On March 19th, the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Bishop Peter Jugis formally announced that the Diocese of Charlotte is establishing a college seminary in response to growing interest in priestly vocations.
The St. Joseph College Seminary will be what the Church calls a “minor” seminary, as its focus is undergraduate men considering the priesthood, one step before enrolling in a “major” seminary where they receive more specific priestly formation. It will give these men the opportunity to live closer to home, continue their college studies while in community together, and interact regularly with diocesan vocations staff.
Starting this fall, the college seminary will be temporarily located on the campus of St. Ann Church in Charlotte, but there are plans to build a permanent home on or near the campus of Belmont Abbey College.
“I think the faithful of the diocese will be greatly encouraged to know that as we are growing as a diocese the Lord is answering their prayers and bringing forth vocations,” Bishop Jugis said Tuesday.
In an earlier letter to priests, Bishop Jugis noted that the plan “for our college seminarians would have many advantages. It would allow men considering a priestly vocation to study closer to their home state of North Carolina and give them the opportunity of pastoral formation in the setting for which they are preparing to serve.”
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