Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

After his resurrection on Easter Sunday, Jesus commissioned his apostles: “Go unto the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) For over 170 years the Catholic Church has been present in the territory of what is today the Diocese of Charlotte, carrying out Jesus’ command to share his Gospel message of salvation with others.

In the 10 years since I was ordained as the fourth Bishop of Charlotte, I have had occasion to reflect on the great faith, vision, generosity, and sacrifice of those who have gone before us. As we celebrate their great work, our diocese looks to the future with plans to strengthen our Catholic faith while building on the solid foundation they started. We have been richly blessed. With those blessings comes the responsibility to pass on to future generations all that we have received.

Although we have witnessed many great accomplishments, much work remains to ensure our Church continues to grow strong. After prayer, reflection and a period of extensive inquiry, it was never more evident to me that the time is now to transform our diocese through advancing our parishes and diocesan ministries.

Over the past 40 years since the foundation of the Diocese of Charlotte, our diocese has experienced extraordinary growth. In response to the growth and the opportunities to take part in the new evangelization, the diocese has launched a diocesan-wide capital campaign, Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love, which will provide extraordinary resources that will better position the diocese to strengthen parishes and prepare for the future. The success of this special effort will help us renew, strengthen, and advance our diocese and parishes in the work of putting Jesus’ Gospel message of salvation into action.

Therefore, I write to invite you to join me – and thousands of our sisters and brothers in Christ – in an effort to invest in the future of our Catholic family. Through Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love, we will strengthen parish life and ministries as the center of the Catholic community, provide for seminarian formation and retired clergy, ensure the vitality of Catholic education for present and future generations, ensure pastoral and temporal resources, and expand the outreach of social service.

This special effort will involve all of our parishes and missions over the coming months in a coordinated effort to raise $65,000,000. Through this unprecedented effort, parishioners and friends will join together to support the most pressing needs of our diocese.

I pray and trust that you will consider being a part of this important effort. The results of our efforts and sacrifice will be a stronger community of faith better prepared to fulfill the mission of the Diocese of Charlotte, the teachings of Jesus’ Gospel, and the call to Christian stewardship. May God continue to bless our diocese.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, JCD
Bishop of Charlotte