The seven men to be ordained are pictured July 20, 2020, when they entered the Rite of Admission to Candidacy for Holy Orders at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte. Pictured from left: Kevin Martinez, José Palma Torres, Elliott Suttle, Christian Goduti, Bishop Peter Jugis, Matthew Harrison II, Matthew Dimock Jr., and Kevin Tran. (File | Catholic News Herald)CHARLOTTE — This June, seven men will be ordained deacons, one of the largest group of seminarians to take this step toward the priesthood together for the Diocese of Charlotte.
These men deacons will be ordained to holy orders June 3 at St. Mark Church in Huntersville, putting them one step closer to becoming priests next year.
This diverse class brings two men from Charlotte parishes, two from the same Asheboro parish, and men from Salisbury, Shelby and Huntersville.
All seven attend Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and School of Theology in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are: Matthew Wayne Dimock Jr. of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Charlotte; Christian Joseph Goduti of St. Mark Parish in Huntersville; Matthew Philip Harrison II of Sacred Heart Parish in Salisbury; Kevin Ruben Martinez and José Alfredo Palma Torres, both of St. Joseph Parish in Asheboro; Elliott Cade Suttle of St. Mary Help of Christians Parish in Shelby; and Kevin Michael Tran of St. John Neumann Parish in Charlotte.
Besides attending the same seminary, most of the men share similar passions for music, sports, reading and a love of the Catholic faith.
“I think the Catholic faith is beautiful because it is universal and objective,” Suttle said. “It applies to everyone, everywhere, and at all times. And yet, despite being objective in nature, it adapts itself to a given time and culture. The faith is one that is objective, but also has many ways of living out that objective truth.”
Five of the seven were among the first classes at St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly for undergraduates discerning a possible religious vocation before taking the step of enrolling in a major seminary for more formal priestly formation. Established in 2016, the college seminary is fostering growth of vocations in the diocese. Students work toward a bachelor’s degree at Belmont Abbey College while experiencing a Benedictine-style communal life on their path of discernment.
One of them, Palma Torres, chose St. Joseph as his confirmation saint when he was in high school, and he said he believes the saint has been his guardian for many years.
“One reason I think he has been looking over me is that my name is the same as his and my home parish is St. Joseph,” Palma Torres said. “When I finally entered the seminary, St. Joseph College Seminary opened and I was part of the first class to enter – thus I believe St. Joseph has been looking over me.”
The total number of seminarians for the Diocese of Charlotte has more than tripled since the college seminary program began. This year there are 49 men studying to be priests.
The group of seven to be ordained deacons – and expected to be ordained priests a year from now – is the largest group to be ordained together under Bishop Peter Jugis, who has made vocations one of his episcopal priorities since he became the diocese’s shepherd in 2003.
Catholic summer camps – such as Quo Vadis Days, an annual vocation discernment camp for young men to ponder “Where are you going?” – are where many of these men first identified or solidified a potential calling to the priesthood.
“I first began to feel a calling to the priesthood in high school while attending Catholic summer camps,” Harrison said. “That desire grew and led me to enter seminary under the direction and advice of my pastor. I continued to discern and pray about my vocation, and with this came a gradual certainty of my calling. By the time I was in my third year of seminary, I was quite sure that this was what God desired of and for me.”
Dimock’s faith was enriched in Charlotte. His parents, Matthew Dimock Sr. and Gena Dimock, met in the U.S. Air Force, and he was born when his parents were stationed in Arkansas. Both converted to Catholicism.
“My parents raised me with a zeal for the faith, which especially blossomed when we moved to the Diocese of Charlotte in 2008,” he said.
After their ordination, these seven men will be considered “transitional” deacons as compared to “permanent” deacons. Transitional deacons generally serve a year in pastoral, liturgical and educational preparation before they are considered for ordination to the priesthood in June 2024. Permanent deacons can be married and do not go on to be ordained priests.
