On April 9, 2024, at midday, in Rome, the Holy See announced that Pope Francis had appointed our confrere, Friar Michael Thomas MARTIN, as the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. Friar Michael will succeed Bishop Peter JUGIS who resigned for health reasons.
Friar Michael (his religious name is Michael Thomas) was born in 1961. He made his simple profession in 1980, and his solemn profession in 1985. He was ordained to the deaconate in 1988, and ordained to the priesthood in 1989. He is a member of the Province of Our Lady of Angels in the USA (OLA). Until now, he had been serving as the Pastor of St. Philip Benizi Parish in Jonesboro, Georgia.
When his Minister Provincial, Friar Michael HEINE, communicated this news to the friars of his Province, he revealed that His Eminence Cardinal Christophe PIERRE, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, had expressed his regret at having to take another of our friars. However, he appreciated the gift that Friar Michael T. MARTIN will represent for the Church in Charlotte.
The Minister Provincial also stressed that the appointment of Friar Michael is, on one hand, a great loss for the Province, but on the other hand, is an occasion of joy for the Church in Charlotte.
Friar Michael’s episcopal ordination is scheduled for May 29, 2024. It will be held at St. Mark’s Catholic Church located at 14740 Stumptown Road, Huntersville, North Carolina, 28078. This church was selected because the cathedral in Charlotte is too small. Solemn Evening Prayer will take place on the evening of May 28, 2024.
We pray for the Church in Charlotte as it transitions to a new pastor. We also pray for the parish community of St. Philip Benizi in Jonesboro, Georgia, as it prepares for a new pastor. Finally, we pray for the OLA Province, which enriches the hierarchy of the U.S. Church with a member of our Order.
General Secretariat
