We rejoice and celebrate with our parish children and youth as they received Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time last weekend. These families have participated in workshops, retreats, a church tour, and received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time in January. It was truly an amazing weekend full of God’s love, joy, and abundant blessings for our parish. We welcome them to the Table of the Lord!
To inquire about sacraments for your children and youth, contact Maria Giral at 813-229-1595, Ext. 214, or mgiral@sacredheartfla.org.
Join your fellow parishioners and visitors from around the diocese on Monday, May 23, at 7 p.m. in the church for a special mission session featuring Fr. Casey Cole, OFM, and Fr. Roberto “Tito” Serrano, OFM, from the successful YouTube channels “Breaking In the Habit” and “Upon Friar Review.”
St. Francis of Assisi didn’t just preach in churches or the places where people who already had faith gathered. He spent most of his time preaching in the city square, among ordinary people, talking in ways they could understand. He had a gift of finding God even in the ordinary. For 800 years, the Franciscans have continued this legacy. In their own bid to meet people where they are and invite them to return to Jesus and his Church, Cole and Serrano will set out on a pilgrimage nearly a decade in the making.
In 2013, the pair of friars began to dream of how they might follow in St. Francis’ footsteps through our modern world. People didn’t gather in the streets like in the 13th century, but they did gather in stadiums for massive concerts and sporting events. As avid baseball fans, the self-professed “Bleacher Brothers” developed the idea of spending a summer visiting each of the homes of America’s pastime, inviting people “home.” Beginning in May, and spanning just 11 weeks, Cole and Serrano plan to visit all 30 Major League Baseball cities and stadiums, stopping in Tampa Bay to visit Sacred Heart on May 23, and Tropicana Field on May 24, as the Rays take on the Marlins.
Admission for the mission talk is free, and all are welcome. Cole and Serrano will also be available early at Tropicana Field, prior to the game on May 24.
*This page will be updated as more information is gathered regarding the event
Bleacher Brothers Media Kit
In the lead up to the event, please utilize the copy and images from this page for your bulletins, calendars, and social media.
Suggested Bulletin and Calendar Copy:
Sacred Heart to Host Mission Featuring “Bleacher Brothers,” Fr. Casey Cole, OFM and Fr. Tito Serrano, OFM
Join parishioners and visitors from around the diocese on Monday, May 23, at 7 p.m. at Sacred Heart Church, Tampa for a special mission session featuring Fr. Casey Cole, OFM, and Fr. Roberto “Tito” Serrano, OFM, from the successful YouTube channels “Breaking In the Habit” and “Upon Friar Review.”
St. Francis of Assisi didn’t just preach in churches or the places where people who already had faith gathered. He spent most of his time preaching in the city square, among ordinary people, talking in ways they could understand. He had a gift of finding God even in the ordinary. For 800 years, the Franciscans have continued this legacy. In their own bid to meet people where they are and invite them to return to Jesus and his Church, Cole and Serrano will set out on this pilgrimage that was nearly a decade in the making. As avid baseball fans, the self-professed “Bleacher Brothers” developed the idea of spending a summer visiting each of the homes of America’s pastime, inviting people back to their spiritual “home base.” Cole and Serrano plan to visit all 30 Major League Baseball cities and stadiums, stopping in Tampa Bay to visit Sacred Heart on May 23, and Tropicana Field on May 24, as the Rays take on the Marlins.
Admission for the mission talk is free, and all are welcome. For more information, visit shfla.org/bleacherbros.
Suggested E-Newsletter Copy:
Sacred Heart to Host Mission Featuring “Bleacher Brothers,” Fr. Casey Cole, OFM and Fr. Tito Serrano, OFM
Join your fellow parishioners and visitors from around the diocese on Monday, May 23, at 7 p.m.in the church for a special mission session featuring Fr. Casey Cole, OFM, and Fr. Roberto “Tito” Serrano, OFM, from the successful YouTube channels “Breaking In the Habit” and “Upon Friar Review.”
In a bid to emulate the Franciscan missionary model of “meeting people where they are,” Cole and Serrano will set out on a unique pilgrimage to all 30 Major League Baseball markets over an 11-week stretch, visiting both Sacred Heart and Tropicana Field along the way. As avid baseball fans, the self-professed “Bleacher Brothers” developed the idea of spending a summer visiting each of the homes of America’s pastime nearly a decade ago, with the hope of inviting people back to their spiritual “home base.”