All are welcome to attend the 10 a.m. Mass Saturday, June 3, at St. Mark Church, located at 14740 Stumptown Road in Huntersville.
— Kimberly Bender
Meet the seven seminarians who will become transitional deacons June 3:
Matthew Dimock Jr.
Home parish: St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Charlotte
Birthplace: Little Rock, AR
Raised in: Indian Trail
Age: 25
College: St. Joseph College Seminary
Summer assignments in the diocese: Holy Cross, Kernersville; St. Michael the Archangel, Gastonia and Our Lady of Grace, Greensboro
CNH: Were you an “eager to get out of bed and go to Sunday Mass” kind of child, or did it take some convincing to get you up and out the door?
Dimock: “Let’s just say that a little coffee goes a long way – even now.”
CNH: Who are your favorite saints, and why?
Dimock: “Our Lady and St. Joseph are obviously great patrons of our diocese and college seminary, but also for me. Our Lady has taught me much patience and that supernatural motherly love which she alone can give. St. Joseph has taught me spiritual fatherhood and true sacrifice.
St. Thomas Aquinas has been a great patron for me since before I began seminary. It’s beneficial to pray to the saint of whose works you read day in and day out.
Finally, St. Therese of Lisieux has prayed for me and shown me her 'Little Way' all throughout seminary.”
CNH: What has been your biggest challenge or struggle in living the faith?
Dimock: “The noisiness of the world is difficult to escape. My generation is often accused of having a short attention span, and those critics are correct! It’s a true reorientation to escape that noisiness, and cling to Christ Jesus in the silence of His Eucharistic presence every day.”
CNH: What are some of your interests/hobbies?
Dimock: “On the music front, I enjoy singing and leading small scholas. I play both the trumpet and the banjo, though I’m still in need of some lessons with regards to the latter. I also enjoy hiking the mountains of North Carolina, especially the less conventional and less traveled routes.”
CNH: When did you first realize you had a call to the priesthood?
Dimock: “I thought about it for the first time in middle school, but it didn’t truly sink in until my sophomore year of high school.”
CNH: What do you love most about the Catholic faith?
Dimock: “I love the promise that Christ has given His Church: ‘Behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world’ (Matthew 28:20b). It’s a promise that is manifested in so many ways throughout the life of the Church. Principally, it is manifested in the Blessed Sacrament – Christ’s continual presence in His Church. Secondarily, it’s manifested in the stability of the papacy, and the assurance that ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against’ the Church (Matthew 16:18).
There’s a beautiful degree of peace and concord that comes from those statements, which exists nowhere outside of the Church.”
CNH: How will you help bridge the gap in the divisions of the Church?
Dimock: “I hope that as a minister of the Word and preacher of the Gospel, I can take those truths that I have learned in seminary and give them to the People of God in a manner that they can comprehend. And that giving on of the Tradition, spoken of by St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23 should be our model, and always accompanied by prayer.”
Christian Goduti
Home parish: St. Mark Church, Huntersville
Birthplace: Charlotte
Raised in: Huntersville
Age: 25
College: St. Joseph College Seminary
Summer assignments in the diocese: St. Mark Church, Huntersville; Holy Cross Church, Kernersville
CNH: When did you first realize you had a call to the priesthood?
Goduti: “I do not remember this specific event, but my grandmother told me that I used to tell her that I wanted to be a priest. I would also tell my mom the same. Around the time of my first Holy Communion, I realized God was calling me to be His priest. I do specifically remember resisting this call. I became good at ignoring it; however, in my junior year of high school, I could ignore it no longer.”
CNH: Did you serve in any kinds of ministries at your parish growing up?
Goduti: “I was an altar boy. I also participated in youth ministry.”
CNH: What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
Goduti: “I enjoy outdoor labor, specifically landscaping. I like designing and creating beautiful landscapes.”
CNH: What does faith personally mean to you?
