I would first like to congratulate our Outreach and Event Manager Vicky McCarthy and her Gala Committee of volunteers for the wonderful job they did with this year’s Gala that was at the end of September. We raised nearly $93,000, which will go to repairs and preservation of the church dome. It is through the support of our volunteers and parishioners that we were able to have such a successful Gala. I thank all of you!
Vicky has also been busy organizing this year’s Fall Festival which will take place next Sunday afternoon at the North Campus. It promises to be a very fun day for everyone. There will be many activities for both the children and adults. Please come an joins us next Sunday.
Besides the upcoming work on the dome, we have several other projects we are working on around the parish. They are as follows:
Friary living room ceiling – Over the summer with the heavy rains we’ve encountered a major leak in the friary. The leaks have been addressed and contractors are currently fixing part of the living room ceiling in the friary. Parts of it had to be removed and replace due to mold.
Tile restoration in the church – Work continues in the church to restore and grout some floor tile that has been damaged. Due to the age of the tile, it is coming loose and falling out. We are to the point that we are unable to reuse the old tile, due to damage. Also, the tile is not made anymore, so the solution has been to replace the tile with a small round tile.
North Campus kitchen renovation – We interviewed four construction managers (CM’s) at the end of October. Once we settle on a CM, we will then be able to put the project out to bid. Once we have bid then we will go back to the Diocese and get permission to go forward. During this process we have determined that we will need to put a new roof on the kitchen and auditorium as well as installing a sprinkler system. Included in the project is also redoing the restrooms off the auditorium. All new plumbing will have to be installed in the kitchen and the restrooms. The building was built in the late 1950’s and there has not been much done to it since.
Church Exterior work – We are working to finalize proposals and paperwork to submit to the diocese for the sealing the south-side of our church. Expected time-frame is two months of work. The date to begin is TBD. This will be the outside wall between the church and friary so the scaffolding should not be visible to the public. This area is needed due to the amount of leaks we have had on that side of the church.
As we come to the end of the calendar year, please consider and additional gift that could help fund these various projects. In the last few years, we have put quite a bit of money into the church and we were able to do so through the generosity of our parishioners. Thank you to all of you for your continued support of Sacred Heart Parish.
“Taking up Pope Francis’ desire “that all Christians come to appreciate the close connection between Christ’s love and his summons to care for the poor”, Pope Leo XIV issued his first Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi Te, as a call to Christ’s disciples “to recognize him in the poor and the suffering,” wrote Salvatore Cernuzio of Vatican News earlier this month.
Signed on October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, and released on October 9, the pontiff provides us this teaching document, begun by Pope Francis prior to his death but largely of Leo’s own creation, that asks Catholics to continue to look to the Gospel and Catholic Social Teaching for how we should respond to those on the peripheries, especially the poor or powerless.
“…in continuity with the Encyclical Dilexit Nos (He Loved Us), Pope Francis was preparing in the last months of his life an Apostolic Exhortation on the Church’s care for the poor, to which he gave the title Dilexi Te, as if Christ speaks those words to each of them, saying: “You have but little power,” yet “I have loved you.” (Dilexi Te, Paragraph 3.) Dilexit Nos was the last of Pope Francis’ four encyclicals, published just over one year ago, where he focuses on the human and divine love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and its relevance for a modern world facing various challenges.
Apostolic Exhortations are magisterial documents written by a pope. While not legislative like an Apostolic Constitution, or doctrinal like an encyclical, Apostolic Exhortations are documents or reflections that encourage and inspire the Church to act on a particular virtue or theme.
“The document is a beautiful reflection that outlines the Church’s history of caring for the poor throughout history,” says Fr. Steve Kluge, OFM. “Social Justice is not a “woke” construct, but rather the beating heart of Christianity. The document states its thesis in Paragraph 3, “that all Christians come to appreciate the close connection between Christ’s love and his summons to care for the poor.”
Parishioners who review the exhortation will surely see that many of the assertions or calls to action made are present within our parish community. For those who are not yet participating in ministry, reading this document may inspire you to get involved, whether it’s here at Sacred Heart or with another outreach that assists the marginalized. When asked what he sees in our parish that already answers the call in Dilexi Te, Fr. Steve stated “Here at Sacred Heart, we live Christ’s summons to care for the poor and marginalized through Hands of Hope, our Giving from the Heart drives, Bikes from the Heart, our connection with the St. Vincent de Paul Society, initiatives like our “Socktober” sock drive, and the efforts of our social ministries like the Knights of Columbus Council or Open Doors and more.”
