Magnificat Celebrates 25 Years on St. Croix

Elyse O’Kane of Magnificat in Stone Mountain, Georgia, was the guest speaker when Magnificat celebrated its 25^th year on St. Croix with a luncheon at Gertrude’s Restaurant on October 30. Ms. O’Kane gave a testimony of her spiritual journey and sang two songs from her CD, With All My Heart, including “Magnificat,” before 140 participants. Magnificat is an international ministry for Catholic women, with chapters on St. Thomas and St. Croix.

Priest Visits and Has Crash Landing

Father Piotr “Peter” Chyla, CSsR, the vice provincial of the Redemptorists’ Warsaw province, visited his Redemptorist priests at Holy Cross Church on St. Croix over the October 30 weekend. Upon his return to Poland, he was aboard the passenger jet that crash landed in Warsaw. Neither he nor any of the 200+ passengers were injured. Father Chyla is pictured above in the center, surrounded by Father John Juszczak, CSsR, and parishioners.

Charismatic Conference

The Catholic Charismatic Renewal Service Team hosted its second Catholic Charismatic Conference at Columban Hall on St. Thomas on October 28-30. Pictured above, Father Herman Sharplis from Dominica celebrated the closing Mass.

Children Celebrate the Month of the Rosary

Children prayed the rosary and presented flowers to an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary before Mass on the last Sunday of the Month of the Rosary at St. Anne Chapel on St. Thomas.

Confirmation Mass

Bishop Herbert Bevard confirmed eight youth at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church on St. John on October 29. Pictured left to right after the Mass are Father Anthony Abraham, administrator; Brenon Joseph; Igdaliah Pickering; Cyrillia Casimir; DeVante Monsanto; Bishop Bevard; Desmond Charles Jr.; Kaneeka Hodge; K'yon Louis; Amani Belizaire; and Celine Joseph, catechist.

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion

Fr. Anthony Abraham, pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church on St. John, commissioned four extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion. Pictured right, Sandra Donai and Evans "Smilie" Doway were commissioned on October 23 to serve at the Sunday morning Masses.

Pictured left, Avis Browne and Hayden Smith were commissioned on October 29 to serve at Saturday evening Masses.

Students March Against Drugs

Students and staff of St. Mary School on St. Croix participated in the national Red Ribbon Week campaign and marched through downtown Christiansted on October 28 in their annual march against drug abuse.

Bishop Receives School Reports

His Excellency, Bishop Herbert Bevard, received an update on the three Catholic schools on St. Croix when he attended the deanery meeting at McAlpin Hall on October 26. Pictured left to right are Basil Williams, head of school at St. Mary School; Fr. John Mark, principal of St. Joseph High School; Bishop Bevard; and Elizabeth John-Baptiste, principal of St. Patrick School.

Altar Server Commissioned

Fr. Charles Crespo, administrator of St. Anne Chapel on St. Thomas, commissioned new altar server Tristan Blanchard at Sunday Mass today.

Carmelites Hold Food Drives

The Secular Order Discalced Carmelites on St. Croix are collecting food to donate to soup kitchens, shelters and pantries. The members recently donated food to two Catholic Charities facilities, the soup kitchen in September and Bethlehem House Shelter for the Homeless in October.

Patriotic Rosary

Holy Cross Church on St. Croix hosted a patriotic rosary with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction on October 21. Men of the congregation read inspirational statements written by the founding fathers of the U.S., inspirational hymns were sung, and prayers were prayed for the country and for public officials. Fallen Virgin Island soldiers and victims of 9/11 were given special recognition. Father John Juszczak, CSsR, pastor, spoke of his experiences as Air Force Chaplain in Iraq, and reminded the participants to pray for the victims of war, veterans, and family members who lost a loved one, and to pray for peace and understanding.

Seven Candidates for the Permanent Diaconate

Deacon Joseph Mark, the dean of the diaconate formation program, (kneeling) posed with his seven permanent deacon candidates after one of their classes at St. Ann Church on St. Croix on October 20. Left to right, they are Alvin Bedneau, Reynold Modeste, Benjamin Parrilla, Hector Arroyo, Jose Diaz, Marlon Braithwaite and Melford Murray.