Goduti: “Faith, believing in Jesus and His saving work, is necessary for our salvation. Faith is the gifted virtue by which we hold fast to Jesus Christ and all He has revealed. Personally, I am ever grateful to God for the gift of faith, and I ask the Blessed Mother for Her intercession so that I may grow in this faith every day.”
CNH: What are some of your interests/hobbies?
Goduti: “I enjoy reading anything by Tolkien. I am very competitive, so I enjoy team sports. I also enjoy philosophy.”
CNH: What do you love most about the Catholic faith?
Goduti: “The Catholic faith has handed on through Scripture and tradition the treasured truth of the Eucharist. Our Lord Himself is present to us. It also hands on the beauty of the priesthood and the sacraments, of which the priest is a minister. I am ever grateful for the deposit of truth present in the Catholic Church."
CNH: Contemporary culture doesn’t place much emphasis on faith, and so many of your generation identify as “non-religious.” What would you say to people your age who don’t believe in God or who think religion is old-fashioned?
Goduti: “What we think subjectively can never change reality. Today’s culture has rejected a fundamental truth: we were created and thus have a loving Creator. God made us. We belong to Him. He made us to share in His blessed and trinitarian life. No matter how much we think, we can never change the reality that we are religious beings, beings made for God alone. I pray to those who have denied reality to humbly recognize your reality as a creature of a loving Creator. Things used contrary to their created end are never fulfilled and suffer destruction. The Creator who made who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ. In God’s mercy, the life that our first parents rejected has been offered again to us in Christ; repent of your false ideas and believe in the Good News of Jesus Christ. Go to Him, all you who labor and are burdened, He will give you rest. Learn from Him, for He is meek and humble of heart.”
CNH: How will you help bridge the gap in the divisions of the Church?
Goduti: “The Church belongs to God. She was born from the pierced side of Christ. I pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary that I will faithfully make present the spouse of Christ in the sacramental life.”
Matthew Harrison II
Home parish: Sacred Heart Church, Salisbury
Birthplace: Richmond, Va.
Raised in: North Carolina
Age: 25
College: St. Joseph College Seminary
Summer assignments in the diocese: St. Leo the Great, Winston-Salem
CNH: What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
Harrison: “I run the coffee shop at the seminary.”
CNH: How did your family play a role in your discernment to the priesthood?
Harrison: “I am blessed to have an amazing family, and my process of discernment has heavily relied on their constant support, prayers and advice. My parents always encouraged me to serve at Mass growing up, always nurtured my desires and interest in the faith, and served as excellent models of the Christian life with their firm and constant love and joy."
CNH: What do you think has helped you the most to discern God’s will for your vocation?
Harrison: “More than anything else, spending silent time in front of Christ in the Eucharist has given me strength, clarity and perseverance in my journey of discernment.”
CNH: What do you love most about the Catholic faith?
Harrison: “I love the communal nature of the sacraments. Coming together for Mass and singing to God, but then spending time afterwards either with coffee and donuts or just chatting outside afterwards, is such an amazing privilege to be a part of. Our faith is built around the Body of Christ, and being a small part of that body is both fun and edifying.”
CNH: What are some of your interests/hobbies?
Harrison: “I spend my free time either playing music (mainly on the mandolin), or drawing. I also love singing for Mass, so I spend a good amount of time practicing motets with other seminarians so we can sing them at future liturgies. As for sports, I mainly play Ultimate Frisbee, basketball and disc golf, but enjoy almost anything.”
CNH: What do you see as the biggest challenge for the Church and for the Diocese of Charlotte?
Harrison: “It seems to me that the biggest challenge for the Church is the constant pursuit of Christ and holiness in a world that directly opposes that pursuit. Knowing what the Truth is is one thing, but knowing who the Truth is is much more important. It is crucial that we know Christ personally, and the best way this can happen is through silent prayer with Him.”
CNH: How will you help bridge the gap in the divisions of the church?
Harrison: “I will help bridge gaps in the Church by seeking the advice and counsel of priests who have gone before me and aiming to support them in their mission of bringing Christ to the world.”