Bikes from the Heart is just one of the several outreach ministries of our parish working to assist the poor.
It is no secret that Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost chose the name Leo to connect his papacy to the Leo XIII, whose encyclical Rerum Novarum is largely considered to be the origin of Catholic Social Teaching. St. Pope John Paul II wrote on the 100th Anniversary of Rerum Novarum, ““In the face of a conflict which set man against man” Leo (XIII), for the first time, both established and firmly defended the Church’s moral authority to promote justice in public life and, by so doing, “created a lasting paradigm for the Church”. Dilexi Te takes the baton from aspects of Leo XIII’s encyclical while also reminding us of Pope Francis’ consistent calls to go out to the margins.
There are takeaways in Dilexi Te that call us not only to engage with the poor personally, but inspire us build structures addressing poverty’s root causes. You can read Leo XIV’s exhortation by clicking here.
Commissioned by Bishop Emeritus Robert Lynch in 1999, the St. Jude the Apostle Medal is given each year by the Diocese of St. Petersburg as a way to recognize parishioners who show outstanding service to their respective parishes. At a 3 p.m. ceremony on Sunday, October 26, held at the Cathedral of St. Jude in St. Petersburg, long-time parishioner and Historical Society docent Pat Alchediak will receive this year’s distinction from Bishop Gregory Parkes, alongside pastor Fr. Mike Jones, OFM.
For more than 60 years, Pat Alchediak has had a strong connection to our parish, and has served in liturgical and social ministries for nearly 40 years. “It was Fr. (Michael) Kennelly who approached me in the eighties asking me to become a Eucharistic Minister, and that’s where I started to get more involved,” said Alchediak, who expressed surprise about receiving the letter from the bishop about the award. “I’ve been a docent with the church since 1995, so it would be hard to guess just how many tours I’ve assisted or led since then.” The Historical Society averages 10 to 12 public tours each year, but with this Jubilee Year of Hope, and the designation of Sacred Heart as a pilgrimage site for the Diocese of St. Petersburg, groups from neighboring churches and dioceses have requested private tours regularly, which has increased our docent’s workload, including Pat’s. “I love being able to share with our parishioners and visitors the history and context to why we are the way we are here at Sacred Heart.”
A docent for the parish since 1995, Alchediak is seen here during our annual Christmas tour, when each docent dons period clothing indicative of the turn-of-the-century era when the church was built (1898-1905).
Pat grew up as both a parishioner and a student at Sacred Heart Academy, graduating from the all-girls high school as a member of the class of 1959. An alumnus of the University of Tampa, Alchediak taught history for several years before life took her away from the Tampa area for the better part of a decade. She returned to Tampa in 1975, and found her way back to Sacred Heart. “When I came back, I regularly attended Mass at Sacred Heart again, along with my parents.”
Over the last several years, Pat has also assisted the parish through the Historical Society as an archivist, working with her fellow docents and even external partners, like the University of South Florida, on collating and digitizing all sorts of historical records, photos, newspaper articles, and memorabilia from the last 120 years since the church opened and beyond. “I get really excited by this stuff, finding out new details, and being able to share them with others,” Alchediak stated. She says if anyone else may be interested helping preserve and share the history of the parish, help is always welcome.
In today’s first reading from the Book of Exodus (17: 8-13), Moses is praying for the defeat of the Amalek who was waging war against Israel. As long as Moses was able to keep his hands raised, the Israelites would be winning the battle. When Moses, growing tired would lower his hands, Amalek would win. So, Aaron and Hur supported Moses’ hands “one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady until sunset.” I don’t imagine that will holding up the hands of Moses, Aaron and Hur were silent. I imagine them praying and singing to God and offering Moses words of encouragement and hope. With that, Joshua won the battle for the Israelites. This strange yet beautiful story reveals the need all of us have for some kind of community of faith.
In today’s Gospel according to Luke (18: 1-8) we have the parable of the widow and the reluctant judge. Widows, indeed, all women at that time were seen as property, having no legal rights. Yet because of her persistence, the judge eventually yielded to her demand for justice. This woman had no community to support her, no one to help her hold up her hands as she battled an unjust society.
