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 Blessed 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 in1984. In 1993 he received his doctorate in canon law (JCD) from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

It is tradition for every bishop to have his own coat of arms and motto.

Similar to many bishops' coats of arms, Bishop Peter J. Jugis' coat of arms is composed of the shield with its charges, motto and external armaments. But the details of the design and the motto have special significance to Bishop Jugis.

"Bishop Jugis impales his personal heraldic device onto the arms of this diocese to represent his governance of the people of God in the church of Charlotte," explained Father James Parker, a priest of the Diocese of Charleston, S.C., who designed the coat of arms.

Father Parker is a heraldic designer who has devised arms for cardinals, other members of the hierarchy and various church institutions. He is a member of the Heraldry Society of England, Scotland, Canada and the American Society of Heraldry.

The coat of arms' artwork is by Father Larry Lossing, a priest of the Diocese of Orlando, Fla., and a professional artist.

CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis recently sat down for an interview with Catholic News Herald Editor Patricia Guilfoyle to discuss his priorities for 2013:

CNH: What are your prayer intentions and priorities for the new year?

Bishop Jugis: As always my priorities – ever since my first year as bishop – continue to be four major themes of emphasis: on catechesis, evangelization, promoting vocations to the religious life and to the priesthood, and the liturgy. My prayer intentions would be based on conversations we bishops had at our November meeting regarding this prayer campaign for life, marriage and religious liberty which we're taking on this year. I would like for our diocese to participate in that national effort to continue to promote respect for life, protection of marriage, and religious liberty and conscience protection. There are five components to that prayer campaign: a monthly hour of Eucharistic Adoration, a daily family rosary, prayers of the faithful at Masses, a new strategy that was suggested at the conference – fasting and abstinence from meat on Fridays – and a new Fortnight for Freedom campaign in June and July.

In addition this year, I will continue to remember the poor, the needy and the unemployed during what is still a difficult economic time.