CHARLOTTE — Seventeen college students who are Catholic parishioners in North Carolina have been awarded $3,000 scholarships from the George Pitman Endowment Fund.
Created with an estate gift of $1.2 million by the late George Warren Pitman, a businessman and philanthropist who once lived in Charlotte, the scholarships are available to applicants who live in either Mecklenburg County or the town of Dunn.
Pitman was a renowned designer and ran his design firm, George Pitman Inc., from his Charlotte home for more than 30 years until his death in 2007 at age 79. Pitman was a graduate of
Mount St. Mary’s College in Maryland and Bright’s School of Design in Chicago.
Through the George Warren Pitman Scholarship Fund, college-bound Catholics can apply for renewable awards of up to $3,000, depending on the type of college (two-year, four-year or vocational) they plan to attend.
Of the 17, seven are first-time recipients. Two will attend UNC-Chapel Hill, while others will attend Appalachian State University, Clemson University, Denison University, Trident Technical College and the University of South Carolina.
Of the 10 students who received renewal scholarships, four attend UNC-Chapel Hill, two attend North Carolina State University, two attend the University of Tennessee, and the others are students at the Catholic University of America and Washington and Lee University.
“Mr. Pitman’s transformative gift continues to benefit Catholic students to attend a college or a university of their choice,” said Jim Kelley, diocesan director of development. He added, “More and more people across the diocese are remembering the Church in their estate plans – gifts from thousands to millions – and we are thankful for their generosity.”
The Pitman Scholarship has given out $162,000 since its beginning in 2018. The diocesan foundation has distributed $16.4 million to the diocese and its parishes, schools and ministries since 1994.
Donors like Pitman who make a planned gift to the diocese or any of its parishes, schools, ministries or agencies become members of the Catholic Heritage Society, which currently has more than 1,700 members.
— Christina Lee Knauss
Cycle tracking: Growing popularity, convenience make it an accessible Natural Family Planning method
CHARLOTTE — During Natural Family Planning Awareness Week July 21-27, the Diocese of Charlotte’s Family Life Office is highlighting the benefits of cycle tracking to women and married couples.
Cycle tracking is the practice of recording one’s menstrual cycle – to identify fertile times, to aid in the diagnosis of a health condition, or to optimize health and wellness. It is also known as fertility awareness when used as a method to become pregnant or to postpone pregnancy for a short time or indefinitely.
Mobile apps and wearable trackers have made cycle tracking more popular and convenient than ever. And thanks to cycle tracking, women can manage the shifting hormone patterns throughout their cycle and take advantage of the health benefits of “cycle syncing” the ways they exercise, eat, sleep and work.
Cycle tracking is a flexible and accessible component of Natural Family Planning (NFP) that anyone can do, and it aligns with Catholic teaching. It also is a natural and effective alternative to contraceptives like hormonal birth control or to assisted reproductive technologies, which are fraught with moral, physical and emotional issues.
The diocese’s Family Life Office offers free online Natural Family Planning courses in English and Spanish and refers to local instructors for in-person instruction. These courses cover cycle tracking and other important information to help women reap the benefits of this natural approach to health and family planning. In addition, Cycle Prep and TeenFEMM, two programs that introduce cycle awareness and its health benefits to younger women, are available for mothers and their daughters.
Cycle Prep and TeenFEMM are particularly important resources because girls transitioning through puberty need education and support to achieve healthy menstrual cycles and hormones, which impact their growth and development, mental health and future fertility.
When girls and women experience menstrual cycle problems, it is advised to seek treatment from a health professional trained in restorative reproductive medicine, which uses cycle tracking to identify and resolve root causes rather than simply treating the symptoms.
Several Catholic, pro-life health professionals in the Charlotte diocese have completed additional medical training in order to offer this approach to women’s healthcare, which aims to restore healthy hormones, ovulation and fertility.
Email the diocese’s Family Life Office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to find a supportive program or health professional near you.
— Batrice Adcock, Special to the Catholic News Herald
More online
At www.charlottediocese.org/faith-life/family-life/natural-family-planning: Learn more about NFP, get answers to basic questions about family planning and Catholic teaching, and sign up for workshops offered through the diocese’s Family Life Office
At www.usccb.org/topics/natural-family-planning: Learn more about Church teaching related to infertility and assisted reproductive techniques
At www.naturalwomanhood.org/find-a-doctor/restorative-reproductive-medicine: Learn more about restorative reproductive medicine