I think both readings highlight a common need for prayer and action as we live in an often-unjust society. I think both readings highlight the very human (and religious) need for community.
In the homily at his inaugural mass back in May, Pope Leo XIV said, “I would like our first great desire to be for a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes the leaven for a reconciled world. In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds cause by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalizes the poorest…Welcome his word that enlightens and consoles.”
You may say, “But Fr. Steve, we sang in the responsorial psalm ‘Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.’” Of course, but most often that help flows through the actions of God’s people; men, women, and children of Good Will. As Pope Leo continued, he said, “We are called to offer God’s love to everyone, in order to achieve that unity that does not cancel out differences but values the personal history of each person and the social and religious culture of every people.”
Saints of God, let us each in our own way continue to support each other. Let us continue to be people of justice, and compassion to those who are marginalized. Let us continue to offer God’s love to everyone!
This weekend we are celebrating the Solemnity of St Francis of Assisi. It is a solemnity for the Franciscans because St. Francis was the founder of the Franciscan Order.
One on the many stories of St. Francis that I always enjoy reflecting on is about how he would often fast many times throughout the year. Many of the other friars would try and follow his example and too often fast. One time, there was a young friar who was trying to follow Francis and his fasting. He had the best of intentions and would be fasting and praying, but at some point, he became ill because his body wasn’t use to the severe fasting that Francis himself would do. During the night, Francis saw how this was affecting the young friar and how he was getting sick. Francis then woke up all the friars and told them to gather all the food they had and to prepare a meal for everyone. Even Francis ate that night. He did this because he didn’t want to embarrass the young friar.
For me this shows how Francis cared for other people. He would put their needs ahead of his own. The person was more important than the ritual act of fasting. He showed this not just with his own brothers but with everyone he met, whether they were lepers, homeless, widowed, or even a robber. Francis truly embraced the great commandment to love our neighbors as our self. Francis didn’t put himself first, rather he thought out ways that he could serve his brothers and sisters.
This notion of Francis is very counter cultural, not just to our country, but for the world. There are many who always put themselves first and are only concerned about what benefits them. Some are entitled and feel they deserve more than everyone else. To embrace the Franciscan Charism is to embrace the Gospel message. The message is constantly repeated that we are called to love one another, we are called not to be served but to serve, and we have Jesus’s example of how he cared for all people.
I think the best way to truly celebrate St. Francis is by imitating his example of taking care of the poor. For the month of October (Socktober) we will be collection new socks that will be given to the homeless. There will be a box in the church to drop them off as well as a box in the Gift Store. We will also host our next Giving from the Heart donation drive on Saturday, October 11, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the North Campus. The St. Vincent de Paul Society will also be collecting at the Masses on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month. These funds help them to support people who are in need in our community. Also, every Saturday, our Hands of Hope ministry gather to feed the homeless at the North Campus. They are the beneficiary of this month’s Giving from the Heart drive. Our Bikes from the Heart ministry continues to help the poor with transportation. These are just some examples of how parishioners are responding to the needs of others.
November, with the feast of All Souls Day, is a time we remember all of our loved ones. This year for All Souls Day, Sunday, November 2, we will remember our loved ones in the following ways:
Request a Memorial for All Souls Day
All names will be remembered at each weekend Mass
$10 Donation
Visit shfla.org/intentions to arrange your memorial
This is available beginning in October
Parishioners may go online (shfla.org/prayerwall) to the Prayer Wall and list the deceased under the “All Souls Day Remembrance.”
This is available now.
Parishioners and visitors may write the name of the deceased in our Book of Intentions in the back of the church.
This is available now.
We Remember Them:
At the rising of the sun and at its going down, We remember them. At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of Winter, We remember them.
At the opening of buds and in the rebirth of Spring, We remember them. At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of Summer, We remember them.
At the rustling of leaves and the beauty of Autumn, We remember them. At the beginning of the year and when it ends, We remember them.
As long as we live, they too will live; for they are now a part of us, as we remember them. When we are weary and in need of strength, We remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart, We remember them. When we have joys we yearn to share, We remember them.
When we have decisions that are difficult to make, We remember them. When we have achievements that are based on theirs, We remember them.
From the Gates of Repentance:New Union Prayer Book for the Days of Awe (Author Unknown)
