Christian Initiation: Who participates and why?

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Feb. 15-21, 2008
oF orlando
Your Faith. Your LiFe. Your CommunitY.
Christian Initiation: Who
participates and why?
inside
LAuRA DODsOn
Florida Catholic correspondent
Travel
through
black history
A10
Bishops say
rape-survivor
bill has flaws
JACquE HORkAn
of the Florida Catholic staff
TALLAHASSEE — The aphorism, “God is in the details,” may
warn Catholics to take a close look
at the Prevention First Act, a bill
supporters say will help prevent
pregnancies resulting from rape
and, thus, abortions.
While the goal may be laudable,
the means the bill would use to
achieve its ends could force Catholic health care providers and institutions to reject their moral beliefs
or face monetary fines and the loss
of their licenses.
The bill, put forth in advance of
the March start of this year’s regular
session of the Florida Legislature,
would require hospital emergency
rooms to inform rape survivors
about their contraception options
PLEASE SEE BILL, A12
ORLANDO — Catechumens,
candidates, the Rite of Christian
Initiation of Adults and the rite of
election are terms heard a lot in
Catholic circles at this time of year.
Although many Catholics have a
general understanding that those
words refer to people and the process of becoming members of the
Catholic Church, not everyone
knows what they really mean.
“Catechumen” is first mentioned
in St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians,
6:6, “One who is being instructed
in the word.” The church continues to use the term to designate
those who have not been baptized,
but who have experienced the desire and made the commitment to
be instructed in the faith.
Cheryl Drohan, a catechumen
at Most Precious Blood Parish in
Oviedo, expressed it this way in
sharing her faith journey, “I had no
formal religious practice. When I
married my husband, a Catholic,
we decided we would practice the
Catholic faith. I went to Mass, but
I didn’t know the prayers or traditions and I couldn’t go to Communion.
“I felt like an outsider and it
grew that I wanted to be a part of
it. I remember seeing catechumens
come forward at Mass, but it terrified me. I wanted to belong and
understand, but I was afraid. My
husband and his family were supportive but didn’t push. Finally, I
said, I’ve got to find out more about
it. I looked down and there was
Donna’s (Scimeca, initiation coordinator) phone number,” Drohan
said.
The Rite of Christian Initiation
of Adults is the liturgical book containing the norms and rituals of the
FLORIDA CATHOLIC PHOTO BY VALETA ORLANDO
Catechumens sign their names in the Book of the Elect Feb. 10 at the National Shrine of Mary,
Queen of the Universe in Orlando, during the rite of election. Their sponsors witness the signing.
The catechumens’ signatures are a public indication of their willingness to receive the sacraments
of initiation. The 2008 class contains 547 catechumens, one of the largest ever in the Diocese of
Orlando.
Catholic Church for people who
wish to become Christians in the
Catholic Church. Many laypeople
commonly refer to the initiation
process as RCIA.
The word “candidate” designates those individuals who have
been baptized Catholic or in another Christian community, but have
not yet received formation in the
church. Candidates journey along
with catechumens in instruction
in the faith, but participate in different rites, which acknowledge
inside: Bishop: Lent is memorial of our baptism A4
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their baptism.
The Acts of the Apostles 2:36-41
is the earliest record of the process
of reception into the newly forming church. “Peter said to them,
PLEASE SEE RITE, A19
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A2
Your orlando communitY
Florida Catholic
Feb. 15-21, 2008
FLORIDA CATHOLIC PHOTO BY CHARLES HODGES
On the heels of its 50th anniversary and last month’s dedication of a refurbished
church, St. Andrew Parish in Orlando introduced its new gospel choir Feb. 3. In the
right foreground is Gretchen Demps Simmons, choir director. In the front row, from
left to right, are: Christiana Dillard, Teodora Dillard, Emily MacGuilliard, Joan Thomas
and Yvonne Gonzalez. In the middle row, from left to right are: Brittany Lawrence,
Janis Lawrence, Mona Merchant, Elizabeth Roche and Geraldine Benjamin. In the
back row, from left to right are: Roosevelt “Reggie” Simmons, Harold Boxie, Brinda
Wadsworth, Michelle Paul, Marcia Headley and Shellita Boxie.
Gospel choir brings an ‘upbeat approach
to worship’ to St. Andrew Parish
BETTY ANN WEBER
Florida Catholic correspondent
ORLANDO — They’d been rehearsing since November — singing
their hearts out, catching the spirit.
Then, at the 11:30 a.m. Mass Feb. 3,
the new St. Andrew gospel choir in
Pine Hills was ready to go.
“We have a newly refurbished
church,” said Kevin Kress, St. An-
drew’s director of music and liturgy,
“so we were ready to try something
new. But it’s Gretchen’s baby. She’s
been trying to birth it for nearly six
years.”
Gospel choir director Gretchen
Demps Simmons, 47, a St. Andrew
parishioner since 1973, never gave
up on her dream of having a gospel
choir at her church.
“Gospel music moves the spirit,”
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February 19, 2008
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Tuesday 12:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.
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said Simmons, who served five
years in the former diocesan office of black community ministry.
“I was the little girl who played her
family piano by ear, the flute in junior high and joined the University
of South Florida gospel choir. But
my love of gospel probably took root
in childhood visits with cousins to
Protestant churches.”
