Published: 07 April 2021

CHARLOTTE — Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte invites everyone to attend its “Vineyard of Hope” virtual fundraising event, set for 6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 22.

The fundraiser – a critical source of support for Catholic Charities in the Charlotte region – is being held online this year due to public health restrictions on in-person gatherings. Through the virtual event, people will be able to gather online to celebrate and support Catholic Charities’ work in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties.

The virtual event will feature speakers including Bishop Peter J. Jugis and Monsignor Patrick J. Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte.
Vineyard of Hope participants will also hear from keynote speaker Luis Lobo, Truist Bank executive vice president and multicultural banking manager; Sandy Buck, Charlotte region director; and Dr. Gerard Carter, Catholic Charities’ executive director and CEO.

Two annual awards will be given: the Fruit of the Vine Award, which will be given to John R. McLaughlin, Jr.; and the Volunteer of the Year Award, which will be given to Mike and April Buttner.

People who have participated in Catholic Charities’ programs will also share how their lives have been changed by the help they have received over the past year, thanks to the generosity of so many supporters and volunteers.

“Over this past year, we’ve witnessed the heavy toll of COVID-19 on the lives of so many people in the Charlotte metro area who come to Catholic Charities for assistance,” Carter said. “Because of the generous benefactors who contribute through Vineyard of Hope, we’re able to provide help and hope to those who are struggling.”

The April 22 virtual fundraising event aims to bring together parishioners, friends and clergy from across the Charlotte region to raise the funds necessary to provide support and relief to even more people and families continuing to struggle during the pandemic, he said.

“We are so grateful to all of our partners in carrying out the Church’s ministry of charity,” Carter said.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

Register now

At www.ccvineyardofhope.org: Register and get more details about the 2021 Vineyard of Hope free virtual event

Published: 07 April 2021

Preschoolers brought their joy to the campus of St. Mark Church once again, as on their final day before spring break, they were treated to an Easter egg hunt around the piazza of the church in Huntersville. (Photos provided by Amy Burger)

Clergy, servers and parishioners pray before the Blessed Sacrament on an altar of repose Holy Thursday at St. Michael Church in Gastonia. (Photo via Facebook)

Clergy and servers prostrate themselves before the altar and crucifix at the start of the Good Friday liturgy April 2 at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro. (Photo provided by MaryAnn Luedtke)

Members of St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte held a living Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, April 2. The annual tradition was canceled last year because of the pandemic. (Photo provided by Marty Schneider)

Father Melchesideck Yumo, parochial vicar, was among those who venerated the cross on Good Friday at St. Mark Church in Huntersville. (Photo provided by Amy Burger)

Bishop Peter Jugis kisses a crucifix containing a relic of the True Cross during Good Friday’s Veneration of the Cross service at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte. (SueAnn Howell | Catholic News Herald)

Good Friday at St. Ann Church in Charlotte.

St. Ann Church in Charlotte and the Charlotte Latin Mass Community continued its Latin-Extraordinary Form Triduum with the Mass of the Presanctified on Good Friday, April 2. (Photo provided by Markus Kuncoro and Mike FitzGerald)

The eighth-grade faith formation class at St. Philip the Apostle Church in Statesville re-enacted the Living Stations of the Cross on Wednesday of Holy Week. (Photo provided by Connie Ries and Bobby Overcash)

The Easter fire is blessed and the Paschal candle is lit during the Easter Vigil Mass at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Winston-Salem. (Photo via Facebook)

Father George David Byers, pastor, lights the Paschal candle during the Easter Vigil at Holy Redeemer Church in Andrews, as parishioners gather joyfully around him. (Phil Roche | Catholic News Herald)

Easter Vigil at St. Mark Church in Huntersville.

Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor, welcomes Jacob Gates into the Catholic Church, administering the sacrament of baptism and other sacraments of initiation during the Easter Vigil April 3 at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro. (Photo by MaryAnn Luedtke)

Father Alfonso Gámez, parochial vicar, blesses congregants with holy water during an outdoor Easter Sunday Mass, one of six Masses St. Mark offered that morning to accommodate more worshipers. (Photos provided by Amy Burger)

St. Matthew Church – which is one of the largest Catholic parishes in the United States – offered Easter Sunday Mass April 4 at Charlotte Catholic High School’s football stadium, where more than a thousand parishioners could be safely accommodated.

Father Alfonso Gámez, parochial vicar at St. Mark Church in Huntersville, baptizes Milan Howard during the Easter Vigil April 3. (Photo provided by Amy Burger)

A. John Ayer, 94, was received into the fullness of the faith at the Easter Vigil April 3 at St. Therese Church in Mooresville. Administering the sacrament of confirmation is Father Mark Lawlor, pastor. (Photo provided by Lisa Cash)

St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte.

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