Biography
Bishop Peter Joseph Jugis is a native of Charlotte, N.C., and is the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte.
Bishop Jugis was baptized at St. Ann Catholic Church in Charlotte in 1957 by Monsignor Michael J. Begley, who would later become the first bishop of the newly formed Diocese of Charlotte in 1972.
Bishop Jugis was educated in Catholic and public schools in his hometown of Charlotte, earning a degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1979. After graduation he entered the seminary at the Pontifical North American College in Rome and studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
He was ordained to the priesthood on June 12, 1983, by Pope Saint John Paul II in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Bishop Jugis earned additional degrees in canon law after his ordination. The Pontifical Gregorian University awarded him a licentiate in Canon Law (JCL) in 1984. In 1993 he received his doctorate in canon law (JCD) from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
In addition to serving as the judicial vicar of the Diocese of Charlotte before being ordained as bishop, he carried out pastoral duties at:
- St. Ann Catholic Church, Charlotte, NC
- St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, Winston-Salem, NC
- Holy Infant Catholic Church, Reidsville, NC
- Queen of the Apostles Catholic Church, Belmont, NC
- St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte, NC
- Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Denver, NC
- Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Salisbury, NC
- St. John Neumann Catholic Church, Charlotte, NC
- St. Mark Catholic Church, Huntersville, NC
- Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
Pope (now St.) John Paul II appointed Father Jugis as Bishop of Charlotte in August 2003, succeeding the Most Reverend William G. Curlin, who retired as the third Bishop of Charlotte in 2002. His episcopal ordination took place at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Charlotte on Oct. 24, 2003.
His official title is: The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, J.C.D., Bishop of Charlotte.
Bishop Jugis’ episcopal motto is “Caritas Christi Urget Nos” (“The Love of Christ Impels Us”) from 2 Corinthians 5:14.