Student Retreat

Christina Figueroa of Ss. Peter and Paul School on St. Thomas led her classmates in a meditation on the sign of the cross during their retreat at St. Anne Chapel’s hall on November 30.

Cathedral Restoration Project Progresses

Workmen installed a new golden cross on the top of the cupola of Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral on St. Thomas.

The Santo Nino

Msgr. Antonio Verzosa and a few Filipino Catholic women are now in the social hall of St. Anne Chapel on St. Thomas planning the Santo Nino celebration for January.

Advent Social

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church on St. Thomas held a social in the parish hall on November 27. Fr. Eduardo Ortiz Santiago presented Denise Sibilly with a door prize.

Alumni Host Golf Tournament

The alumni association of St. Patrick School on St. Croix sponsored its first golf tournament at the Carambola Golf Club on November 27. Pictured right, alumnus Julia Pankey, coordinator, and Deneal Charles, teacher, registered participants.

Alumnus Augustin Mason brought a group of golfers from Chicago, and they were joined by local players. Pictured left, qualified golfers participated in the $50,000 putting contest at the 18th hole.

Lighting the First Advent Candles

Fr. Eduardo Ortiz Santiago, Deacon Bernard Gibs, acolyte John MacDonald and the congregation watched as the first candle was lit on the first Sunday of Advent at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church on St. Thomas.

Fr. Charles Crespo helped the Guerrero family light the first candle of the Advent wreath at the Spanish Mass at Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral on St. Thomas.

Advent Candle

Parishioner Nancy Soto lit the first candel of the Advent wreath at St. Patrick Church on St. Croix on the first Sunday of Advent, November 27.

Thanksgiving at St. Joseph Church

Fr. John Mark, pastor of St. Joseph Church on St. Croix, blessed bread which was distributed to those attending Thanksgiving Mass. Deacons Neville Charles, Conrad Williams and Guillermo Huertas assisted.

Thanksgiving on St. John

Volunteers prepared Thanksgiving meals for tourists, neighbors, parishioners and the homeless in the Guadalupe Hall at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church on St. John.

Thanksgiving at St. Patrick Church

The choir at St. Patrick Church on St. Croix assisted with the Thanksgiving day Mass on November 24.

Thanksgiving at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church

Fr. Eduardo Ortiz Santiago receives the offertory procession at Thanksgiving Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church on St. Thomas.

Fr. Ortiz distributed blessed bread at the end of Mass.

Thanksgiving at Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral

Pictured left, His Excellency, Bishop Herbert Bevard, and Msgr. Jerome Feudjio distributed blessed bread at the end of the Thanksgiving Mass at Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral on St. Thomas.

Pictured right, Msgr. Feudjio and members of the cathedral youth group brought food donations to Bethlehem House Shelter for the Homeless.

Thanksgiving at Holy Cross Church

In the Thanksgiving offertory procession at Holy Cross Church on St. Croix, Nadia Cerni dressed as an Native American, Ryan Arcamo wore a typical Filipino outfit. They were accompanied by Lorenzo Cole and Nikolai Steen. Anneliese Cerni with her brother, Paul Cerni, visiting from New York, were the adults in the procession.

Thanksgiving at St. Anne Chapel

Parishioners at St. Anne Chapel on St. Thomas donated food staples for distribution to the local homebound. Pictured right, children brought them forward during the offertory at Thanksgiving Mass. Below, teenagers bagged the groceries after Mass.

Food Drive Benefits Catholic Charities



Volunteers at Cost-U-Less
on November 22

Catholic Charities of the Virgin Islands (CCVI) was one of the recipients of Scotiabank’s territory-wide “Share the JOY of Thanksgiving” food drive. “Thanksgiving Joy” displays were set up at PriceSmart and Food Center on St. Thomas, Cost-U-Less and Schooner Bay Market Place on St. Croix, and Pine Peace Mini Market on St. John.



Volunteers at Schooner Bay
Market Place on November 23



CCVI on St. Croix received more than 50 bags of groceries and five turkeys. The groceries were distributed to needy families to help with their Thanksgiving meal preparations. The gift bags included rice, bread stuffing, scalloped potatoes, chicken stock, macaroni and cheese and cranberry sauce.

Delegate to Congress Visits Alma Mater

Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen spoke to the students of her alma mater, St. Mary School on St. Croix, on November 22 about how her education at the school prepared her for her career path as a physician and her current role representing the Virgin Islands in the U.S. Congress.

School Thanksgiving Mass

His Excellency, Bishop Herbert Bevard, is shown in the procession with Deacon Joseph Mark, Fr. John Mark and Fr. Simon Opira this morning. Bishop Bevard celebrated Thanksgiving Mass for the students of St. Joseph High School, St. Mary School and St. Patrick School at St. Ann Church on St. Croix.

Talented Youth

The Lord's Anointed pantomime dancers and the Cultural Dance Group, both from Holy Family Church on St. Thomas, performed at the St. Joseph Workers Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner and Talent Show at Columban Hall on November 20.

10th Anniversary

St. Joseph Church on St. Croix had a picnic to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the dedication of the new church on November 20.