Admission for the mission talk is free, and all are welcome! Visit shfla.org/bleacherbros to view their tour announcement video, and read more about the friars’ upcoming visit.
Suggested Social Media Copy:
2 baseball loving friars + 30 baseball cities + 11-week summer tour = A run toward “home base.”
Join parishioners and visitors from around the Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg at Sacred Heart Tampa on Monday, May 23 as the “Bleacher Brothers,” Fr. Casey Cole, OFM and Fr. Tito Serrano, OFM, visit Tampa Bay in a bid to invite people back to Jesus and His Church. For more, visit shfla.org/bleacherbros.
Our latest Giving from the Heart donation drive-thru event was held on Saturday, April 9, at the North Campus in support of Catholic Charities’ Foundations of Life Pregnancy Center of Tampa.
More than 15 volunteers from Sacred Heart’s Council of Catholic Women and Knights of Columbus were on hand to collect donations for the center, which offers support services to women and families who are facing unplanned pregnancy.
More than 20 vehicles drove through with many car-and-truck loads of needed supplies, including diapers, toiletries, blankets, clothes, and food. More than 500 individual items were collected to fill the center’s shelves.
Foundations of Life focuses on developing a balanced life for the parents and their child. Nearly all Foundations of Life’s clients fulfill more than 50 percent of their priorities for pregnancy and early parenthood, including healthy delivery, development of parental skills and financial literacy, furthering educational or career ambitions, and spiritual growth. Items will be distributed by the center to clients who are actively in need of supplies to support their pregnancy or newborns.
Special, hand-made donations were delivered during the drive, serving as a reminder that our Giving from the Heart events are served by a community much larger than our parishioner base. Knit baby blanket and sweater sets were donated from a non-Catholic friend of a volunteering parishioner for the second year running. Foundations of Life operates in a similar vein, holding an open door policy for those seeking assistance, regardless of age, race, or religion, with a 96 percent success rate of clients choosing life for their unborn child.
Our next Giving from the Heart event will be held in June. For more on how you can assist Foundations of Life, visit www.foundationsoflife.org.
We thank all who participated for their generosity and continued support.
Instead of a discussion on this week’s Gospel, I would like to provide you with an update and reflection on our North Campus property. I am aware that many of you were instrumental in the initial efforts to begin revitalizing the property prior to my arrival at the parish. It is inspiring to hear of and now see the commitment of our parishioners in their pursuit of that greater vision.
Last year, we finished several aspects of the initial phases from the original “True North” campaign. New brick and rod-iron fencing was installed, along with new security gates. The gym, which had been condemned, was removed. The parking lot was resurfaced. Wi-Fi was installed in the school, library, and auditorium. Our garden ministry continues to do a wonderful job in cleaning and beautifying the grounds, and there has been talk of future new traditions, like hosting an outdoor Stations of the Cross service. Fr Zack has seen his bee ministry grow to manage six hives, which means more honey for the Gift and Book Store. This month, much of the lighting in the auditorium will be updated or replaced, with additional outdoor lighting on the buildings also on the present docket.
There has also been growth in the number of ministries that utilize the North Campus. While the bee and garden ministries may go without saying, our bible study, book club, finance committee, Knights of Columbus, men’s prayer group, music ministry, Open Doors ministry, outreach committee, parish advisory committee, RCIA, and rosary group, along with the Sacred Heart Council of Catholic Women and Secular Franciscans all have begun to utilize the campus for their regularly scheduled meetings and events. We also have our Sacred Heart Academy Alumni group arranging luncheons to revisit the campus.
A view of the major appliances and ovens in the North Campus kitchen.
These add to the several semi-annual and annual parish events held on the property, such as new parishioner welcome dinners and advent offerings like the popular “Cookies with St Nicholas.” We continue to use the space for liturgical events at different times of the year, and the parish hosted several diocesan events at the North Campus over the last year. With parking downtown becoming more and more of an issue, it is advantageous that we have these multipurpose spaces readily available for these regular meetings. While “True North” originally looked to address other areas in phase two, I believe a project set for a later phase should be prioritized, to coincide with the usage growth of the property, and provide future opportunities for parishioners who may not be directly tied to a ministry to have more of a chance to experience the campus.
