The Weekend of April 27th and 28th the Second Collection at all Masses will go to Catholic Home Missions as requested by Archbishop Wenski.

Jesus calls his followers to love others as he loves them. Inspired by this call, Christians have shown his love through works of mercy such as visiting the sick and imprisoned, educating young people, and praying endlessly for others. Not only are these works of mercy directed to meet material or spiritual needs, but they are ways in which Christ draws people closer to himself.

In the Diocese of Amarillo, the diocesan criminal justice ministry answers Christ's call to visit and serve prisoners and patients confined to hospitals. Since 2004, this ministry has expanded to bring the Eucharist, Sacred Scripture, and prayer to inmates of the seven prisons and two large hospitals in the diocese. This ministry of mercy includes retreats during which inmates can encounter the love of Jesus, heal from past failures and wounds, and develop new hope for the future. Many inmates have experienced spiritual conversions that have inspired them to join formation programs and enter the Catholic Church.

The criminal justice ministry is one of many innovative outreach efforts made by dioceses supported by Catholic Home Missions. Home mission dioceses have small or widely dispersed Catholic populations, large or rugged areas of land that make it difficult to minister to the needs of the people, or economic challenges caused by poverty, unemployment, or natural disasters. Your participation in the annual Catholic Home Missions Appeal supports dioceses throughout the United States and its territories that need financial help to sustain core pastoral services and missions of mercy to those they serve.

What Is a Home Mission Diocese?

Home mission dioceses are those Catholic dioceses in the United States, its territories, and former territories that cannot provide basic pastoral services without outside help. Basic pastoral services include Mass, the sacraments, religious education, and ministry training for priests, deacons, religious sisters, and laypeople. Nearly 40% of dioceses in the United States and its territories are considered home missions.

For more information about the Catholic home missions, visit www.usccb.org/home-missions.

San Pablo children invite you to help them.

May 5th is the first Sunday in May, the children will be honoring Mary, Our Blessed Mother! They will be bringing flowers to her, in procession in church, before 10:00 Mass begins. During this time, we will all be singing songs that honor Mary!

All parishioners are welcome to join in honoring our Mother with flowers!

Finally, one of our students will be crowning a statue of the Blessed Mother with a beautiful crown of flowers.

If you have a student in grades PK-4 and older who you would like to enroll in San Pablo Religious Education Program please visit our Faith Formation page, fill out an application and turn it into the office.

Classes are held September through May in the Church Hall after the 10am Mass.

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Si tienes un estudiante en los grados PK-4 y mayores a quien le gustaría inscríbir en el Programa de Educación Religiosa de San Pablo, visite nuestra página de Formación de Fe, complete una solicitud y entréguela en la Oficina.

Las clases se llevan a cabo de septiembre a mayo en el salón de la Iglesia después de la misa de las 10 am.

Adoration of The Blessed Sacrament from Thursday.

““Could you not keep one hour with me?” Please sign-up for an hour of Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.”

First Fridays 8:45 am - 10 am It’s quiet, peaceful and renewing.

Watch bulletin announcements for Summer Adoration opportunities.

More Adorers Needed: Call Sharon Starling at (517) 474-4155 to sign up for a Holy hour.

Archbishop’s Charities And Development Drive

Dear Parishioners and Visitors,

As Catholics, we are all One Family. It is our Hope and Prayer that all Parishioners and Visitors will "PUT US OVER THE TOP" by joining those who have already contributed to ABCD. Please make your ABCD donation as soon as possible. Wouldn't 100% participation from our Parishioners and Visitors be absolutely wonderful?

As Visitors share in our beautiful Mass and Sacraments, please also share with us Lenten Alms-giving to the Archbishop's Charities and Development Drive. Simply drop your donation envelope in the offering / collection, at the Parish Office, or mail it directly to the Archdiocese. Please do not mail cash, and remember to list San Pablo as the Parish.

THANK YOU for the donations and pledges received thus far. Your support of the ABCD enables the Archdiocese to provide essential programs and support to individuals and families above and beyond what happens in the local parishes. Together, let us continue to give generously, knowing that our efforts have a lasting impact. Keep up the Good Work!

May God greatly Bless you for your donation to ABCD.

Watch the ABCD Videos

ABCD 2024 (English)

ABCD 2024 (Spanish)

St. Catherine of Siena

St. Catherine of Siena was born during the outbreak of the plague in Siena, Italy on March 25, 1347. She was the 25th child born to her mother, although half of her brothers and sisters did not survive childhood. Catherine herself was a twin, but her sister did not survive infancy.

At the age of 16, Catherine's sister, Bonaventura, died, leaving her husband as a widower. Catherine's parents proposed that he marry Catherine as a replacement, but Catherine opposed this. She began fasting and cut her hair short to mar her appearance.

