Distribution of Ashes

Wednesday, February 17 is Ash Wednesday and is the first day of Lent.  This season of penance and reconciliation leads to the triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the celebration of Easter.

On Ash Wednesday, it is customary to attend a service and have a cross of ashes traced on the forehead.  The ashes are the burned remains of the palms blessed on Passion Sunday last year. While the cross is traced on the forehead, the formula, “Remember you are dust and will return to dust” is recited. An alternate formula is “Turn from sin and live the gospel.”

Ash Wednesday is a day of fast and abstinence.

Ashes, a traditional symbol of penance, will be distributed at St. Maurice on Wednesday at regular Masses. The Masses on Wednesday will be at  7:00 AM,  8:30AM, and at 7:PM.

Across The Years

Most people who come to be with us at Saint Maurice notice how busy the parish is. They comment on how many things we do. Some of them notice the joy that is the infallible sign of the presence of God. Some join us in our work and our worship.

It was like that from the beginning. The number of worshippers went from zero to 1000 in four months in 1970. The new Family of the Stable was noticed by the press of the time in part because of the nature of our family’s home, a stable. Members of the family agreed with Father David Russell (Founding Pastor from 1970 to 1974 – pictured at left) and chose to keep the stable and the simplicity that it represents as a hallmark of our life together. It was not just the building that was being formed.

In 1973, Father Russell said, “From the beginning the Family of the Stable has been one in purpose, one in vision, and singuarly directed by the Holy Spirit. We have struggled intensely to realize the responsibilities of a people of God, for we have shared our faith life both liturgically and secularly, and in this sharing we have become a Christian family, called to greatness, to personal sanctity, to the unique service of Love.”(Introduction to the 1973 Family Album)

The family made that Spirit directed vision clearer. Working  with Father Sean Mulchay (Pastor for 22 years beginning in 1976 – pictured in the center) the family developed its Mission Statement. Fr. Sean and a group of family members formed the Hunger Program that now has more than 25 projects. Through the projects St. Maurice supports the efforts of people here at home and around the world as they work to provide food to the hungry and water to the thirsty. During Fr. Sean’s tenure many parishioners took part in the Christ Renews His Parish program. At the same time, Fr. Mulchay oversaw a most successful building program.

The family joined Father Roger Holoubek (Pastor since 2000 – pictured at the right) in his decision to add social justice as a focus for the parish. Their efforts involved learning about JustFaith, JustMatters and BoldJustice. In BoldJustice participants identify areas of concern to those less powerful and more needy among us here in Broward County such as low cost housing and dental care for the poor. In conjunction with other churches and synagogues participants work out a plan to present in a public meeting with the powerful who can make a difference. This meeting is called a Nehemiah Action. It focuses the attention of the powerful on the issues that are important to the needy. During Fr. Holoubek’s pastorate,  the parish opened its Early Childhood Education Center. 

Back in 1973 Fr. Russell said, “It is no easy task to build for others, yet that is precisely what a worshipping  community does. Each individual, confined to his own time and space, sacrifices something of himself for the common good… This parish is not merely a group of buldings set on a piece of property. This parish is people, a vibrant growing, moving mass of good, holy people, filled with Faith, Hope, and Love.”  It is, as Father Roger says in his Welcoming  Video on this web site, full of people “who really believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ…vibrant…loving…hospitable…full of mercy.”

We in our turn build for others. Father Roger points out that we have not succumbed to ” a danger that threatens all churches — irrelevance. Today as we look at all the good things we have done over the last four decades, one thing is clear — We are not  irrelevant. We have made a difference in our world. Thanks be to God. (From the Pastor’s Desk, Parish Bulletin, June 13, 2010)

Dirt Floor Parishioners:

The people who began the parish are called dirt floor parishioners because the stable that is our church had hard packed dirt floors for the first few months. There is an apocryphal story that one bride rented a carpet so she wouldn’t get her gown dirty as she walked down the aisle. According to the story the happy couple is among us to this day.

That there are dirt floor parishioners still among us in not apocryphal. There are a number of dirt floor parishioners who have chosen to share their memories of those days and later events with us…

Dirt Floor Person’s Remembrance – Helen Ankenbrandt

May 29, 2010

It was late May or early June of 1970. I had  found a job in the area, but needed to find a place to live.

