DIOCESAN OFFICES

New Documentary to Premiere: For the Sake of the Gospel
More than twenty years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, a group of Franciscan missionaries left their homes in Spain to evangelize and minister to the indigenous people of the south Georgia coast.  Between September 14 and September 17, 1597, all but one were murdered.  The Diocese of Savannah has produced a documentary about these missionaries called, “For the Sake of the Gospel,” that will premiere on EWTN (https://www.ewtn.com/tv/watch-live) on Monday, February 5, 2024, at 5:30 PM EST.  To learn more, click here (https://thegeorgiamartyrs.org/en/).

Please note:
The Franciscans that are part of the Georgia Martyrs are a separate cause than the Florida Martyrs (https://martyrsoflafloridamissions.org/) which was just submitted to Rome in the Fall.  lease continue to pray for the beatification of the Servants of God Antonio Inija  and Companions (aka the Martyrs of La Florida).

Floridians are Asked to Pray a Novena to Defeat a Pro-Abortion Amendment
On February 7, 2024 the Florida Supreme Court will review the language of a proposed constitutional amendment (http://tinyurl.com/4sztrydp) that would legalize full-term abortion for any age without parental consent in Florida. The Bishops of Florida are rallying people around the state to pray each day from January 30th through February 7th.   All are asked to pray that both women and preborn babies will be protected, and that this misleading and dangerous amendment will not be permitted on the November ballot.  You can sign up to receive reminders to pray each day of the novena via this link (http://tinyurl.com/yw37aspp).

Promotional graphics at the following links:  one and two.

Pinellas County Jail – Ministry Request
Pinellas County Jail will soon be offering a training for volunteers (clergy and lay) assisting with religious services. Currently Catholic Communion services are held every Friday morning in one section of the Jail. We are hoping to add enough ministers to add services for other parts of the Jail (Women, Spanish, and East wing). 

If you have an interest in learning more about prison ministry or helping out at Pinellas County Jail, please contact the Office of Prison Ministry (727-344-1611) or via email at (prisonmn@dosp.org) for an application.

PARISHES/ORGANIZATIONS

Saint Mary, Our Lady of Grace Winter Concert Series 2024 continues! Sunday, January 28, 2024 at 3:00 pm The 13^th annual Winter Concert Series at Saint Mary, Our Lady of Grace parish continues with an old-fashioned RAGTIME PIANO presentation by pianist Peter Bergin.   This one-hour, family-friendly concert is FREE and open to all. A free-will offering will be taken to defray costs.  The church is located at 515 4^th Street South in St. Pete, FL 33701.  For more information, please call 727-896-2191 ext. 208 or go to www.stmaryolg.org.

PILGRIMAGES AROUND THE DIOCESE

If your parish is offering a pilgrimage within the coming months, we invite you to share this information with the Pastoral Bulletin: pastoralbulletin@dosp.org. This allows readers to view opportunities to participate in an upcoming pilgrimage. The pilgrimages are posted in the Diocesan website under the Pastoral Bulletin page at this link.