Jan 2010
From the Pastor
January/30/2010
THANK YOU, thank you for your most generous response to the Haitian relief efforts! So far, our parish has donated $30,000 in cash and checks that will be forwarded through the diocese to Catholic Relief Services for distribution to the needs of the people of Haiti. This does not count the funds raised through our school children. Your most generous response to God’s people in need will not be overlooked by the Lord of all, especially when His children are suffering! We also are grateful for the donations of food and water for Haiti, coming steadily each day. These are loaded onto a container ship in Miami for a three-day journey to that shattered country.
There are so many requests for help and so many people of good will who want to help in the desperate situation in Haiti that it’s necessary to work with and through legitimate organizations that can funnel and match up these needs and responses. Sometimes people just discard their old and worn clothing and drop them off at the church to “get rid” of their refuse. When these are being sorted by members and volunteers of the Haitian relief programs here, they have to be “trashed.” That’s unfortunate, and a waste of the time and effort of the volunteers. What is needed most are: tents, tarps, blankets, rolls of large heavy duty plastic bags. These items give the Haitian people something to protect themselves from the elements while they sleep in parks, lots, fields and elsewhere in the open.
They do not want sheets or linens. They also need canned or pre-packaged non-perishable foods and bottled water. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Mission in Delray Beach is coordinating these relief efforts; its administrator, Father Roland, has been in Haiti for a week to see what more can be done to get the relief to the people in most need.
As you may have now heard, Father Ridore’s sister has been rescued and is recuperating in the Dominican Republic. People have asked about raising additional funds to rebuild her order’s convent in Haiti. At this time, and until we get the direction from our bishop to do so, we will wait to see what plans the Archdiocese of Port-au- Prince has when it gets its new leadership. We will continue to work with those who have a real grasp of the situation to assess the projected needs for the future. We will also try to keep our perspective in continuing to support our own mission in Guatemala, without losing our focus on the immediacy of Haitian relief.
We also join our voices with many others in prayer to God for the two faculty members and the four students from Lynn University in Boca Raton, who apparently were lost in the collapse of the hotel where they were staying in Port-au-Prince during the earthquake. They had been part of a larger team from the school to work with the Food for the Poor organization in Haiti. Though their families and friends will grieve for their loss, their commitment to the poor in Haiti will be long remembered and, hopefully, emulated. We extend our prayers and sympathy to President Donald Ross and the entire Lynn University family.
This weekend is “Commitment Weekend” in support of this year’s (2010) Diocesan Services Appeal. Our goal is the participation in a “Sacrificial Faith Commitment” from every Catholic household in the parish. Every family attending Mass today is invited to offer a generous pledge to advance the mission and ministry of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Palm Beach. This is an awesome opportunity to teach your little ones the way to become good stewards of God’s gifts, and to make their own sacrifices in helping to contribute to the family’s commitment. Since we do have a large amount of seasonal parish family members, I would like to encourage them and those who didn’t receive a pledge envelope in the mail to take one today, and mark out your “suggested gift level.” While you are enjoying the climate here, you are included in our ministry, and we hope that you will assist us in it by your support of our diocesan-wide outreach programs.
This Sunday marks the beginning of Catholic Schools Week. The theme of the week for this year is “Catholic Schools: Dividends for Life.” Some of the other featured events are found in Sr. Maria’s column, but I wish to draw your attention to this Sunday’s Pancake Breakfast after the first 3 morning Masses (8:00 to 11:15 AM); the Open House on Friday from 9 to 10:45 AM; and the Spaghetti Dinner on Saturday from 5 to 8 PM in the Gym. God bless the parents and teachers who are preparing this week-long extravaganza of educational, social and fun activities! May God reward our Principal, Mrs. Delgado, and the teachers and staff at our school, and all those parents who volunteer to serve in numerous ways to help out our school. God bless you! The St. Blaise Day traditional blessing of the throats will take place on that saint’s Feast Day, this Wednesday, at each of the daily Masses. Your infants are welcome to join you for a blessing.
Very Rev. Canon Tom
There are so many requests for help and so many people of good will who want to help in the desperate situation in Haiti that it’s necessary to work with and through legitimate organizations that can funnel and match up these needs and responses. Sometimes people just discard their old and worn clothing and drop them off at the church to “get rid” of their refuse. When these are being sorted by members and volunteers of the Haitian relief programs here, they have to be “trashed.” That’s unfortunate, and a waste of the time and effort of the volunteers. What is needed most are: tents, tarps, blankets, rolls of large heavy duty plastic bags. These items give the Haitian people something to protect themselves from the elements while they sleep in parks, lots, fields and elsewhere in the open.
