers.

Work, says the pope, is not merely an instrument or a source of income; on the contrary, “it expresses and enhances the dignity of our lives.”

WHAT IS THE CHURCH’S ROLE?

The third is that the Church has a unique and urgent role to play at this hinge moment in history.

The Church is the guardian of a 2,000-year tradition of thinking about what human beings are. That tradition, which has navigated these kinds of dramatic moments in the past, is exactly what we need right now. And the fact that some of the most important AI researchers in the world are actively engaging it should give added confidence to act in light of our tradition.

But what, specifically, is Pope Leo asking of us?

First, he is channeling his inner St. John Paul II in urging us not to be afraid in spreading the good news in the midst of the AI revolution. “I encourage all members of the Church not to be afraid of the present challenges,” the Holy Father says. The truth which the Church has to offer at this historical moment “is a gift to be shared.”

HOW AM I USING AI IN MY LIFE?

Second, he is asking us to begin with ourselves. The encyclical returns repeatedly to the following question: Does this technology “make human life on earth ‘more human’ in every aspect of that life? Does it make it more worthy of man?”

That question, first, is a personal one. How am I using AI in my own life? What habits is it building or eroding in me? Am I using it in ways that deepen my attention and my relationships, or in ways that outsource my judgment and thin out my humanity? We must evangelize ourselves first.

Third, he is asking us to get to work. The biblical image the pope returns to again and again is Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem: Everyone is given their section. Scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs, workers, educators and legislators and faith communities.

Perhaps you are being called to organize a labor union in your school or hospital. Perhaps you are being called to ask whether anyone has evaluated the AI tools your institution is adopting, and against what criteria. The encyclical gives you both the standing and the obligation to ask that question. If no one is asking it, then this may be your section of the wall to get started on.

Pope Leo writes: “The civilization of love will not arise from a single or spectacular gesture, but from the sum total of small and steadfast acts of fidelity.”

We have our marching orders. Time to get to work.

Pope Leo XIV: A real American hero

This spring marked the one-year anniversary of the election of Cardinal Robert Prevost as pope.

It has been exciting following our very own American-born pope through his first year – although Leo XIV has not allowed himself to be pigeonholed as an “American pope.” He is a missionary who belongs first to the Lord and, for His sake, to the entire world.

This should not be surprising, since Leo’s personal background reflects no fewer than four ethnicities (French, Spanish, Italian and Louisiana Creole).

After ordination and study in Rome, he spent the first two decades of his priestly life as a missionary in Peru and then traveled all over the world for 12 years as the prior general of the Augustinian Order.

‘It is obvious that the pope belongs to everyone and embraces everyone, desiring that through him they be touched by the universal love of God.’

THE LESSONS OF LIVING ABROAD

As a young Little Sister of the Poor, I had the grace to live abroad. I spent only two years in France before obedience called me back to the United States, but that was long enough for me to realize that my homeland is not the only place on earth that has been gifted with cultural, historical and spiritual riches, as well as interesting, engaging, beautiful – and needy – people.

Although he spent much more time in Peru than I did in France, my years abroad coincided with our Holy Father’s early years in South America. Perhaps that is why I look up to him now with such admiration. Embracing other cultures as one’s own – with all the differences in language, customs, food and so many other details of everyday life – requires both humility and magnanimity, both openmindedness and determined self-sacrifice.

When I look at Pope Leo XIV, I often remember Mother Celine, our former superior general, who was American and the first non-French leader of our congregation.

Mother Celine spent most of her long and active life in France – without ever mastering the accent – serving for many years as the mother of all the Little Sisters and elderly around the world. She once told me that we must not leave our native country to serve in another because we do not love it, but precisely because we do and we want to offer this love as a sacrifice pleasing to God.

