Georgia Bulletin

Florida

• Former St. Gabriel deacon dies October 16

  

  Published October 29, 2020

  Deacon Francis Head Jr., who served at St. Gabriel Church, Fayetteville, died Oct. 16 in Florida. He was 50 years old.

• Georgia Bulletin, communications staff earn 26 Catholic Press awards

  

  By GEORGIA BULLETIN STAFF
  Published June 28, 2019

  The Georgia Bulletin and the Office of Communications for the Archdiocese of Atlanta received a total of 26 Catholic Press awards for work done in 2018 at this year’s Catholic Media Conference.

• At spring meeting, bishops OK directives, abuse charter revisions

  

  By CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
  Published June 22, 2018

  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (CNS)—New medical directives governing health care partnerships and revisions to the charter on the protection of young people were approved during the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ spring general assembly. During their June 13-14 meeting, the bishops also approved what is described a “pastoral response” to Asian and Pacific Island Catholics and, […] Full Story

• Florida school shooting an act of ‘horrifying evil,’ says Miami archbishop

  

  By CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
  Published February 22, 2018

  MIAMI (CNS)—Miami Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski urged community members to come together “to support one another in this time of grief” after a shooting rampage Feb. 14 at a Broward County high school left at least 17 people dead and at least 14 injured. “With God’s help, we can remain strong and resolute to resist […] Full Story

• Venice, Florida diocesan official says normal life at standstill after Irma

  By TOM TRACY, Catholic News Service
  Published September 21, 2017

  IMMOKALEE, Fla. (CNS)—Peter Routsis-Arroyo, the CEO of the Diocese of Venice’s Catholic Charities, said Hurricane Irma has brought normal life to a standstill in the entire Southwest Florida region. While a large percentage of the population of towns from Marco Island to Naples to Sarasota and Venice had evacuated the state altogether, Routsis-Arroyo is putting […] Full Story

• Church facilities in Miami Archdiocese spared major damage during Irma

  

  By ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO, Catholic News Service
  Published September 21, 2017

  MIAMI (CNS)—It could have been a lot worse. That was the initial assessment for Archdiocese of Miami parishes and schools after Hurricane Irma scoured South Florida. Even the initial reports from the hardest hit portion of the archdiocese—the lower Keys, where the Category 4 storm made landfall Sept. 10—were cautiously optimistic. Drone images showed the […] Full Story

• Black Catholics at congress urged to ‘listen, learn, think, act and pray’

  

  By JEAN GONZALEZ, Catholic News Service
  Published August 24, 2017

  ORLANDO, Fla. (CNS)—United by the words of the prophet of social justice, Catholic Church leaders urged black Catholics to become active, just disciples of Christ. More than 2,000 converged on Orlando in July for the 12th National Black Catholic Congress where speakers—clergy, lay and religious—addressed a variety of topics and concerns facing black communities and […] Full Story

• Changing church landscape requires mutual accompaniment, convocation hears

  

  By DENNIS SADOWSKI, Catholic News Service
  Published July 6, 2017

  ORLANDO, Fla. (CNS)—The U.S. Catholic Church’s increasing diversity presents Catholics with the opportunity to accompany each other on the journey of faith Pope Francis envisions, a Boston College professor told delegates to the “Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in America” in Orlando. Hosffman Ospino, associate professor of theology and religious education […] Full Story

• Atlanta-based executive to lead Order of Malta’s humanitarian agency

  

  Published February 24, 2017

  MIAMI—Malteser International Americas, the Miami-based global humanitarian organization and relief agency of the Order of Malta, has elected Thomas A. Wessels, of Atlanta, as president and chairman of the board of directors. Wessels, a former first vice president at Merrill Lynch and retired Major General of the United States Army Reserves, is a Knight of […] Full Story

• National security, foreign policy worries a factor in 2016 election

  

  By TOM TRACY, Catholic News Service
  Published October 20, 2016

  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CNS)—Not since the aftermath of 9/11 has America’s national security and foreign policy seemed to resonate so heavily with the electorate during a U.S. presidential election, according to several political scientists. Terror incidents in Europe, the Middle East and at home—paired with perceptions of an increasingly fragile world order exemplified by […] Full Story