Catholic Charities Hosts World Food Day Luncheon

Members of the St. Croix Rotary Club sponsored a World Food Day luncheon at Catholic Charities’ soup kitchen on October 20. The members donated $300 in groceries and served more than 60 guests.

Students Pray the Living Rosary

Students of St. Mary School on St. Croix participated in a Living Rosary after Mass at Holy Cross Church on October 20 after Mass.

Catholic Daughters of America

Msgr. Jerome Feudjio, rector of Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral on St. Thomas, posed with two members of the Catholic Daughters of America, Yola Simmonds and Desiree Williams, after Sunday Mass.

Youth Ushers

Msgr. Jerome Feudjio, rector of Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral on St. Thomas posed with two of his youth ushers, Leah Johny and Kiana Donadelle, after Mass today.

Praying the Rosary

October is the Month of the Rosary, so congregations are praying the rosary together before Mass. Pictured right, altar servers Danielle Olive, Michelle Olive and Tristan Blanchard pray at St. Anne Chapel on St. Thomas.

Youth Dance Group Raises Funds

Members of the Landscaping and Dance Group at Holy Family Church on St. Thomas worked together on a fundraiser at

Estate West Caret Bay Road

on October 15. They were looking to defray the cost of the dance group’s expenses for their trip to the Tortola, British Virgin Islands, on November 18.

Public Square Rosary Crusades

The 2011 Public Square Rosary Crusade took place in over 7,000 locations in the United States and the Caribbean today at noon. Pictured right, about 70 people gathered at Emancipation Garden on St. Thomas to pray the rosary.

Pictured left, Fr. Patrick Lynch, CSsR, pastor of St. Patrick Church on St. Croix, and several parishioners prayed the rosary in procession through the town of Frederiksted.

White House Meetings

Michael Akin, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Virgin Islands (CCVI), and Richard Bourne-Vanneck, member of the CCVI board of directors, attended the White House Community Leaders Briefing Series in Washington, DC, on October 14. The meeting was for Catholic Charities USA staff, Catholic Charities agency directors and board members. The evening before the meeting, the two also attended a Mass celebrated by His Eminence Theodore Cardinal McCarrick at St. Patrick Church, followed by a reception and a dinner. Pictured above, left to right, are Mr. Bourne-Vanneck and Mr. Akin.

Home Rosaries

October is the Month of the Rosary, so Hispanics on St. Thomas pray the rosary as a community every night at the homes of various parishioners of Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral.

Seminarians Installed as Acolyte

Bishop Herbert Bevard installed 19 Theology II students to the order of acolyte in the Chapel of St. Mary at St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, on October 11. Pictured right, Bishop Bevard presented a paten, a symbol of Eucharistic ministry, to Bruce Anderson, a seminarian who is studying for the priesthood for the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, under the watch of Msgr. Aloyious Callahan of the seminary. The reception of the order of acolyte allows the seminarians to serve more fully at the altar during Mass and brings the candidate closer to ordination to the transitional diaconate and priesthood.

Painting the Chapel

Workmen began making repairs and painting the interior of St. Anne Chapel on St. Thomas this morning.

Mediterranean Cruise

The St. Joseph Workers from Holy Family Church on St. Thomas went on a Mediterranean cruise October 9-17. They posed in front of the Vatican on October 10.

Gifts for the Needy

First Lady Cecile de Jongh partnered with Catholic Charities of the Virgin Islands on her “Tiny Tokens of Hope” initiative. The outreach launched at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church on St. John on October 10, World Homeless Day and Virgin Islands Homeless Day, as proclaimed by Governor John de Jongh, Jr.

“Tiny Tokens of Hope” provides care packages, including personal hygiene items, to the homeless population of the Virgin Islands. Government employees are encouraged to participate by collecting unused toiletries from travel and hotel stays, and dropping them off at any Government House location. The “Tiny Tokens of Hope” initiative will distribute toiletries to the Virgin Islands homeless population twice a year.