“It has the potential of being a
great asset to our liturgy,” said the
pastor, Society of the Precious Blood
Father Andrew O’Reilly.
Armed with the African-American Catholic hymnal, “Lead Me,
Guide Me,” Simmons recruited
nearly 20 diverse parishioners —
even her husband, Reggie. “It’s a
family affair,” she said. Nicole Lopez, a Bishop Moore High School
senior and the choir’s deft piano accompanist, is “a real blessing,” she
said. Unfortunately for the choir,
she’ll soon head for studies at Columbia University in New York City,
Simmons said.
After weeks of practicing, it was
suddenly Sunday morning, and
time to sing. First, the choir sang
the South African melody, “We are
Marching,” as the processional
hymn. The Mass was under way.
ORL A2
‘Gospel music moves the spirit. I was the little girl
who played her family piano by ear, the flute in
junior high and joined the University of South Florida
gospel choir. But my love of gospel probably took
root in childhood visits with cousins to Protestant
churches.’
Gretchen Demps Simmons
Watching her daughter-in-law
and granddaughter, 12, in the choir,
parishioner Sandra Scott joined the
singing.
After Father O’Reilly and the altar servers recessed at the end of
Mass, many attendees continued to
stand and sing, “Jesus, You Brought
Me All the Way.”
“Usually, after Mass, most people
leave,” Scott said.
“But this time they stayed. We’d
all been moving to the music, clapping. Now they were saying, ‘We
needed this life!’”
Scott’s 9-year-old grandson
looked up, wide-eyed, and asked,
“Grandma, am I old enough to
sing?”
“It was transferred energy,” said
the exhilarated Simmons. “Hugging and smiling, people asked,
‘When’s the next rehearsal? Can I
join?’”
Parishioner Dorcas Dillard,
whose two adolescent daughters are
in the choir, said, “It’s an upbeat approach to worship. You feel it is OK
to be able to clap and say, ‘Amen.’ It
is another approach to praising the
Lord through music.” n
The St. Andrew gospel choir plans to
sing at the 11:30 Mass the first Sunday of each month. Rehearsals are
Saturday mornings at 9:30.
Tanya Goodman of the Florida Catholic staff contributed to this article.
Feb. 15-21, 2008
Your orlando communitY
www.thefloridacatholic.org
A3
Man portrays St. Maximilian Kolbe
to fill void in Catholic drama
Leonardo Defilippis has been an
actor, producer and director of religious live theatrical productions,
videos and films for 28 years. Since
1980, after years of performing in
the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, San Diego’s Old Globe Theater
and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Defilippis launched his own
production company, Saint Luke
Productions. The company’s most
well-known production, the feature film “Thérèse,” received wide
acclaim, playing in mainstream
theaters throughout the United
States and Canada. He made his
directorial debut with the film,
which focused on the life of St.
Thérèse of Lisieux, and played
the role of Thérèse’s father in the
movie.
During February, he will be appearing in Florida in a one-man
show called “Maximilian: Saint
of Auschwitz,” about the life of
St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Catholic
priest in Poland who was known
for evangelizing by using the mass
media. In 1941, Father Kolbe was
arrested by the Gestapo and sent
to the concentration camp at
Auschwitz, where he was forced
into slave labor, tortured and humiliated. While there, he spontaneously came forward and took
the place of a married man condemned to death. Forty-one years
after that heroic act, he was canonized by Pope John Paul II. The production runs for 90 minutes, and
is suitable for ages 10 and older.
Defilippis spoke recently with the
Florida Catholic’s Carlos Briceno.
Q: Why is this particular saint
important to today’s times?
A: He is very relevant because
he’s a saint of our modern age,
and he’s a saint particularly when
he confronts good and evil, so
to speak. He lived through the
communist regime and the Nazi
regime, so he was constantly battling this kind of socialist and secular mindset, which still has its
roots throughout a lot of modern
iF You Go
• Monday, Feb. 18, 7 p.m., St. Teresa Parish, 203 Ojibway St., Titusville. Tickets are: $10 per person; $25 per family.
• Tuesday, Feb. 19, 3 p.m., Queen of Peace Parish, 6455 S.W. State Road 200, Ocala. Free.
society. He was fearless in seeing
the opportunity of the mass media. … He was a saint of the new
evangelization.
Q. What got you involved in this
type of evangelization?
A: I was very involved in the
Shakespearean theater. I was a
professional actor and my main
focus at that time was classical
theater. I had a conversion back
to the Catholic faith as an actor in
the midst of the normal chaos and
the antireligious movement in the
arts that are in Hollywood and …
in normal theater. … It opened up
a whole other genre for me and I
saw there was a huge need for religious drama, which in the Catholic tradition we have such a void
presently. We really don’t have
Catholic drama, in contrast to the
(Catholic) press or music or visual
arts.
Q: What do you hope a typical
Catholic will get in terms of being
inspired by seeing the play?
A: Knowledge and spirituality.
The knowledge would be from
our studies that most Catholics
don’t know their history, heritage
and legacy. In other words, they
don’t know who the saints are.
