Florida Catholic | Diocese of Venice News Briefs

June 2008

Cardinal Mooney National Honor Society Inductees

Posted: 06.20.08

Cardinal Mooney High School inducted 37 students with a 3.75 GPA or higher into the National Honor Society on April 9. They are (front row left to right): Monica Kelly, Nicole Fasanelli, Christine Francoeur, Sara Gil, Taylor Campion, Victoria Viteri, Carolyn Rush, Alexa Schmidt, Sarah Roddenbury and Lauren Young; (second row left to right) Paolo Felix, Victoria Barber, Andreana Mangie, Laura Gerdnic, Lauren Gwinn, Jenna Nales, Michelle Valenti, Jack Mylott; third row (l to r), Konrad Coutinho, Kristen Murphy, Caroline Windom, Zachary Glasser, George Hamie, Melina Tringali, Tori Roessler, Nicole Young and Michael Rzonca; fourth row (l to r) Clifton Lewis, Kevin Koach, Kenneth O’Connell, Jordan Romecki, Brenden Nowak, Daniel Linden, Erik Thoreson, Christopher York, Marcos Rivera. Not pictured is Lindsey Kraus.

Faith appeal luau a success

Posted: 06.20.08

Some of the participants at a St. Vincent de Paul Parish Catholic Faith Appeal event enjoy a ride on a swamp-buggy on the farm of Parishioner Vic Hein in North Fort Myers.
Courtesy Photo

St. Vincent De Paul Parish community recently held a very successful luau and pig roast at the ranch of parishioner Vic Hein in North Fort Myers to benefit the annual Catholic Faith Appeal.

St. Vincent de Paul is known to it parishioners as “the family parish” and they enjoy Father David Arle’s efforts and family-friendly ways of raising funds and keeping the parish a close-knit family.

In the past the parish has had “Friday Cafe Night,” “Dinner and a Movie” and “Even if you don’t like fish, fish fry.” With those achievements already packing the house, it came as no surprise that the luau was another, by far, unique way to raise funds and have fun.

The festivities included a Mass, live entertainment and food that included roasted pulled pork, barbecue chicken, baked beans, coleslaw and watermelon. Kids and adults toured and visited with pigs, emus and cattle. The kids even had a chance to go horseback riding.

Paul Todd concert to benefit wounded soldiers

Posted: 06.20.08

Paul Todd Charities will host a benefit concert for wounded veterans July 1, 7 p.m. at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Naples. All funds raised from this event will be given directly to Segs4Vets and the Center For the Intrepid “Fallen Heroes Fund.”

Tickets may be purchased at the parish office during normal business hours, or at Ciccarelli Advisory Services Inc., 3066 Tamiami Trail N., Suite 202, Naples. For more information, call 239-262-6577.

Bradenton Knights council wins state award

Posted: 06.20.08

Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Knight of Columbus Council 13639 received the pro-life Evangelium Vitae award for Division II (76 to 150 members) councils during the 104th Florida State Council Knights of Columbus convention, which was held Memorial Day weekend in Orlando.

The council, including Grand Knight Ron Klaasse and pro-life chairpersons George and Judy Palino, was recognized for its pro-life activities, such as a presentation at the council meeting by the local crisis pregnancy center and the local hospital that saves unwanted babies; participation in a silent prayer vigil at a Planned Parenthood building; and pro-life prayer vigils at the church shrine for the unborn, which the council donated and also maintains.

Bishop to celebrate Mass honoring Opus Dei founder

Posted: 06.20.08

A special Mass in honor of Opus Dei’s founder St. Josemaria Escriva will be celebrated by Bishop Frank J. Dewane June 26, the saint’s feast day, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Martha Parish, 200 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota. The sacrament of reconciliation will be available at 7 p.m. All are invited.

Pope John Paul II canonized St. Josemaria in 2002 and described him as “the saint of ordinary life.” Throughout his life, Opus Dei’s founder preached the message of finding God in everyday life. He emphasized the importance of coming closer to God in one’s work and everyday activities.

Father Maraldo remembered

Posted: 06.20.08

More than 500 parishioners and nine priests filed into Our Lady of Light Parish in Fort Myers to pay their respects to the church’s former pastor Father Angelo F. Maraldo, Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, who died May 2. Current pastor Father Hugh McGuigan, of the same order, declared that the church now had its own angel looking over it.

Known for his exuberance for the liturgy and passionate homilies, Father Maraldo touched many lives during his time at Our Lady of Light. He served as pastor from November 1996 to June 2004. According to Father McGuigan, a major focus of Father Maraldo’s time was helping eliminate the parish debt in order to build a new church home. Although the new church building was completed after Father Maraldo left, he returned to assist in the dedication of the church in March 2007.

St. Ann School offers summer program

Posted: 06.20.08

Starting the week of July 7 to Aug. 1, St. Ann Catholic School will open its classrooms from 8:30 a.m. to noon for children ages 4-9. Classes offered will cover social studies, science, reading and math. These classes are open to all students in the county at $75 per week, which includes snacks and soft drinks.

The program for the week of July 7 will offer classes in money and ABC/phonics; the week of July 14 will explore the USA, space exploration and creative writing; the week of July 21 will offer the science of the body, ABC/123 and multiplication/division; and the week of July 28 will cover smart sports/reading/spelling and problem solving.

