The Diocese of Charlotte was established on January 12, 1972, with the Most Reverend Michael Joseph Begley, a priest of the Diocese of Raleigh, being ordained and installed as first Bishop of Charlotte. Bishop Begley served as Ordinary of the Diocese until his retirement at age seventy-five in May 1984. The Most Reverend John Francis Donoghue, a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, was appointed Bishop of Charlotte by the Holy See on 6 November 1984, until he was appointed Archbishop of Atlanta on 22 June 1993. The Most Reverend William George Curlin, Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, was appointed Bishop of Charlotte on 22 February 1994 and installed on 13 April 1994. Bishop Curlin served the Diocese of Charlotte until his retirement on September 10, 2002. On August 1, 2003, the Holy Father appointed the Most Reverend Peter Joseph Jugis, Judicial Vicar and Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in Monroe, as the fourth Bishop of Charlotte. His episcopal ordination took place at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Charlotte on Oct. 24, 2003.

Bishop Peter Joseph Jugis is a native of Charlotte, N.C. and is the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte. He was baptized at St. Ann Catholic Church in Charlotte in 1957 by Monsignor Michael J. Begley, who would later become the first bishop of the newly formed Diocese of Charlotte in 1972. He earned a degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1979. After graduating, he entered the seminary at the Pontifical North American College in Rome and studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 12, 1983, by Blessed John Paul II in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Bishop Jugis earned additional degrees in canon law after his ordination. The Pontifical Gregorian University awarded him a licentiate in 1984. In 1993 he received his doctorate in canon law (JCD) from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

In addition to serving as the judicial vicar of the Diocese of Charlotte before being ordained as bishop, Bishop Jugis carried out pastoral duties at:

• St. Ann Catholic Church, Charlotte
• St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, Winston-Salem
• Holy Infant Catholic Church, Reidsville
• Queen of the Apostles Catholic Church, Belmont
• St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte, NC
• Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Denver
• Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Salisbury
• Saint John Neumann Catholic Church, Charlotte
• St. Mark Catholic Church, Huntersville
• Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe

Bishop Jugis' episcopal motto is "Caritas Christi Urget Nos" - The Love of Christ Impels Us (2 Cor. 5:14). In addition to his sacramental and official duties as shepherd of the Diocese of Charlotte, Bishop Jugis established the Diocese of Charlotte Eucharistic Congress in 2005. This annual event draws more than 10,000 people to the see city of Charlotte in celebration of our Faith in the Eucharist as the source and summit of Catholic life.

History of The Diocese of Charlotte

The growth of the Roman Catholic Church in Charlotte can be traced to the early nineteenth century. A permanent Catholic presence started in 1851 with about 100 Catholics. Today, the total population of the Charlotte area is approximately 4.1 million people with approximately 124,000 Catholics. Read More.

Diocese of Charlotte
Pastoral Center

Bishop Peter J. Jugis
1123 South Church Street
Charlotte, NC 28203
Phone: (704)370-6299
Fax: (704)370-3378
Email Bishop Jugis