The kitchen is in desperate need of rehabilitation and remodeling. The plumbing and electric need to be updated and brought up to code. The appliances, counters, and racks are all old and may need replacing. There is no air conditioning in the kitchen, so this would also need to be added. A kitchen is the heart of any good parish event. It certainly is at the heart of one of our great ministries, Hands of Hope, who utilize the kitchen at the North Campus to make meals for the local homeless community every Saturday. For most events currently held at the North Campus, we are seeing organizers bring in food, rather than prepare it on site. Having a working kitchen would increase our ability to have more parish events at the North Campus.
By no means should we ignore the many other projects needed to modernize and revitalize the North Campus, but the kitchen should become our first priority.
From various meetings and discussions with parishioners since being installed as your pastor, I must again say how it is uplifting to see the excitement around the possibilities at the North Campus. As a parish, we need to keep that excitement flowing, and channel the event and usage possibilities being discussed, like community gardens, farmers markets, transitional housing, or developing a new chapel, into a revitalized plan and path forward for the property.
In our continued effort to meet the growing needs of the Tampa/ Hillsborough County community, Sacred Heart is holding its latest Giving from the Heart drive-through donation event on Saturday, April 9, at the North Campus from 10 a.m. to noon. The April event is an effort of both Sacred Heart’s Council of Catholic Women, and the Knights of Columbus Council #12110, benefitting the Foundations of Life Pregnancy Center of Tampa.
Both the CCW and Knights have a rich history of providing for Foundations of Life, and the pair of organizations continue that relationship this year as part of our Giving from the Heart drive. The Foundations of Life Pregnancy Center of Tampa is one of four such centers operated by Catholic Charities around the Diocese of St. Petersburg, and offers support services to women who are facing unplanned pregnancy.
Needed items hoping to be collected during the drive include, but are not limited to:
Diapers – all sizes
Baby Wipes
Toiletries, such as shampoos, baby wash, baby powder, diaper rash cream, lotion
Bottles and Pacifiers
Outfits or onesies, sized 6-12 months
Baby blankets
Financial donations (make checks payable to Sacred Heart)
Foundations of Life is focused not only on helping expecting mothers with unplanned pregnancies choose life for their child, but to also develop a balanced life for the parents and their child. Nearly all Foundations of Life’s clients fulfill more than 50% of their priorities for pregnancy and early parenthood, including healthy delivery, development of parental skills and financial literacy, furthering educational or career ambitions, and spiritual growth. The center also serves as a resource for women considering abortion, and holds an open-door policy for those seeking assistance, regardless of age, race, or religion, with 96% of clients choosing life for their unborn child.
To volunteer for the drive, contact the CCW at shccwtampa@gmail.com, or Michael Cabrera with the Knights of Columbus at rskinsr1@gmail.com. We thank you in advance for your generosity and support for our community members in need.
View the Ukrainian National Anthem, as played by Director of Music, Philip Jakob
(Editor’s Note: This page will be updated as diocesan & provincial initiatives are developed or occur)
As the invasion of Ukraine continues to unfold, there is a growing need for humanitarian aid within the country to supplement basic services for the people of that nation.
Donations are needed now to get such aid to the people on the ground.
Sacred Heart is taking up the call from Provincial Minister Kevin Mullen, OFM, of the Franciscan Friars of Holy Name Province, and offering a special collection to assist Franciscan Friar efforts in Ukraine, beginning on 3/12/22, and occurring during every weekend Mass for the subsequent two weeks.
In a letter to all Franciscan parishes within the Province, Fr. Mullen stated that he is “appealing on behalf of the people in the Ukraine to help them now in their time of need.” Within our Franciscan family, the brothers in the Province of St. Michael the Archangel are in grave risk in the city of Konotop, which was occupied by Russian soldiers late last week. The province has 16 friaries with 65 friars serving 54 parishes in Ukraine.
Fr. Mullen goes on to say that “all the people, all our brothers and sisters, are in need of help. We cannot not turn away our glance from them nor turn our back on them. I am asking each friar fraternity and all our ministerial sites to raise funds over the next weeks to provide some relief for the people of Ukraine.”
Holy Name Province’s Office of Development will coordinate all of the donations from their friaries and ministries, in cooperation with several groups, including Catholic Relief Services.
The friars thank you in advance for your cooperation on this crucial issue. Our prayers and our donations will make a difference. Let us be generous with both. Envelopes for the collection can be found in the pews. Checks can be made payable to “Sacred Heart Catholic Church” with “Ukrainian Collection” listed on the memo line.
