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BISHOPS' OF FLORIDA POLICY ON CREMATION
Although the Church understands that certain circumstances and
preferences may exist for individuals or relatives to seek cremation,
she maintains as a first preference the funeral rites with the body
present and its immediate burial in a cemetery. Catholics may choose
cremation, provided it in no way expresses a denial of the Catholic
teaching of the dignity of the body. Catholic faithful are encouraged to
seek the counsel of their pastor before choosing cremation. For complete
text of the Bishop's statement visit:
www.flacathconf.org/policies/cremation12-06.pdf
Prayer at the
Lourdes Grotto
in the Vatican Gardens
O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, Mother of Christ,Mother of the Church,
look upon us mercifully at this hour. Virgin faithful, pray for us.
Teach us to believe as youbelieved. Make our faith in God, in Christ, in
theChurch, always to be serene, courageous, strong, and generous. Mother
worthy of love. Mother of faithful love, prayus. Teach us to love God
and our brothers and sistersyou loved them: make our love for others to
bepatient, kindly, and respectful. Cause of our joy, pray for us. Teach
us to be able tograsp, in faith, the paradox of Christian joy,
whichsprings up and blooms from sorrow, renunciation, and union with
your sacrificed Son. Make our joy to begenuine and full, in order to be
able to communicate it to all.Amen.
Please stop by the St. Philomena statue located at the
entrance to the parish center from the John/Francis wing.
Information is available on the Living Rosary Association. The prayer
cards are free.
On Being Courteous In Church
As we take time out to pray and be mindful of God’s presence in our
midst, we ask everyone to do their best in being respectful and
courteous to our fellow parishioners so that there is an atmosphere of
prayer and reverence in the worship space. Refrain from carrying on loud
conversations with neighbors before Mass, which can often be distracting
to people who arrive early to pray in silence.
PRAYER FOR
PRIESTS
O Jesus, I
pray for your faithful and fervent priests, for your unfaithful and
tepid priests, for your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant
mission fields; for your tempted priests, for your lonely and desolate
priests, for your young priests, for your dying priests.
But above all, I recommend to you the priests
dearest to me; the priest who baptized me; the priests who absolved me;
the priests who taught and instructed me; all the priests to whom I am
indebted in any other way. O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart,
and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.
Please continue to pray for all our
seminarians, priests and especially for our two fine priests, our
Pastor, Fr. Montelone and our Parochial Vicar, Fr. Kuzmann. Our Parish
has been blessed by their presence.
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The 7
Second Prayer"
Just repeat this prayer and see how God moves!!
Lord,
I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me,
my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen." |
The
Solemnity of the Assumption
of the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
“To Our
Lady”
Lovely Lady dressed in Blue, teach me how
to pray!
God was just your little Boy, tell me
what to say!
Did you lift Him up, sometimes, gently,
on your knee?
Did you sing to Him the way Mother does
to me?
Did you hold His hand at night?
Did you ever try telling stories of the
World?
O! And did He cry?
Do you really think He cares if I tell
Him things—Little things that happen?
And do the Angels’ wings make a noise?
And can He hear me if I speak low?
Does He understand me now?
Tell me—for you know?
Lovely Lady dressed in blue, teach me how
to pray!
God was just your little Boy, and you
know the way.
Time to Pray
I got up early one morning and rushed
right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish that I didn’t
have time to pray.
Problems just tumbled about me, and
heavier came each task. Why doesn’t God help me? I wondered. He
answered, “you didn’t ask”.
I wanted to see joy and beauty, But the
day toiled on, grey and bleak. I wondered why God didn’t show me, He
said, “but you didn’t seek”.
I tried to come into God’s presence; used
all my keys at the lock, God gently and lovingly chided, “My child, you
didn’t knock”.
I woke up early this morning, and paused
before entering the day; I had so much to accomplish that I had to take
time to pray.
The Meaning of a
Smile
It costs nothing, but gives so much.
It enriches those who receive it
without impoverishing those who give.
It happens in a flash, and the memory
of it lasts forever.
It creates happiness in the home,
fosters goodwill in a business, and is the countersign of friends.
It is rest to the weary, daylight to
the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and nature’s best antidote for
trouble.
Yet it cannot be begged, borrowed or
stolen, for it is something of value only when it is given away.
And, if, in the course of the day, some
of your friends should be too tired to give you a smile, why don’t you
give them one of yours?
For no one needs a smile so much as to
those who have none left to give.
Ordinary Greatness
While it takes courage to achieve
greatness, it takes more courage to find fulfillment in being
ordinary. There are no managers or agents to pave the way. Instead, we
are on individual quests for what is ultimately satisfying in life.
Every now and the, those quests produce quite a surprise. For the joys
that last have little relationship to achievement, to standing one
step higher on the victory platform. The sun rises and sets in
glorious color over every square inch of the earth, in full view of
every living creature. You do not have to jump higher than anyone else
to see it. What is the adventure in being ordinary? It is daring to
love just for the pleasure of giving it away. It is venturing to give
new life and to nurture it to maturity. It is working hard for the
pure joy of being tired at the end of the day. It is caring and
sharing and giving and loving, because we trust our ordinary lives in
the hands of an extraordinary God.
Most Rev. W. Thomas Larkin, D.D.
Second Bishop of St. Petersburg
1923-2006
O
God, from the ranks of your priests you chose your servant, Thomas
Larkin, to fulfill the office as second bishop for the Diocese of St.
Petersburg from 1979 to 1988. Grant that he may share in the eternal
fellowship of those priests who, faithful to the teachings of the
apostles, dwell in your heavenly kingdom.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Date of Birth:
March 31. 1923
Ordained Priest:
May 15, 1947, Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Syracuse, NY
Assignments:
Assistant Pastor - Holy Family Parish,
North Miami (1950-54) Pastor, Christ the King, Jacksonville FL
(1954-67) St. Cecelia Parish, (1967-79)
Ordained Bishop: May
27, 1979, St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Italy (ordained by classmate
and friend, Pope John Paul II)
Bishop Diocese of
St. Petersburg,
Florida – 1979/88
Retired:
November 28, 1988
Died:
November 4, 2006
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