CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Diocese of Charlotte is celebrating a big milestone this year — their 50th anniversary.

They’re also celebrating a lot of growth. When the diocese was founded in 1972, they say it was just over 34,000 members. Today, it’s grown to more than 500,000 members.

What You Need To Know

  • The Diocese of Charlotte was founded January 12, 1972

  • There are now half of a million Catholics in the Diocese of Charlotte

  • The diocese encompasses 46 counties across Western North Carolina with 92 parishes

Bob Gallagher is a life-long parishioner who grew up in Gastonia in the 1950s and 1960s.

"Being Catholic wasn’t just what we did, but who we were,” he said.

He says he’s seen this growth firsthand.

“North Carolina, at the time I grew up, was only about one half of 1% Catholic,” he said. "There were not very many of us at all.”

This growth is a trend that’s opposite for other dioceses around the country.

“If you look around the country, particularly in the Northeast and the Midwest, they’re closing churches,” he said. “They’re closing schools. We’ve got over 90 parishes, now we are opening churches."

He says it’s happened in a short amount of time.

"In just 50 years, that’s not a long time and within the course of the history of the church, it’s a nanosecond,” he said.

Gallagher also says he’s been very active within the church as it has grown. He started as an altar boy.

“I served mass every day for four or five years, sometimes twice on Sunday,” he said.

After graduating college from Belmont Abbey, he went on to law school and lived in Washington, D.C. before returning to North Carolina. When he returned, he became even more involved.

He helped make decisions for parishes by sitting on councils and committees, and he played a role in the establishment of the new campus for the St. Joseph’s College Seminary.

The diocese started as mission territory run by the Benedictine Monks, who established Belmont Abbey College. Then, the Diocese of Raleigh was established in 1924 and was responsible for the whole state.

However, in the 1970s, the Catholic population grew so much that they had to create a new diocese for Western North Carolina, and that became the Diocese of Charlotte.

The Diocese of Charlotte says they encompass 46 counties in the western part of the state with more than 96 parishes.

The Diocese of Charlotte started their celebration on January 12, 2022 and will continue through January 12, 2023. They have events planned all year long. For more info, click here.