About The Making Room Challenge

A shared response to a growing Church

Making Room – for More to Know the Love of Jesus is a $150 million challenge to build up our parishes and ministries, reach out to people in need and secure the future of our Church for generations to come.

OUR INVITATION

More than a fundraising effort

Making Room begins with gratitude. When we recognize how richly God has blessed us, we are moved to respond — not only from our surplus, but from our hearts.

This challenge invites every parishioner to pray, participate and consider sacrificial generosity. Its success will be measured not only by dollars raised, but by how we engage with the Church and reflect God’s grace in every part of our lives.

A RESPONSE OF FAITH

The greatest spiritual fruit of Making Room will be witnessed when each Catholic in our region takes these steps in faith:

Reflect

Prayerfully reflect on the blessings God has given me

Psalm 136

Give

Determine to give back not from my surplus, but from my want

Mark 12:41–44

Trust

Know that the God of plenty will bless me even more when I trust Him

Jeremiah 17:7–8

WHY THIS MATTERS

We stand at a watershed moment

The Church of western North Carolina is experiencing remarkable growth. Across 46 counties, more than 575,000 Catholics now call the Diocese of Charlotte home. About half are of Hispanic origin, and many cultures, languages and traditions enrich our diocesan family.

Our parishes are the foundation of our faith. They form missionary disciples, serve people in need and help families grow closer to Christ. As our vineyard grows, so does the need to strengthen the places and ministries entrusted to our care.

THE NEED BEFORE US

Growth brings opportunity — and responsibility

Some parishes are overflowing and need new worship, classroom and gathering spaces. Others face aging facilities, urgent repairs or limited resources. Demand for Catholic education, charitable services, Campus Ministry and leadership formation continues to rise.

Making Room gives us an opportunity to act now — building on the faith of those who came before us and preparing the way for those who will follow.

THE $150 MILLION CHALLENGE

Investing today. Sustaining the mission tomorrow.

Making Room will direct $75 million toward capital needs and $75 million toward new or augmented endowments.

$42 million

Outreach to People in Need

$63 million

Strengthen Our Faith Communities

$45 million

Secure Our Future

Explore the Challenge Priorities

A DIOCESAN-WIDE EFFORT

Two years of participation. A legacy for generations.

June 2026

The Making Room Challenge begins across the Diocese of Charlotte.

2026 - 2028

Active participation phase. Every parish will participate.

June 2028

Initial challenge conclusion. Donors fulfill pledges over five years.

The Making Room Challenge runs from June 2026 through June 2028 and includes the participation of every parish. Donors are invited to make pledges payable over five years and to consider a planned gift as part of their legacy.

At least $50 million

will go directly to parishes

PARISHES AT THE CENTER

Local needs. Lasting impact.

Parishes will retain 50% of the initial funds they raise for local capital projects, ministry needs and the establishment or enhancement of endowments. Parishes that reach designated stretch goals will retain 100% of additional funds raised.

Each parish will discern its most pressing needs, ensuring that this diocesan-wide effort creates meaningful impact close to home.

A MESSAGE FROM BISHOP MARTIN

A moment of faith and trust

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

What a gift it is to witness the outpouring of faith across our growing Diocese of Charlotte. In every parish, school and ministry, I see how God is blessing us with new opportunities to deepen our discipleship and share His love with others.

My pastoral vision for our diocese — informed by all of you — sees us simply as a place where everyone so loves Jesus, we share Him with others.

Rooted in timeless truth, this vision now presses upon us with greater urgency. Long before our diocese existed, faithful men and women stepped forward in trust. They built St. Joseph Church in Mount Holly and founded Belmont Abbey College. Their courage planted seeds of faith that have flourished far beyond what they could have imagined.

We now inherit this beautiful vineyard, cultivated by those before us and entrusted to our care today. Since our founding in 1972, our diocese has grown from 35,000 to more than 575,000 Catholics — and every day we welcome more into our Church.

We stand at a pivotal moment in western North Carolina. Our rapid growth, enriched by many cultures and languages, compels us to strengthen our local Church and ensure that every person has the chance to encounter Jesus Christ.

This is a moment for discipleship, an opportunity to reflect on all that God has given us — including the total gift of His Son — and ask ourselves: How can I bring those gifts and present them to the Lord? How can I reflect in my life and in my financial choices how blessed I have been by God?

These times call us to move beyond the sometimes transactional relationship many of us fall into in our faith, and embrace the generous, outward-focused spirit of the Gospel. This is hard work, but it is good and necessary.

To succeed in this vision, we must invest in our parishes, schools and ministries. We cannot be passive in our love for our Church. Rather, we must allow ourselves to be transformed by the Holy Spirit. This is a moment of faith and trust.

You can help by joining us in Making Room — for More to Know the Love of Jesus — a philanthropic challenge to build up our parishes and ministries, physically and spiritually, and to make way for our friends and neighbors to join us, too.

The Making Room Challenge invites you to reflect on the gifts you have received and to invest them in furthering the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, our homes and our communities.

Just as the Philippians bonded in partnership with St. Paul, I invite you to become partners in our efforts to do God’s work. The success of this moment is not simply measured by dollars raised, but rather by how we engage with the Church and how we reflect God’s grace in all aspects of our lives.

As your bishop, I invite you to help us meet this challenge. I ask that you pray with me about how the Holy Spirit is guiding you to participate through your faith, your witness and your sacrificial generosity.

Please know of my affection and prayers for you as we walk this journey together. May we build a Church in western North Carolina where every person can encounter Christ’s saving love and where missionary disciples are formed to share Him with others.

Peace,

+ Most Reverend Michael T. Martin, OFM Conv.

Bishop of Charlotte

PRAY WITH US

Pray with Bishop Martin

God of all goodness

We come before you aware of the many blessings we have all received. Indeed, you are a God of plenty!

As we embark upon this challenge of “Making Room – for More to Know the Love of Jesus,” help us to be open in every aspect of our lives.

Help us to be able to sacrifice, to stretch ourselves for the sake of your kingdom, so that this moment in the life of our diocese will be marked by a spirit of selfless giving that is epitomized by your Son’s death on the cross.

Allow us to see that when we fully entrust everything in our lives to you, your Holy Spirit will transform our gift in countless ways, causing others to see us as disciples of your Son worth following.

That is the heart of Jesus’ Great Commission, and the heart of this Making Room Challenge.

We call upon the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, all the Saints and all the holy ones of the past who made room for us in western North Carolina, as we ask all of this through Christ our Lord.

Amen!