“In our work with groups and organizations that provide services to the homeless, while food, clothing and other items are regularly donated, we found that a missing piece was in providing toiletry items to assist their personal hygiene,” said Ms. de Jongh. “Based on the success of the program thus far, I am pleased to invite the wider community to participate, providing support not only to our homeless population, but also to the service organizations that assist them on a daily basis.”

Pictured above, Ms. de Jongh distributed lunches and small bags of toiletries on the steps of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church.

The Catholic Islander Radio Hour

Fr. Charles Crespo resumed the Catholic Islander Radio Hour radio program on WSTA 1340 AM tonight at 6 p.m. after a summer hiatus. The program will be on every Sunday night at the same time.

Religious Education Orientation

Seminarian Kerly Francois is the coordinator of the Spanish religious education program at Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral on St. Thomas. He led a parent and student orientation this morning at Ss. Peter and Paul School.

Soup Sale

The Knights of Columbus, Council 6187, held a soup sale between Sunday Masses at Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral' Hospitality Lounge on St. Thomas today.

Army Dogs

Lt. Col. Jose Herrera blessed animals outside Bicentennial Chapel in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, on October 8. Father Herrera is a priest from the Virgin Islands who is serving there as a chaplain in the U.S. Army. “They are your companions and you are their companions,” Herrera said before he blessed the pets with holy water.

Blessing of Pets

Celebrating the feast of St. Francis of Assisi and his great love for all God's creation, Holy Cross Church and St. Mary School held a block party for students, parishioners and pets. Pictured right, Fr. John Juszczak, CSsR, pastor, blessed the pets.

Knights Roast a Pig for Charity

The Knights of Columbus Council 6482 assisted with a charity food sale when the Water Gut Family and Friends held its first annual Ancestral Memorization and Tribute to former “Watergonians” on St. Croix on October 8. The event paid tribute and recalled the culture in the Watergut (formerly known as Bazen Town) community, one of the most historically prominent neighborhoods on St. Croix, with a cultural parade, ceremony, dancing, music and food. The Knights roasted a pig on-site.

Youth Make Rosaries

Members of the youth group at St. Patrick Church on St. Croix made rosaries on October 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Stewardship Leadership Training

Lay ministers and parishioners of Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral on St. Thomas met tonight for the first in three trainings in stewardship leadership. Pictured above, John Fink, former diocesan finance officer, made a presentation.

Youth Science Day

St. Patrick School on St. Croix won first place in the 4-H National Youth Science Day at the University of the Virgin Islands on October 5. This year’s experiment, “Wired for Wind,” engaged students in the engineering design process of renewable wind energy technology. The youth designed and built wind turbines and mapped a potential wind farm site. Michael Bell (grade 5), M’Kaila Caines (grade 6), Amyah Estrill (grade 6), Lloyd Daniel III (grade 7), Xia Xiang Washington (grade 7) and Kennely Nicholas (grade 8) were coached by teacher Patricia Dass.

Cathedral Restoration Project Continues

Workers this week are building a trench alongside Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral on St. Thomas in order to divert rainwater coming down from the hill behind the building.

Blessing of Pets

Ss. Peter and Paul School on St. Thomas celebrated the feast of St. Francis of Assisi remembering his love for all God's creatures. Msgr. Jerome Feudjio blessed the pets of the students of the lower grades.

Shelter Hosts Yard and Food Sale

The staff at Bethlehem House Shelter for the Homeless on St. Croix hosted a Yard and Food Sale on October 1 at the facility. A large collection of new and used clothing was available and shoppers remarked how pleased they were to take advantage of the low prices, which ranged from 50 cents to $10. Food was available as well, including bull foot soup, lentil soup, saltfish cakes, fried chicken and Johnny cakes. Drinks included maubi, sorrel and lemonade. The funds will go for much needed repairs and maintenance.

Pictured above, shelter assistant Anette Kent and night manager Abigail Charles set up tables for the event.

Pictured left, shoppers examined the school uniforms for sale.