Catholic Church
I want to thank everyone for their prayers and patience in my absence last weekend. A very special thank you to the Franciscan Capuchin’s for covering Masses for me!
Last year, just prior to coming here I was diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes. Last week I experienced a rapid decline in my vision and my doctor wanted to see me right away. The cataracts in both eyes has aggressively proceeded to a point where I need to undergo surgery. I had the first surgery on Tuesday September 3rd and then the second is scheduled for Tuesday September 17th. During this time we will need to have communion services during the week and visiting priests to help out for the weekend Masses.
Thank you for your continued patience during this time and for the many prayers being offered for me to have a speedy recovery and swift return to my San Pablo home.
Vote NO on 4
Amendment 4 is a proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution that would essentially establish an unlimited right to abortion throughout pregnancy even when the heartbeat of the preborn child is detected, when the preborn child can experience pain, and when the child is capable of living outside the womb.
We urge all parishes, schools, families, ministries, and individual Catholics to encourage voters to join in our opposition and reject this extreme and ill-conceived proposition.
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Clara Mayette, a long time parishioner of San Pablo Church passed away Monday surrounded by her loving husband of 58 years and family.
A funeral with be offered for her here at San Pablo
on Thursday September 12th at 12pm with a
viewing before hand at 11am.
All are invited to
attend.
Please the Lord and help feed the hungry in our community.
Bake a casserole in a 9x13 disposable pan (All recipes welcome) and cover with aluminum foil. Bake if needed and label the contents. Freeze it if you can.
It can be picked up at your location or dropped off at the Church Office.
Call (305) 289–7676 if you are able to help.
Next weekend, the Archdiocese will take up the National Collection for The Catholic University of America, Catholic University is a national research university, in the heart Washington DC, with over 5,700 undergraduate and graduate students in more than 250 academic programs. By giving to the collection, you are supporting future Catholic leaders, both religious and lay, who are being formed by an exceptional, faithrooted education.
The University’s various research and training initiatives support dioceses and parishes in responding to the most pressing need of their faithful. A few examples of how the University serves the Church and nation include The Catholic Project, an initiative that aims to heal the breach of trust many have experienced as a result of the crisis in the Church; a master’s program in Ecclesial Administration and Management; and a credentialing program that prepares recent graduates to serve as campus ministers.
To learn more visit: collection.catholic.edu.
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.
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.
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
RCIA is here for you!
What is RCIA exactly?
RCIA is the process the Catholic Church uses to help non-Catholics
learn more about the Church and if they desire, become Catholic. To become fully initiated
into the Church one must have received the 3 Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Holy Communion, and Confirmation.
When & Where is it?
RCIA for 2024-2025 begins in September and will meet each Wednesday. Location for the classes is to be determined on class sized. Together with catechists and
sponsors, candidates explore elements of the Catholic Faith and prepare to receive the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter vigil Mass in April.
How can you get started?
Contact RCIA director, call on Carmen Kelley (954) 328-2513 or carmenkelley@att.net.
As a faith community it is very important that we pray for each other especially the sick.
So if someone in your family or a friend is sick please let us know calling the office, (305) 289-0636, and we will list them In the bulletin and remember to pray for them.
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Saint Peter Claver, was born to devout, upper-class parents in Catalonia, Spain, a small farming village. At twenty years old, he entered the Jesuit novitiate and was sent to study at the Jesuit college of Montesión on the island of Mallorca, off the coast of Spain. There, he met Brother Alphonsus Rodriguez, the s 70year-old doorkeeper of the college. Peter sought his advice and their friendship blossomed. Encouraged by Brother Rodriguez, Peter decided to become a missionary in Spanish colonies in South America. In 1610, he set sail for Cartagena, Colombia. Cartagena quickly became a major hub in the transatlantic slave trade due to its strategic location. By the time Father Claver was ordained, it is estimated that about 10,000 slaves were being transported annually on Spanish ships to Cartagena and subsequently sold. The conditions the slaves endured on the ships were horrific, leading to the death from disease and malnutrition of an estimated one-third of them during the journey.
After arriving in Cartagena, Peter spent about six years studying. He was then ordained a priest in Cartagena, where he committed himself to serving the African slaves for the rest of his life. Though there were other priests in Cartagena, most of them ministered to the colonizers. Father Peter chose to make the slaves his congregation and their salvation his mission. When he made his final profession, Father Claver signed it with these words: “Peter Claver, slave of the slaves, forever.”