Despite Catherine's religious nature, she did not choose to enter a convent and instead she joined the Third Order of St. Dominic, which allowed her to associate with a religious society while living at home. She lived quietly, isolated within her family home. St. Catherine developed a habit of giving things away and she continually gave away her family's food and clothing to people in need. She never asked permission to give these things away, and she quietly put up with their criticisms.

Something changed her when she was 21. She described an experience she referred to as her "mystical marriage to Christ." There are debates over whether or not St. Catherine was given a ring with some claiming she was given a bejeweled ring, and other claiming the ring was made of Jesus's skin. St. Catherine herself started the rumor of the latter in her writings, but she was known to often claim the ring itself was invisible. She often visited hospitals and homes where the poor and sick were found. Her activities quickly attracted followers who helped her in her mission to serve the poor and sick.

She became involved in politics, and was key in working to keep city states loyal to the Pope. She was also credited with helping to start a crusade to the Holy Land. St. Catherine allegedly was given the stigmata, but like her ring, it was visible only to herself.

By 1380, the 33-year-old mystic had become ill, possibly because of her habit of extreme fasting. In January of 1380, her illness accelerated her inability to eat and drink. Within weeks, she was unable to use her legs. She died on April 29, following a stroke just a week prior.

St. Catherine's feast day is April 29, she is the patroness against fire, illness, the United States, Italy, miscarriages, people ridiculed for their faith, sexual temptation, and nurses.

Now, more than ever, the Church is in need of young men and women eager to commit their lives to serving in a sacrificial way through the priesthood and consecrated life. As you know, this cannot be accomplished without prayer. In 2001, the Office of Vocations developed the Vocation Prayer Chalice Program designed to encourage families to pray together for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.

With the help of the Serra Club of Miami, we invite you to participate in this program and help cultivate a positive environment dedicated to fostering future vocations within the Archdiocese of Miami. The Vocation Prayer Chalice Program, through a series of reflections, encourages families to participate in regular prayerful discussions about the priesthood and consecrated life.

Each Saturday/Sunday at Mass, volunteer parishioners will accept the responsibility of praying for vocations at home with their family. Father will call the family to the altar after communion to receive the Chalice and prayers. The family takes the Chalice home and displays it in a prominent place of honor for all members to see during the week. At a special time each day, perhaps after dinner or before bed, the family will come together to pray for and concentrate on vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and consecrated life and at the same time, explain and prompt young children and teenagers to consider how God is calling them into a deeper relationship with Him. Then the chalice will need to be returned to the church office on Friday.

If interested in participating in this program please email the office at info@sanpablomarathon.org to be put on the list.

Scripture Insights

Today’s first reading appears near the end of chapter 9 of Acts. The opening verses of this chapter recount Saul’s request for letters of approval from temple officials. These letters would acknowledge Saul’s authority once he reached Damascus, where he intended to persecute followers of Jesus. In verse 3 of this chapter, the first of three accounts of Saul’s conversion begins. (Two other recordings of this experience are found in Acts 22:3- 16 and 26:4-23.) Therefore, it is no wonder that in today’s pericope, beginning in verse 26, we hear that the disciples were reticent to believe that Saul had become a follower of Jesus in a few words, the text details how Barnabas intervened and how the Apostles accepted Saul as one who had seen the Lord. Immediately, Saul began to proclaim that Jesus is Lord.

The reading from the First Letter of John reminds us that love expresses itself most perfectly in action. While words are important, the lived expression of our words speaks a truth more strongly. Belief in Jesus is identified by our actions, our love for one another.

The Gospel of John presents us with the metaphor of the vine and the branches. Jesus identifies himself as the true vine and speaks of his relationship to the Father. Earlier texts that referred to Israel as the vine, primarily prophetic texts, quite obviously did not speak of the Father. Here, Jesus identifies his Father as the vine grower, or vine dresser, the one who carefully tends to the vine so that it will bear fruit.

Jesus says we are to remain close to him. He says if we don’t, if we separate from him, then we will not be able to produce good fruit, the work God wants us to do. If Jesus did good works that is, he helped the poor and sick, welcomed and loved everyone, forgave them, prayed to his Father then we must do all these things too. The same life that is in Jesus, God’s life, is also in us.

We must produce the same good works. Jesus tells us something very important about the work we do. If we do good works, God will receive glory. Our good works can bring people closer to God.

San Pablo is looking for a few hardy souls that would like to help groom & care for our beautiful gardens!

Meet Tuesday mornings at 9:00am in the gazebo.

No skills required. We’ll show you and educate you in what needs to be done. Learn about gardening in the keys!

Norman & Betsy Philipps (305) 394-0893.