They hardly know anything about
Scripture and they don’t know
the saints. (In) a lot of places, our
children are forgetting or not even
knowing who St. Francis of Assisi is or St. Thérèse … the more
famous saints. It’s a way of saying
we do not want our heritage to be
forgotten. And we’re encountering a culture that we don’t spend
time to learn this — the spiritual
side. I’m hoping they will (leave
the play) with a sense of meeting Christ in the saints, because
that’s who the saints are anyway.
They are called the living Gospels through our tradition. So in a
sense, they will encounter the incarnation of Christ in the flesh. As
Christ said in his own words, “You
will do greater things than I.” So
in a sense, we’ll really encounter
these beautiful people and the
hardships they had to overcome
and the courage. So I’m hoping it
will give a sense of hope, a sense
of faith and the ultimate: that of
charity, (of) love.
Q: How has this saint touched
you spiritually? In other words,
how have you changed as a result
of doing this show?
A: They (saints) become your
friends. You become more intimate with them, like a brother. I
feel his mission. I feel his desires,
what he prayed for. Secondly, it’s
brought me closer to the Blessed
Mother. The show is very maternal. There is a maternal presence.
If you are open, you feel her presence in the actual moment of the
performance. He’s (St. Kolbe) also
given me a sense of courage, of not
being afraid to go right out there
and to perform and talk.
Q: What’s next for you in terms
of your projects?
A: We’re working on a play format on the life of the Curé of Ars,
St. John Vianney, which would
develop into a major motion picture as we did with our movie on
St. Thérèse of Lisieux. And we’re
working on some television format programs that will be related
to St. Augustine and to do things
to expand the history of St. Maximilian (Kolbe) and some documentaries, and we’re working on
workshops for youths. n
FLORIDACatholic
PARENTING
YOUR FAITH. YOUR LIFE. YOUR COMMUNITY.
March 7, 2008
We welcome all advertisers
to take advantage of this
tremendous advertising
opportunity.
COURTESY PHOTOS
Leonardo Defilippis will appear as St. Maximilian Kolbe in the oneman show, “Maximilian: Saint of Auschwitz.” The play chronicles
how a Polish priest was influential in using mass media as a way to
evangelize and how he ended up sacrificing his life at the Auschwitz
concentration camp.
41&$*"-"%13*$*/(t-*7&-:"/%3&-&7"/5&%*503*"-$01:
Call your advertising representative today to reserve your space
Jane Radetsky • 407-373-0075 • Fax: 407-373-0087 • [email protected]
ORL A3
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Your orlando communitY
Florida
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Vol. 69, No. 13
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Bishop Thomas Wenski
associate Publisher
Christopher Gunty
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Florida Catholic
Feb. 15-21, 2008
The 40-day Lenten journey is
a ‘memorial of our Baptism’
Moses led the Hebrews out of the
Our Lenten journey is a memoslavery of Egypt into the freedom rial of our Baptism. In Baptism,
of the Promised Land. Forty years we “pass over” from death to life,
they wandered in the wilderness. from slavery to freedom, from the
Our Lenten observance lasts only “Egypt” of this world to the Proma symbolic 40 days but, if we live its ised Land of God’s kingdom. To
spirit fruitfully, it is meant to be for have sought baptism was to have
us an Exodus as well. Lent
sought to become holy. For
challenges us to come out
this reason, on Easter Sunof ourselves so that we can
day, we all will be called
open ourselves — with
upon to renew our Baptistrustful abandonment —
mal Promises.
to the merciful embrace
To renew our baptismal
of our loving and merciful
promises, then, means to
Father.
recommit ourselves to that
At the same time, a
Bishop seeking for holiness which
fruitful observance of
be what our life
Thomas should
Lent will help us to open
in Christ means for us as
Wenski Christians, as Catholics. If
ourselves to others in
their need so that we, havwe seek holiness, as Pope
ing experienced mercy
John Paul II reminded us,
from God, might learn how to be then “it would be a contradiction
ourselves merciful. Lent, then, is for us to settle for a life of medioca call to us who have become too rity marked by a minimalist ethic
self-centered, too self-conscious to and a superficial religiosity.”
Lent can help us understand and
become more Christ-centered and
Christ-conscious. As Pope Benedict appreciate what that renewal of
wrote in his annual Lenten mes- Baptismal promises really should
sage, Lent “stimulates us to redis- mean for us. To that end, the Church
cover the mercy of God so that we, proposes to us some specific tasks
in turn, become more merciful to- for us during these 40 days: prayer,
fasting and almsgiving. I would say
ward others.”
these three tasks are like the legs
of a three-legged stool: our Lenten
observance must stand on all three
legs. Through these special tasks
of our Lenten observance, that is,
through prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we are to work on resolving
“those contradictions” in our life
that divert us from the pursuit of
holiness.
We must pray — for any relationship can only grow through communication. Our friendship with
God will grow cold if we don’t talk
to him in the dialog that is prayer.
We must fast — for before we can
say “yes” to anything or anyone,
we must be able to say “no” to ourselves, otherwise our appetites will
defeat all our good intentions. And
we must give alms — even when,
perhaps especially when, the economic forecasts are a bit cloudy.
Almsgiving is a specific way to help
the needy — more affected than us
by economic downturns. It is also
a means of self-denial freeing us
from attachment to worldly goods:
We are not owners but only stewards, administrators, of the goods
we possess.
