Let us keep the souls and the families of the faithful departed in our prayers:

Monsignor Avelino Garcia

The Chancellor’s Office was notified of the passing of Monsignor Avelino Garcia, 75, a retired priest of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, on September 1, 2019, while under Hospice care at Bon Secours Maria Manor, St. Petersburg.

Additional biographical information and funeral arrangements will be communicated soon, once they have been made available.

Please keep Monsignor Garcia’s family members and loved ones in your kind thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Mrs. Anne Mae Kovanis

Anna Mae Kovanis, 93, mother of Reverend Joel Kovanis, Pastor of Prince of Peace Parish, Sun City Center, passed away in the Lord on September 5, 2019, at her home. Before moving to Sun City Center in 2015, she was a resident of Palm Harbor for 44 years.

Mrs. Kovanis was preceded in death by her husband, Albert, sisters Georgine and Mary Ethel, brothers Lawrence, George Jr. and Leo, sons-in-law Jerry Harcrow and Joe Bobel. She is survived by three of her brothers, Raymond, Kenneth and Norman and 12 children: Linda Harcrow, Albert, Jr. (Betty), Angel Bobel, David (Diane), Charles, Ronald (Jennifer), Robert (Elizabeth), Ann Hartle (Timothy), John (Anna), Kevin (Carolyn), Christine Oman (Christopher) and Father Joel Kovanis, in addition to 25 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are as follows:

Visitation: Tuesday, September 10, 2019, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.,
Vigil Service will be held at 6:30 p.m.
Moss Feaster Funeral Homes, 1320 Main Street, Dunedin

Funeral Mass: Wednesday, September 11, 2019, 11:00 a.m.
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 750 San Salvador Drive, Dunedin

Burial: Wednesday, September 11, 2019, 2:30 p.m.
Florida National Cemetery, 6502 SW 102nd Avenue, Bushnell

Expressions of sympathy may be sent to Rev. Joel Kovanis and family, c/o Prince of Peace Catholic Church, 702 Valley Forge Boulevard, Sun City Center, FL 33753

May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace!

Mrs. Maria Lubowa Nagirinya

Maria Lubowa Nagirinya, 25, cousin of Reverend Francis M. Lubowa, Parochial Administrator of Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish, Gulfport, was discovered dead on August 30, 2019, in a suburb of Kampala, Uganda, after being kidnapped and murdered two days earlier. Father Lubowa stated that Maria had recently celebrated her first wedding anniversary on August 25. She had also obtained her master’s degree and was a Ph.D. student.

Maria is survived by her husband, father, six siblings and numerous cousins, including Father Lubowa.

A Funeral Mass was held in Kampala on September 1, 2019, followed by a burial nearby in a family lot.

Expressions of sympathy may be sent to Rev. Francis Lubowa, c/o Most Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, 5800 15th Avenue S., Gulfport, FL 33707.

Please keep Father Lubowa and his family members in your kind thoughts and prayers in the wake of this tragic loss.

“God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress.” – Psalm 46:2

Sister Francis Elizabeth McDonnell, OP

Sister Francis Elizabeth McDonnell, formerly known as Collette Mary McDonnell, died on Monday, August 26, 2019, at the Dominican Life Center in Adrian, Michigan. She was 92 years of age and in the 74^th year of her religious profession in the Adrian Dominican Congregation.

Sister Francis Elizabeth was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Frank and Catherine (Harper) McDonnell. She graduated from St. Joseph Academy in Adrian and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Master of Education degree in Administration/Supervision, both from Barry College (University) in Miami Shores, Florida.

Sister Francis Elizabeth spent 53 years ministering in education in Detroit and Adrian, Michigan; and Hollywood, West Palm Beach, Miami Beach, Jacksonville, Palatka, Gulfport, Fort Lauderdale, Riviera Beach, and Fort Pierce, Florida. She was principal for six years at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic School in Gulfport (1963-1969). Sister Francis Elizabeth became a resident of the Dominican Life Center in Adrian, Michigan, in 2010.

Sister Francis Elizabeth was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, James McDonnell and Francis McDonnell. She is survived by two sisters, Mary Helen Yunker of Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, and Bernadette Sax of Santa Rosa, California.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Catherine Chapel of the Dominican Life Center on September 4, 2019. Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, Michigan, 49221.