News - February 2020 RSS Feed

St. Dominic Parish in Mobile will host “Pursuit of God – God’s thirst for your Soul” Monday March 16-March 18. Each session begins at 7 p.m. and guest speaker will be Tom Riello, co-host of Archangel Radio’s “Watercooler Catechism” program.

The Notre Dame Glee Club, under the direction of Daniel Stowe, is on tour throughout the Southeast and will perform a spring concert at the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 9. Admission is free and no tickets are required.  Donations will be accepted during intermission.

Archdiocese of Mobile seminarians Zachary Halloran, Thomas LaPointe and Andrew Williams were among seminarians who received the ministry of lector in February. While LaPointe and Williams were installed on Feb. 13 at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology by Archbishop Charles Thompson of Indianapolis, Halloran was installed by Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi on Feb. 16 while assisting at ACYC.

There’s something affirming for 17-year-old Javier Cepero when he spends a weekend praying, learning and bonding with more than 350 fellow young Catholics. “I feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be,” said Javier, of St. Columba Parish in Dothan. “I’m at home.”

Fathers searching for an opportunity to connect with their teenage sons have the opportunity at this year’s “Called to Lead” men’s conference.

Fr. William P. Folsom Jr. and Msgr. Maurice L. Shields, who served priestly ministries throughout the Archdiocese of Mobile, died in February. Fr. Folsom died Feb. 14, 2020 at the age of 92. Msgr. Shields died Feb. 21, 2020 at the age of 90.

The 89th annual Catholic Charities Appeal Sunday was Jan. 26. As of Feb. 21, a total of 7,293 generous donors have participated with a financial pledge that helped us achieve 98.5% of our $4.5 million goal. The generosity of our archdiocese is inspirational. A detailed report of results by parish can be found above.

The long legacy of the Camp Cullen property drawing young people closer to God will continue thanks to Holy Spirit Hall. Officials broke ground Feb. 19 on the retreat center located alongside Mobile Bay in Battles Wharf. A portion of the land was first acquired and used as a retreat space for young people in 1876.

I was given the opportunity to teach a lesson on Stewardship to about 100 teens at a breakout session at ACYC recently. I asked them what they think of when they hear the word stewardship. This is what they told me: “chivalry”, “helping others”, and “airplanes.” I was quite puzzled at their responses.

I think that we have lost sight of what it really means to be a man.  Television tends to paint men as bumbling and shallow.  Married men in typical sitcoms seem to spend most of their time trying to get out of helping around the house and get out of doing anything at their job that would be considered extra.

The annual Mobile Curia ACIES will be Saturday, March 21, 2020, at Little Flower Parish in Mobile. The Rosary will be prayed at 9:30 a.m. and Mass will begin at 10 a.m. The luncheon will be served in the school cafeteria. For more information, contact Adrienne Davis 251-654-5476, Lucy Park 251-478-7125 or Patti Millette 251-509-2288.

Seminarians from St. John Vianney Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., were in Mobile in mid-January for a week of mission work and retreat. Hosted by Catholic Social Services, the seminarians provided home repairs, free of charge, to elderly and disabled homeowners in Mobile County.

For the past 3-1/2 years, I have been blessed to serve as the Archdiocese of Mobile vocations director. During this time, Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi has challenged me to help build up a “culture of vocations” around the archdiocese.

Bill and Peg White are spending their 50th wedding anniversary this year striving to strengthen peoples’ faith, one stop and one carload at a time.

All are invited to a groundbreaking ceremony for Holy Spirit Hall on the original Camp Cullen property in Baldwin County at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19.

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School’s encore was worthy of a standing ovation. Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi blessed and dedicated the school’s new performing arts building on Feb. 10. The performing arts facility comes months after the school unveiled its new gymnasium.

Happy St. Valentine’s Day. We often use this day as an opportunity to express our feelings for someone special with flowers, candy, gifts or notes. This can be very meaningful. However, St. Valentine’s Day also gives us an opportunity to reflect upon the true meaning of Christian love.

El catorce de febrero celebramos el día de San Valentín, quien, según la tradición, fue un sacerdote que vivió en Roma durante el siglo III. Nos dice la leyenda que San Valentín fue encarcelado y ejecutado por dar el sacramento del matrimonio a parejas cristianas y por ayudar a los cristianos que eran perseguidos por el emperador Claudio.