Similar mask mandates in place elsewhere across the diocese
Masks are worn during a Confirmation Mass at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte in September 2020. (Photo by SueAnn Howell, Catholic News Herald)CHARLOTTE — Mecklenburg County’s mask mandate requiring most people to wear face coverings in all indoor public places was expanded Wednesday, Sept. 22, to also cover churches and religious services.
The countywide mask mandate now covers 15 Catholic churches in the Charlotte area, the nine Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools, as well as the Diocesan Pastoral Center, the diocesan Catholic Schools Office, and Catholic Charities’ Charlotte location.
The Revised Mecklenburg County Board of Health Rule remains in effect until further notice and does not contain a religious exemption for indoor worship services and other religious activities, for churches or parochial schools, or for individuals or organizations involved in such activities.
The rule says individuals must comply or face a possible misdemeanor conviction. The rule is based on updated guidance from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, online here.
Exceptions are allowed for certain health reasons, children younger than 5, people eating or drinking, or alone in an enclosed space or car. Anyone “giving a speech or performance” is not required to wear a mask if they can maintain a distance of at least 20 feet from their audience.
Rising community spread of COVID-19 due to the Delta variant has prompted many local communities to reinstate health measures such as mandated face coverings indoors and social distancing – in many cases, regardless of individuals’ vaccine status.
According to the Raleigh News & Observer, at least a third of North Carolinians now fall under a local mask mandate, including Buncombe and Guilford counties and cities including Boone, Greensboro and Winston-Salem.
Father Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the diocese, urged pastors in a recent letter to “remain attentive to any local face covering rules and other 
health measures put in place by your local officials and health departments. Manage and adjust your particular safety precautions based on your prudential judgment and pastoral needs, and continue offering accompaniment and care to those who are vulnerable or fearful. Above all, we must continue encouraging the faithful to remain close to Jesus who sustains us especially during difficult times such as this.”
As of Sept. 22, state public health officials reported 15,941 people have died and 3,400 remain hospitalized due to COVID-19. Approximately 63 percent of adults in the state have been fully vaccinated.
For related resources about COVID-19, go online to www.charlottediocese.org/coronavirus-update.
— Catholic News Herald
SWANNANOA — Faithful across the Diocese of Charlotte are encouraged to attend the annual Respect Life Conference – a day of enrichment and education on a variety of pro-life issues. The conference will dive into topics such as pro-life ethical research and advancing biotechnology without morally illicit cells, parish support for mothers choosing life, “Evangelium Vitae” and the Christian message concerning life.
The conference will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, at St. Margaret Mary Church.
Dr. Alan Moy, founder of the John Paul II Medical Research Institute and CEO and co-founder of Cellular Engineering Technologies, will give the keynote address.
Moy earned a bachelor of science in biochemistry at the University of California at Davis and an M.D. from Creighton University. He received specialty medical training in internal medicine at St. Louis University and subspecialty training in pulmonary and critical care at the University of Iowa. He served on the faculty 1994-2005 and was tenured in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Iowa. He maintains an adjunct appointment in the College of Engineering at the University of Iowa.
Moy’s research at the University of Iowa was in the areas of vascular biology, inflammation, gene delivery and tissue engineering. His research was supported by the National Institute of Health, the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association and the American Lung Association.
In 2005 he left his faculty position to co-found Cellular Engineering Technologies (CET), a pro-life biotech company in Coralville, Iowa, which manufactures and sells commercial adult stem cells around the globe. In 2006, he founded the John Paul II Stem Cell Research Institute (later renamed the John Paul II Medical Research Institute), a tax-exempt non-profit research institute devoted to the use of adult stem cells for treating orphan diseases, degenerative neurological diseases, regenerative medicine and cancer. In 2009 the Small Business Commerce Association gave CET a Best Business Award in the commercial biotechnology category. The award recognizes the top 5 percent of small businesses throughout the country.
Moy has been recognized in Who’s Who in America and in the Leading Physicians of the World by the International Association of Healthcare Professionals. His organizations develop biotechnologies with the objective to offer ethical human cells as an alternative to embryonic stem cells and aborted fetal cells, which are ubiquitously used in the pharmaceutical industry for the production of biologics, gene therapy, cell therapy and vaccines.
The conference will also feature prayer and education to foster encouragement, collaboration and community among the pro-life advocates of the diocese. The conference will open with a Traditional Latin Mass offered by pastor Father Brian Becker at 9 a.m. and conclude by 3:30 p.m.
“The Respect Life Program is thrilled to be hosting this event again this year,” said Jessica Grabowski, the diocese’s Respect Life Program director, “and we are especially grateful to Father Becker and St. Margaret Mary (for hosting) the pro-life community and look forward to networking with pro-life advocates from across the diocese.”
Additionally, Moy will present a talk to the lay-led organization Catholic Health Professionals of Charlotte at a Charlotte-area parish on Friday, Oct. 1. Contact the organization at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details.
— Catholic News Herald
More information
To register, go online to www.ccdoc.org/respectlife. Contact Jessica Grabowski at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with questions about the event.
Join hands and pray for life Oct. 3
Faithful across the Diocese of Charlotte are encouraged to gather on Sunday, Oct. 3, to kick off Respect Life Month and form Life Chains as a public witness for the dignity of all human life, from conception to natural death. Life Chains are being organized in the following communities:
BELMONT
— Main Street at Queen of the Apostles, 2-3 p.m.; Tom Carey, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (plan to arrive at 1:45 p.m. to pick up signs)
BREVARD
— Corner of Broad and Main streets (along the courthouse side of the street), 2-3 p.m.; Janice Castevens, 828-273-0275 or
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
FLETCHER
— In front of Ingles, 2901 Hendersonville Rd., starting at 12 noon
CHARLOTTE
— East Boulevard at Scott Avenue (park at St. Patrick School), 2-3 p.m.; Joe Gustafson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
— 3635 Park Road, in front of St. Ann Church, 2-3 p.m.n 3635 Park Road, in front of St. Ann Church, 2-3 p.m.
— Corner of Old Reid and Park roads, line up along sidewalk in front of St. Vincent de Paul Church, 12:30-1:45 p.m.
GREENSBORO
— Battleground Avenue (in front of Starbucks, across the corner from Lowe’s), 2:30-3:30 p.m.; RSVP to Ken Waldron at 336-294-4696 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
HENDERSONVILLE
— Meet at U.S. 25 (Asheville Highway) at the entrance to Patton Park at Clairmont Street, 2-3 p.m. Signs provided.
HUNTERSVILLE
— Meet on the sidewalk along Stumptown Road at St. Mark Church. 2-3 p.m. Signs and prayers will be provided.
WINSTON-SALEM
— Hanes Mall Boulevard west of Stratford Road, parking by Kohl’s, Home Depot, Chick-fil-A, near the boulevard, 2-3:30 p.m.; Samantha Hogan, 336-865-9842