Kevin Martinez
Home parish: St. Joseph Church, Asheboro
Birthplace: Asheboro
Raised in: Franklinville
Age: 25
College: St. Joseph College Seminary
Summer assignments in the diocese: St. Thomas Aquinas, Charlotte
CNH: Tell us a little bit about your family, where you grew up and how your family practiced their Catholic faith.
Martinez: “I am a first-generation American. My parents are from the same hometown in Mexico – specifically, El Rosario, Nayarit, Mexico. I was born in Asheboro, but was raised on a farm in Franklinville. Until I entered seminary, I lived on the farm my whole life.
From very early on, my parents taught me the importance of the Catholic faith. Other things could be joked about, but Holy Mother Church was not to be joked about. The gravity and passion for the Church is something that was taught in my family my whole life. Although I didn’t always apply these two properly throughout my earlier stages in life, my parents never failed me in teaching me what the Church taught.”
CNH: When did you first realize you had a call to the priesthood?
Martinez: “Right after receiving my first Holy Communion. I first felt a draw towards the priesthood at 8 years old. In the latter years of high school, this feeling became a conviction.”
CNH: What do you love most about the Catholic faith?
Martinez: “I love the way we worship in the Catholic Church. It is Theocentric. In other denominations, folks sit around and listen to a preacher deliver a sermon for an extended time.
In the Catholic Church, the efficaciousness of the worship is not dependent upon how well the priest delivers his homily. Our worship is centered around the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith. The Mass is centered around the representation of Christ’s sacrifice for us. The Mass is the perfect act of worship, which is rendered to God the Father by Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. It is the unbloody sacrifice of Calvary, which takes place on the altar. This is what I love about the Catholic faith.”
CNH: What are some of your interests/hobbies?
Martinez: “I love studying the sacred liturgy in my spare time. I also enjoy lifting weights and golfing. On top of that, I am quite partial to taking naps.”
CNH: What advice do you have for a young man discerning a call to the priesthood?
Martinez: “Pray. Pray amid the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Go into the silence of prayer to hear the voice of Jesus. Envelop yourself in that sacred silence; do not shy away from it. In the tranquility of prayer, the Lord will speak to your heart. It is in prayer that a young man encounters the Risen Lord intimately and the Lord’s divine plan for his life. Simply pray.
CNH: Contemporary culture doesn’t place much emphasis on faith, and so many of your generation identify as ‘non-religious’ (what are called the 'nones'). What would you say to people your age who don’t believe in God or who think religion is old-fashioned?
Man is naturally curious about things and asks certain existential questions. This is natural for man because he possesses an intellect and a will. To ask when, what, where, how and why is simply because man was created for knowledge of the truth, and he will never rest until he fully answers those questions. As Catholics, we believe that the Triune God ultimately answers all those existential questions. Relying solely on earthly material goods will never satisfy the human soul. This is because we were created for God. He is the ultimate end for which all of us were created. Those who do not believe in God or religion should begin to ask themselves these questions honestly.”
CNH: What has been your biggest challenge or struggle in living the faith?
Martinez: “‘Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect’ (Matthew 5:48). In saying this, Christ has set the bar substantially high. In hearing this, it is pretty simple to compromise and live a mediocre life simply because one cannot perfectly imitate the Father. The real challenge is trying to achieve the holiness Jesus is calling us to. The challenge I have faced is attempting to live up to this challenge that Jesus has set before me every day of my life.”
CNH: How will you help bridge the gap in the divisions of the Church?
Martinez: “By helping refocus people to realize what truly matters – furthering the kingdom of God upon Earth, 'Salus Animarum Suprema Lex' – 'The Salvation of Souls is the supreme Law.' During our earthly pilgrimage, we aim to know, love and serve God in this life and be with Him in the next. It is also our lawful duty as baptized sons and daughters of the Father to bring as many souls as we can to God.”
