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August 14, 2020 | catholicnewsherald.com

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SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD St. Joseph College Seminary welcomed nine new men this fall, starting with an Aug. 2 Mass at St. Ann Church in Charlotte. They moved in to the new building in Mount Holly later that day with the help of their families and fellow seminarians.

‘It is Christ or nothing’

Nine more men enter St. Joseph College Seminary

SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

MOUNT HOLLY — Nine young men have joined St. Joseph College Seminary, bringing the total enrollment to 27 as the college seminary kicks off the academic year in its new permanent home in Mount Holly.

The members of “Echo class” were welcomed by the college seminary’s rector, Father Matthew Kauth, during Mass Aug. 2 at St. Ann Church in Charlotte. After Mass, the new men moved in to their new quarters.

St. Joseph College Seminary, now in its fifth year, is for undergraduate men discerning a possible religious vocation, before taking the step of enrolling in a major seminary for specific formation to the priesthood for the Diocese of Charlotte. Students work toward a bachelor’s degree in philosophy at nearby Belmont Abbey College while experiencing a Benedictine-style communal life on their path of discernment.

In his homily, Father Kauth spoke directly to the new class.

“You have to be just about mad (to follow Christ),” he said, smiling at them. “I’m not sure how far you’ll go. Maybe you will go all the way. But all the way isn’t just the priesthood. The priesthood is a means that Christ uses as an instrument to serve His faithful. All the way, of course, is sanctity.”

Drawing from Matthew 14:13-21, Sunday’s Gospel reading which recounts Christ’s multiplication of the loaves and fishes to feed thousands, Father Kauth told them: “The hunger that we have for Jesus Christ is greater than any other hunger.”

The college seminary’s rigorous schedule, the coursework, the intense prayer and discernment efforts – “all of that is just to put all those lesser hungers aside, so (as to) feed on God alone,” he continued.

“If you are going to follow Jesus Christ, He has made it such that you cannot follow anyone or anything else. No other metric, no other reasoning, no other campaign – just Him. It is Christ or nothing.

“You have no idea what He will feed you with. No idea how He will slake your thirst. No idea how He will fill your heart’s greatest longings. But you know enough to take a step and to hope beyond hope that He will respond to you and turn around and say, ‘I’m not going to send you away. I will give you something to eat.’”

After Mass, the nine men and their families drove to the new seminary building to move in to their rooms. For the first time since the college seminary opened with its first class in 2016, all students will be living and studying together under the same roof. Enrollment in previous years was so high that the diocese had to purchase multiple houses to accommodate everyone while the permanent building was under construction. The nearly 30,000-square-foot Gothic-styled building was finished this summer.

During their move-in, the new men and their families were assisted by their older fellow seminarians. The new men toured the building while their parents attended an orientation, and a welcome dinner for them and their families rounded out the day’s events.

For more information

At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Watch the video of Father Matthew Kauth’s complete homily from the Mass welcoming the new class of St. Joseph College Seminary At www.stjosephcollegeseminary.org: Learn more about St. Joseph College Seminary, including how to contribute to the building campaign. Fundraising continues, with $14.5 million of the $20 million goal raised so far.

St. Joseph College Seminary fundraising continues

MOUNT HOLLY — For the first time in its history, St. Joseph College Seminary welcomed its incoming class of nine men onto the newly completed seminary campus at 22 Arctus Ave. after the seminary’s opening Mass Aug. 2.

The Gothic-inspired two-story building has a chapel, classroom, library, conference rooms, a kitchen and refectory (cafeteria), faculty offices, and a guest room for speakers and visiting priests. It also includes 40 dorm rooms or “cells” for the college seminarians.

Established in 2016, St. Joseph College Seminary has been a magnet for young men wanting to discern the priesthood. Enrollment growth has been faster than the diocese had anticipated, from eight students in its first year to 27 this year.

Campaign fundraising is under way, with $14.5 million of the $20 million raised so far.

For information about the St. Joseph College Seminary capital campaign, go to www.stjosephcollegeseminary.org or contact Jim Kelley, diocesan director of development, at 704- 608-0359 or email jkkelley@charlottediocese.org. — SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

Sparta earthquake felt during Scripture reading about an earthquake

PATRICIA L. GUILFOYLE EDITOR

CHARLOTTE — Scripture really came alive last Sunday for Catholics in Charlotte.

A 5.1-magnitude earthquake originating near Sparta was felt in Charlotte a little after 8 a.m. Aug. 9 – just as parishioners at St. Gabriel Church were listening to the first reading of Sunday’s Mass, from 1 Kings:

At the mountain of God, Horeb,

Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter.

Then the LORD said to him,

“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will be passing by.”

A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD— but the LORD was not in the wind.

After the wind there was an earthquake— but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

After the earthquake there was fire— but the LORD was not in the fire.

After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.

When he heard this,

Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.

St. Gabriel’s pastor, Father Richard Sutter, contacted the Catholic News Herald to say that they felt the earthquake during the 8 a.m. outdoor Mass, just as the lector was reading the words “After the wind there was an earthquake – but the LORD was not in the earthquake.”

It was not a coincidence, Father Sutter said. It was a reminder for these times: “Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus Christ and not the waves (or even earthquakes) we cannot control.”

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Aug. 9 quake occurred about 2.5 miles southeast of Sparta, and had been “preceded by at least four small foreshocks” that had started about 25 hours earlier.

The pastor of the Catholic mission in Sparta, Father Cory Catron, said everything was well and no damage was apparent.

“Made for good homily material, though,” he said.

Father Catron said he had felt some of the foreshocks in the area earlier, too.

In his Sunday homily, he joked about being worried that the next thing to happen would be fire – a pastor’s nightmare – but he also used the opportunity to remind people that God is constantly present in our lives, and we must not be distracted by the noise and problems of the world around us, but listen for His voice in the stillness.

“God is found in the silence,” Father Catron said, and he encouraged people to pray.

The quake also came at a poignant moment for parishioners at St. Mark Church in Huntersville: the Sign of Peace.

Father Melchesideck Yumo was saying the 7:30 a.m. Mass, where he had just given a homily on finding God’s peace amid the storms of life: “There are a lot of storms on this journey, like the present pandemic and all of the strange happenings around the world. What do we do amidst these storms? We can follow the example of Peter, and pray, ‘Lord, save me.’ We pray to God because He is in control of everything in heaven and on earth. Jesus walked on the water today in the Gospel to show that everything is under His feet. Our faith should help to dispel every fear. For Jesus says, ‘Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid.’”

Video from the church’s livestream camera shows very slight shaking and a couple of parishioners looking around in a reaction of curiosity, just as Father Yumo says, “The peace of the Lord be with you always.”

The Sparta quake was felt as far south as Atlanta and as far north as Virginia, according to the USGS.

The USGS notes that “large earthquakes are relatively uncommon in the region,” although “moderately damaging earthquakes strike the inland Carolinas every few decades, and smaller earthquakes are felt about once each year or two.”

The last similar magnitude earthquake in the area occurred in 1916, a 5.2-magnitude quake in the Great Smoky Mountains, according to the USGS.