DIOCESAN OFFICES

Annual White Mass
The annual White Mass will be held on Saturday October 24, 2020 for physicians, medical students and other healthcare professionals in our diocese. Vigil 4:00 pm Mass will be presided over by Bishop Gregory Parkes at the beautiful Chapel of the Holy Cross located on the campus of Jesuit High School ( 4701 N. Himes Ave ) in Tampa. We ask that attendees please wear a mask and follow social distancing guidelines at Mass. There will not be a dinner following Mass this year. Dr. Rob Hamill, guild president of Catholic Medical Association’s (CMA), Tampa Bay Guild of St. Philomena, is organizing this event.
Registration is not required but you can RSVP to Tampawhitemass2020@gmail.com and please email with any questions.

Office of Propagation of the Faith
Sample Parish Bulletin Announcements for World Mission Sunday
October 17-18, 2020 is World Mission Sunday and the poor and vulnerable are more in need than ever before. With both the pandemic and natural disasters hitting hard in 2020, the entire world is struggling. This is your opportunity to generously give to those in desperate need of food, shelter, medical care, and hope! Please answer the call to give a life-changing gift to others on World Mission Sunday, October 17-18, 2020. Thank you and God bless you.

(Bulletin Editors: For Sample Parish Bulletin Announcements, please follow these links word / pdf)

3RE: A Virtual Marriage Encounter
The journey begins online – Tuesday, October 27, 2020
7 Evening sessions over 3 weeks.
REstore — communication
REkindle — romance
REnew — commitment

Apply at www.flcn-wwme.org. Questions? Contact Bob and Sheila Baker – bns4wwme@gmail.com or 407-647-4289.
Promotional flyer at this link: https://bit.ly/3cYyJcv.
Discover more about marriage encounter at www.wwme.org.

Beware of Imposter Social Media Accounts
If you receive a social media direct message or Facebook message from Bishop Gregory Parkes, please be aware that is an imposter account. Bishop Parkes does not contact individuals on social media using Facebook Messenger or direct messaging. Also, please be sure you are following the official social media channels for Bishop Parkes and not an imposter account.  Bishop Parkes’ official account handle is: @BishopParkes on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Please report any suspicious activity to Facebook, Instagram or other platforms and do not respond. For more information, visit www.dosp.org/beware-of-text-message-and-social-media-scams.

Office of Life, Justice & Advocacy
Protecting Our Families Against Pornography
Winning the Battle is a free, one-hour, live webinar designed to help pastors, youth ministers, and parents find victory over pornography for teens and young adults.  It is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10^th, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.  Helping families protect themselves from the evils of pornography is one of our diocesan missions, which is why we conduct Safe Haven Sunday here each year.  The Religious Alliance Against Pornography, with members from the Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, several Protestant Churches, and representatives from the Jewish and Muslim communities, is offering this Webinar as a means to provide solutions to overcoming the threat posed by pornography to families and marriages.  Please share information on this webinar to parishioners, so that they can also participate.  For details and to register, visit www.dosp.org/freedom-from-porn.