Our Catholic Appeal, which takes
place during Lent every year is one
way through which our alms can be
distributed. The Appeal supports
the many good works of our Diocesan Church — and supporting Our
Catholic Appeal should be part of
our Lenten observance.
Saying “No” to ourselves through
some type of fasting and almsgiving during Lent and saying “No” to
habits of sin by going to confession
this Lent is all about helping us say
“Yes” to God, “Yes” to his mercy and
compassion and “Yes” to his plan
for our lives — which is that we be
delivered from the slavery of sin and
receive the promise of the new life
of grace.
Throughout our Lenten Exodus,
let us look intently at Christ pierced
on the cross. It is on the cross, in his
“Yes” to his Father that Jesus reveals
to us in all its fullness the power of
our heavenly Father’s mercy and
love. His cross remains the only
way for us to pass over into the mystery of this mercy and love — for it is
only through Him, with Him and in
Him, thanks to the water and blood
that flowed from his pierced side,
that we are reconciled and our sins
forgiven. n
ASh WEDNESDAY
Annemarie Glass
distributes ashes
Feb. 6 to the
Humphery family
— Chad, Ariana
and dad Carl —
at St. Charles
Borromeo Catholic
Church in Orlando.
Ash Wednesday
marked the
beginning of Lent,
a 40-day period
of prayer, fasting
and almsgiving.
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Feb. 15-21, 2008
Your orlando communitY
www.thefloridacatholic.org
A17
Growth prompts Wildwood parish
to start construction of larger church
Chris Curry
Florida Catholic correspondent
Courtesy photo
An artist’s rendering of the new st. Vincent de paul Catholic Church.
studies of the area, original plans to
enlarge the present building were
put aside in favor of a new and larger
structure.
Sue Miller, past president of the
parish Council of Catholic Women
and the Orlando Diocesan Council
of Catholic Women, said, “Even during our formative years as a Catholic presence in Sumter County, the
women of our small mission supported this ministry. Today, with
a burgeoning congregation, our
women continue to build church
community through active involve-
ment in spiritual, social and volunteer works.” The council has been
active at St. Vincent de Paul since
1973.
With the growing congregation
comes growing needs, and those
needs are filled by volunteers in the
26 ministries active in the parish.
As the annual Our Catholic Appeal
begins, the parish also is beginning
its participation in the diocese’s
Alive in Christ capital campaign,
which will supply some funding for
the new church. “It is my wish that
through the loving power of God,
prayer, discernment and action, we
will strive to support the spiritual
and temporal needs of the commu-
CCTN
A ministry of
St. Paul’s Catholic
Church in Leesburg
Sunday Afternoon
with CCTN
The Catholic Community
Television Network (CCTN)
9563
9564
WILDWOOD — Because of exploding growth in and around this
city, St. Vincent de Paul Parish will
build a 1,700-seat church to replace
its existing worship space, a mission
church built in the early 1990s.
The pastor, Father Peter Sagorski,
officiated at the Feb. 2 groundbreaking for the church, which will have a
traditional cross-shaped floor plan
and is expected to be complete in
October 2009.
“We have outgrown our present
church facility,” Father Sagorski
said. “We need classrooms for religious formation, meeting space and
a larger social room. Since 2002, we
have grown from some 200 families
to approximately 1,200 registered
families.”
St. Vincent de Paul began in 1973
as a mission of St. Lawrence Parish
in Bushnell. The 10 or 12 worshippers meeting for Masses in private
homes knew it would grow.
“We looked forward to building a
church for more than 10 years,” said
Martha Richie, one of the founding
members.
As the mission grew, a group of
more than 200 people attended
Masses each Sunday in the PageTheuss Funeral Home chapel in
Wildwood for 13 years. At the urging
of the small group, the diocese purchased 19 acres of land on County
Road 462 in 1988. The church building was started in 1993, with the first
Mass being offered in June of 1994
by Bishop Norbert Dorsey, who was
bishop of Orlando at the time.
The mission was served by several priests in the years following its
completion. Father Sagorski was assigned in 2002 to St. Vincent de Paul
Mission from St. Paul Parish, now
the Basilica of St. Paul, in Daytona
Beach.
Bishop Thomas Wenski announced in September 2005 that
the mission church would become
a parish and celebrated a Mass there
at which the designation became official on Oct. 30, 2005.
Eight years ago only two Masses
were offered each week, one on
Wednesdays and one on Sundays.
“We now have 20 scheduled
Masses per week in addition to other
liturgies. Therefore we need a larger
church,” Father Sagorski said. The
present church building will be used
for the needed classroom, meeting
and social function spaces.
The congregation comes not just
from Wildwood, but also the vast
retirement community of The Villages and the areas of Summerfield,
Lady Lake, Leesburg and Oxford.
Following long-range demographic
nity,” Father Sagorski said. “This
growth and development we are experiencing is a wonderful challenge
especially as the people are utilizing
their time, talent and treasures with
such a positive attitude.”
Each new week brings additional
worshippers. Father Sagorski said,“I
can hardly wait to celebrate my first
Mass in our new, soon-to-be-built
church. I’ve been looking forward to
this for almost six years. I ask that all
of you say a prayer each day that we
will soon see our new church completed in a timely manner and that
we will minister and work to fulfill
the tasks that God gives us.” n
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WINE TASTING & RECEPTION
honoring President Sr. Rose Marie Kujawa, CSSF, Ph.D.
