Special Announcement for Hurricane Irma

Updated Announcement on Parish Activities
Sacred Heart and the parish office survived Hurricane Irma with no damage, and both have power and a fully-operational air conditioning system! We hope all of our parishioners are slowly but surely getting their homes and lives back in order too after the storm.

As we continue to resume normal life and activities, we’ve provided an updated look at our parish calendar and Mass schedule for the rest of this week.

Mass: 
Our normal weekday Mass and Confession schedule resumes Wednesday, 9/13.
– Daily Mass: 7:00 am and 12:10 pm
– Confessions: 11:30 am

Our normal weekend Mass schedule will be in place for all Masses on the weekend of 9/16 and 9/17.

Parish Office:
The parish office will re-open on Wednesday, 9/13 with limited staff.

Parish Activities:
– Tuesday: EM Training and Choir practice have been canceled for this evening, 9/12.
– Wednesday: Family Faith Formation has been canceled for Wednesday, 9/13 and will resume on Wednesday, 9/20.
– Thursday: All meetings and events will go on as scheduled.


The Friars and Parish Staff are keeping a close eye on Hurricane Irma and its projected path. Please see below for news and updates on our parish activities for this weekend.

MASS SCHEDULE (Saturday thru Monday)
Due to the most recent Hurricane Irma track, the Mass Schedule for this weekend has been adjusted again. Mass will only be held at the following time:
– Saturday: 5:30 pm Vigil Mass

Please note: All Sunday Masses (7:30 am, 9:00 am, 10:30 am, 12:00 pm and 5:30 pm) have been canceled.

We have also adjusted the Mass schedule for early next week. Please see below for current details:
– Monday, 9/11: No Daily Mass (7:00 am and 12:10 pm have been canceled) or Confessions.
– Tuesday, 9/12: TBD based on the effects of the storm.

From Bishop Parkes: The Catholic faithful are reminded to exercise prudence as they seek to fulfill their Mass obligation […] The Office of the Bishop urges all Catholics to heed the travel advisories of their cities and towns, and to stay off the roads during the peak hours of the storm. The faithful are encouraged to use good judgment when planning to travel to Mass. In the event that roadways are not clear for travel, the faithful are reminded that the obligation to attend Sunday Mass does not apply when there is grave difficulty in fulfilling this obligation. (See Code of Canon Law, Canon 1248 §2)”

MASS PARKING (Saturday thru Monday)
– The Madison Building garage will be closed all weekend and unavailable for parking during Mass.
– 717 Parking has given us access to their parking lot (at no charge) immediately across the street for the limited Mass schedule on Saturday. The usual 717 lot at the corner of Kennedy Blvd. and Florida Ave. is also available.

PARISH ACTIVITIES (Saturday thru Monday)
– Faith Formation classes are canceled for Sunday, September 10th.
– The Children’s Nursery during the 9:00 am and 10:30 am Masses will not be available this weekend.
– Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) has been canceled for the 9:00 am Mass on September 10th.
– The Coffee & Donuts Ministry has canceled their 3rd Annual Pancake Breakfast.
– The Docents of Friends of Sacred Heart have canceled their church tour scheduled for Sunday, September 10th. Their next tour will be held on Sunday, October 8th.
– The University of Tampa Dinner is canceled for Sunday, September 10th. The next dinner is scheduled for Sunday, October 15th.
– The first RCIA Inquiry session is canceled for Monday, September 11th.

Let us keep each other in prayer, as well as all people in our local community and State. May God watch over us and keep us safe.