When we think of Jamaica, the thoughts of Ocho Rios, beautiful beaches and wonderful scenery come to mind—all of which are part of the island. A year before becoming a priest of the Diocese of Mandeville, I spent 5 days with our founding bishop touring the diocese—and, I saw a very different side of Jamaica! Bishop Paul Boyle said to me: “We have dire poverty. It’s something the tourists don’t see, nor do the television ads feature. Our people are poor. Jamaica is one of the poorest nations in the hemisphere after Haiti, and our diocese is the poorest part of Jamaica.” In the Diocese of Mandeville, there are about six hundred thousand people. Sixty eight percent have no running water; only, outside latrines. Families are using “primitive methods” of disposing human waste—they go into the bushes. People need basic necessities of life: food, clothing, shoes to wear, mattresses—many need a home. The average annual income in Jamaica is US$1,500.00—a little less than $29.00 per week. Many workers don’t receive even this wage. Among people’ aged 15 to 19, 25% are “functionally illiterate.” Many of those who are functionally literate have severe reading problems. Seventy-five percent of students who take standardized testing cannot pass even one subject. There is an alarming number of destitute elderly and abandoned/neglected/abused children and adolescents. People are dying every day from diseases, which no longer exist in the United States because we have adequate medical care. BOTTOM LINE: the Diocese of Mandeville is very, very poor!
All to often, the tropical weather and storms in the Caribbean wreak havoc in the lives of our poor and to our ministries. The cost is enormous to recover from these storms and replace roofs, restore classrooms, clean up from water damage in our buildings, and, replace vestments and liturgical books that were ruined. Also, we work to help families rebuild hundreds of humble homes lost in the storms.
Obviously, we need enormous support for our local church. Please help us as we bring the Gospel, in our Catholic tradition, to our beloved people and help them to experience dignity as children of God. Thank you for welcoming the Diocese of Maneville for you annual mission appeal. For more information, please contact in the U.S.: Fr. Gary Wiesmann (954) 771·8363 Diocese of Mandeville P. O. Box 11062 Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33339-1062 Website of Missionary Group: www.mandevillediocese.org If you like to make a donation online, go to missionsla.org → Donate today → Donate to Mission Cooperative Plan, please select St. Junipero Serra - Camarillo under "Parish Name". A heartfelt thank you from Unbound!Thank you for the wonderful welcome you gave to Unbound and Father Ighacho last month! We hope this “Thank you” from some very special people will bless you!
Dear Padre Serra Parishioners, If you were unable to attend Mass on August 25-26 liturgies, I encourage you to listen to my homily, where I addressed the issue of abuse directly. Padre Serra Parish takes the safety and security of our young parishioners very seriously. We have a Parish Safeguard the Children Committee that serves as the eyes, ears and voice for children and the vulnerable in our community. Over the last several years, the committee has worked with the parish leadership and staff to provide a safe environment for our children, resulting in a number of improvements and the implementation of important policies:
In this three part series, professionals in the field of health care and in the church shared their knowledge of what to expect when a person nears the natural end of life, how to provide compassionate care, and what steps need to be taken in preparation and upon death. Sponsored by the Adult Faith Formation Team and the following partners:
Fr. Jim Clarke |
Because our faith in God and our love for our church is so important to us, we are always eager to share what we have discovered with others. But our busy lives often get in the way: we have good intentions but little time.
Spend a precious hour with Fr. Jim for some new and insightful ideas about how evangelization (“sharing our faith”) can become part of our everyday way of life at home, work, school, and everywhere we go. Vertical Divider
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Discipleship: Becoming Fools for Christ |
This year's parish mission is an invitation to explore the radical foolishness of Christianity as a positive force for change and conversion in the face of division, discrimination, and violence in our world. Looking at the Scripture with new eyes, journeying with wisdom figures like St. Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis, we will reflect on ways to overcome our tendency to 'water down' or domesticate our faith and the message of the Gospel, so that we can respond to Christ's call to be foolish according to the logic of the world and become wise in the eyes of God.
| Daniel P. Horan, OFM, is a Franciscan friar of Holy Name Province of New York, worldwide marathon runner, musician, retreat director, blogger, theology professor, columnist for America magazine and author of several award-winning books, including Dating God. Get to know more through his website: www.danhoran.com and YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/DanHoranOFM |
We take our cars in for periodic oil changes. We see our physicians for an annual physical or wellness check. The same is needed for our spiritual lives, individually and as a faith community, and we can't always get away for a retreat. So a parish mission is that "shot in the arm", that energizing renewal of our personal faith as Jesus' disciples and our parish community's commitment to the Body of Christ.
January 31, 2017
Speaker: Maureen Pratt
Recordings from the May 2016 session
The last gathering was November 21, 2016.
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