Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh was chosen as the site of the new capital in 1788, as its central location protected it from attacks from the coast. It was officially established in 1792 as both county seat and state capital (incorporated on December 31, 1792 – charter granted January 21, 1795). The city was named for Sir Walter Raleigh, sponsor of Roanoke, the "lost colony" on Roanoke Island.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte
The Diocese of Raleigh, established in 1924, was the first diocese in North Carolina. It included the entire State until the formation of the Diocese of Charlotte on January 12, 1972. At that time, Fr. Michael Begley, a priest in the Diocese of Raleigh, was ordained and installed as the first bishop of Charlotte. Bishop Begley served as ordinary of the diocese until his retirement at age seventy-five in May 1984, after which he served as apostolic administrator. When the new diocese was established, the Catholic population of the area was just over 34,000. Fr. John Donoghue, a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, succeeded Bishop Begley in late 1984, and was appointed Bishop of Charlotte by the Holy See on 6 November and installed on 18 December 1984. The population of Catholics in Charlotte continued to grow, and Bishop Donoghue declared in the early 1990s that it would be the "Decade of Evangelization". Bishop Donoghue became Archbishop of Atlanta on 22 June 1993 and was succeeded by William G. Curlin, Auxiliary Bishop of Washington and Titular Bishop of Rosemarkie, on 13 April 1994. Bishop Curlin served the Diocese of Charlotte until his retirement on September 10, 2002. At this time, the population of the diocese had grown to approximately 87,000 people. On August 1, 2003, Pope John Paul II appointed Peter J. Jugis, judicial vicar and pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Monroe, North Carolina, as the fourth bishop of Charlotte, which he remains to this day. He was consecrated on October 24, 2003.