In an effort to provide our parishioners with the most up-to-date information regarding how coronavirus (COVID-19) is affecting our parish, we’ve assembled all of the latest news and information we have in one centralized location on our website. Please visit the link below frequently for additional updates.
With the continued news about coronavirus (COVID-19), and out of an abundance of caution, Sacred Heart has made the decision to cancel our Lenten tradition of Friday Soup Suppers until further notice. We care about the health, safety and well-being of all of our parishioners and want to ensure we do all we can to keep you safe from potential illness.
We will still hold Stations of the Cross each and every Friday during Lent, so please consider joining us at 7:30 pm in the church for this wonderful Lenten tradition.
Our Destination: True North “Fun”Raiser was a big success, and we couldn’t have done it without the generous support of our sponsors.
Sacred Heart would like to extend a special thank you to Troy and Jill Manthey of the Yacht StarShip, who generously provided our wonderful evening cruise, fantastic food, libations, and the incredible opportunity to celebrate together as a parish community.
We can’t wait until next year! We hope you’ll join us!
Special Announcement: Gasparilla Music Festival
The Gasparilla Music Festival at Curtis Hixon Park is this weekend, March 7th-8th. Parking in downtown Tampa will be affected. Please note the following parking restrictions below:
717 Lot at Kennedy Blvd & Florida Ave:
– As a reminder, this parking lot is no longer available free of charge for parishioners to park either Saturday or Sunday.
Madison Building Garage:
– Saturday, March 7th: Parking will not be available for parishioners for the 5:30 pm Mass.
– Sunday, March 8th: Parking will be available for parishioners for all Masses.
*If you plan to stay after Mass to attend the event, please pay the posted rate or move your car.
Special Announcement:
The Gasparilla Festival of the Arts at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park is this weekend, February 29th – March 1st. Parking in downtown Tampa will be affected. Please note the following parking restrictions below:
717 Lot at Kennedy Blvd & Florida Ave:
– As a reminder, this parking lot is no longer available free of charge for parishioners to park either Saturday or Sunday.
Madison Building Garage:
– Saturday, February 29th: Parking will be available for parishioners for the 5:30 pm Mass (if you arrive after 5:00 pm).
– Sunday, March 1st: Parking will be available for parishioners at all Masses, however fees will be collected starting at 12:00 pm, so try not to be late.
*If you plan to stay after Mass to attend the event, please pay the posted rate or move your car.
All About Lent
Are you looking to do more this Lent beyond giving something up? If whatever you give up makes more room in your life for God, then let’s be intentional about dedicating that space for God.
Sacred Heart has several ways you can get involved during this Lenten season, and we encourage you to join us in one or more of the suggestions below. Happy Lenten journey!
Lenten Traditions
Here at Sacred Heart, we have our own Lenten traditions that we would love for you to be a part of this year.
Ash Wednesday
This Wednesday, February 26th, is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Ashes will be distributed during the celebration of Mass at the following times:
– 7:00 am
– 12:10 pm
– 7:00 pm
*There will also be a Prayer Service at 5:30 pm.
Soup Suppers & Stations of the Cross
Beginning Friday, March 6th, the parish will host two evening events – our Simple Soup Supper and Stations of the Cross. Consider making this part of your Lenten spiritual practice and join your fellow parishioners in their Lenten journey.
– Simple Soup Supper: 6:30 pm in the St. Francis Hall
– Stations of the Cross: 7:30 pm in the Church
Lenten Giving Tree
During this Lenten season, instead of “giving up” something, consider “doing something” for others in the community. You will find our Lenten Giving Tree in the main entrance of the church. Please take a tag from the tree and prayerfully consider what you might be able to give to one or more of the needy charities we are collecting for this year. The charities include Catholic Relief Services, Heifer International’s Mission, and Apostleship of the Sea of the U.S. Thank you for your support of these worthy causes!
Lenten Resources
Below are some opportunities for you to get more involved this Lent, whether through daily reflections or 6-week study programs. Consider using one of these in your daily life, a small Lenten group, or with your family.
Dynamic Catholic: Best Lent Ever
What is Best Lent Ever? Its a free email program that will guide you on an incredible 40-day journey to become the-best-version-of-yourself, making this a truly life-changing Lent. Sign Up
Bishop Robert Barron: Lenten Gospel Reflections
Spend your time with Christ in the Gospel this Lent alongside Bishop Barron and the Word on Fire community. Sign up for daily reflections and meditations right to your inbox.
Sign Up
January 22, 2020 marks a sad anniversary: the U.S. Supreme Court’s tragic decision legalizing the deliberate taking of unborn human life through elective abortion. Judicial sanction of the termination of life in the womb seen by some as a “right” is a “wrong” that for 47 years has coarsened hearts and darkened minds. Today, after more than 60 million abortions, there is less regard for all human life as society discards those deemed inconvenient because of age, infirmity or any other reason.
This past year, in one of the most polarized political environments experienced in recent history, we were appalled that some states sought to strengthen laws that permit abortions even to the moment of birth. We also saw the U.S. Congress fail repeatedly to consider protections that ensure infants who survive abortion receive proper medical care.
Yet, amid this darkness, signs of hope remain, and good and courageous acts light a way forward. The passage of laws by several state legislatures to restrict abortion is encouraging. Wide support in Florida for the vital help provided to pregnant women and their families by pregnancy care centers is greatly welcomed. Parish and other ministries that provide material and spiritual help and offer hope and healing for those suffering from past abortions hearten us and are to be commended.
The prevailing interpretation of the privacy clause in our Florida constitution, which has provided broader rights to abortion than the U.S. Constitution, is frustrating. Nevertheless, we are hopeful that legislation requiring a 24-hour reflection period prior to an abortion will ultimately survive court challenges and be upheld as law.
Despite the claims by some that Roe v. Wade is “settled law”, Americans are still conflicted about abortion, and this is what lies behind much of the divisiveness of today’s political discourse. As Catholics, we do not pretend to impose our views about human life on the citizenry of this great nation. Nevertheless, as Americans, we wish to contribute, as faithful and faith-filled citizens, to the common good and to promote human flourishing in our society by making our proposal. Dr. Martin Luther King’s proposal on the need for racial justice touched the conscience of a nation and brought about the end of Jim Crow. In the same way, our proposal informed by Catholic teachings but accessible to reason hopes to touch consciences and bring an end to America’s “slaughter of the innocents”.
This proposal holds that everyone’s human dignity is served when each human life is protected in law from the moment of conception until natural death. Respect for the right to life and dignity of every human person – whether he or she be poor, an immigrant, a refugee, incarcerated, infirmed, sick, elderly or unborn – simply reaffirms the self-evident truth that “all men are created equal” and “endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable rights” and thus promotes the “more perfect union” to which our founders aspired.
Are you looking for ways to get involved at Sacred Heart this week? We have plenty of opportunities for you with our various ministries and events. See below for this week’s highlights and consider joining us. You would be most welcome!
Are you looking for ways to get involved at Sacred Heart this week? We have plenty of opportunities for you with our various ministries and events. See below for this week’s highlights and consider joining us. You would be most welcome!
The flowers displayed in our sanctuary for the Christmas Season have been given in remembrance or honor of loved ones whose names are listed on the following pages.
Click here for a complete list of names and tributes.
