REST IN PEACE

Prayers are requested for the repose of the souls of the mother of Michael Akin, Executive Director of Catholic Charities, and the mother-in-law of Deacon Austin Medina of Holy Family Church on St. Thomas. The former, Marjorie Akin, passed away on January 4; the latter, Rita Keating passed away on January 22

WORLD MARRIAGE DAY 2006

World Marriage Day will be celebrated at all parishes in the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands on the weekend of February 10-11. Special recognition will be given to couples who celebrate 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 and 50+ years of marriage in the year 2007. Couples who registered at their parishes will receive a commemorative certificate from Bishop George Murry, SJ.

PRAYER GROUP CELEBRATES ITS 25th ANNIVERSARY

The St. Patrick Church Prayer Group will celebrate its 25th anniversary with three activities. First, a "Singspiration" concert will be held at St. Patrick Church on St. Croix on Friday, February 9, at 7:00 p.m. Next, the prayer group will host a Valentine's Day breakfast at St. Gerard Hall on Sunday, February 11, after the 7:00 a.m. Mass; tickets are available for $10. Finally, Fr. John McLoughlin, CSsR, Pastor of St. Patrick Church, will celebrate Mass at the church on Monday, February 12, at 7:00 p.m. Msgr. Michael Kosak, pastor of St. Ann Church on St. Croix, will be the homilist. Msgr. Kosak and his team helped launch the prayer group 25 years ago with a Life in the Spirit Seminar.

ST. LUCIANS CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY MASS

St. Lucians on St. Croix will celebrate the twenty­ eighth anniversary of independence in St. Lucia with a French Creole Mass celebrated by Fr. Cecil Goodman at St. Ann Church on Sunday, February 11, at 9:30 a.m. The Mass will be broadcast live on WRRA 1290 AM.

AUCTION WILL RAISE FUNDS FOR SCHOOL LIBRARY

St. Mary School on St. Croix will hold its annual fundraising dinner and auction at the Divi Carina Bay Ballroom on Saturday, February 6. Cocktails will be served at 6:00 p.m., dinner at 7:00 p.m.

This year's theme is "Going on Safari." Dinner tickets are available for $75 at Holy Cross Church and St. Mary School.

St. Mary School is hosting its Gala to raise $100,000 toward upgrading the library. With these funds, the library's reference and nonfiction collections will be updated and shelf space will be created for the 1500 new fiction titles recently acquired through the federally-funded Title V program. The funds will also finance the construction of an access to the adjoining video room.

MARDIGRAS

The Social Committee of Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral on St. Thomas will host a Fat Tuesday celebration at Walkers by the Sea on Tuesday, February 20, at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are available at the parish office for $20.

HOMELESS COUNT

Catholic Charities of the Virgin Islands is seeking volunteers to assist in a federally-mandated count of homeless persons in the territory. The count will be on Saturday, March 10, from 8:00 a.m. to 1 :00 p.m. Those interested in participating should contact the agency at (340) 777-8518 for information on training.

SCHOOL DONATIONS

Two local businesses have made generous donations to Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic School on St. Thomas to help improve the school's campus and the implementation of technology. First Bank donated $1,000 and Hudson Management Group donated $6,000 to aid the school in making the classrooms more secure for the implementation of new computers in every classroom.

THE  CATHOLIC ISLANDER is published monthly by the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.
THE CATHOLIC ISLANDER is written, edited and printed entirely in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

P.O. Box 301825, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, 00803-1825 http://www.catholicislander.com

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Fax: (340) 693-7685

E-mail: editor@catholicislander.com

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The Most Reverend George V. Murry, SJ

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by February 13, 2006.

THE CATHOLIC ISLANDER     *FEBRUARY 2007*     3