Safe Environment – Attention all volunteers
The Archdiocese of Miami, and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops have three requirements for all employees or volunteers.
If :You are 18 years or older, and you are volunteering for
anything at St. Maurice, or you are volunteering for anything for
Country Fair, you must comply with these three requirements:
1-You must have had your fingerprints taken within the last 5 years.
If not, then you need to have your fingerprints taken right away.
Please register online at: www.adom.sofn.net. Print the Bar Code that comes
up at the end of the process. Then, go to the fingerprint center that you chose,
at the appointed time, with your Bar Code and the ID you used for the
registration process. The Archdiocese of Miami will pay for the fingerprinting
process.
2-You must have attended a Virtus Workshop for Adults.
If you have not, then, please take note of these 2 dates for a workshop at
St. Maurice: October 22, at 9:30 A.M. in Spanish
October 29, at 9:30 A.M. in English
You must pre-register by going to www.virtusonline.org, press the tab for
Registration, and follow the instructions that come up. If you wish, click to
watch the Brief Tutorial on the pre-registration process, before you start,
if it will make you more secure. If the dates or times of the St. Maurice
workshops are not convenient for you, then, please choose a workshop at
another location that is convenient for you. When you attend the workshop
chosen, be sure to sign in. Then, after the session has been recorded by the
Archdiocese, go back to www.virtusonline.org, and print your Certificate.
3.You must have signed the Code of Conduct.
If you haven’t, then call the Office at 954-961-7777, to make arrangements
for you to sign it.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO A COMPUTER, PLEASE CALL THE OFFICE AT 954-961-7777, ASK FOR LUCY, WHO WILL ARRANGE
TO HELP YOU WITH THE PROCESS
ATENCION VOLUNTARIOS
La Arquidiócesis de Miami y la Conferencia Nacional de Obispos Católicos
tiene tres requisitos para todos sus empleados o voluntarios.
Si tienes 18 anos de edad, y eres voluntario para algo
en San Mauricio, o eres voluntario para algo en “Country Fair”, deberás cumplir con estos tres requisitos:
1.Tienes que haberte tomado tus huellas digitales dentro de los últimos 5 anos.
Si No , entonces tienes que tomarte las huellas digitales inmediatamente.
Por favor inscríbete en-línea en: www.adom.sofn.net. Imprime el “Código de
Barra” que sale al final del proceso. Entonces, ve al Centro que escogiste, en el
día de la cita, llevando contigo el “Código de Barra” ya impreso, y la
identificación que usaste para el proceso de inscripción. La Arquidiócesis de
Miami pagara por el proceso de las huellas.
2.Tienes que haber asistido a una sesión de Virtus para adultos.
Si no lo has hecho, entonces toma nota de las dos sesiones que se van a celebrar
en el templo de San Mauricio: 22 de octubre, 2011, a las 9 A.M. en espanol
29 de octubre, 2011, a las 9 A.M. en ingles
Deberás inscribirte en línea, de antemano, en: www.virtusonline.org.
Presiona la tecla de “Inscripción”, y sigue las instrucciones. Si las
fechas, o las horas de las sesiones de San Mauricio no te son convenientes,
entonces escoge una sesión, de entre las que se ofrecen en otras localidades.
Cuando asistas a la sesión de Virtus, asegúrate de firmar la Hoja de Asistencia.
Así, luego de que La Arquidiócesis haya entrado la información de la sesión a la
computadora, podrás imprimir tu Certificado, entrando de nuevo a
www.virtusonline.org, y siguiendo las instrucciones pertinentes que te ofrecen.
3-Tienes que haber firmado el Código de Conducta.
Si no lo has hecho, entonces llama a Lucy, a la Oficina, al 954-961-7777, y
coordina con ella para que lo firmes.
SI NO TIENES ACCESO A UNA COMPUTADORA, POR FAVOR LLAMA A LA OFICINA, AL 954-961-7777, Y PROCURA POR LUCY, QUIEN HARA ARREGLOS PARA AYUDARTE CON TODO ESTE PROCESO.
Fire in the Lord
The Lord is calling for talent with a heart.
For you to serve his St. Maurice Family in our new Fire in the Lord Youth Mass.
Kids 12 and older can participate in:
Signing in the choir
Play your favorite instrument in the band
Greet your fellow parishioners
Read Gods word to the family
Serve as an acolyte
Contact Father Dennis in the church office for more information:
954-961-7777
At our liturgy committee meeting last May, the committee decided that we needed to have a “youth” mass to encourage our youth to attend Sunday Mass and to have a liturgy that was contemporary in style and tone. Father Roger asked me to take charge and to put together a committee and move ahead with this most important ministry for our young people. They are the future of the church; they are the future of our parish and the family of St. Maurice.
In July we held a “July Jam Fest” to encourage musicians and singers to come together in a sort of jam type session each Sunday. It went very well and we have been able to identify several of our young folks who are now in regular practice with Kevin preparing for our first FIRE IN THE LORD mass on Sunday, October 9 at the 10:30 mass.
We have been holding meetings all summer and have made some very significant progress in identifying great talent among our young adults and are now working hard to prepare for this October liturgy. We are still looking for more people to get involved to cover all the ministries that are needed at every liturgy: Eucharistic ministers, Lectures, ushers/greeters. What a wonderful witness value and a testament of faith to see our young people fully participating in all aspects of our Sunday Liturgy, and especially to see a young adult giving communion to their peers. WONDERFUL! We are looking for more volunteers.
