Florida Catholic | Diocese of Palm Beach News Briefs

August 2008

Catholic Charities installs new president

Posted: 08.29.08

Diane Simowitz, President of Catholic Charities

Diane Simowitz, a parishioner of St. Patrick in Palm Beach Gardens, was recently installed as the new president of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Palm Beach. The other officers are: Bill Shannon, vice president; Guia Brown, treasurer; and Father Thomas Barrett, rector of the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola in Palm Beach Gardens, secretary.

Simowitz, a New York native, has been a Catholic Charities board member for 12 years. A resident of Jupiter since retirement in 1988, her public service has included volunteering on the boards of the Governor’s Council for Public and Private Partnerships, the DePorres Adult Literacy Center, the Jupiter Auxiliary and the Holy Cross Preschool in West Palm Beach.

She is chairwoman of the development council for St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach and is on the finance council for All Saints School in Jupiter. She also serves on the advisory board of the Jupiter Medical Center Diabetes Education Center. After her husband’s death seven years ago, Simowitz became president of a family-owned real estate corporation in New York.

Catholic Charities supports 16 programs in 49 locations and serves more than 25,000 clients per year in Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Okeechobee and Indian River counties.

Free lecture offered

Posted: 08.29.08

Florida Atlantic University’s peace studies program, in collaboration with Campus Ministry Office of the Diocese of Palm Beach, will present a public lecture, “Peace and Poverty in the Middle East,” Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. Guest speakers for the evening include Cullen Larson and Hedley Abernethy of Catholic Relief Services. A question-and-answer session and reception will follow.

The program will be held in the university’s theater on the campus at 777 Glades Road in Boca Raton. For information, call 561-297-2623.

Council of Catholic Women to meet

Posted: 08.29.08

The members of the diocesan Council of Catholic Women in the Central Deanery of the Diocese of Palm Beach will gather Sept. 20 at St. Clare Parish, 821 Prosperity Farms Road in North Palm Beach, for a development day. Registration starts at 9 a.m. with a continental breakfast. The featured speaker for the morning is Linda Clark, who has served in many roles and at many levels in the leadership structure of the National Council of Catholic Women. Currently, she is a national leadership trainer as well as a motivational speaker.

The theme of the gathering is “Who Are We?” The cost for the day is $5 and reservations are required by Sept. 15. Call 561-818-1930 to register or for more information.

Pray for America

Posted: 08.15.08

In solidarity with a national Christian day of prayer and fasting encouraging youths to pray for their country, St. Clare Parish in North Palm Beach will hold 24-hour adoration and three guided Holy Hours of prayer Aug. 16 at 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the church.

The national prayer gathering, The Call, will take place all day Aug. 16 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The local event will be held for the particular intention of the success of the International 40 Days for Life event and campaign in Palm Beach County Sept. 24-Nov. 2. All are welcome to visit St. Clare and pray during one of the special Holy Hours or during the scheduled 24-hour adoration.

The 10 a.m. hour will be dedicated to Mary in her role as Our Lady, Patroness of the United States. The 3 p.m. Divine Mercy hour will be held in reparation for the sins of our country, especially that of legalized abortion. Finally, the 9 p.m. hour of prayer will petition for the social kingship of Christ. St. Clare is located at 821 Prosperity Farms Road, North Palm Beach. For information, call Maria Adriano at 561-799-5082.

High school students sought for contest

Posted: 08.15.08

The Christophers’ 19th annual poster contest project for high school students invites students in grades nine to 12 to share their talents. More than 1,400 young artists from around America participated in last year’s contest. This year’s theme is “You Can Make a Difference.”

Teenagers are invited to create paintings, drawings and computer-generated artwork or take photographs, keeping the theme in mind. Posters must measure 15 by 20 inches and include the words, “You Can Make a Difference.” Entries are judged on overall impact, effectiveness in conveying the theme, originality and artistic merit. Eight prizes will be awarded, with a top prize of $1,000. Deadline for entries is Jan. 19, 2009. Winners will be announced May 1, 2009. Complete rules and entry forms are available by calling 1-888-298-4050, ext. 237, or by visiting www.christophers.org/postercontest. Posters become the property of the Christophers and will not be returned.

The Christophers, a nonprofit organization founded in 1945, uses mass media to encourage all individuals to recognize and utilize their God-given abilities to make a positive difference in the world.

The Christopher motto is: “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.”

Peace–building lecture scheduled

Posted: 07.31.08

Florida Atlantic University’s Peace Studies Program in collaboration with the Diocese of Palm Beach Campus Ministry office will present a free public lecture Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m., at the University Theater, Boca Raton Campus, 777 Glades Road. The program will focus on peace-building practices and engagements by Catholic Relief Services, the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic community. For information, call 561-775-9524.

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