St. Matthew Catholic Church (Charlotte, North Carolina)

St. Matthew Catholic Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church in the Ballantyne neighborhood of Charlotte, North Carolina, in the Diocese of Charlotte. As of 2017, it is the largest Catholic parish in the United States, with over 10,500 registered families.

History

On September 21, 1986, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte announced the plan for a new church. The congregation, then made up of 237 families, originally met for Mass in the Tower Theater.[1][2]

In 2017 St. Matthew's had 35,599 registered members, making up 13.7 percent of the entire population of the Diocese of Charlotte.[2] It has been described as a Catholic megachurch.[3] St. Matthew's clergy and staff reportedly observed ministerial methods and management strategies from Protestant evangelical megachurches, including Saddleback Church.[4] The church operates a satellite campus in Waxhaw, called St. Matthew South.[5]

The church, which is run by the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, claims to be welcoming to divorced Catholics as well as LGBTQ Catholics, and emphasizes the teachings and culture of the Second Vatican Council.[6][7][8]

In 1999 Fr. Robert Yurgel, a priest at St. Matthew's, sexually abused a fourteen year old altar boy.[9] Yurgel was removed from the Capuchin order and defrocked from the Catholic priesthood in 2010. He was arrested in 2009 after pleading guilty to second-degree sexual offense.[10]

References
  1. "Parish History – St. Matthew".
  2. Funk, Tim (April 25, 2017). "NC now has country's biggest Catholic parish – in Charlotte". charlotteobserver. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  3. Boll, Jamie. "Inside Charlotte's St. Matthew, the largest Catholic Parish in the U.S." wbtv.com.
  4. "Lessons on evangelization from the largest parish in the United States". America Magazine. April 5, 2017.
  5. "St. Matthew Church surpasses 10,000 registered families". catholicnewsherald.com.
  6. "St. Matthew keeps Jesus at center of its megachurch-style campus". National Catholic Reporter. July 13, 2017.
  7. "Pastor at largest Catholic church in U.S. retires". Daytona Beach News-Journal Online.
  8. "Priest Who Leads Largest Catholic Church in US: We Should Allow Married Priests". www.christianpost.com.
  9. "Priest Charged with Sex Crimes in Charlotte Rev Robert Yurgel Accused of Having Sex with 14-Year-Old Boy in 1999, by Gary L. Wright and Tim Funk, Charlotte Observer, April 3, 2008". www.bishop-accountability.org.
  10. Latos, Allison (March 9, 2017). "9 Investigates: Charlotte family speaks out about son's abuse by a priest". WSOC.

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