They do not want sheets or linens. They also need canned or pre-packaged non-perishable foods and bottled water. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Mission in Delray Beach is coordinating these relief efforts; its administrator, Father Roland, has been in Haiti for a week to see what more can be done to get the relief to the people in most need.
As you may have now heard, Father Ridore’s sister has been rescued and is recuperating in the Dominican Republic. People have asked about raising additional funds to rebuild her order’s convent in Haiti. At this time, and until we get the direction from our bishop to do so, we will wait to see what plans the Archdiocese of Port-au- Prince has when it gets its new leadership. We will continue to work with those who have a real grasp of the situation to assess the projected needs for the future. We will also try to keep our perspective in continuing to support our own mission in Guatemala, without losing our focus on the immediacy of Haitian relief.
We also join our voices with many others in prayer to God for the two faculty members and the four students from Lynn University in Boca Raton, who apparently were lost in the collapse of the hotel where they were staying in Port-au-Prince during the earthquake. They had been part of a larger team from the school to work with the Food for the Poor organization in Haiti. Though their families and friends will grieve for their loss, their commitment to the poor in Haiti will be long remembered and, hopefully, emulated. We extend our prayers and sympathy to President Donald Ross and the entire Lynn University family.
This weekend is “Commitment Weekend” in support of this year’s (2010) Diocesan Services Appeal. Our goal is the participation in a “Sacrificial Faith Commitment” from every Catholic household in the parish. Every family attending Mass today is invited to offer a generous pledge to advance the mission and ministry of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Palm Beach. This is an awesome opportunity to teach your little ones the way to become good stewards of God’s gifts, and to make their own sacrifices in helping to contribute to the family’s commitment. Since we do have a large amount of seasonal parish family members, I would like to encourage them and those who didn’t receive a pledge envelope in the mail to take one today, and mark out your “suggested gift level.” While you are enjoying the climate here, you are included in our ministry, and we hope that you will assist us in it by your support of our diocesan-wide outreach programs.
This Sunday marks the beginning of Catholic Schools Week. The theme of the week for this year is “Catholic Schools: Dividends for Life.” Some of the other featured events are found in Sr. Maria’s column, but I wish to draw your attention to this Sunday’s Pancake Breakfast after the first 3 morning Masses (8:00 to 11:15 AM); the Open House on Friday from 9 to 10:45 AM; and the Spaghetti Dinner on Saturday from 5 to 8 PM in the Gym. God bless the parents and teachers who are preparing this week-long extravaganza of educational, social and fun activities! May God reward our Principal, Mrs. Delgado, and the teachers and staff at our school, and all those parents who volunteer to serve in numerous ways to help out our school. God bless you! The St. Blaise Day traditional blessing of the throats will take place on that saint’s Feast Day, this Wednesday, at each of the daily Masses. Your infants are welcome to join you for a blessing.
Very Rev. Canon Tom
From the Pastor
January/24/2010
This weekend, we take up that all-important collection to help the most distressed nation in our hemisphere – Haiti. The 2nd collection at each Mass this weekend will be one of the numerous ways in which we can help our brothers and sisters in that country that is only an hour away by air, yet so far away in economic and political stability. Catholic Relief Services has been able to maintain its local office there, and is joining a legion of other officially recognized organizations to reach out to the survivors and try to hold down the death toll. Sadly, the Vicar General of the late Archbishop was also killed in the collapse of the cathedral and diocesan offices, along with other priests and seminarians, which also injured the sister of our Father Danis. She is recovering in the Dominican Republic, as are many other injured survivors. In my last parish, my former associate pastor as well as the current associate pastor lost family members: brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins. Over 40 seminarians were killed, along with several priests and sisters. Please commend them in your prayers, and then reach deep into your heart and pockets to help. The canned goods that we seek will be for our brothers and sisters in our Haitian mission right here in Delray Beach at Our lady of Perpetual Help Mission. Those people, who have lost many family members and relatives, are sending what money they have to purchase food and water for the survivors. We can help them by providing food for their homes from our supply.
Our annual Diocesan Services Appeal for the 2010 year begins with the video this weekend explaining the different dimensions of charitable outreach programs that are offered in this area under the auspices of the Catholic Church because of your extended generosity. Seminarians are educated (who might otherwise not be able to afford the opportunity to study in our seminary without your help); programs that promote a respect for life are promoted; spiritual, educational and ministerial help for migrant workers and their children are made possible; counseling for individuals and families (including those affected by divorce or addiction problems) is made available; housing and care for the elderly and sick throughout our diocese are made more affordable; and maintaining some of the Catholic schools in poorer economic areas and extended care services for children are provided – to name just a few of the benefits accruing from your valuable support of the DSA. This week, we ask that you contemplate what sacrifice you will make to enable God’s work to get done through His Church, and next week, we will ask you to make a commitment for this year, including a pledge to be made in the presence of Our Lord, and honored in the course of the next ten months. This week, all registered parishioners will receive the bishop’s personalized letter with a campaign brochure, personalized pledge card and return envelope. All of the pledges that were honored last year virtually helped us to reach our parish goal, without dipping into needed operational funds. For this, our bishop and I are grateful for your support. Our goal this year will be $209,000, and I know that by your sacrifices and careful gift-planning, we’ll achieve that goal, once again.
Thank you for your support of the annual local Rosary for Life this past Friday opposite the County Court
House, joining our Bishop Barbarito. Many of you are the same people who join me each month to pray against the “death peddlers” at the abortion clinic in West Palm Beach. For this, I am grateful. It is only through your prayers for God’s help and legal actions that we can win the victory over the “culture of death.” Without God’s help, it is impossible!
Congratulations to the men and boys, friends and associates who attended this past Saturday’s half-day Annual Spiritual Rally for Men at the Cathedral with Bishop Barbarito. It was truly a fabulous opportunity to join other such men in an effort to get back on the true course set for us by our Redeemer. The morning was filled with prayer, music, inspirational talks by “Dion” (of the “Dion and the Belmonts” fame) and Peter Herbeck, Confession, and other testimonies. The highlight is always the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and homily by our bishop. May you be uplifted in your family and work life and spread that Christian feeling to all others you meet.
Next week, we begin Catholic Schools Week. It is a special time for our parish because of the great school and program we have. Thanks to the leadership of Mrs. Vikki Delgado and her team of associates and teachers, we have an excellent Catholic institution to help us bring the best of knowledge of God and His creation to our youngsters . For a detailed list of the CSW events, please read Sister Maria’s column elsewhere in this bulletin.
Very Rev. Canon Tom
Our annual Diocesan Services Appeal for the 2010 year begins with the video this weekend explaining the different dimensions of charitable outreach programs that are offered in this area under the auspices of the Catholic Church because of your extended generosity. Seminarians are educated (who might otherwise not be able to afford the opportunity to study in our seminary without your help); programs that promote a respect for life are promoted; spiritual, educational and ministerial help for migrant workers and their children are made possible; counseling for individuals and families (including those affected by divorce or addiction problems) is made available; housing and care for the elderly and sick throughout our diocese are made more affordable; and maintaining some of the Catholic schools in poorer economic areas and extended care services for children are provided – to name just a few of the benefits accruing from your valuable support of the DSA. This week, we ask that you contemplate what sacrifice you will make to enable God’s work to get done through His Church, and next week, we will ask you to make a commitment for this year, including a pledge to be made in the presence of Our Lord, and honored in the course of the next ten months. This week, all registered parishioners will receive the bishop’s personalized letter with a campaign brochure, personalized pledge card and return envelope. All of the pledges that were honored last year virtually helped us to reach our parish goal, without dipping into needed operational funds. For this, our bishop and I are grateful for your support. Our goal this year will be $209,000, and I know that by your sacrifices and careful gift-planning, we’ll achieve that goal, once again.
Thank you for your support of the annual local Rosary for Life this past Friday opposite the County Court
House, joining our Bishop Barbarito. Many of you are the same people who join me each month to pray against the “death peddlers” at the abortion clinic in West Palm Beach. For this, I am grateful. It is only through your prayers for God’s help and legal actions that we can win the victory over the “culture of death.” Without God’s help, it is impossible!
Congratulations to the men and boys, friends and associates who attended this past Saturday’s half-day Annual Spiritual Rally for Men at the Cathedral with Bishop Barbarito. It was truly a fabulous opportunity to join other such men in an effort to get back on the true course set for us by our Redeemer. The morning was filled with prayer, music, inspirational talks by “Dion” (of the “Dion and the Belmonts” fame) and Peter Herbeck, Confession, and other testimonies. The highlight is always the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and homily by our bishop. May you be uplifted in your family and work life and spread that Christian feeling to all others you meet.
Next week, we begin Catholic Schools Week. It is a special time for our parish because of the great school and program we have. Thanks to the leadership of Mrs. Vikki Delgado and her team of associates and teachers, we have an excellent Catholic institution to help us bring the best of knowledge of God and His creation to our youngsters . For a detailed list of the CSW events, please read Sister Maria’s column elsewhere in this bulletin.
Very Rev. Canon Tom
From the Pastor
January/15/2010
The tragedy of the deadly earthquake that has struck Haiti this past week has wreaked havoc on the poorest nation of our hemisphere. In this most impoverished country of nine million people, 80% of whom are Catholic, tens of thousands of God’s people have lost their lives, including the capital city’s new archbishop, many priests, nuns and seminarians. The beautiful large cathedral in the capital city was destroyed, along with the major seminary, the residence of the country’s president, most government buildings, hospitals, churches, schools and countless homes. It could hardly have happened to a more tragic nation, whose people have been wearied over the past half century by corrupt dictators, inept politicians, four disastrous hurricanes just one year ago, and a political and cultural infrastructure that has been ravaged and raped repeatedly. Is this latest devastation what it finally takes to wake up the better-off nations of the world to come to the aid of their beleaguered brothers and sisters? We will take up a special Second Collection next weekend to express our solidarity with the victims of this natural disaster. Your most generous support of relief efforts will be channeled by our diocese to Catholic Relief Services, which has already been at work alongside numerous other charitable organizations to bring aid and comfort to those who have survived the quake. In the meantime, our Haitian mission church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Delray Beach, is asking for canned goods and dry-packaged goods such as rice and beans to help their starving relatives in Haiti. The drive was originally planned to help out parishioners of that mission who are hurt more than most by the economic crisis in our country and area, but who see the plight of their own family members “back home” as even more desperate, and are willing to share their own few goods with them. You can put the food in our food baskets near the entrances of our church. You can put your money in envelopes next week, marked “FOR HAITI.” Pray for the families of our seminarians, Wesler and Jude!
Not losing sight of the Haitian tragedy, we are still concerned (as we always will be) especially at this time of year, with the tragedy of abortion, and the lives it destroys in our society. As we approach the anniversary of the infamous Roe v Wade decision of our nation’s Supreme Court, we are reminded that there are still forces in our government, especially in our Congress, that consider human life to be expendable for the sake of convenience, greed, selfishness, personal or political ambition or desperation. All of our recent popes have labeled abortion to be the #1 moral issue of our time, because it reflects the ultimate disregard for human life through attacks on the most vulnerable innocent human life. It can NEVER be justified. That’s why we offer daily petitions in our Prayers of the Faithful at Mass, beseeching God to end this scourge of sin in our society. That’s why more and more of our bishops are reckoning with politicians who, while they describe themselves as ‘practicing’ Catholics, continually vote or work against the teachings of the Catholic Church on these and related important moral issues, always trying to rationalize their way of their morally precarious situations with the oblique, “I follow my conscience.” Their consciences are obviously not formed by thetrue teachings of the Church, enlightened by the Holy Spirit. No wonder the Archbishop of San Francisco severely chastised Nancy Pelosi after her ridiculous remarks recently about her disagreement with Church teachings on this and other moral issues. He clearly states: “It is entirely incompatible with Catholic teaching to conclude that our freedom of will justifies choices that are radically contrary to the Gospel—racism, infidelity, abortion, theft. Freedom of will is the capacity to act with moral responsibility; it’s not the ability to determine arbitrarily what constitutes moral right. While we deeply respect the freedom of our fellow citizens, we nevertheless are profoundly convinced that free will cannot be cited as a justification for society to allow moral choices that strike at the most fundamental rights of others. Such a choice is abortion, which constitutes the taking of innocent human life, and cannot be justified by any Catholic notion of freedom.” There are others, too, who continue to harp on their Catholicity while trying to rationalize their way out of the problem. They are so blatantly wrong when it comes to two thousand years of Christ continuing to teach through His Church. Please be advised that the Obama Health Care Plan as it currently is drawn up, is strongly opposed by the U. S. Catholic Bishops Conference.
ACTION: Contact your Representative and Senators today by e-mail, phone or FAX. To send a pre-written, instant e-mail to Congress go to www.usccb.org/action. Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at: 202-224-3121, or call your Members’ local offices. Contact info can be found on Members’ web sites at www.house.gov & www.senate.gov.
MESSAGE to the HOUSE MEMBERS: “I urge you to uphold essential provisions against abortion funding, to include full conscience protection and to assure that health care is accessible and affordable for all. Until and unless these criteria are met, I urge you to oppose the final bill.”
MESSAGE to the SENATE MEMBERS: “I urge you to support essential provisions against abortion funding, similar to those in the House bill. Include full conscience protection and assure that health care is accessible and affordable for all. Until and unless these criteria are met, I urge you to oppose the final bill.” WHEN: Votes in the House and Senate on the final bill are expected this month- January. Act today! Thank You!
In solidarity with the countless victims of the Roe v Wade decision, and those taking part in the annual Right to Life march in D.C. this week, please join our bishop across the street from the County Court House in West Palm Beach on Friday, January 22nd at 11 A.M., as we pray the annual Rosary for Life. If and when you can, join us for our Rosary for Life each 1st Saturday at 9:00 a.m. at the abortion center just north of 45th St. and Village Blvd., West Palm Beach. !!!
THANK YOU! We did it! We made our DSA goal for the first time in over 6 years without digging into parish operational funds! If the few remaining pledges are honored, we’ll be slightly over this year’s goal (so much for the nay-sayers and negative media).
Very Rev. Canon Tom
Not losing sight of the Haitian tragedy, we are still concerned (as we always will be) especially at this time of year, with the tragedy of abortion, and the lives it destroys in our society. As we approach the anniversary of the infamous Roe v Wade decision of our nation’s Supreme Court, we are reminded that there are still forces in our government, especially in our Congress, that consider human life to be expendable for the sake of convenience, greed, selfishness, personal or political ambition or desperation. All of our recent popes have labeled abortion to be the #1 moral issue of our time, because it reflects the ultimate disregard for human life through attacks on the most vulnerable innocent human life. It can NEVER be justified. That’s why we offer daily petitions in our Prayers of the Faithful at Mass, beseeching God to end this scourge of sin in our society. That’s why more and more of our bishops are reckoning with politicians who, while they describe themselves as ‘practicing’ Catholics, continually vote or work against the teachings of the Catholic Church on these and related important moral issues, always trying to rationalize their way of their morally precarious situations with the oblique, “I follow my conscience.” Their consciences are obviously not formed by thetrue teachings of the Church, enlightened by the Holy Spirit. No wonder the Archbishop of San Francisco severely chastised Nancy Pelosi after her ridiculous remarks recently about her disagreement with Church teachings on this and other moral issues. He clearly states: “It is entirely incompatible with Catholic teaching to conclude that our freedom of will justifies choices that are radically contrary to the Gospel—racism, infidelity, abortion, theft. Freedom of will is the capacity to act with moral responsibility; it’s not the ability to determine arbitrarily what constitutes moral right. While we deeply respect the freedom of our fellow citizens, we nevertheless are profoundly convinced that free will cannot be cited as a justification for society to allow moral choices that strike at the most fundamental rights of others. Such a choice is abortion, which constitutes the taking of innocent human life, and cannot be justified by any Catholic notion of freedom.” There are others, too, who continue to harp on their Catholicity while trying to rationalize their way out of the problem. They are so blatantly wrong when it comes to two thousand years of Christ continuing to teach through His Church. Please be advised that the Obama Health Care Plan as it currently is drawn up, is strongly opposed by the U. S. Catholic Bishops Conference.
ACTION: Contact your Representative and Senators today by e-mail, phone or FAX. To send a pre-written, instant e-mail to Congress go to www.usccb.org/action. Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at: 202-224-3121, or call your Members’ local offices. Contact info can be found on Members’ web sites at www.house.gov & www.senate.gov.
MESSAGE to the HOUSE MEMBERS: “I urge you to uphold essential provisions against abortion funding, to include full conscience protection and to assure that health care is accessible and affordable for all. Until and unless these criteria are met, I urge you to oppose the final bill.”
MESSAGE to the SENATE MEMBERS: “I urge you to support essential provisions against abortion funding, similar to those in the House bill. Include full conscience protection and assure that health care is accessible and affordable for all. Until and unless these criteria are met, I urge you to oppose the final bill.” WHEN: Votes in the House and Senate on the final bill are expected this month- January. Act today! Thank You!
In solidarity with the countless victims of the Roe v Wade decision, and those taking part in the annual Right to Life march in D.C. this week, please join our bishop across the street from the County Court House in West Palm Beach on Friday, January 22nd at 11 A.M., as we pray the annual Rosary for Life. If and when you can, join us for our Rosary for Life each 1st Saturday at 9:00 a.m. at the abortion center just north of 45th St. and Village Blvd., West Palm Beach. !!!
THANK YOU! We did it! We made our DSA goal for the first time in over 6 years without digging into parish operational funds! If the few remaining pledges are honored, we’ll be slightly over this year’s goal (so much for the nay-sayers and negative media).
Very Rev. Canon Tom
From the Pastor
January/10/2010
For more information on the pilgrimage, or to begin booking your reservation now or make a deposit,
please contact the parish office.