José Palma Torres
Home parish: St. Joseph Church, Asheboro
Birthplace: Veracruz, Mexico
Raised in: Randleman
Age: 29
College: St. Joseph College Seminary
Summer assignments in the diocese: St. John the Baptist, Tryon; St. Vincent de Paul, Charlotte; St. Jude, Sapphire Valley; St. Ann, Charlotte
CNH: When did you first realize you had a call to the priesthood?
Palma Torres: “I first felt like the Lord was calling me the priesthood when I was around 20. I had lived life trying to ignore God, but I had a sort of reversion, and it was after this that I began to feel that God was calling me to the seminary.”
CNH: How did you live your faith in your young adult years, prior to discerning the seminary?
Palma Torres: “When I began take my faith seriously, I started to pray by setting time in the mornings to read scripture. I had a job that was near my home parish, so I would often step into the church and pray before the tabernacle. Sometimes, I would stay there for up to an hour and sometimes it was just for a few minutes, but this practice was crucial in my discernment.”
CNH: What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
Palma Torres: “I have been blessed to learn different languages so I can speak English, Spanish and Latin. I have also studied a little bit of Greek and some French, but I am not able to speak these very well.”
CNH: What do you love most about the Catholic faith?
Palma Torres: “I love that the Catholic faith brings fulfillment to the ends for which man was created. In the faith, one worships God through the liturgy, which involves body and soul. One is able to know who God is through prayer, and one is also able to study theology and know about God. Faith and reason come together in a beautiful way so that everyone is able to know and love God.”
CNH: Who are your favorite saints, and why?
Palma Torres: “Some saints that I love are St. Jose Luis Sanchez del Rio and Blessed Miguel Pro. I love these saints because they are from Mexico and they held the faith in a time when there was a great persecution, but they never detoured and it cost them their life.”
CNH: What do you think has helped you the most to discern God’s will for your vocation?
Palma Torres: “The key to discerning any vocation is prayer, and I would say praying in front of the tabernacle has been the greatest help to my discernment. It is in prayer that one can grow in love with God and also sustain that relationship with God, and it is in the chapel that one receives the help and clarity to discern the vocation to the priesthood.”
CNH: How will you help bridge the gap in the divisions of the Church?
Palma Torres: “I will help bridge gaps by baying faithful to the Church and honor the promise of obedience that I am making at my diaconate ordination. One single person cannot solve all the divisions, but I think a starting point would be to stay united to the bishop and to the rest of the clergy.”
Elliott Suttle
Home parish: St. Mary Help of Christians, Shelby
Birthplace: Lumberton
Raised in: Cherryville and Shelby
Age: 49
College: University of Alabama
Summer assignments in the diocese: St. Ann, Charlotte; St. Francis of Assisi, Jefferson; Holy Family, Clemmons
CNH: When did you first realize you had a call to the priesthood?
Suttle: “I first began exploring the idea back in 2008. I guess there was a call back then, but it wasn’t until I was preparing to move back to the United States in 2017 that I really became convinced of a calling and began making preparations to enter seminary.”
CNH: What does faith personally mean to you?
Suttle: “I had to drive an hour each way to Mass every weekend when I lived in Japan. Even finding a parish in the first place was difficult because most don’t have websites, and the MassTimes site is not really designed with non-Christian countries in mind. I also had to teach myself how to go to confession in Japanese due to the lack of English-speaking priests.”
CNH: How did you live your faith prior to discerning the seminary?
Suttle: “I came to Catholicism when I was 31. Since that time, I have been involved with the Knights of Columbus, been active in the choir and been a regular attendee of the Eucharistic Congress and Men’s Conference.”
CNH: If someday, God willing, you were to be named a saint by the Church, what would you want to be the patron saint of?
Suttle: “Based on how difficult this question was to answer, I’m inclined to say 'Patron Saint of Indecisive People.' In all seriousness, though, I would be happy with whatever the Church decided. Since that’s not really an answer, though, I’ll go with 'Patron Saint of Late Vocations.'”