COCKTAIL RECEPTION
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ALUMNI WINE & CHEESE RECEPTION
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address is 1330 Sunshine Ave., Leesburg, FL 34788
A18
Around Your communitY
RETREATS/DAYS
OF PRAYER
Retreat for life: Feb. 16,
8:30 a.m.-2:15 p.m., St. Rose of
Lima Parish, 140 Pompeii Drive,
Kissimmee. “Code Blue — Our
Ultimate Challenge: Resuscitating
Our Culture From Death to
Life,” presented by Priest for
Life Father Dennis Wilde.
Continental breakfast provided.
Participants bring own bag lunch.
Free. Madeleine Harper, SFO,
863-427-0703.
PARISH EVENTS
Lenten fish fry dinners:
Fridays, Feb. 15-March 15, 4-8
p.m., St. Anthony Parish center,
Lakeland. Cost: $6. Includes fried
fish, two side dishes, dessert
and beverages. Clam chowder,
shrimp and takeout available. Call
863-858-8047.
Lenten speaker series
for adults: Mondays, Feb.
18-March 10, 7 p.m., Sts. Peter
and Paul Parish, Winter Park:
Feb. 18, Bishop Thomas Wenski,
“Immigration and Catholic
Social Justice”; Feb. 25, Father
Derk Schudde, administrator,
Sts. Peter and Paul Parish,
“Catholics — Walking Together
in Christ”; March 3, Sister of
Divine Providence Linda Gaupin,
diocesan senior director of
religious education, “The Liturgies
of Holy Week”; March 10, Heidi
Peckham, diocesan secretary for
pastoral ministries, “Forgiveness
and Reconciliation.”
Workshop and parish
mission: Feb. 23, 8:15 a.m.-3 p.m.,
centering prayer workshop; Feb.
24-27, 7 p.m., mission, St. Francis
of Assisi Parish, Apopka. Father
William A. Meninger, a Trappist
monk, will speak on “The Process
of Forgiveness.” Feb. 24-26, 5:30
p.m., potluck supper in parish
center; Feb. 27, 8:30 p.m., dessert
social. Father Meninger will speak
in the education building, Room
2, Feb. 25-27, after 8 a.m. daily
Mass. Contact the parish office,
407-886-4602.
“One Voice in Praise II”:
March 2, 7 p.m., St. Jude Parish,
443 Marion Oaks Drive, Marion
Oaks, Ocala. Concert by clergy
from Temple Beth Shalom and
St. Jude Parish. Tickets: $15,
reserved; $10, general seating.
Benefits St. Jude Parish. Call Carol,
352-347-8485.
CONFERENCES/
MEETINGS/
OTHER EVENTS
The Helpers of God’s
ABBEY’S
Housekeeping
Introduction Special, $60 for
4 hours of regular cleaning. Schedule
weekly, biweekly, or one time service.
Get a free cleaning, ask us how!
Serving all of Central FL.
407-268-4435
11470
Service with a smile!
Precious Infants prayer vigil:
Usually first Saturdays at different
parishes. Each vigil begins
with Mass, followed by rosary
procession to nearby abortion site.
March 22, Holy Saturday (fourth
Saturday), 9 a.m., morning prayer,
Cathedral of St. James, with
Bishop Thomas Wenski. Sponsored
by diocesan Office of Advocacy
and Justice. Contact: 407-246-4819
or respectlife@orlandodiocese.
org.
Maximilian — Saint of
Auschwitz: Feb. 18, 7 p.m., St.
Teresa Parish, 203 Ojibway St.,
Titusville. Original 90-minute, oneman drama performed by actor
and director Leonardo Defilippis,
portraying St. Maximilian
Kolbe’s life and martyrdom in
concentration camp. Because of
content, recommended for ages
10 and up. Admission: $10 per
person; $25 per family.
Death penalty seminar: Feb.
21, 7-8:30 p.m., Annunciation
Parish cultural center, 1020
Montgomery Road, Altamonte
Springs. Sponsored by the Orlando
Diocese Office of Advocacy
and Justice. More information:
407-246-4819 or respectlife@
orlandodiocese.org.
Diaconate Office offers
information nights: Feb. 27,
Basilica of St. Paul, Daytona
Beach; Feb. 28, St. Timothy
Parish; March 5, Ascension
Parish, Melbourne; March 6,
Resurrection Parish, Lakeland;
March 12, Chancery, Court Room,
50 E. Robinson St., Orlando; 7
p.m. Sessions last approximately
60-90 minutes. Contact: Juanita
Lacy, 407-246-4875 or jlacy@
orlandodiocese.org.
Eighth annual Vincentian
Benefit Golf Tournament:
March 2, noon registration for
1 p.m. scramble, Errol Estates
Country Club, Apopka. Entry
fee: $95. Includes: use of practice
range, snacks, prizes, silent
auction, attendance gifts and
dinner. Sponsorships: $100, $300,
$500. Benefits the Vincentian
food pantry at St. Francis of Assisi
Parish, Apopka. Call 407-889-9485.
