DIOCESAN OFFICES

Homeless Clients of Catholic Charities and others are Impacted by Hurricane Debby
While spared a direct hit, some of our local families, individuals, charities, parishes, and schools are trying to recover from flooding and storm damage.

Hurricane Debby has caused significant damage at two homeless shelters operated by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Petersburg: Pinellas Hope and Tampa Hope.

• Flooding at Pinellas Hope has destroyed over 20 tents and the platforms upon which they rest.
• At least one building has experienced foundation damage.
• At Tampa Hope, nearly half of the 125 tents were destroyed.
• Clients are being temporarily housed in roofed, communal areas at each site.
• All five counties in the Diocese of St. Petersburg, and our neighboring counties received direct impact from Tropical Storm Debby.

The storm’s full impact within the five counties of the Diocese of St. Petersburg is currently being assessed. To begin assisting those most affected, Bishop Gregory Parkes will be providing support through the Diocese of St. Petersburg Disaster Relief Fund.

For more information, please visit www.dosp.org/storm.

An Invitation from the Office of the Lay Pastoral Ministry Institute
Ask yourself: Could God be calling me to be a Lay Ecclesial Minister in His Church?
For anyone interested in attending the LPMI Year of Discernment, the registration form and program information can be found on the LPMI web site at: https://www.dosp.org/lpmi/year-of-discernment/ or call the LPMI office at (727) 344-1611. New classes begin September 7, 2024.

Healing Mass for Survivors of Abuse
Once again, a Mass of Healing will be held for those who seek spiritual healing from abuse in all forms, including sexual, physical, or emotional, and for those who wish to pray for victims/survivors of abuse, their family and friends. The Mass will be held on Saturday, September 7, 2024, 11:00 a.m., in Our Lady’s Chapel, at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle, 5815 5th Avenue North, St. Petersburg. Most Reverend Gregory Parkes, Bishop of St. Petersburg, will be the main celebrant. The community is invited to participate.

During the Mass, those harmed by abuse are invited to call upon Jesus, the Good Shepherd, for comfort, peace and healing. Opportunities for prayer with a priest or conversation with our Victim Assistance Coordinator, John Lambert, LCSW, will be available following the Mass.

The Mass of Healing for Survivors of Abuse will be livestreamed at these links: dosp.org/livestream,  Youtube.com/DioceseofStPete,  and Facebook.com/DioStPete.

Offices of Liturgy and Intercultural Ministries

Bilingual Diocesan Musician Training
Friday, September 13th, “Called, Discipled, Unified” at 6 p.m. at Christ the King Catholic Church, Tampa

Saturday, September 14th, 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.

• English track at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Tampa.
• Spanish track at Christ the King Catholic Church, Tampa.

All music directors, musicians, choir members, and others are invited to our Diocesan Musicians’ Training. This training consists of an Intercultural Night on Sept. 13th (at Christ the King Catholic Church, Tampa) open to all clergy, music leaders, and members.
Sept. 14th is a workshop with an English track (at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Tampa)and a Spanish track (at Christ the King Catholic Church, Tampa) to train, equip, and empower the ministers of music.

For English track, click here to register or contact rlemire@dosp.org for more information.
For Spanish track, contact ajahuey@dosp.org for more information prior to registration.

10ª Conferencia AMPHE (13 y 14 de septiembre de 2024)
¡Todos los directores de música, músicos, miembros del coro y personas interesadas están invitados a nuestro Entrenamiento Diocesano para Músicos! Este entrenamiento consiste en una Noche Intercultural el 13 de septiembre por la noche (Christ the King Catholic Church), y sesiones el 14 de septiembre en inglés (St. Patrick Catholic Church, Tampa) y en español (Christ the King Catholic Church, Tampa) para entrenar, capacitar, y empoderar a los ministros de música.

Para la sesión en inglés, pulsa aquí para inscribirte o envía un correo a rlemire@dosp.org para más información.
Para la sesión en español, envía un correo a ajahuey@dosp.org para recibir más información antes de inscribirte.

Community Impact Grant
Applications are now being accepted for the Fall 2024 cycle of the Community Impact Grant Program. This program, funded through donations to the annual End of Year Giving Challenge and administered by the Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Saint Petersburg, will provide awards ranging from $500 to $5,000 to qualifying ministries/programs/projects that support Courageously Living the Gospel in one or more of the following ways:

• address a local community issue that assists the underserved and/or rural populations
• focus on establishing or enhancing youth or young adult ministry to increase their encounters with Christ and support the growth of our Young Church
• evaluate, train, and/or implement effective evangelization, Missionary Discipleship, family ministry, hospitality strategies and/or intercultural competency

For more information and application, please follow this link:  https://shorturl.at/mZJbi.

Annual Reports Available
The Diocese of Saint Petersburg and the Catholic Foundation are committed to accountability. A few ways we demonstrate this to the people of our Diocese and our almost 25,000 donors and supporters are:

• participation in annual, independent audits monthly reconciliation and reporting
• active lay leadership Boards and committee

In addition, the Diocese and the Foundation prepare annual reports to share how gifts are being utilized to impact lives for Christ. A printed version of the 2023 Annual Report and the 2022|2023 Impact Report have been mailed to all 6,000+ Mater Dei Giving Society members. The reports have also been made available online.

All are invited to visit www.dosp.org/2023-annual-report  and www.catholicfoundation.org/2022-2023-impact-report to view the online versions of these reports, download a printable version, and learn more about how our Church is Courageously Living the Gospel thanks to our donors.

To request a print version of the report, please email your request to stewardship@dosp.org.

KNOWN Conference
The Diocese of St. Petersburg is hosting its first Young Adult Conference, “KNOWN” on September 21, 2024, at the Hilton Hotel in Downtown Tampa, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  This conference is open to all young adults in their 20s and 30s. With great speakers like Michael “Gomer” Gormley, Oscar Rivera, and Emily Wilson.  This conference seeks to remind the young adults that they are seen, known, and loved by the Lord. Registration fee is $30.00 and you can register online at dosp.org/knownregistration and follow the official Instagram account of the Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry:  @DOSPYA.

Promotional graphics at these links:  1, 2, 3, 4.   

Spirit FM’s Hopesgiving Fundraiser

Join us for Spirit FM’s Hopesgiving fundraiser, beginning August 12th! Our theme, “Hope for the Future, Present, and Past,” reminds us of the impact your generosity has had. Thank you for your continued support, which allows us to spread the good news of Jesus. Donate now at MySpiritFm.com/Donate and help us keep the spirit alive!

Promotional Graphic at this link: https://shorturl.at/EzGHQ.

PARISHES/ORGANIZATIONS

Welcome Home Weekend
The Catholic Student Center at the University of South Florida invites all students, families, USF alumni and friends of campus ministry to our 6^th annual Welcome Home Weekend events. All are welcome to join the Catholic Bulls community and find out more about our campus ministry while celebrating the start of a new academic year.  Masses will be held in St. Luke’s Chapel at 13005 N. 50^th Street, Tampa, FL 33617 followed by festivities in the courtyard.

Saturday, August 24, 2024
5:00 p.m.  ~ Vigil Mass followed by food, entertainment, and fellowship
Sunday, August 25, 2024
10:00 a.m.  ~ Mass followed by brunch
5:00 p.m.  ~ Mass followed by dessert social
For more information email development@catholicusf.org.

Promotional Graphic at this link:  https://shorturl.at/ny1v4 . 

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.