The Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, has announced it will pause plans to construct a new cathedral and instead focus on a $150 million capital campaign for various diocesan needs.
The diocese has experienced significant population growth, and its current cathedral, St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, is not spacious enough to accommodate all those attending large liturgical functions, according to Catholic News Herald.
Estimated costs for building a new cathedral ballooned, with some estimations reaching $100 million, according to the article. The diocese had hoped to avoid such high costs by simply making the existing St. Mark Church in Huntersville into the new cathedral. The Huntersville-based church has been used for large diocesan liturgies like ordination Masses.
Bishop Martin proposed this plan in April to then-Cardinal Robert Prevost (now Pope Leo XIV), who was prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops at the time. However, then-Cardinal Prevost discouraged the diocese from going any further with the plan because of the complexities it would involve.
“[Then-Cardinal Prevost] indicated that our proposal to designate St. Mark’s as the cathedral would present issues since it isn’t located within the city limits of Charlotte – and would likely mean changing the name of the diocese to Charlotte-Huntersville,” Bishop Martin said, according to Catholic News Herald. “Such a change seemed cumbersome and confusing.”
These difficulties, as well as dramatic damage to many diocesan parishes, schools, and other properties caused by Tropical Storm Helene, led Bishop Martin and other diocesan officials to reconsider plans for a new cathedral. Additionally, the area’s Catholic population has grown more than 50% in the last 10 years, according to Catholic News Herald. This means that many Catholic entities in the diocese are not equipped to adequately serve the pastoral needs of the faithful.
With its $150 million campaign, the diocese intends to address those myriad needs. Funds raised will be invested in five main areas: parishes, Catholic schools, land acquisition, Catholic Charities, and other ministries.
The outlet reported that despite deferring immediate plans for construction of a new cathedral, Bishop Martin says that the diocese still needs a new “mother church” and hopes the diocese will build a new cathedral someday.