During his 38 years as an ordained priest in Cartagena, its conservatively estimated that Father Claver catechized and baptized over 300,000 slaves. His practice was to wait at the port for a new slave ship to arrive. Each ship often contained as many as 500 slaves who had endured conditions unsuitable for animals for the 2-3-month journey. They were poorly fed once a day, chained naked to each other, abused, threatened, and forced to sit in their own excrement. Often, the flesh on their wrists bled and became infected from the metal shackles that held them as the ship tossed in the waves.
Once the ship arrived, Father Claver went door-todoor begging for food for his new flock. He then brought his small band of African interpreters and charitable workers, entered the foul-smelling hull of the ship where he found many dead and others lifeless, filled with fear, and in need of medical treatment and compassion. As a sign of his love for them, he often kissed their sores, sucked out the infectious pus, and washed the wounds with his own handkerchiefs. He would baptize any babies, provide food to the hungry, and demonstrate a depth of compassion that many had never seen. He then helped transport the slaves to a new location, carrying those who could not walk, where they could be well fed and regain their strength before being sold.
Father Claver’s approach to this horrific problem was unique. His primary concern was the salvation of souls. He did not stir up self-pity for their dreadful plight, nor incite the slaves against their oppressors. Instead, he preached the Gospel to the slaves in ways they could understand, in ways that would benefit them for eternity. He helped them see their innate dignity and restored that dignity, not by railing against the abuses they endured, but by railing against sin and helping the slaves find freedom in Christ.
After more than 40 years of dedicated and heartfelt ministry to the slaves, Father Claver himself fell ill. He spent his final days enduring mistreatment from one of his caregivers, who was also a slave. Far from complaining, Father Claver accepted this treatment, uniting it with the suffering of Christ on the Cross. He saw it as a form of penance for any remaining sins of his own and a way to deepen his communion with those he had devoted his life to serving.
Scripture Insights
In the Gospel reading, people marvel when Jesus heals a man who can neither hear nor speak, opening his ears and loosing his tongue. Their astonishment is appropriate, since Jesus is fulfilling what the prophet Isaiah foretold: “Then will . . . the ears of the deaf be cleared..Then the tongue of the mute will sing” (Isaiah 35:5-6). The key to understanding the amazement in the Gospel is in Isaiah’s word then. When will these things happen? When God comes with vindication and divine recompense to save his people of Israel. When they see those signs the blind see, the deaf hear, the mute speak - they will know, “Here is your God!”
Mark’s Gospel shows Jesus performing these signs and declares, “Here is your God!” Mark places Jesus in the role of Yhwh, the Savior of Israel. But there’s more. The healing occurs in the region known as Decapolis - ten Roman cities originally settled by Greeks. It’s unclear whether the man that Jesus healed is a Jew or a Greek, but Jesus’ healing ministry in the Decapolis region hints at his mission to save not only Israel but the world.
For people who have lived through trauma, who have had to survive their circumstance, it can be easy to constantly feel the need to brace for the worst, to be your own best advocate and protector. These words today from the prophet Isaiah are directed o a people who have long learned this pull to expect the worst. But with God on your side, you need only a message of reassurance: that you are not alone, we are not alone. Fear not.
With the increasing focus on social media, and the carefully curated outward presentation of our lives, we can get too focused on appearance, St. James reminds us that God does not judge us on our difference, but rather declares that it is the poor who will inherit the kingdom. Take care not to equate physical limitations, mental limitations, with sin, or a need to be “cured.” Those who navigate the world with differently-abled bodies or minds are no less loved by God, and certainly no more sinful than any one of us. Rather, focus on the need for all of us to be spiritually opened, freed from all that gets in the way of the flow of communication between God and his people. Ask yourself what limits your access to spirituality?
| August 31st & September 1st, 2024 | |
| Offertory-Weekend | $2,532 |
| WeShare Electronic Giving | $452 |
| Maintenance & Development | $902 |
| Devotional Candles | $197 |
| Mass Intentions | $100 |
| Poor Box | $34 |
| Total Received: | $4,217 |
|---|---|
Thank you for your generosity!
Archbishop’s Charities And Development Drive
Dear Parishioners and Visitors, Thank you for helping our Parish exceed the 2024 ABCD Goal.
As of April 26, 2024 the Archdiocese reports the following:
May God Greatly Bless you all for your generosity
| Watch the ABCD Videos |
Donate Online
May the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ Bring Us All To Everlasting Life.
BELIEVE in the REAL PRESENCE OF JESUS CHRIST IN THE EUCHARIST
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.
Here are a few FREE Websites, Apps, Podcast, and Video sites that will help enrich your Faith:
For assistance or information, leave a message for Jean at the Parish Office