PRAYER SESSIONS/
MASSES
Haitian-Creole Mass: Sundays,
9 a.m., Robinswood Middle
School, 6305 Balboa Drive,
Orlando. Sponsored by St. Andrew
Parish.
Adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament: Monday through
Saturday, 7:10 a.m. until start
of 8:30 a.m. Mass, and Monday
through Friday from 9 a.m. to
noon; first Sundays, noon-6
p.m., Chapel of Our Lady of the
Angels; rosary for vocations daily
following Mass, St. Brendan
Parish, 1000 Oceanshore Blvd.,
Ormond Beach. 386-441-1505.
Pray rosary for life: Third
and fifth Saturdays, 7 a.m.,
abortion facility on Lucerne
Terrace in downtown Orlando.
St. Augustine’s Respect Life
Committee invites fellow Catholics
to join them in praying the rosary.
407-699-4328.
SECULAR
COMMUNITIES
Lay Carmelites, St. James:
Florida Catholic
First Saturdays, begins with Mass
at 8 a.m., followed by meeting
and spiritual development until
11:30 a.m., St. James Cathedral,
215 N. Orange Ave., Orlando.
Contact: Kathleen Richardville,
407-898-3902.
Lay Carmelites, St. Therese
of the Child Jesus: Fourth
Saturdays, begins with Mass at
9 a.m., followed by a meeting,
Ascension Parish, 2950 N.
Harbor City Blvd., Melbourne.
Contact: Agatha Bobitka, TOC,
321-253-2833.
Lay Carmelites: For
information about other
communities throughout the
Diocese of Orlando, contact Steve
Riddle, regional coordinator,
407-855-9954.
Secular Franciscan Order,
Lady Poverty Fraternity: First
and third Tuesdays, begins with
evening prayer at 7 p.m., Mary,
Mother of God Chapel, San Pedro
Spiritual Development Center,
2400 Dike Road, Winter Park.
Meeting follows. Contact: Dan
Hardester, SFO, danhardester@
yahoo.com.
Secular Franciscan
Fraternity: Fourth Saturdays,
10 a.m., Queen of Peace Parish
hall, Ocala. Secular Franciscans
commit themselves by promise,
not vow, to live the Gospel life
of Jesus Christ in the spirit of St.
Francis of Assisi. 352-854-5647 or
352-793-7071.
Secular Franciscan Order, St.
Francis Fraternity: First Sundays,
12:30 p.m., St. Francis of Assisi
Parish, Building B, 834 S. Orange
Blossom Trail, Apopka. Call Jeane
Fwaynos, SFO, 407-869-6716.
Secular Franciscan
Fraternity, Little Flowers of
St. Francis: Second Saturdays,
following the 8:30 a.m. Mass,
Epiphany Parish, parish house 5,
201 Lafayette St., Port Orange.
Peg, 386-677-7089.
Secular Order of the
Servants of Mary (Servite), Our
Lady of Sorrows Community:
Second Fridays, 9:30 a.m., St.
Timothy Parish ministry building,
Lady Lake. Secular Servites are
laypeople who commit themselves
by promise to live the Gospel life
of Jesus Christ, and to deepen the
knowledge and acts of devotion
to Mary. Contact: Donald Siple,
SOSM, 352-750-4877.
Secular Order of the
Servants of Mary, St. Peregrine
Community: Second Saturdays,
10:30 a.m., St. Catherine of Siena
Parish, St. Peregrine Room, 2750
E. Osceola Parkway, Kissimmee.
Contact: Adriana Bentum-Tilus,
SOSM, 407-288-3701.
Secular Franciscan
Fraternity, San Damiano:
Wednesday, March 5, after 9 a.m.
Mass and rosary, St. Mark Parish,
Summerfield. Contact: Kathryn
Hampel, SFO, 352-750-6334.
ONGOING
MEETINGS
Msgr. Bishop Knights of
Columbus Council 2112:
Regular business meeting, first
Mondays, 8 p.m., at the council
hall, 5727 Cornelia Ave., Orlando.
Rosary, 7:30 p.m. Meeting is
open to all Knights who have
taken their first degree. Contact:
Grand Knight Bill Mazanec,
407-678-2112.
ORL A18
Feb. 15-21, 2008
orLAndo diocESE communitY PAGE
SuBmiSSion dEAdLinES
The Florida Catholic welcomes calendar items of coming events for your parish or organization. Due to time required for production and mailing, we need
to receive items at least five weeks before requested publication. Send items to:
Around Your Community, Florida Catholic, P.O. Box 1800, Orlando, FL 328021800; by fax, send items marked Around Your Community to 407-246-4942; or
e-mail to, [email protected].
Announcements for ongoing activities will be removed after 60 days. For
continued coverage, announcements must be resubmitted.
St. Patrick Knights of
Columbus Assembly 2883:
Regular business meeting, second
Mondays, 7:30 p.m., Annunciation
Parish family life center, Fireplace
Room, 1020 Montgomery Road,
Altamonte Springs. Meeting is
open to all fourth-degree Knights.
Contact: Faithful Navigator
Bob Nettles, 407-297-1852, or
[email protected].
Knights of Columbus St.
