CHARLESTON — Msgr. James A. Carter, pastor of Christ Our King Parish in Mount Pleasant, was reappointed by Bishop Robert J. Baker as vicar general of the Diocese of Charleston. Msgr. Joseph R. Roth, pastor of St. Andrew Church in Myrtle Beach, was appointed as co-vicar general of the Diocese of Charleston. Both appointments are effective Sept. 29, 2000.
Msgr. Roth’s primary responsibility will be the supervision of the diocesan Department of Christian Formation, and he will work in conjunction with Msgr. Carter. While Msgr. Roth’s appointment as co-vicar general is effective Sept. 29, he will officially assume responsibility overseeing the Department of Christian Formation on June 1, 2001. Father Martin Laughlin is temporarily overseeing that department following the decision of Gay Rowzie, Ph.D., to enter the Sisters of Humility motherhouse in Villa Maria, Pa.
Msgr. Carter was born in Charleston, the son of James Aloysius and Kathryne Magruder Carter, both deceased.
He attended Cathedral School in Charleston and Bishop England High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Mount St. Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, Md., entered the Seminary of St. Mary in Kentucky, and completed his theological studies at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Md. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1966 by Bishop Ernest L. Unterkoefler at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.
From 1966 to 1973, Msgr. Carter served as associate pastor at St. Mary’s in Greenville, St. John’s in Charleston, and St. Peter’s in Columbia. He was appointed pastor at several parishes before settling in Mount Pleasant, including Holy Spirit on John’s Island, and Our Lady of Good Counsel on Folly Beach, St. Paul’s in Spartanburg, and St. Mary Help of Christians in Aiken. In 1989, he was appointed pastor of Christ Our King.
Msgr. Carter has held numerous appointments: moderator of the Council of Catholic Women of the Charleston Deanery, rector of Cardinal Newman High School in Columbia, chairman of the Ecumenical Affairs Committee, dean of the Aiken and Coastal Deaneries, director of the Sites and Boundaries Committee, member of the Synod Executive Committee, and director of Priest Personnel.
After Hurricane Hugo, Msgr. Carter established, organized, and funded the East Cooper Community Outreach (ECCO) to minister to the victims of the September 1989 disaster. He was the program’s chief operating officer.
In 1991, he was named prelate of honor to his holiness with the title of reverend monsignor by Pope John Paul II. Msgr. Carter was appointed diocesan vicar general by Bishop David B. Thompson on March 1, 1998.
Msgr. Roth was born in Queens, N.Y., the son of Rudolph Richard and Marty Margaret Tovery Roth.
He attended St. Gabriel’s Elementary School in East Elmhurst, N.Y., and the Marist Preparatory School in Espous, N.Y. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. and received his doctorate in divinity from the International Bible Institute.
On July 26, 1956, Msgr. Roth was professed as a Marist Brother, remaining in this vocation for 18 years until released from his vows by the Sacred Congregation of Religious in 1974. He taught, as a brother, in high schools and colleges. He served as a missionary in Kobe, Japan, where he was assistant principal of Marist High School. He was also the founder of the International Scout Troop in Kobe.
Called to the priesthood and accepted by the bishop of Charleston, Msgr. Roth studied at Pope John Paul XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Mass, and was ordained to the priesthood on June 1, 1979, at Sacred Heart Parish in Bayside, N.Y., by Bishop Unterkoefler. For the first three years, Msgr. Roth served as assistant pastor at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Charleston and St. John the Beloved Church in Summerville.
In 1982, he became pastor of Christ The Divine Teacher Parish in Charleston and was appointed chaplain for The Citadel. From 1983 to 1989, Msgr. Roth served as pastor of Stella Maris Church on Sullivan’s Island.
In 1989, he was appointed to St. Mary’s in Aiken. He was named prelate of honor to his holiness with the title of reverend monsignor by Pope John Paul II in 1991. He was appointed pastor of St. Andrew’s in Myrtle Beach in 1994.
In addition to his parish duties, Msgr. Roth has served as the bishop’s secretary, diocesan youth director; Tribunal judge; Pre-Cana director; faculty member at Bishop England High School; Presbyteral Council member; Personnel Committee member; chaplain for the police and fire departments of Sullivan’s Island, Isle of Palms, Aiken, and Myrtle Beach; and the first Catholic chaplain of the S.C. State Firemen’s Association and S.C. Fire Chief’s Association. Msgr. Roth, who served as president of the National Association of Diaconate Directors, currently serves the Diocese of Charleston as director of the Permanent Diaconate program.
In 1987, Msgr. Roth was the recipient of the God and Youth Medal awarded by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.