MEN'S RETREAT

Wilfred Harper and Roland Timothy of Trinidad, along with Fr. Simon Peter Opira, Chaplain of the Light of Christ Retreat Center on St. Croix, will present a Men on Fire Retreat at the retreat center on July 14-16. The topics include "How to Receive the Fire" and "How to Maintain the Fire." The schedule begins on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and closes Sunday at noon.

MINISTRY LEADERS WORKSHOPS

Mary Baptiste of the Zion Community in Trinidad will lead youth and adults in a leadership mission at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church on St. John on July 17-23. The conferences will focus on the role of evangelization and catechesis in daily ministry, and empowering lay ministers to more effectively bring Christ into the home, the church and the world. Youth sessions are at 10:00 a.m. and adult sessions are at 7:00 p.m.

Ms. Baptiste and Gemma Nunez, also of the Zion Community, will lead a Ministry Leaders Workshop at the Light of Christ Retreat Center on St. Croix on July 24, 26, 28, 29 and 30. The topics include "Evangelization Formation", "Effective Witnessing for Parish Teams" and "Establishing Parish Intercessory Teams." On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the meetings are at 7:00 p.m., on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 :00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

BANQUETS OF HONOR

Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral on St. Thomas will close its series of patronal celebrations with a luncheon honoring parishioners Dr. Alfred Heath, Gerald and Arcelis Nicholson and Elise Watlington at the Frenchman's Reef Hotel on Sunday, July 9, at 1:00 p.m. The theme of the luncheon is "Celebrating Faith, Friendship and Love." Tickets are available for $65.

Rev. Dr. George Franklin, Principal/President of Ss. Peter and Paul School on St. Thomas, will be honored for his twenty years of priesthood with a dinner at Palms Court Harborview Hotel on Saturday, August 12, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $60 and will go towards rebuilding and equipping the school library and science laboratory.

PATRONAL FEASTS

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church on St. John celebrates its feast day on Sunday, July 16. The 9:30 a.m. Mass will start with the praying of the rosary, a mini-concert of Marian hymns led by the music ministry, and a crowning of the image of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. The Mass will be followed by a reception in the Guadalupe Hall.

On St. Croix, St. Ann Church will celebrate the feast of Ss. Joachim and Ann, parents of Mary, with a patronal Mass on Sunday, July 23, at 9:30 a.m.

HURRICANE SUPPLICATION MASS AND PICNIC

St. Patrick Church on St. Croix will have its annual Hurricane Supplication Mass at the Mt. Pelier grounds on Sunday, July 23, at 10:00 a.m., followed by an all-day parish picnic. This Mass replaces the regular 10:00 a.m. Mass at the parish that day.

CHILD

PROTECTION SEMINARS

Religious Education teachers and other parish staff and volunteers who have regular contact with children in the course of their ministries are required to attend Protecting God 's Children, a video and discussion seminar on protecting children from abuse. Others are welcome to participate. The three-hour program will be presented at the following dates, times and locations.

On St. Thomas, the seminar will be presented at the Columban Hall of Holy Family Church on Tuesday, August 22, at 6:00 p.m.

On St. Croix, the seminars are offered at the Marian Hall of St. Ann Church on Thursday, August 24, at 6:00 p.m. and at the Hospitality Lounge and Learning Center at St. Joseph Church on Saturday, August 26, at 9:00 a.m.

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

Telephone: (340) 776-6339 Fax: (340) 693-7685 E-mail: editor@catholicislander.com
Publisher The Most Reverend George V. Murry, SJ
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Spanish Editor Ernesto Rodriguez
Staff Photographer Faye Abdullah- Boschulte
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THE CATHOLIC ISLANDER   *JULY 2006*    3

Please submit news, digital photographs and advertising for the August 2006 issue of THE CATHOLIC ISLANDER by July 17, 2006.