Joseph Council 7408: Regular
business meeting, second and
fourth Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.,
Knights of Columbus, Babcock
Street, Palm Bay. All local and/
or visiting Knights are welcome
to attend. Call Grand Knight Bob
Burgess, 321 537-5240.
Catholic War Veterans: Father
John Washington Post 1944,
second Saturdays, 10 a.m., Prince
of Peace Parish, Gold Room, 600
S. Nova Road, Ormond Beach.
All Catholic men and women
who have served honorably in
the armed forces of the United
States are invited to join. Gene
Swarbrick, 386-255-3814, or e-mail
fatherjohnwashington1944@
yahoo.com.
Catholic War Veterans
of Lakeland: Bishop Charles
B. McLaughlin Memorial Post
1917, third Mondays, 6:30 p.m.,
St. Joseph Parish hall, 210 W.
Lemon St., Lakeland. All Catholic
men and women who have
served honorably in the armed
forces of the United States are
invited to join. Spouses are
welcome. Dinner follows. Steve
Jones, 863-688-8787, or e-mail
[email protected].
SUPPORT
Support group for separated
and divorced:
• Mondays, 7 p.m., Holy Redeemer Parish, Kissimmee. Alta,
407-201-4696.
• Mondays, Holy Cross Parish, Orlando. Cheryl, 407-858-9807.
• Blessed Trinity Parish, Ocala. If interested, call Barbara Saalfield,
352-629-8092.
• Third Thursdays, 7-8:30 p.m., Catholic Charities, 1801
E. Memorial Blvd. Interfaith.
863-686-7153.
• Second and fourth Thursdays, 7 p.m., St. Joseph Parish office
building 400, Room 402, 5330
Babcock Street, Palm Bay. Call 321
727-1565.
Singles, separated, widowed
and divorced group: First and
third Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m., Holy
Name of Jesus Parish community
room, Indialantic, 321-259-5650;
first Fridays, outside activity, and
third Fridays, 7 p.m., Our Saviour
Parish center, 5301 N. Atlantic
Ave., Cocoa Beach. 321-213-6629.
Orlando Catholic Singles:
Offers spiritual, social and
service activities for the 40-plus
age group. Fran Haibach,
407-756-9322.
Support group for families
with incarcerated loved ones:
• Third Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m., St. Mary Magdalen Parish center,
861 Maitland Ave., Altamonte
Springs. 407-695-6818 or e-mail
[email protected].
• First Thursdays, 6:30 p.m., Our Lady of Grace Parish activity
center, Room 2, 300 Malabar Road
S.E., Palm Bay. 321-725-3066.
Bereavement support
groups:
• Tuesdays, 7 p.m., Holy Redeemer Parish, 1603 N. Thacker
Ave., Kissimmee, 407-846-2033.
• Thursdays, 10-11:30 a.m., St. Mary Magdalen Parish office, 861
Maitland Ave., Altamonte Springs,
407-831-1212.
• First and third Fridays, 2 p.m., St. Anthony Parish, 820 Marcum
Road, Spiritual Development
Center, Lakeland. Dianne Turner,
863-858-8047.
Same-sex support groups:
• Courage, spiritual support groups for persons with samesex attractions striving to lead
chaste lives in accordance with the
teachings of the Roman Catholic
Church. In Ocala, 352-854-2181. In
Orlando, 407-791-3717.
VOLUNTEERS
NEEDED
JMJ Life Center seeks
volunteers due to an expansion
of services. Opportunities exist
for experienced ultrasound
technicians, Internet/telephone
solicitation of supplies, IT support,
data entry, pickup and delivery
of donations, accounting,
fundraising, development
director, committee managers, a
handyman and a cleaning person.
Some of the positions can be done
from home on your schedule for
as little as one hour per week.
Call 407-839-0620 or visit www.
jmjlifecenter.org.
Building volunteers: The
diocesan Mission Office needs
volunteers to assist with its goal of
building homes in the Dominican
Republic. Several mission trips
are planned for the year. Trained
and untrained are needed.
407-246-4890.
VITAS: Would you like to
befriend terminally ill patients,
provide relief for weary
caregivers, accompany pets
on Paw Pals visits, visit with
veterans, provide art and music
therapy, make bereavement
calls, sew, make crafts, repair
medical equipment or help
with administrative work? Call
407-691-4541 or e-mail central.
[email protected].
Feb. 15-21, 2008
www.thefloridacatholic.org
cHriStiAn initiAtion oF AduLtS
A closer look at the stages of
preparation of Christian Initiation for
adults:
• Period of evangelization and precatechumenate — individuals receive a sufficient understanding of Gospel values to discern the beginnings of faith.
• Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens — liturgical rite
celebrating individuals becoming catechumens — expressing the intent
to follow God’s call to follow Christ
and receiving the acceptance of the community.
• Period of the catechumenate — the catechumens receive extensive formal instruction in the faith and
experience growth leading to conversion to God.
• Election or enrollment of names — liturgical rite usually celebrated on the First Sunday of Lent by which the church formally ratifies the catechu-
RITE
From A1
‘Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your
sins; and you will receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit.” The remainder
of the passage makes it clear that
once baptized, individuals received
further instruction and entered
into the life of the community and
church.
Drohan continued, “This has
been a journey just to come to
RCIA. In my heart, it just feels right.
