Audience listens intently
August 22, 2015 – Parish lay ministry leaders (representing 49 parishes), Diocesan ministry leaders and other representatives from various Ministries of Mercy programs (e.g., Catholic Charities, Daystar Life Center, Society of St. Vincent de Paul) throughout our diocese gathered in the beautiful setting of the Bethany Center in Lutz for a day of appreciation and recognition for their efforts.
The Ministries of Mercy initiative was developed to assist parishes in developing ministries focused on serving the poor, suffering and marginalized in their communities. They are modeled after Christ’s own example of reaching out to the poor and His Gospel mandate that we serve the least among us as manifested in the Corporal Works of Mercy. These include the following:
- Food & Clothing Ministries – providing these necessities to the poor
- Shelter Ministries – providing shelter to the homeless and people in challenging situations (e.g., utility shut-off, eviction and foreclosure notices), working to develop a pathway towards self-sufficiency, including jobs and permanent housing
- Life Ministries – teaching respect for all human life from conception to natural death and organize for its protection
- Visitation Ministries – bringing reconciliation, healing, and the love of God to prisoners, the homebound and those in nursing homes
- Health Ministries – providing medical care to the underserved members of the community, including parish nurses, clinics, and mobile medical services
St. Stephens Parishioner Jeanne Lewis at Q&A
The event, organized and led by Ms. Sabrina Burton Schultz, Director of Life Ministry for the diocese, kicked off with a 10:30 am Feast day of the Queenship of Mary Mass celebrated by Bishop Robert N. Lynch in the Bethany Center (Lutz) chapel. Afterward, the group returned to the meeting room and settled in for a Q&A session with the Bishop. Many of the questions centered on diocesan efforts in support of the homeless at which point the Bishop introduced Mr. Mark Dufva, Executive Director of Catholic Charities, who discussed his organizations efforts to combat homelessness throughout the diocese’ five counties, introduced his staff members to the audience, and asked the
Bishop Lynch at Q&A
Bishop Lynch celebrates Mass
Sabrina Burton Schultz: Event Organizer
Mark Dufva
leaders present to connect with the Catholic Charities program leaders for their geographic areas in order to have questions answered and better understand what services and programs Catholic Charities provides in their areas. Mark indicated afterward during lunch that he was “grateful to Sabrina for providing such a wonderful platform for Catholic Charities to be able to tell our story to parishioners about the great work we do for those in need in our midst. We are here to support our parishes and those most in need in our community.”
Immediately afterward, the group of just under 200 was treated to Chef Salvatore’s delicious meal of roast pork, mash potatoes with au jus, sautéed green beans and almonds, tossed salad with Italian dressing, French rolls with butter and dessert.
As lunch wound down, Sabrina provided introductory thoughts, thanking those present for their contributions to the ministries of mercy and then passing the baton to speakers representing the five ministries of mercy areas who shared their stories bringing their ministries to life for the audience:
- Shelter Pasco Women’s Shelter – Julie Kolb, Housing Manager
- Visitation Bereavement Ministry – Brenda Covini, Bereavement leader from St. Timothy Parish
- Life CRS Fair Trade – Megan Buckler, CRS Fair Trade Ambassador; Deb Close, Parish Social Ministry Coordinator
- Food & Clothing St. Vincent de Paul – Marvin Ropert, President of the Central Council
- Health Parish Nursing – Karen Stalter, Faith Community Nursing Coordinator, BayCare Hospitals
Dr. Michael Tkacik
The meeting wrap-up began with a request by Mark Dufva for parish representatives to ‘connect’ with Lou Ricardo, Catholic Charities Marketing and Development Manager, in order to begin the process of educating all diocesan parishes about Catholic Charities’ work. This was followed by an impassioned plea by Dr. Michael Tkacik, Secretary of Ministries for the diocese, who spoke eloquently about the upcoming Jubilee Year of Mercy and asked the group to continue doing their good work and to seek ways to extend their ministries of compassion to communities and individuals that may feel unwanted or marginalized by the Church. Said Dr. Tkacik, “It always energizes me when I am able to meet the many people of the Diocese who give so selflessly of their time and talent to bring the social justice ministries of the Church to life. I am looking forward to the many great things they will do next year, during the Jubilee Year of Mercy.”
Finally, Father Bob Schneider, pastor of St. Stephens in Valrico, closed with a brief prayer after drawing attention to the need for sustained efforts to address homelessness in Hillsborough County. With that a wonderful day of Mass, prayer, lunch, inspiring stories, and camaraderie came to an end with the group revitalized and ready to continue carrying on the Gospel mandate to help those most in need! Sabrina couldn’t have said it any better when she stated: “I am so blessed to work for a Diocese and a Bishop whose commitment to social justice is manifested in these very Ministries of Mercy. But I am equally blessed to work directly and indirectly with so many passionate and hardworking volunteers whose love for their faith and commitment to their respective ministries is an inspiration to me as I lead our Life Ministry for the Diocese. I can’t thank them enough!”