Catholic Charities Bake Sale

The Bethlehem Homeless Shelter for the Homeless staff on St. Croix hosted a cake and bake sale after Sunday Mass at St. Ann Church on November 20. Pictured left to right are shelter assistant Annette Kent, acting shelter manager Laurine Parrilla, assistant manager Abigail Charles and outreach worker Florence John Jules. The money raised will help to make repairs to the shelter.

Thanksgiving Food Drive

Many churches are having food drives for Thanksgiving. Pictured above, parishioners from St. Anne Chapel on St. Thomas collected non-perishable food items for homebound and needy neighbors. The chapel youth will distribute the goods after the Thanksgiving morning Mass.

Christ the King

The adult and youth choirs at Holy Cross Church on St. Croix combined for the Mass of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King on November 20.

Fall Festival

Ss. Peter and Paul School on St. Thomas had its annual Fall Festival on November 19, with games, dunking tank, face painting and other activities.

Our Lady of Divine Providence

Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral on St. Thomas and St. Joseph Church on St. Croix celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Divine Providence, patroness of Puerto Rico. The actual feast day is November 19, but both parishes celebrated the night before with Spanish Masses and receptions after Mass. Pictured above, Fr. John Mark, pastor of St. Joseph Church, blessed two images of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Nuestra Senora de la Divina Providencia.

Carmelite Spirituality

Fr. John Juszczak, CSsR, pastor of Holy Cross Church on St. Croix, (center) celebrated Mass for the Secular Order Discalced Carmelites at Light of Christ Retreat Center on November 12. He was assisted by Deacon Joseph Mark of St. Ann Church.

Lectors Meeting

Deanna Richardson is the director of the the lectors and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion at Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral. She led them in an organizational meeting in the cathedral's Hospitality Lounge on October 13.

Religious Education

Jose Cossio of the Hispanic community at Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral on St. Thomas teaches an RCIC course in Spanish to one student, Mercedes Maria Vazquez Liriano, in the cathedral offices on Saturday mornings.

Bingo

St. Patrick School has bingo at St. Gerard Hall on the second and fourth Friday of every month at 6 p.m.

Deacons' Memorial Mass

The deacons of St. Croix and their wives (seen in the background) attended a Mass at St. Patrick Church last night remembering the deacons and other clergy who have died.

School Launches House System

The student body of Ss. Peter and Paul School on St. Thomas transitioned to a house system on November 10. Students were assigned to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Joan of Arc, St. Paul or St. Peter Houses in order to foster leadership opportunities, mentoring and competition.

Pictured above, Ashley Forney, representing St. Joan of Arc House, whose members wore purple shirts, spoke to their peers about the system. Behind her were Austin Walters, vice principal; Msgr. Jerome Feudjio and Bishop Herbert Bevard.

Dominica Independence Day Masses

The Commonwealth of Dominica celebrated 33 years of independence on November 3. Two priests from Dominica celebrated festive bilingual English/French Creole Masses in the U.S. Virgin Islands on November 6. Msgr. Eustace Thomas celebrated Mass at St. Ann Church on St. Croix and Father Conan Shillingford celebrated Mass at Holy Family Church on St. Thomas. Msgr. Thomas (pictured above) and many parishioners dressed in traditional madrass.

Catholic Charities Weekend

Catholic Charities Weekend on November 5-6 was designed to bring attention and donations to the works of the agency in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Bishop Herbert Bevard wore his new Catholic Charities of the Virgin Islands t-shirt while preparing for Mass at St. Anne Chapel on St Thomas on November 6. The t-shirts were printed for use on Catholic Charities Weekend and can still be purchased from the agency for $10.

Staff and volunteers collected donations and sold t-shirts at Food Town, Plaza Extra East and West and Pueblo East on St. Croix. The St. Croix tables collected more than $4,000 worth of food and $1,604.84 in cash and sold $240 in T-shirts.

Dictionaries for Students

Third graders at St. Mary School on St. Croix received dictionaries from the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands on November 4.

All Souls Day

Pictured right, Father Patrick Lynch, CSsR, pastor of St. Patrick Church, celebrated Mass at Frederiksted Cemeteryon All Souls Day, November 2. He was assisted by Deacon Emith Fludd.

Pictured left, His Excellency, Bishop Herbert Bevard, blessed the graves at the cemetery behind Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church on St. Thomas before Mass.

Pictured right, Father John Juszczak, CSsR, pastor of Holy Cross Church, blessed graves at Christiansted Cemetery. He was assisted by Deacon Vincent Colianni.

All Saints Day Mass

All Saints Day, November 1, is a holy day of obligation in all U.S. dioceses. Pictured right, Fr. Patrick Lynch, CSsR, pastor, celebrated two Masses at St. Patrick Church on St. Croix. He was assisted by Deacon Emith Fludd and Deacon Louis Soto.

Memorial Tree of Light

Parishioners at St. Patrick Church on St. Croix have the opportunity to participate in the Memorial Tree of Lights in November. The names of the deceased are written on tags and hung on the tree. The tree remains lit throughout the month.