In our continued effort to meet the growing needs of the Tampa/Hillsborough community, Sacred Heart held its latest Giving from the Heart donation drive-thru on Saturday, Feb. 12, at the North Campus. The February event was an effort of both Hands of Hope and Love INC. Volunteers collected items for future Hands of Hope meal and essentials distributions, as well as Love INC’s Adopt-A-School project and its beneficiary, St. Joseph Catholic School.
Volunteers from both Love INC and Hands of Hope were joined by representatives of Sacred Heart’s Knights of Columbus, Council of Catholic Women, and our Friars to collect the donations.
In total, 48 vehicles drove through and provided many truck-loads of needed supplies, for the school and the meal-based outreach ministry respectively. Nearly $600 (cash and gift cards) was raised for teacher appreciation and family assistance for Love INC’s adopted school. 32 bags of non-perishable food items, and 21 bags of children’s clothes and shoes also were collected, with distribution to needy students attending St. Joseph’s to occur soon.
Hands of Hope collected 20 bags of toiletries, garments, and personal items for distribution to the homeless the ministry serves every Saturday at St. Peter Claver. They also received more than 10 bags of food for future meal prep.
Love INC currently provides assistance to the students and families of St. Joseph Catholic School through their Adopt-A-School outreach. Since its founding in 1896, St. Joseph Catholic School has played an important role in educating the children of West Tampa. Many of the students attending the school, and their families, are underserved in our community, and need assistance with some basic needs.
Hands of Hope meets every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., preparing meals at the North Campus, distributing those meals to the homeless and underserved in the community gathering at St. Peter Claver School.
If you would like to participate in Love INC’s Adopt-A-School project or with Hands of Hope, please contact Ann Doyle (Love INC) at 813-541-7366, or Robb Mercado (Hands of Hope) via email.
View a gallery from the latest Giving from the Heart event below:
At the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, Feb. 13, the Most Reverend Gregory L. Parkes, bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, installed Fr. Michael Jones, OFM, as pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
Joining Sacred Heart as a parochial vicar in September 2020, Fr. Mike is the 33rd pastor in the 117-year history of the existing church, dating back to Fr. William Tyrrell, S.J., who was pastor of the preceding St. Louis Parish at the time of Sacred Heart’s groundbreaking.
Fr. Mike celebrated his 25th anniversary as a friar in 2021, and has served in the role of pastor twice before, at parishes in New Jersey and South Carolina.
Fr. Zack, Fr. Ron, Friar Henry, Deacon Ray, and the parish staff all wish Fr. Mike well in this new leadership role.
For those who were unable to attend this Mass in person, you may view the Mass live below:
Past Events: The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2/13/22, 10:30 a.m.)
The Installation of Fr. Mike Jones as Pastor of Sacred Heart Church,
presided by Bishop Gregory Parkes
View a gallery of photos from the Installation Mass Below:
Join Sacred Heart’s Garden Ministry for a day of cleaning and beautifying the grounds of the North Campus on Saturday, Feb. 19, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
As the parish continues to make regular use of the North Campus for outreach and events, the Garden Ministry is working to make the grounds more inviting for all. The group is requesting the help of all parishioners with a handful of projects that require additional manpower.
Projects to be worked on during the clean-up event include:
Plant and tree removal
Planting new bougainvillea (digging and soil prep included) along rear border and walkway
Ground leveling and gravel installation around mausoleums
Cleaning debris along Lake Avenue and Jefferson Street
Lunch will be provided to volunteers. Those planning to assist should be prepared for physical work and bring their garden gloves, sun protection, and bug spray. Common garden tools, such as shovels, trowels, pruners, trimmers, and wheel barrows also would be useful for volunteers to bring along, if possible.
The Sacred Heart Knights of Columbus (Council #12110) are back with their fourth annual free-throw contest, set for Saturday, Feb. 5, at the North Campus Courts from 9-11 a.m.
The competition is open to all boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 14, and winners for each category are eligible to compete at the district, regional, and state-level competitions.
You can preregister for this contest with one of our brother Knights after all masses the weekend of Jan. 30 or on the day of the event, beginning at 8:45 am.
For more information, contact Tony Miranda at 480-236-2955 or tjmiranda@yahoo.com.
