Safe Environment Training is mandatory for all diocesan personnel having contact with children. The first session to be held in Spanish will be at the Hospitality Lounge of Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral on St. Thomas on Monday, February 16, beginning at 9:00 a.m.

    Rev. Dr. George Franklin, President/Principal of Ss. Peter and Paul School on St. Thomas, leads an all-day "Preaching Workshop: Financial Stewardship" for clergy and lay ministers at Light of Christ Retreat Center on St. Croix on Thursday, February 19, beginning at 8:30 a.m.
    Through the interconnection between faith, fellowship and finances, the program intends to teach participants to overcome the dread of stewardship preaching, preach what the Bible says about money and motivate people to give more.
    Registration is $50, which includes lunch; an optional dinner is an additional $12.

    Msgr. Patrick Anthony will celebrate a a bilingual English/French Creole Mass in honor of the 30th anniversary of independence in St. Lucia at St. Ann Church on St. Croix on Sunday, February 15, at 9:30 a.m. That Mass will also be broadcast live on WRRA 1620 AM.
Choir practice is on Sundays at 5:00 p.m. and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. in the parish's Joachim Center.

MARDI GRAS

    The Prayers, Hymns and Praise Steel Orchestra, based out of Holy Family Church on St. Thomas, is holding a Mardi Gras night at Columban Hall on Sunday, February 22, at 5:00 p.m. Participants will enjoy an all-you-can-eat pasta dinner, dancing, card games, a domino contest, king and queen contests, a magician, a clown, and jokes and riddles. The party favors consist of hats, horns, masks, beads and balloons. Tickets are available from the church office for $25. Proceeds will go to the orchestra's scholarship fund, which helps graduating members who leave for college.

    Fr. Anthony Abraham, Director of Charismatic Renewal Services and the Office of Youth Ministries, will lead a Life in the Spirit Seminar for youth from ages 12 to 19 at St. Anne Chapel over seven Saturday afternoons beginning January 31 at 3:00 p.m. The Life in the Spirit Seminar leads participants to experience an awakening of the sacramental power of baptism and confirmation.

    World Marriage Day will be celebrated at all parishes in the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands on the weekend of February 14-15. Special recognition will be given to couples who celebrate 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 and 50+ years of marriage in the year 2009. Couples who registered at their parishes will receive a commemorative certificate.

    The Prayer Group at St. Patrick Church on St. Croix will host its annual Pre-Valentine's Day Breakfast at St. Gerard Hall on Sunday, February 15, following the 7:00 a.m. Mass. Tickets are available for $10 from prayer group members and at the parish office.

The Catholic Islander is published monthly by the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.
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P.O. Box 301825, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, 00803-1825 http://www.catholicislander.com
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Publisher Bishop Herbert Bevard
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Please submit news, digital photography and advertising for the March 2009 issue of The Catholic Islander by February 16, 2009.