Filipino youths perform for fund
DELRAY BEACH | The teenage performers have given up part of their weekends for nearly a year and sacrificed a great deal — all to benefit their church.
The young cast of “Kaamulan” (Tagalog for “The Gathering” or “Celebration”), a Filipino cultural show being staged at St. Vincent Ferrer Parish in Delray Beach, are parishioners at Emmanuel Parish in Delray Beach and part of a ministry called Youths for Christ. The Friends of Santo Nino, a nonprofit group in Palm Beach County dedicated to uniting Christian Filipinos and promoting Christian values, is producing the show. Read the full story HERE.
Winner: ‘All smiles’
MIAMI | To high school junior Carolina Valdes-Lora, Mary has no nationality — she’s someone to whom every culture can relate.
Carolina, 16, a student in the International Baccalaureate program at Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami, is this year’s winner of the Florida Catholic’s 2007 Christmas Cover Art Contest. Her charcoal portrait of Mary and the baby Jesus appears on the cover of five editions of the Florida Catholic newspaper and a multimedia presentation on the home page of the Florida Catholic Online Edition. Read the complete story HERE.
Modern Magi travel from the east (coast) bearing gifts
PAHOKEE | Three special Magi are bringing joy this Christmas to St. Mary Parish, whose parishioners are mostly poor farmworker families struggling to make ends meet.
Clothing, toys and 50 bicycles arrived through the generosity of three sets of gift bearers: Notre Dame University alumni in Boca Raton, Pope John Paul II High School students and their families, and a largely Jewish group centered in Boynton Beach. Read the story HERE.
Student Journal - Part Two
CLEARWATER | Chelsea DeLuca, 17, is a senior at Clearwater Central Catholic High School, where she is a student in the school’s new International Baccalaureate program. With the cooperation of the administration, she agreed to keep a journal for the Florida Catholic. Part Two is HERE.
Group preaches, practices chastity
MIAMI | More than a year ago, a group of young people from the archdiocese made a public commitment to remain chaste and abstain from sexual activity until marriage.
On Dec. 1, the group, Castos por Amor (Chaste for Love), held its first archdiocesan conference, titled “Pastoral Response to Pornography and Cohabitation.” The story is HERE.
Bishops call teens to simple acts of stewardship
BALTIMORE (CNS) | The U.S. bishops in a new statement are calling teenagers to be disciples by performing acts as simple as assisting with liturgical ministries, giving up the cost of a movie ticket to support the poor, or visiting people who are alone.
In “Stewardship and Teenagers: The Challenge of Being a Disciple,” approved in a 198-6 vote Nov. 14 during their annual meeting, the U.S. bishops spelled out in simple language what young people can and should do to share their “time, talent and treasure.” READ MORE HERE
New name, same great school
MIAMI | If you attend Immaculata-La Salle High School in Miami, this is probably old news - well, let's hope it's old news for you. But, you might like to check out the story and photos. Read the story HERE.
Energetic teen event will make Florida debut
BOCA RATON | Youth Ministers around the state are talking about it. For the first time Steubenville University is bringing its Teen Conference to Flroida. The event is planned for Boca Raton from June 13-15, 2008. Check it out HERE.
Farmworker Sunday
STATEWIDE | Sunday, Nov. 4, is Farmworker Sunday and the Florida Catholic's Managing Editor, Denise O'Toole Kelly has put together a series designed to help us think about the plight of farmworkers today and pinch our collective social consciences. The Story Begins HERE.
800 cups of service a day with a smile
MIAMI | Are dimples in the lids of your drink cups important - you know the ones that let you know if your drink is diet or regular? Well, if you attend Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll High School in Miami, that's not a problem. Margaret Brewer works there. Read her story HERE.
Florida priest grew up in the presence of a saint
ORLANDO | As a young man, Father Frank Zammit was working on the docks in Malta. Then his life changed. He met a saint. You can read his story HERE.
Brevard County students to spruce up state park
BREVARD COUNTY | Catholic students around Brevard County joined "Make A Difference Day" again this year and helped clean up a state park and help a park ranger who is struggling with cancer. Their story is HERE.
The legend of Jack O'Lantern
PENSACOLA | A little Irish folklore, but after reading this, well, you'll know a little more Irish folklore and impress your friends. Jack O'Lantern
Halloween
VENICE | Our Venice Bureau Editor, Kristie Nguyen, who is not far removed from her teens, penned an interesting commentary about Halloween.
Her article is HERE.