Bishop defends mission at Charlotte Catholic
Bishop Michael Martin emphasizes the school's focus on forming 'disciples of Jesus Christ'
The following article appeared in the March 31, 2025, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
Bishop on Charlotte Catholic controversy: the school’s top mission is to form disciples of Jesus, and for those that don’t like that, ‘this might not be the school for you’
Some parents have been upset by the recent direction of Charlotte Catholic. (Photo by Kevin Young/The 5 and 2 Project)
In his first public comments about the recent controversy at Charlotte Catholic High School, Bishop Michael Martin said that the school will do a better job of listening and engaging with parents but that “we’re not here as a school that responds to public demand.”
Martin, who became bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte last May, made the remarks in response to a question he was asked during a presentation at Charlotte Catholic about parenting, according to an article in the Catholic News Herald, which is a diocese-operated media outlet.
It’s been a tense school year at Charlotte Catholic. Some parents have been upset over what they call a transparency problem that came to light after the school changed to a Catholic accreditation program over the summer and didn’t communicate the switch to families.
And some parents have voiced concerns that the curriculum is shifting to amplify the school’s Catholic identity, and in February, principal Lori Phillips resigned after some parents criticized her handling of parent frustrations. A video clip taken from a parent meeting at Charlotte Catholic the week before her resignation spread widely online, with Phillips motioning to parents in the audience and saying “there is a culture problem right here.”
Just days before Phillips’ resignation, the acting pastor of St. Matthew Catholic Church, which is the largest church in the Charlotte diocese, told parishioners from the lectern that he had asked the area’s Catholic schools officials “on many occasions” to pursue dual accreditation, and that he has asked that a school board made up of parents, teachers and clergy be “established immediately.”
According to the Catholic News Herald article, Martin told parents during his March 20 appearance that school officials will “do a better job at communicating the mission. We’ll do a better job at communicating the choices that we make. … We’ll do a better job of engaging parents and listening. We’ll do all that better. We’ve got a lot of ways to grow.”
He also emphasized that as a Catholic school system, “We’re not going to change the mission” and said parents shouldn’t expect democratic rule.
“Our purpose is to form disciples of Jesus Christ in the Church,” Martin said, “and if that’s not what you’re looking for … this might not be the school for you.”
Some parents have been taking polls to gauge how families feel about changes taking place at the school, and some say they’ve withdrawn their children from the school or are planning to switch to other schools next year.
“We’re not here as a school that responds to public demand — that’s the public school system. Our mission is different, and it’s my responsibility as the local bishop to articulate what that mission is and then to hire qualified people to carry that out,” the article quoted Martin as saying.
He asked that parents and school leaders “take a bit of a pause” to reflect on what’s happened before moving forward.
“We’re not doing anything. We’re not changing anything. We are taking some time here at Charlotte Catholic, we’re taking some time to let the dust settle, and then we’ll go from there.” —Cristina Bolling
Related Ledger articles:
“Principal of Charlotte Catholic High resigns” (Feb. 11)
“Rift widens at Charlotte Catholic” (Feb. 10)
“Parents demand clarity on Charlotte Catholic’s accreditation” (Jan. 10 🔒)
“Charlotte Catholic apologizes for not communicating accreditation change, but frustration remains” (Jan. 15 🔒)
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