To St. Peter Parishioners:

Thank you for recognizing the importance of passing on and celebrating our Catholic faith with your child.  St. Peter Church is ready to support you through the Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools (MACS) Parish Participation Voucher for your family.

The MACS Participation Voucher provides preferential consideration during the MACS Admissions process and a substantial tuition subsidy.  This discount represents a significant financial commitment for MACS, the Diocese, and St. Peter Church, therefore the Diocese asks the pastor to ensure that each family benefiting from the admissions priority review and reduced tuition is actively engaged in their parish community.

To be eligible to receive the MACS Voucher, a family must be “Participating Catholics.”  Similar to other parishes, St. Peter requires, as our definition of “actively engaged,” the following of families with MACS students:

• A family must be registered at St. Peter for at least six months before requesting a Parish Participation Voucher from the parish office.
• Each student seeking the MACS voucher must be baptized as a Catholic.
• During a sacrament year, the student must participate in an appropriate sacrament preparation class at St. Peter.
• Each family, including the student receiving the voucher, must participate regularly in the Sunday Mass.
• Each family, to the extent possible, should financially support St. Peter in excess of the parish subsidy for each MACS student in the family.
• Each family should participate in parish ministries and activities by sharing your time and talent.

Families who fulfill the criteria as Participating Catholics receive a substantial tuition discount of at least 30% from MACS published tuition for non-Participating Catholics. This discount is funded in part by assessments levied on the parishes at which Catholic families are registered.  For the 2022-2023 school year, the Charlotte Diocese assessed St. Peter $268,428.  This assessed subsidy is 14% of our annual budget and is paid from St. Peter’s general operating funds, which are contributions from our parishioners regardless of whether they have MACS students.  For the current school year this assessment works out to about $1,200 per MACS student whose family is registered at our parish.

Families that are active in their parish life and meet Stewardship expectations often have a richer and more satisfying relationship with their school and parish, strengthen a family’s spiritual growth, and enhance their sense of Catholic discipleship.  We hope your family will find ways to engage with our faith community at St. Peter, please visit our website to find information on parish faith formation programs, ministries, and events.

Gratefully in Christ,

Fr. Timothy J. Stephens, SJ

Pastor