Perhaps this sacrificial love is what

Article on culinary school inspires

After reading the Catholic News Herald’s May 29 article “Community Culinary School feeds bishops and dreams,” I found it inspiring what the Community Culinary School is doing. As the old saying goes, “Don’t give me a fish; instead, teach me how to fish.”

motivates Pope Leo. In any case, observing him during his first apostolic trips it is obvious that he belongs to and embraces everyone, desiring that through him they be touched by the universal love of God.

SERVE THE LITTLE ONES,

BRING HOPE

Pope Leo visited the Little Sisters of the Poor during each of his first two visits outside Italy.

In November 2025 – Thanksgiving Day – he visited our home in Istanbul, Turkey, and on April 14 of this year, he visited our home in Annaba, Algeria.

Both of these houses are located in countries where Catholics represent very tiny minorities, and in both locations the majority of residents served by the Little Sisters are non-Christian.

During both of these visits, the pope emphasized how universal charity helps us to build peace.

In Annaba he said, “I think that the Lord, looking down from heaven upon a house like this, where people strive to live together in fraternity, would say, ‘There is hope!’ Yes, because God’s heart is torn apart by wars, violence, injustice and lies. But our Father’s heart is not with the wicked, the arrogant or the proud. God’s heart is with the little ones, with the humble, and with them He builds up His Kingdom of love and peace day by day, just as you are striving to do here in your daily service, in your friendship and life together.”

BE SISTERS, NOT JUST HELPERS

In Istanbul, the Holy Father acknowledged the patience and prayer required to unite people from diverse backgrounds under one roof.

And he told the Little Sisters, “The Lord has called you not only to assist or help the poor, but has also called you to be their sisters! You are to be like Jesus, whom the Father sent to us not only to help and serve us, but also to be our brother.”

I pray that God will permit Pope Leo XIV to serve for many years, for more than ever the world needs the messenger of peace he has become.

I also pray that the youth of our country look to this pope as a real American hero!

SISTER CONSTANCE VEIT is the communications director for the Little Sisters of the Poor in the United States and an occupational therapist.

I not only enjoyed learning about this school, but also the decision by our bishop to select them as a caterer. What a great example of practicing what one preaches.

I was also inspired by Ron Ahlert, a Community Culinary School chef who through this connection with the diocese has begun to re-examine his faith and attend Mass again. May the Holy Spirit reunite him with a deep love of our Lord and our Catholic Church.

Reporter Lisa Geraci beautifully wove these three points into one article. I have never in my 66 years written to a reporter, but I felt inspired to make sure she knows she is doing great work and doing God’s will.

KEVIN MCHUGH is a member of St. Pius X Parish in Greensboro.

Letters policy

The Catholic News Herald welcomes letters from readers. We ask that letters be originals of 250 words or fewer, pertain to recent newspaper content or Catholic issues, and be written from a perspective of Christian charity.

To be considered for publication, each letter must include the name, address and daytime phone number of the writer for purpose of verification. Letters may be condensed due to space limitations and edited for clarity, style and factual accuracy.

The Catholic News Herald does not publish

Pope Leo XVI

poetry, form letters or petitions. Items submitted to The Catholic News Herald become the property of the newspaper and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives.

E-mail: catholicnews@rcdoc.org

Mail: Letters to the Editor Catholic News Herald 1123 S. Church St. Charlotte, N.C. 28203

From online story: “Pope Leo scores with 80,000 Spanish Catholics in Real Madrid soccer stadium”

The Catholic News Herald reached the Facebook and Instagram feeds of more than 3.8 million people in English and Spanish last month. The most talked about post? Coverage of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in the diocese. Join the conversation: www. facebook.com/CatholicNewsHerald

On YouTube over the past 30 days ending June 10, videos produced by the Catholic News Herald have been viewed more than 25,000 times. The most popular video? The livestreamed priesthood ordination Mass.

Over the past 30 days ending June 10, 42,500 visitors to www.catholicnewsherald.com have viewed a

of 68,000 pages. The top trending headlines are: