June 2012 Issue
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Catholic Spirituality: The Most Holy Trinity Cathedral Restoration Enters Phase 3 Mothers' Day at the Parishes First Communion and Confirmation Photographs U.S. Bishops Challenge President Obama the Catholic The Newsletter of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands notes from the bishop’s desk Most Reverend Herbert A. Bevard PUBLISHER Father Charles Crespo EDITOR U.S. Bishops’ Bernetia Akin, Valerie Douté Msgr. Michael Kosak PROOFREADERS Spring 2012 Meeting Br. James Petrait, OSFS WEB MASTER is Excellency, Bishop Herbert The Most Reverend Herbert A. Bevard, Bishop Deacon Emith Fludd Bevard, will be among those CIRCULATION attending the annual spring of the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Sarah Jane von Haack general assembly of the U.S. WRITER/ASSISTANT EDITOR H Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in • Discussion of a proposal for a special Frank Iacovella Atlanta, Georgia, on June 13-15. message on Catholic Reflections on Work, GRAPHIC DESIGNER The bishops will have a two-hour floor Poverty and a Broken Economy; June 2012 • Vol. 28 : Issue 6 discussion on domestic and international • A report from chairmen of committees The Catholic Islander is published religious freedom. They also will hear an monthly by the Diocese of St. Thomas in collaborating for the Year of Faith; the Virgin Islands. P.O. Box 301825, address by Carolyn Woo, Ph.D., the new • A report by Bishop Salvatore Cordileone St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services of Oakland, California, chairman of 00803-1825 www.catholicislander.com Telephone: (340) 774-3166 ext. 211, (CRS), the official international humanitarian the USCCB Subcommittee on the Fax: (340) 774-5816 agency of the Catholic Church in the United Promotion and Defense of Marriage, on E-mail: [email protected] © FAITH Catholic™. States. the subcommittee’s work; Other items on the agenda include: • A report by Bishop John Wester of Salt Please submit news, • A 10-year progress report by the National Lake City, chairman of the USCCB digital photography and Review Board on the Charter for the Protection Committee on Communications, on the advertising for the July 2012 issue of of Children and Young People; Task Force for Communications; The Catholic Islander by • Recommendations by the National Review • An update by Bishop George Murry, June 5, 2012. Board from the study, Causes and Context of SJ, of Youngstown, Ohio, secretary of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the USCCB, on the development of the the United States, 1950-2010; 2013-2016 strategic plan. Our Lady of Fatima 95th Anniversary Procession Bishop Herbert Bevard blessed rosaries at St. Anne Chapel on St. Thomas as 200 faithful gathered for a procession 12 honoring the 95th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady of On the cover: Workers install a new cross atop of Fatima in Portugal. Participants Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral marched to Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral, where Bishop Bevard celebrated Mass. 4 Local News 8 Catholic Charities 9 ¡Buenas noticias! 10 Catholic Education June 16-17, Mission Appeal, Immaculate Conception bishop’s calendar Church, LaGrange, Kentucky 11 Spotlight on Youth 14 The Church in the World Friday, June 22, 6 p.m., Diocesan Finance Council June 3, 100th Anniversary Mass and Mission Appeal, meeting, Catholic Chancery, St. Thomas 16 Saint of the Month St. Anastasia Church, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania 18 Catholic Spirituality Sunday, June 24, 8 a.m., Mass, St. Anne Chapel, June 9-10, Mission Appeal, St. John the Evangelist St. Thomas. 20 Journey of Faith Church, Severna Park, Maryland Saturday, June 30, 6 p.m., Mass, Ss. Peter and Paul 22-26 Parish Calendars June 13-15, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Cathedral, St. Thomas. 22-26 Pride of the Parish general meeting, Atlanta, Georgia 2 The Catholic Islander / June 2012 / www.catholicislander.com Liturgical calendar: St. Justin, martyr June 1 | Ss. Marcellinus and Peter, martyrs June 2 | Most Holy Trinity June 3 | St. Boniface, bishop and martyr June 5 | St. Norbert, bishop June 6 | St. Ephrem, deacon and doctor of the Church June 9 | Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ June 10 | Confirmation Fourteen new confirmands posed with their pastor, Bishop Herbert Bevard, Father John Mark and Deacon Neville Father Neil Scantlebury, Bishop Herbert Bevard and visiting Charles posed with the newly confirmed at the end of the Mass at priest Father Trevor Nathasingh of Trinidad at Holy Family St. Joseph Church on St. Croix on May 19. Church on St. Thomas on May 5. The new confirmands posed with Bishop Herbert Bevard after Mass outside Parish Mission St. Patrick Church on St. Croix on May 13. Bishop Herbert Bevard led a parish mission at St. Vincent Ferrer Church in Delray Beach, Florida, on April 23-24. Liturgical calendar: St. Justin, martyr June 1 | Ss. Marcellinus and Peter, martyrs June 2 | Most Holy Trinity June 3 | St. Boniface, bishop and martyr June 5 | St. Norbert, bishop June 6 | St. Ephrem, deacon and doctor of the Church June 9 | Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ June 10 | 3 local news Pro-Life March and Rally Several Catholic priests participated in the St. Croix Right-to-Life Committee’s ecumenical pro-life march and rally in Christiansted on May 12. His Excellency, Bishop Herbert Bevard was the keynote speaker at the rally. Pictured right, left to right, are Father John Juszczak, CSsR, Father Patrick Lynch, CSsR, Father Louis Kemayou and Father John Mark. Reader Survey Results A random survey was conducted among Catholic Divine Mercy Mission parishioners in the Virgin Islands in late April and early May to study the impact of the Catholic Islander publication Father Dan Cambra and Brother Michael Baker of the in our community. Pastors were given a total of 400 surveys Marians of the Immaculate Conception, based at the Divine and were asked to distribute them among a variety of Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, led a three- parishioners. Forty-one responses were recorded, an 11% night mission at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church on St. return, which is the approximate return in general surveys. Thomas on April 11-13. Twenty-seven responses (66%) of the total responses came from St. Thomas, and 14 responses (34%) were recorded from St. Croix; St. John parishioners provided no responses. In general, nearly every question regarding the publication’s circulation, attractiveness, and effectiveness received very high or high approval. Nearly all the individual sections of the publication also scored very high. The questions that received largely negative responses were those that asked if the survey participants had ever visited the Catholic Islander website or the Catholic Islander blog or listened to the Catholic Islander Radio Hour on radio or online. These low numbers paralleled a recent Father Dan Cambra, MIC, celebrated a Mass at Ss. survey conducted by CARA, which calculated that only Peter and Paul Cathedral on St. Thomas on Divine Mercy 2% of adults with access to the Internet visited religious or Sunday, April 15, and then invited parishioners to venerate spiritual websites or blogs. a relic of St. Faustina. Catholic Daughters Luncheon The Catholic Daughters of America, Court 2049, will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a luncheon at Columban Hall on St. Thomas on Sunday, June 3. Original charter members Patricia Jones, Corinne Lockhart, Valerie Moorhead, Carmen Sibilly and Elise Vialet will be honored. The event will also include a priests’ appreciation ceremony. Tickets are available at parish offices for $40. Second Collection Peter’s Pence will be a second collection at Masses at all parishes on June 23-24. This offering allows Catholic faithful to support the Holy Father’s philanthropy by giving him the means to provide emergency assistance to those in need because of natural disaster, war, oppression and disease. 4 The Catholic Islander / June 2012 / www.catholicislander.com St. Barnabas, apostle June 11 | St. Anthony of Padua, priest and doctor of the Church June 13 | Most Sacred Heart of Jesus June 15 | Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary June 16 | St. Romuald, abbot June 19 | St. Aloysius Gonzaga, religious June 21 | Flea Market Knights of Malta in Lourdes The fundraising committee of St. Joseph Church on St. Croix Some 300 members of the Knights and Dames of the Sovereign held a flea market on the parish grounds on April 21 to help Military Order of Malta made their annual pilgrimage to Lourdes, defray the expenses of maintaining the parish. Donated items France, in May, bringing with them 55 “malades,” the French included clothing, electronics, furniture, dishes and books. word for “sick.” Dr. Lina Batenga and Leslie Highfield Carter Drinks and snacks were sold. from Holy Cross Church on St. Croix, and Jerry and Christine Woodhouse from Our Lady of Perpetual Help on St. Thomas deposited written prayers from the faithful in the Virgin Islands in the Grotto of Massabielle where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. Pictured below, Jerry and Christine Woodhouse cared for Peggy Higgins from New Jersey, a mother of four with aggressive breast cancer who had just finished chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Patronal Mass Elegant Tea Party Father John Mark celebrated the patronal Mass of St. Joseph The Alumni Association of St. Patrick School on St. Croix held the Worker at St. Joseph Church on St. Croix on May 1. A an Elegant Tea Party at St. Gerard Hall on May 6 as a fundraiser statue of St. Joseph was placed in front of the altar. for the school. Prayer Group Mass Father Kevin McDonald, CSsR, celebrated the annual Mass of Thanksgiving for the Our Mother of Perpetual Help prayer group in the residence of member Inez Walker on St.