My mom was driving me from Lake Worth, as I had just had serious surgery. We did not know the area and it was very hot. My mom was not in the best of health. We looked and drove around for two or three hours when my mom noticed the sign on Stirling  announcing a new  Catholic Church.

When we went to the rectory to see if someone would know of a good place to rent (cheaply). Father Russell answered the door. He took one look at the beings standing there and immediately invited us in. He quickly served us a cold drink and we chatted.

He finally decided to have a parishioner (Cathy Fisher) drive us around to try to find something. It was such a blessing that day to be treated so graciously and kindly by both Father and Kathy. This was my first experience of Saint Maurice and I have been a parishioner ever since.

Memories - Lois Marano

I moved to 3300 N Rd 7 a mobile home park in June 1972. I was told that the church was St. Bernadette.

When we got there we were told that it was too late for that mass. If we went back over 441 on the left hand side of the street was a church named St. Maurice. So we went.

There were times when Fr. Russell would say, “Yes, Lady. This is a Roman Catholic Church.” He would stop in the middle of Mass, go on the mike and say, “SING EVERYONE, SING!”

The week before Pentecost Fr. Russell said, “Next week come all in red: red shoes , red socks, everything!” My daughter Lorraine, age 7 at the time, said, “I dont have red shoes!

The Sunday Fr. Sean came to St. Maurice, he let us know that he was sad to have left his church family in Palm Beach.

My mom  lived with my family (husband and three children) . She had a heart attack in 1976. Fr. Sean was at the house to visit and at the wake and funeral. My first grandchild was stillborn. Fr. Sean was at the hospital to bless the baby girl and then to pray with the entire family around my daughter-in-law’s bed all holding hands.

My  daughter Lorraine had breast cancer.  Father Sean called me and said get the family together and we will have a mass for her at St. Charles.

When my husband died and we had an evening service in September  2003, Fr. Roger and Fr. Sean were both there.

I sat in the rear of the church because I became very emotional.

Dirt Floor Parishioner – Memories- Ann Moredock

My name is Ann Moredock. I moved to my home in Florida in June 1960. I am a founding parishioner of St. Bernadette Church before coming here to St. Maurice.

I also knew the farmer that owned this property prior to the chruch. There was no trailer park here and cows were walking around. Also we bought buttermilk here from the farmer.

I am a dirt floor parishioner. I came here when Father Russel was the founding pastor of St. Maurice. My daughter, Cynthia Moredock was one of the first babies baptized here in December 1970. Father Russell wanted her to be the Baby Jesus and me to be the Blessed Mother for the live Nativity. Cynthia was too small  (5 pounds) so I said no. Cynthia made her First Holy Communion and Confirmation here too.

I knew all the preists here including Father Sean and Father Brice and Father Roger and Father Dennis.

40 YEARS OF JOY

Thank you for Sharing in the…
St. Maurice 40th Anniversary
Dinner Dance
Friday, June 11, 2010
Doors open 6:30pm
Special Anniversary Dinner – Surf and Turf
(Filet Mignon/Lobster Tail)
$20.00 per person – $10.00 12-18 yrs
Music by Joe Roppo~Cash bar~Limited seating

Tickets for this event can be purchased on the deck after all the Masses or in the Parish Office.

Don’t MISS — SUNDAY June 13 at 10:00 AM come and celebrate with us a Special Mass and then a PICNIC — fun, games and music! Join Us!

History of St. Maurice

Way back in 1969, there was a piece of property in Broward County that was known as “Smith’s Stables”. The owner had a barn where he kept a number of horses, a shop for his machines, a home with a swimming pool for his family, and a very large open field for the horses to roam. He sold all that to the Archdiocese of Miami on April 30, 1969 for $151, 763.

On June 12, 1970, Archbishop Coleman Carroll decided to use that property and established the parish of St. Maurice and asked Father David Russell to be the first pastor. Soon after, the new pastor and the people came together and worked very hard in transforming that stable into a church, the shop into a chapel, and Mr. Smith’s home into a rectory.

Father Russell was a dynamic preacher and people came from all parts of the county in order to become members of a community of faith that was filled with joy. In the month of November of that year, this new parish held its first Country Fair to raise funds to support its different ministries.

1974 was a sad time for the parish when Father Russell was transferred to another parish in Dade County. The new pastor was Father Frederick Brice. He was here for only a short time and was reassigned to another parish in 1975.