Please contact Karen Peruse at kperuse@stann.net for information and registration.

Amateur radio network needs volunteers

Posted: 06.06.08

A dedicated group of licensed amateur radio operators are working hard to make southwest Florida a safer place to live and are looking for more people to join their cause.

They are the Diocese (of Venice) Amateur Radio Network, or DARN, a group of UHF/VHF radio stations that assist the Catholic Charities disaster response team. The network has base stations in Venice, Port Charlotte, Naples, Fort Myers and Arcadia. The network, however, can only work if more operators volunteer to staff the radio stations when a disaster takes place.

There are no meetings or dues. An on-air exercise is conducted once a month to ensure the reliability of the operator, equipment and repeater frequency.

“As an organization that responds to disaster, without communications you are nothing,” said Bob Sullenberger, coordinator of the Catholic Charities disaster response program and a member of DARN.

For more information, contact Bob Sullenberger KG4VDU at 941-497-5422 or e-mail to bob.sullenberger@verizon.net.

‘Cougar Theater Camp’ coming this month

Posted: 06.06.08

Students interested in acting, singing and dancing who are entering sixth to ninth grade can participate in the Cardinal Mooney High School “Cougar Theater Camp” June 16-20.

The camp runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day on the campus of the Sarasota school, and will be led by acting teacher Kyle Ann Lecertosa and professional actor Chris Layton, who is currently appearing in off-Broadway shows.

The cost is $150 and includes a camp T-shirt. Lunch is not included. The week will conclude with a showcase performance 6 p.m., Friday, June 20.

The registration form and fee are due by June 5 to guarantee enrollment. For more information call 941-371-4917, ext. 111, or e-mail blees@cmhs-sarasota.org or klacertosa@cmhs-sarasota.org.

Students place in poetry contest

Posted: 06.06.08

Five Cardinal Mooney High School students earned prizes for their poems in the Sarasota “Friends of the Libraries” contest for teens in grades six-12.

Now in their second semester of Jan McGovern’s creative writing class, these students have compiled impressive portfolios that include poetry, short stories, science fiction, and reflective journals. The students recently submitted some of their best poetry works for the “Poetry and Pizza in the Park” contest.

Students Shannon Browne, Joey Teffenhart and Seger Sipe took first place, while Scott Ryan placed second and Claudia Visconti placed third. Their winning poems will be published in the June edition of The Peppertree Literary Magazine.

Safe Environment Training set

Posted: 06.06.08

A Safe Environment Training session for all diocesan employees, clergy religious, laity and volunteers who have routine contact with children and vulnerable adults will be held 6 p.m. June 26 at St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Port Charlotte. If you have not taken part in a session, please make arrangements to attend.

Thrift store relocated

Posted: 06.06.08

The Bonita Beach thrift store of the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Naples has relocated to a new and much larger facility. The new store at 3725 Bonita Beach Road opened June 2. The society operates two thrift stores which generate revenue to serve the needy of the community. Both stores sell clothing and accessories, jewelry, household items, furniture and anything else that is donated. The hard work of a small staff and more than 500 volunteers enables proceeds from sales to support ministries, including personal assistance, food pantry and Meals On Wheels. For more information, contact executive director Carolyn Henry at 239-775-1667.

Novena of Masses for Life June schedule

Posted: 06.06.08

The schedule for the Wednesday, June 25, Novena of Masses for Life is as follows: St. Joseph Parish in Bradenton, 8 a.m.; St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Port Charlotte, 8:30 a.m.; St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Naples, 8 a.m.; St. Ann Parish in Naples, 8 a.m.; and Our Lady Queen of Heaven Parish in LaBelle, 8 a.m.

Masses at selected parishes in each deanery have been scheduled for the intention of “a greater respect for all human life.” The June Mass marks the third month of Jesus’ development in the womb of Our Lady.

The complete list of scheduled Masses is available at: http://www.dovrespectlife.org/2008NOVENAFORLIFESCHEDULE.pdf.

Please join us at one of these parishes for our continuing meditation on the very beginnings of Our Lord’s life — as an unborn child in the womb of his mother. Call 239-352-6333 for additional information.

Myanmar relief efforts

Posted: 06.06.08

Catholic Relief Services, the official humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic Church, is supporting emergency relief and response efforts of the Caritas Internationalis network in the most affected areas of Myanmar after Cyclone Nargis brought a deadly tidal surge across the low-lying coastal areas of the country. Conditions are dire. Food, water and basic shelter are urgently needed.

To donate, please call 1-877-HELP-CRS (1-877-425-7277), donate online at www.crs.org, or send a check to Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD, 21203-7090. Memo line: Southeast Asia Natural Disaster.

Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social service organizations.

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Cardinal Mooney National Honor Society Inductees

Faith appeal luau a success

Paul Todd concert to benefit wounded soldiers

Bradenton Knights council wins state award

Bishop to celebrate Mass honoring Opus Dei founder

Father Maraldo remembered

St. Ann School offers summer program

Amateur radio network needs volunteers

‘Cougar Theater Camp’ coming this month

Students place in poetry contest

Safe Environment Training set

Thrift store relocated

Novena of Masses for Life June schedule

Myanmar relief efforts

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