As a parish we need to get behind this ministry and show our support and encouragement to our youth and young adults. Personally, I am hoping to see the church packed, like at Christmas and Easter for our first FIRE IN THE LORD mass on Sunday, October 9 at the 10:30. Let’s give it all we have and boost this much needed ministry in our parish.
Look for weekly announcements in the bulletin about what’s happening with our teen ministry and the FIRE IN THE LORD masses that are planned for the second Sunday of each month at the 10:30 mass. For more information or to volunteer please call the office and leave your information for me. Each week my homilies are posted on the parish web-site www.StMaurice.org
Blessings, peace and wellness to all,
Father Dennis
Across The Years
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 remodele
d 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
Haiti Our Projects
Haiti
Prayer on the mountainside
Protected from the muck of the slum
Unprepared, unsuspecting down the hill we descend
Into the scene of choking dust, open sewers,
and the many, many children of God….
Life with hope
That one day there will be a dry floor,
A clean glass of water,
a pair of shoes, a banana, an orange or school.
Author unknown
We pray that one day the hopes and dreams of the children of Haiti will be realized. We at St. Maurice, with the help of God, are helping to alleviate the suffering. As was reported last week, the container on our property was filled two thirds of the way with supplies to be shipped to Haiti through Cross International. A heartfelt “thank you” to all who contributed their time, and treasure to accomplish this project.
There was an article in the February 5th edition of the Miami Herald entitled “For Orphans a life of neglect and pain.” Six little boys eating large bowls of oatmeal at the Good Shepherd Home were pictured. This is one of our Hunger Program’s projects in Port au Prince. Father Luc Jolicoeur, the onsite coordinator is quoted as saying, “The government must care for the children.” According to Father Luc, no one from the government has ever visited the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd Orphanage. It is a blessing that dedicated people like Father Luc are willing to assume the responsibility of the care of these orphaned and abandoned children.
We have been attempting to discover the status of our seven projects in Haiti. Marlene Mathurin, the project leader for the At Risk Children’s Foundation traveled to Haiti on the day of the earthquake. This project has two locations, one orphanage is in Cape Rouge and the other in Cayes, they are both in southern Haiti. Marlene is safe, but has the sad news to report that three are dead, and others missing. Bishop Joseph Lafontant, of our Morning Bread project, has assumed a leadership role in Haiti after the death of the archbishop and vicar general. He is quoted as saying, “As for material things, we can rebuild, but in lives- the archdiocese has suffered.” Father Glenn Meaux, coordinator of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Project in Kobonal reports that all are safe, and that only tremors were felt in their area. He is preparing for an influx of refugees from Port au Prince. I contacted Sister Pat Downs, coordinator of the Ferrier Elderly Nutrition Program, and she was happy to report that all are well. Four Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament were in Port au Prince at the medical school when the quake hit, but they all survived. The school feeding program at St. Joseph’s School in Limbe is preparing to resume, even though there is no electricity. At this point in time, we have not been able to determine the status of the Notre Dame Parish Feeding Program in Port au Prince.
We keep these suffering people in our thoughts and prayers. This is their Good Friday, may they experience the joy of Resurrection.
The Board of Directors of the Hunger Program
Haiti is in crisis. It is hard to imagine saying that its crisis has deepened, but it has! The number of dead as a result of the earthquake has risen to over 230,000 and people, especially children, are dying of diarrhea. The crisis seems to be growing ever deeper.
During this time of special need, the St. Maurice family has reacted with its usual speed and generosity. St. Maurice filled a 40’ container with many necessities. Family and friends donated items such as water, medicine, food, blankets , quilts, towels, juice, bleach, charcoal, wheel chairs, crutches, and many other products. They were shipped to Haiti for distribution. St. Maurice raised $3300.00 towards the shipping costs.
At the best of times, Haiti is a nation in crisis. St. Maurice has been involved in dealing with human need for food and drink in Haiti through our Hunger Program for many years.
St. Maurice supports 7 projects in Haiti. Most projects involve feeding people, especially the young and the elderly. The Hunger Program contributes money that supports the project. The Hunger Program assigns a project leader for each project.
Here is the list of the names of the projects, the location of each, the name of the group providing the service and the St. Maurice Hunger Program project leaders for each. There is a brief description of the project.
Project Leader: Marlene Mathurin
This orphanage cares for about 45 children. It gets funds to assist in buying food.
Port au Prince Service Provider: Little Brothers
Project Leader: Shel McCartney
The project provides shelter to approximately 160 boys who would otherwise be on the streets. It also provides 500 others with a meal each day.
Limbe ServiceProvider: St. Joseph School
Project Leader: Ramona Rung
This school has 891 students. The Hunger Program funds a portion of the lunches.
Port au Prince Service Provider: Pain du Matin
Project Leaders: Marilyn Hogarth Therese Katende
This project provides poor families with a daily voucher for a bag of bread.
Port au Prince Service Provider: Terre Rouge Lunch
Program
Project Leader: Ellen Volpicella
This project provides a hot lunch for 500 children
Kobanal Service Provider: OLHT Mission
Project Leader: Barbara Faticone
This project provides 110 families with 3 meals a day.
Ferrier Service Provider: St. Vincent de Paul
Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament
Project Leader: Mary Becconssal
This project provides a hot lunch to each senior who comes to the center.
At this time we are not sure about what is happening with some of the projects that the Hunger Program supports.
May the Lord have mercy on this long suffering faith filled people!