In January 1976, St. Maurice welcomed Father Sean Mulcahy as its next pastor and were blessed by his leadership for the next 22 years. Father Sean continued the tradition of the Country Fair and used the profits to support the construction of a new baptismal font, a new social hall, an education building, and to support the Hunger Program which he created to feed hungry people throughout the world. Many wonderful things happened in those 22 years.

1998 was once more a sad time for the parish when Father Sean left. In October 1998, Archbishop Favalora appointed Father Joseph Cinesi as the new pastor and during the short time he was here he remodeled the rectory and made some other improvements. He left towards the end of 1999 and Archbishop Favalora appointed Father Roger Holoubek as the next pastor on January 08, 2000. For the next nine years, the people of St. Maurice did some remarkable things. They created a new early childhood education center for small children and renovated the chapel, the restrooms, and made many other improvements. They initiated a Mass in Spanish and developed many programs and ministries for Hispanics. They created a new parish website that is probably one of the best in the Archdiocese and promoted the pastoral care to the grieving and the sick. After reading the U. S. bishops pastoral letter “Communities of Salt and Light”, the pastor came to the belief that justice was an essential part of parish life and introduced different social ministry programs like JustFaith, JustMatters, and BoldJustice.

Because of the downturn in the national economy, in 2009 Archbishop Favalora announced a restructuring plan for a number of parishes in the Archdiocese. Part of that plan was the merging of Resurrection Parish in Dania Beach with St. Maurice Parish. On October 01, 2009, the people of St. Maurice while sharing the sadness of the people of Resurrection Parish, nonetheless joyfully welcomed these good people. It was a great loss for the people of Resurrection parish but those who came to St. Maurice have enriched this parish community with their faith and love.

So that is a brief history of our parish family from 1969 to 2009. Our future? Only God knows that. One thing is for sure, however —- we have a rich  history and have been blessed by God so many times with wonderful people who are alive and loving.

Saint Maurice Church – 2851 Stirling Road – Dania Beach, Florida – (954) 961-7777

Easter Triduum

EasterTriduum

The Promise of EASTER

Dear Family,

The first thing to recognize about the Triduum is that it is “The Three Days”. It is a unified observance that extends over three days, and it forms its own unique and central part of the liturgical year. For many people today, these three days are still as part of Lent; for others, they stand as three separate and somewhat independent days celebrating different events in the life of Christ. But Lent ends on Thursday afternoon, and the Triduum is best seen as one integral observance that includes a variety of liturgical moments.

The Triduum is more than its liturgies, too. Keeping these three days, means exactly that – three full days live as one central moment in the life of every Christian and of the Christian community as a whole.

The liturgy of the Triduum begins with the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper and concludes with the last Mass on Easter Sunday. Between these two gatherings for prayer and worship, the Christian church is called to enter into a period of prayer, fasting and vigiling, which reaches a climax at the Easter Vigil. The principal liturgies even suggest the unity of the Triduum by the way they end and begin. On Thursday, there is no dismissal or conclusion; on Friday we gather and leave with no introductory or concluding rites; and at the Vigil we gather around the fire and begin without the usual introductory rites. We begin on Thursday and don’t conclude until after the Vigil, with Easter Sunday as a kind of extension of the celebration of the Vigil.

Understanding the Triduum as one three-day-long liturgy can help us find the right approach to each of the various ritual moments within it. The Evening Mass on Holy Thursday is a liturgy of entrance into the Triduum, not primarily a celebration of the institution of the Eucharist or of the ordained priesthood. Good Friday’s main liturgy commemorates the death of the Lord, but as a part of the whole paschal mystery (note that we call it “Good Friday”), which is celebrated in its fullness at the Easter Vigil, when our newest members enter into the death and resurrection of the Lord through the waters of baptism. Easter Sunday is a day of reveling in the mystery we celebrate at the Vigil, a day for the glow of the feast to be enjoyed and savored.

These days are the hinge of the year, the central moment around which all else revolves. The Triduum gives meaning to Lent, which precedes it, and to the Fifty Days of Easter that follow. As the Lent-Easter cycle is the core of the year, so the Triduum is the core of Lent-Easter. These days are central because they draw us into the heart of our identity as church. The paschal mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection is the core of our faith and our participation in that mystery through the celebration of baptism defines what it meant to be Christian and what it means for the community to be church.

Peace and All Goodness,

Father Roger