CNH: What are some of your interests/hobbies?
Suttle: “I tend to collect hobbies, so I’ll try to keep this brief. In no particular order, I enjoy reading (both fiction and theology), writing short stories, watching movies/sports, hiking/camping, board games, studying Japanese, brewing beer, and racing cars (both as a spectator and participant).
CNH: What advice do you have for a young man discerning a call to the priesthood?
Suttle: “First, I would say work on developing a prayer life. Go to Eucharistic Adoration if you can. Second, talk to your pastor about what you’re experiencing. Also, try to find a spiritual director. Having that third person perspective on your spiritual journey can be crucial. Lastly, trust God. He won’t lead you astray.”
CNH: How will you help bridge the gap in the divisions of the Church?
Suttle: “Bridging these divisions can best be done, in my opinion, by showing that the faith is bigger than any one of us. As such, we all gravitate towards a spirituality or facet of the faith that speaks most to us. Just because my spirituality isn’t the same as yours doesn’t make us enemies, but rather just people who have different ways of relating to the same faith. Think of it this way: Franciscans, Dominicans and Benedictines all have very different ways of living out the Catholic faith. That doesn’t make one right and the others wrong. It just shows the breadth of the Catholic faith. That isn’t to say that anything you do is fine, however. You still have to “color within the lines,” as it were. Having said all this, I will attempt to bridge these divisions by showing people that, so long as you hold/believe everything the Church teaches to be true, we’re all working towards the same goal. We just go about it in different ways.”
Kevin Tran
Home parish: St. John Neumann, Charlotte
Birthplace and raised in: Charlotte
Age: 27
College: University of North Carolina, Charlotte
Summer assignments in the diocese: St. Joseph, Charlotte; St. Therese of Lisieux, Mooresville; St. Gabriel, Charlotte; St. Michael the Archangel, Gastonia
CNH: What has been your biggest challenge or struggle in living the faith?
Tran: “I am still learning to have the faith to see God and the humility to trust in His divine will, even in my failures.”
CNH: What do you see as the biggest challenge for the Church and for the Diocese of Charlotte?
Tran: “Thanks be to God that we in Charlotte have the problem of needing to expand and build. As migrants continue to move to Charlotte, particularly Catholics from the northern states and from Latin America, we should not assume they will be bringing a Catholic culture with them. Rather, the challenge in front of us will be the same as it has always been: evangelizing and re-evangelizing not just in deed but in word also.”
CNH: What are some of your interests/hobbies?
Tran: I have a great love for reading the Bible and the early Church Fathers. I also enjoy playing disc golf, kayaking, hiking and cooking.
CNH: When did you first realize you had a call to the priesthood?
Tran: “I think the first time I realized I had a call to the priesthood was my freshman year in college. I was at my dream school (at the time, Wake Forest), and everything was working out for me. But every night, I would lie in bed feeling like I was missing something. That feeling went away every time I would visit the Blessed Sacrament in between classes, and in its place was a profound peace. A guy puts two and two together after a semester of this, and eventually I found myself saying with St. Peter, ‘You have the words of eternal life.’”
CNH: Were you an “eager to get out of bed and go to Sunday Mass” kind of child, or did it take some convincing to get you up and out the door?
Tran: “I remember telling my dad one morning, ‘The sun isn’t even awake yet.’ So, yeah, I took some convincing.”
CNH: What do you love most about the Catholic faith?
Tran: “I love all the tangible signs we have of Christ’s promise that He would be with us to the end of the age, from the Paschal candle to the priesthood, to the Church herself and ultimately to the Blessed Sacrament itself.”
CNH: How will you help bridge the gap in the divisions of the Church?
Tran: “I believe what we all have in common is that everyone desires what they find to be good. This goes for how they perceive the Church. I hope that people will see this starting point in my respect and willingness to listen, even if we disagree.”