I was so afraid, but I now see there’s
no reason. It’s all based on love and
I’ll soon be more a part of the wider
community. I’m excited about it.”
The process changed multiple
times throughout the centuries,
but on Jan. 6, 1972, the Office of the
Congregation for Divine Worship,
with the approval of Pope Paul VI,
decreed the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and restored the catechumenate. The process now has
four formal stages punctuated by
liturgical rites.
The rite of election or “enroll-
men’s readiness to receive the sacraments of initiation. The catechumen
then expresses the will to receive the sacraments and becomes the elect.
• Period of purification and enlightenment — the time immediately
preceding initiation — usually Lent
marked by reflection and a deepening conversion.
• Celebration of the sacraments of initiation — liturgical rite usually integrated into the Easter vigil in which the elect receive the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist.
• Period of mystagogia — the time immediately following initiation, usually the Easter season, during which the newly initiated experience
the fullness of the sacraments and life
in community.
Adapted from “Rite of Christian Initiation
of Adults,” Liturgical Press
Your orlando communitY
A19
Lunar new year
FLorIDA CATHoLIC PHoToS
BY VALETA orLANDo
Bishop Wenski pauses before
the start of mass at St. Philip
Phan Van minh Parish, Feb. 7.
Below, Nha Nguyen and her
son, Nguyen Vu Dinh attend
the mass.
Parishioners at St. Philip Phan Van minh Parish in orlando gather Feb.
7 to celebrate mass in recognition of the Lunar New Year, a holiday
observed widely in China, Korea and Vietnam. Bishop Thomas Wenski
was joined by Father Chau J. Nguyen, pastor, and other priests of the
diocese. It was the new church’s first celebration of the Lunar New
Year, which takes place during the first three days of the first lunar
month and typically falls in late January or early February. Thanh Le,
foreground, prays the our Father during the mass.
ment of names” is a particularly
poignant ceremony. It is generally
celebrated by bishops on the first
Sunday of Lent. Accompanied by
catechists and sponsors, catechumens from throughout their diocese, who have vouched they are
indeed fully instructed in the faith
and are ready and willing to be initiated, sign their names. Once they
sign their names in the Book of the
elect, the bishop declares them
“members of the Elect” to be initiated into the sacred mysteries at the
Easter vigil.
Thu Nguyen, a parishioner at
Ascension Parish in Melbourne, recalled her nervousness last year as
she approached the altar to sign her
name in the Book of the Elect. Nguyen said it was a day she will never
forget. After signing her name, she
said, “I was so very happy.”
Donna Scimeca, initiation coordinator at Most Precious Blood Parish, said, “People come to us seeking the truth, wanting to know more
about our Catholic faith. Through
all of that, we the team, the entire
community — we grow. We learn
more because for us too it’s lifelong
faith formation.” n
FLorIDA CATHoLIC PHoTo BY VALETA orLANDo
13556
Bishop Thomas Wenski displays a book of signatures of the elect
at the National Shrine of mary, Queen of the Universe in orlando
Feb. 10.
ORL A19
A20 Your orlando communitY
Florida Catholic
CatholiC SChoolS Week
Feb. 15-21, 2008
Students at St. Joseph Catholic
School in Winter Haven get a
close-up view of moon rocks
on loan for two weeks to the
school from NASA, beginning
last month, in celebration of
Catholic Schools Week. Mary Kay
Swider, teacher, said: “The moon
rocks are national treasures.
They show dimensions of our
world that God has given us. An
interesting fact that I learned
when I took the class at NASA
about the moon is that Buzz
Aldrin had taken a consecrated
host and wine to the moon and
had special permission to have
holy Communion on the moon.
He took a vial of the blood of
Christ and the holy Communion
from (the) zipped pocket of his
space suit and consumed them
on the moon. This shows the
reverence that the astronaut had
for the sacrament.”
Pictured in the photo from left
to right, are Kristen Stricker,
Alexis Van Ryswyk, Gabrielle
May, Hattie Lou Burdin, Mary
Swider, Camryn Hattaway and
Alayna Garber.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC SCHOOL, WINTER HAVEN
PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC SCHOOL, LAKELAND
Students at St. Joseph Catholic School in Lakeland hold a walka-thon during Catholic Schools Week to raise money for charity.
Walking, from left to right, are Ashley Dudney, Nitzaly Garcia and
Maria Pagano.
FLORIDA CATHOLIC PHOTO BY CHARLES HODGES
PHOTO COURTESY OF SACRED HEART CATHOLIC SCHOOL
Students at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic School in Altamonte Springs jump rope to help raise money for
the American Heart Association. The students have participated in the annual fundraiser since 2000.
The school hopes the activity will motivate students to exercise and learn the importance of a healthy
heart. Students raised nearly $1,900. Promoting healthy hearts through jumping rope, left to right, in
the front row, are Stephanie Meyer and Nicole Devaney. Jumping rope in the back, from left to right,
are Emma Schaeffer and Fiorella De La Espriella.
Students and staff engage in “get up and move day” at Sacred Heart
Catholic School in New Smyrna Beach during Catholic Schools Week.
At random times throughout the day, dance music was played on
the school intercom and students stopped what they were doing to
“get up and move.” It was also “crazy hat day.” Many of the students
wore hats for fun.
ORL A20