Thank you for the many pledges that were made and already fulfilled during our recent drive for our annual DSA (Diocesan Services Appeal). For those who have answered Bishop Barbarito with their gift pledged or given, may I add my thanks to his. For those who haven’t done so yet, may I take this opportunity to ask you once again - whether you are a regular parishioner or a seasonal one – to show your gratitude to God for His many blessings upon you, by sharing some of His blessings with those in our area in need! Pledge envelopes are still available in the church. Just see any of our ushers immediately after Mass, and they will be glad to assist you!

Let’s see if we can not only reach our $200,000 goal this year, but even exceed it, so that we can retain the overage to assist us in our own charitable work and parish upkeep. Know that God, who probes the depth of our hearts and knows our minds, will continue to bless you in greater ways than you can imagine because you have shared His gifts to you with others!

Our 44th Annual Parish Festival is only a few days away. The anticipation for the kids, the final details of the many preparations by our volunteers, and the support of so many of our parishioners should mean that we can envision a successful event for the benefit of our school. For those who are unfamiliar with the origins of this tradition, it began as a one-day event on St. Patrick’s Day to raise funds for our school. Now it has evolved into a weekend of rides, food and entertainment that pleases thousands of visitors to Delray’s biggest church festival of the year. It has taken on a very international flavor, with a potpourri of foods and music. If you have not bought a ticket for the $40,000 worth of prizes given away in the Grand Raffle, here’s your chance to be a winner!

We will also be entertaining a large group of our St. Vincent alumni, who are returning for our 55th anniversary of the establishment of our parish school. So we welcome all of you to support us as participants in our biggest event of the year, either by purchasing tickets, volunteering your time to help, or taking your chances on one of the many raffles. Pray that God blesses us once again with beautiful weather we need and the energy necessary for all the volunteers under the leadership of the Festival Chairman, Gerard Orlortegui, and his many gracious co-chairs and co-workers to bring about a successful event. We also thank our past Chairperson, Lisa Hargrove, for the tremendous work she did in carrying on this tradition for the past several years. Above all, I want to thank the many individuals who quietly work hard behind the scenes, setting up and taking down the many booths and items it takes to run it all, especially those who may not see their names written here, but whose work is seen by God!

About a week ago, Nobel Prize laureate and former Polish President Lech Walesa and his wife were in town for a visit, and were honored during their brief stay. I thank Joe Benoit for inviting me to be part of the welcoming group on that occasion, where I was able to renew an acquaintanceship that goes back many years. It seems that wherever he goes, President Walesa always proudly demonstrates his Catholicity and devotion to Mary by proudly wearing a lapel pin with the image of the Virgin of Czestochowa. How many of us don’t even wear Mary’s image or that of her Son around our necks, but substitute all kinds of amulets or kinky items that don’t give honor to Mary or Jesus, nor demonstrate our Catholic Faith.

The Holy Season of Lent begins in about 10 days. Here is an opportunity to step forward in our relationship with God and our neighbor by practicing various acts of sacrifice, self-denial and positively demonstrating our faith-inaction, especially by uniting ourselves to the merits of Jesus Christ. Our actions on behalf of those who don’t have the many blessings bestowed upon us, and our participating in programs that deepen our knowledge of Scripture and our prayer life are among those things which help us to demonstrate that Christ didn’t die for us in vain. His life was spent for us, and now we need to show Him that we appreciate His loving act for us by sharing in His work.

Each weekday Mass that I celebrate, I recall in the petitions of the Prayers of the Faithful the men and women serving in our armed forces, as well as the men and women who also put their lives on the line in domestic service to our community. It’s a pity that sometimes we don’t appreciate them until they are no longer with us. What a sad tragedy befell our own city in the sudden auto death of Sgt. Adam Rosenthal last week. He leaves behind his wife and four children, all mourning, along with many members of our police force. He was very well thought of among his peers and well-liked by so many members of our local community. Among his many contributions to the welfare of our people, he taught a self-defense course to help protect women, including a number of mothers and daughters of our parish. In his work, he touched the lives of many of our citizens, and his loss will be great to so many who benefitted from his loyal service to the Delray Beach area. I extend the sympathy of the St. Vincent Parish Family to his.

Very Rev. Canon Tom