Florida Catholic | Diocese of Venice News Briefs

April 2008

Josephite priest brings Catholic traditions to families

Posted: 04.04.08

Josephite Father Antoine Thomas, developer of the Children’s Adoration program, will be in the Tampa Bay area the weekend of April 12 to lead a program and service designed for families. Father Thomas is known for visiting parishes and schools and speaking with children so they can understand and appreciate eucharistic adoration.

He will conduct a family retreat April 12, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., at Most Holy Redeemer Parish, 10110 Central Ave., Tampa. The retreat will include Mass, adoration, lunch and programs discussing how families can participate together in Catholic devotions and prepare for the Sunday Eucharist through Scripture. The cost is $25 per family. On Sunday, Father Thomas will lead two hourlong family adoration services at 2 p.m. at St. Patrick Parish, 1507 Trotter Road, Largo, and 5 p.m. at St. John Vianney Parish, 445 82nd Ave., St. Petersburg Beach. For more information on the retreat or adoration opportunites, call Tonda Galvez, 813-963-5649.

Sample beach cuisines at fundraiser

Posted: 04.04.08

St John Vianney Catholic School’s annual “Spring Gold” fundraiser will include a “taste of the beaches” this year. Various restaurants along Treasure Island and the Gulf beaches are expected to sell samples of popular dishes. The event will take place Saturday, April 12, 7-10 p.m., in St. John Vianney Parish’s Msgr. Trainor Center at 84th Avenue and Blind Pass Road, St. Pete Beach.

Although the event will raise money for schoolchildren, Spring Gold is an adult night out and those attending must be 21 or older. Admission is $100 per couple. Tickets are available through the school and parish offices, and by sending a check (made out to St. John’s School Spring Gold) to: 500 84th Ave., St. Pete Beach, 33706. For more information, call 727-360-1113.

Worried about the state of the world? Sister has ideas

Posted: 04.04.08

Sister Paula Gonzalez, Sisters of Charity, is known as both a futurist and environmentalist. She will draw on both her interests to present two programs at the Franciscan Center in mid-April. On Wednesday, April 16, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Sister Gonzalez will lead a daylong program called “Co-creating a Sustainable Future.” The program will study the technological developments and methods that, along with other efforts, could create opportunities to heal the world. The cost is $25.

That evening, Sister Gonzalez will lead a program focusing on the Earth Charter, a document that invites people of all religions and cultures to “reinvent the human role in the Sacred Earth Community.” The two-hour program will begin at 7 p.m. and costs $20. Participants must register for both programs by April 11.

The Franciscan Center is located five minutes north of downtown Tampa on the eastern banks of the Hillsborough River between Columbus Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. For more information about these or other programs offered there, call 813-229-2695, e-mail Francntr@tampabay.rr.com, or visit franciscancentertampa.org.

St. Joseph’s Hospital receives national recognition

Posted: 04.04.08

St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa has been named one of the nation’s 100 top hospitals by Thomson Healthcare. The award is based on a hospital’s clinical outcomes, patient safety, financial performance and efficiency. The study that gave St. Joseph its recent honor appeared in the March 17 edition of Modern Healthcare magazine.

According to the hospital, it looked at the “highest balanced performance across quality, efficiency, and financial stability” in the following key areas: risk-adjusted mortality, risk-adjusted complications, patient safety composite, average core measures scores, severity-adjusted average length of stay, expense per adjusted discharge, profit from operations, and cash-to-debt ratio.

More information is available at www.100tophospitals.com.

House of Prayer announces spring programs

Posted: 04.04.08

Our Lady of Divine Providence House of Prayer will offer programs to help Catholics looking to continue the ways of spirituality they embraced during Lent throughout the year. On Saturday, April 5, it will present “Step-stones to Virtue,” a silent retreat for women, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The day, which costs $25, will include Mass and lunch. For more information, call 727-799-4003.

Oblate Father Richard McAlear, who conducts healing workshops and missions throughout the United States, will present a day of healing Saturday, April 19, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. A $25 donation is requested and those attending are asked to bring a bag lunch.

For those who prefer evening programs, the House of Prayer will host a Life in the Spirit seminar Tuesday evenings in April. Each program will cover a different topic. April 8 is titled “God’s Love,” April 15 is “Salvation and Repentance” and April 22 covers “New Life Through the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.”

The seminar will finish a week later with a program titled, “Growth and Transformation in Christ.” A love offering will be collected during each program. Our Lady of Divine Providence House of prayer is at 711 S. Bayview Ave., Clearwater.

Registration forms for the above programs are available at divineprovidence.org under “What’s New.” For more information, call 727-797-7412.

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Josephite priest brings Catholic traditions to families

Sample beach cuisines at fundraiser

Worried about the state of the world? Sister has ideas

St. Joseph’s Hospital receives national recognition

House of Prayer announces spring programs

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