DIOCESAN OFFICES

Office of Vocations

St. Andrew’s Dinner
Young men age 16 and older, are invited to join us for a casual dinner and vocation stories with Bishop Gregory Parkes, Father Chuck, Dornquast, Director of Vocations, and other priests. Parents are also invited to join for a parent discussion and a meal. We will meet at Christ the King Parish, 821 S Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa at 6:30 p.m.. Online sign up is available at this link.

Adorare
During National Vocations Awareness Week, Elisheba House and the Office of Vocations will be partnering together to provide 40 Hours of Eucharistic Exposition at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church at 2348 Collier Pkwy., Land O’ Lakes, November 7-9, 2024. For a detailed schedule and to sign up to be an Adorer before the Blessed Sacrament during the 40 Hours, please visit www.dospvocations.org/adorare.

Supply Drive Launches for Hurricane Victims
In response to the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Diocesan ministry leaders and Catholic parishes and schools are working with Charities of the Diocese of Saint Petersburg to organize a supply drive from October 16, 2024 – November 1, 2024 to assist those affected by the storms.

Follow this link for a list of needed supplies and drop off locations:  https://shorturl.at/EpDNi.

Disaster Relief Financial Contributions
The Diocese of Saint Petersburg Disaster Relief Fund is an ongoing fund offering assistance to people impacted by natural disasters as they occur: hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. Since 2017, this fund has provided nearly $2 million dollars in disaster relief. Disasters occur quickly and unexpectedly, and our fund allows Bishop Gregory Parkes and diocesan leadership to direct those funds in real time to meet the most immediate need. The Church is committed to being there for the full recovery period which often lasts a long time. We are proud that 100% of all funds collected for the Diocesan Disaster Relief Fund are for disaster relief (no overhead or administrative costs).

Anyone who wishes to donate may contribute online at www.givecentral.org/appeals-form-registration/acp5f44220f014e0/user/guest.

All parishes completing collections for Disaster Relief, please deliver donations Monday-Friday, 8:30 am-5:00 pm to the Gift Acceptance Office of the Pastoral Center: 6363 9^th Ave. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33710 or mail donations to:

Diocese of St. Petersburg
ATTN: Disaster Relief
PO Box 40200
St. Petersburg, FL 33743-0200

Sixth Annual Diocesan African Mass
The African Catholics Ministry invites all to the Sixth Annual Diocesan African Mass to be celebrated at Holy Cross Catholic Church, located at 7851 54th Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33709 on November 3, 2024, at 2:00pm. This Mass will be presided by Bishop Gregory Parks. Come and experience the celebration of the Eucharist with diverse African languages and cultures. A reception will follow the Mass with samples of African food. For more information, please contact David Kadiri (520) 822-6822.

Flyer available at this link.

PARISHES/ORGANIZATIONS

Shredding Day at St. Luke The Evangelist Catholic Church
St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church is holding a community event and fundraiser: Shredding Day at the parish’s parking lot, 2757 Alderman Road, Palm Harbor, on Saturday, November 9, 2024 from 9:00-11:00 a.m.

A shredding truck will be in our parking lot ready to shred your sensitive and outdated documents.  Donations accepted.  For more information or questions, please contact Jean Gaspar, 727-324-3379, jcaragher@capstonemarketing.com.

“Praying the Psalms,” Fall Adult Faith Pilgrimage
In recognition of Pope Francis’ current 2024 Year of Prayer, Nativity Catholic Church in Brandon, is offering an adult faith spiritual pilgrimage to the Birmingham, AL, area to participate in a weekend retreat with Fr. Mitch Pacwa of EWTN centered on the theme, “Praying the Psalms.”  Trip departs via luxury motorcoach from Nativity Church, 705 E Brandon Blvd., on Thursday, November 14^th and returns Monday, November 18^th.  Fr. Don Amodeo is our pilgrimage priest.  You can see a flyer at this link:  https://tinyurl.com/2v6v9upb with additional information on the pilgrimage, which also includes visits to the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, AL, and Saint Bernard Abbey Monastery in Cullman, AL.

Cost is just $1,100 per person, single occupancy and includes most meals.  A $200 per person deposit reserves your spot!

For questions or additional information, please contact Tammy Flippo, Director of Adult Faith Formation & OCIA at 813-689-9101, ext. 2246 or email:  Tammy@nativitycatholicchurch.org.

Saint Leo University Hosting Fall Open House October 26, 2024
Saint Leo University will welcome prospective students and families at its fall open house 8:30 a.m. – noon, Saturday, October 26th. High School and transfer students are invited to visit campus to learn more about the innovative academic programs, and be eligible for a $250 microscholarship. Saint Leo is located at 33701 County Road 52, St. Leo, FL 33574.

RSVPs are requested by Wednesday, October 23rd. Register at https://www.saintleo.edu/student-experience/visit.

For more information and to register, visit the website (https://www.saintleo.edu/student-experience/visit) or contact the Office of Admissions at (352) 588-8283 or admissions@saintleo.edu.

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.