Firm in Faith. Formed in the Diocese.

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Foundations in Faith

We are blessed that 35 of the men currently studying for the priesthood from our diocese have passed through the halls of St. Joseph College Seminary. For the first time, 27 of the men enrolled in college seminary are under the same room in our newly blessed and finished seminary building. On September 15, 2018, we broke ground and launched a $20 million capital campaign to fund the building of this permanent home where our seminarians can continue to discern God’s call and become strong and faithful priests for the Diocese of Charlotte.

Forming Priests For a Growing Diocese

The Catholic faith in North Carolina is growing, and the need for priests to serve our growing flock is great. On March 19, 2016, Bishop Peter J. Jugis founded St. Joseph College Seminary to form priests in the diocese of Charlotte, among the people and parishes they will one day serve. Learn about the special calling of the priesthood and the Bishop's dream to have a priest in every parish.

Sacred Spaces

The design for our seminary addresses the need for contemplative silence, as well as places for peaceful gatherings and quiet study. It provides classrooms and common areas necessary for fostering theological and philosophical thinking. It will be a sacred space that evokes the presence of God in its buildings and in the details in and around the seminary itself.

View Building Plans

Soil for the Seeds of Vocations

On September 8, 2017, the Diocese purchased 86 acres of wooded land—plenty of room to put down roots deep enough to grow and support seminarians in our Diocese for generations to come. The property is two miles from Belmont Abbey College and backs up to 50 acres of pasture, creating a buffer to allow for silence, contemplation, and recreation.

See the Land

We Need Your Help

The capital campaign for St. Joseph College Seminary is in its final stage, and your support is greatly needed! To make a legacy gift, please call Fredrik Akerblom, Director of Development, SJCS, at (704) 302-6386. You can also make a secure pledge or one-time gift by clicking the button below.

Make a Gift

“Community is essential to the formation of a priest. We must build a seminary structure where these men can all live together.”
The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, J.C.D., Bishop of Charlotte

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SUMMARY OF PROJECTED COSTS
Land Acquisition	$1,392,840
Site Development	$3,473,195
Professional Fees (architectural and survey fees)	$1,712,000
Construction	$9,637,146
Equipment, Fixtures, and Furnishings	$720,288
Contingency/Financing/Other	$2,293,531
Campaign Costs	$771,000
ESTIMATED TOTAL	$20,000,000

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Will you support our seminary in prayer?

We are blessed to be forming strong, scholarly, and faithful men here in our own Diocese where they will one day serve. We ask that you keep them in your prayers throughout their formation and this building project. Your prayers are greatly needed for our seminary and fundraising to succeed. Please join us in praying that the people of Charlotte respond with generosity and fidelity to our capital campaign.

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Support for our Seminary

Participants in our roundtable discussion shared their support for St. Joseph College Seminary and the hope that the seminary gives them for the future of the Catholic Church in Charlotte, especially in light of the ongoing abuse scandal.

“I really do feel like St. Joseph's seminary is stitching the standard for seminaries across our country, because the fruits are evident. I see beautiful, faithful, passionate young men who are real guys; who are silly, who play sports, who are very active. They're very genuine, they're courageous ... the motto for this seminary is perfect. And I just see them setting a goal, seminary goals for other dioceses across the country.”

-Suzanne Cona

“I am almost brought to tears thinking about how much we need these men in the Church. To think that they would be there at 18, 19, 20 years old when they could be at bars, clubs, have girlfriends, and they're choosing something different. And as someone that's married and knows how hard it is, I know the priesthood will be hard. I mean it's a lifetime of commitment, of making difficult choices. And I was so encouraged.”

-John Eades

“St. Joseph College Seminary is a great sign of hope for the Church, for me, because they are forming men to be equipped to preach the unchanging Gospel in a world that is obsessed with change. Not just to preach the unchanging Gospel, but to live it and breathe it in everything that they do and everything that they are, and that's what the Church needs.”

-Jessica Ferrante

“We need men who are formed as men, who understand they are men, who will go and fight for Holy Mother Church. That's what we need. And that's what St. Joseph's Seminary is doing, and I can't wait to see you release these warriors out into the field.”

-Bob Gallagher

“A diocesan priest is different from those in religious orders. A diocesan priest that comes up from the community in which he's going to serve is really a blessing. They say, it takes a village to raise a child; well it takes a diocese to raise a priest. Because it's more than just the rector who's in charge of this. It's the community helping to form this priest.”

-Conor Gallagher

“We must encourage the planting of new seed, bringing about the right kind of holy men to lead the Church going forward, and I think the seminary is doing that. It's beginning that hopefully broader conversion of the Church, so that we don't see that kind of evil being successful.”

-Rolando Rivas

“Ultimately, our standard is Christ. And what joy for all of us to be able to follow that standard and see that here in our diocese. You want to follow Christ? You want to be a soldier and fight in this battle? This is what you do if you want to be a soldier. And there's joy in that. Even when you know what is at stake, there is great joy.”

-Jennifer Murrey

“How can we respond to this crisis in the Catholic Church? Obviously, we need to pray. We can sacrifice, as well. But we also need to support the beacons of light that are in the church during this dark time, and St. Joseph College Seminary is definitely a brilliant light shining in the darkness.”

-Mary Catherine Surface

“We can't discount the touch points. I know when my young children spend time with the seminarians, or with the sisters – whether it’s just a minute, or an hour – that’s going to have an influence on my them; now, ten years from now, 20 years from now. And you don't have that if the seminary's not here.”

-Warren Surface

“I think the main thing the church can do in the aftermath of the scandal is the exact opposite of what the church has done in the past, which is to lower their standards. At this time, we have to raise our standards – the standards for young men entering the seminary, the standards that the laity hold their priest to, and the standard that the priest holds the laity to. We all have to up our game in a significant way.”

-Conor Gallagher

“I truly believe that one of the best ways the laity can respond to the crisis in the Church is by supporting St. Joseph College Seminary, supporting these young men who are striving to be holy and virtuous. They're saying yes to God at a time when it is so hard, especially in light of what's taken place in some seminaries. Yet God is still sending them here. They're giving their ‘yes.’ Now, we need to give our ‘yes’ to help.”

-Mary Catherine Surface