• High stakes for religious freedom, free speech seen in U.S. election

  

  By TOM TRACY, Catholic News Service
  Published October 20, 2016

  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CNS)—With every passing U.S. election cycle, First Amendment and religious freedom-minded voters and watchdogs might be tempted to think, “This is the election that will most matter in our lifetimes.” But as recent years have brought a wave of religious liberty court battles and the federal contraceptive mandate infringing on an […] Full Story

• Florida races to stem Zika spread, offer pregnant women testing

  By TOM TRACY, Catholic News Service
  Published August 18, 2016

  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CNS)—Florida residents, officials and health care leaders have their hands full this summer containing the Zika virus outbreak, which prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue its first domestic travel advisory. During the first week of August, the Florida Department of Health reported its 16th case of locally […] Full Story

• ‘God is here to grieve with us,’ says priest aiding Orlando families

  

  By JEAN GONZALEZ, Catholic News Service
  Published June 23, 2016

  ORLANDO, Fla. (CNS)—Father Jorge Torres admits he has shed a lot of tears since June 12. The same is true for Father Miguel Gonzalez, who along with Father Torres, other Orlando area priests, representatives of Catholic Charities and religious leaders of other faith communities spent hours counseling some of the 49 families who lost a […] Full Story

• Teens gather to experience Son at the beach

  

  Published June 23, 2016

  FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla.—SonFest 2016 brought some 160 teens of the Atlanta Archdiocese to the Florida beachside. Six parishes were represented at the beach for the retreat from June 6-10, said Barb Garvin, of Holy Cross Church, Atlanta. This year’s theme was discipleship as the teens participated in prayer, listening and adoration in front of […] Full Story

• Turnout at vigils for murdered priest testament to his love, commitment

  By JEAN GONZALEZ, Catholic News Service
  Published April 29, 2016

  ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (CNS)—In the days Father Rene Robert was listed as missing, the faithful gathered at two churches for prayer vigils. The turnout became a testament of the love and commitment Father Robert fostered for those he served. Kate Quigley Burns is a longtime friend and fellow advocate for the deaf community, which the […] Full Story

• Number of refugees, displaced people at highest since World War II

  

  By TOM TRACY, Catholic News Service
  Published January 7, 2016

  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CNS)—The explosive global refugee crisis—likely the top debate-generating news story of 2015—seems destined to dominate domestic and foreign politics for years to come at a time when Pope Francis has been calling for a compassionate world response. Early in 2015, Pope Francis again called attention to the plight of mostly Libyan […] Full Story

• Like father, like son: Atlanta deacon credits Holy Spirit for his son’s ordination to priesthood

  

  By TOM TRACY, Special to the Bulletin
  Published May 28, 2015

  MIAMI—When the economic recession of the early 1990s hit the Garcias in a personal way, the Miami family with Cuban roots on both sides was in serious danger of collapse. “We went through some rocky times in our marriage when we lost my computer business, but what saved our marriage was an invitation to a […] Full Story

• Speakers weigh immigration trends amid changing U.S.-Cuba relations

  By TOM TRACY, Catholic News Service
  Published February 19, 2015

  JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (CNS)—Cuban parents who sent their unaccompanied children from Cuba to the United States in the early 1960s for fear of communist indoctrination under Fidel Castro made the right decision. That was the conclusion of St. Augustine Bishop Felipe J. Estevez, who was one of four Cuban experts on a panel convened in Jacksonville […] Full Story

• Actor serves wounded veterans, finds faith after 9/11

  

  By TOM TRACY, Catholic News Service
  Published August 21, 2014

  ORLANDO, Fla. (CNS)—His knowing smile and everyman disposition are instantly recognizable. Those qualities were not lost on some 2,000 Knights of Columbus, their families and church leaders who were delighted by a surprise encounter with actor Gary Sinise during the organization’s Aug. 5-7 convention. He spoke about his love for wounded veterans and a new […] Full Story

• Courts give some last-minute relief from HHS contraceptive mandate

  By TOM TRACY, Catholic News Service
  Published January 9, 2014

  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CNS)—In the midst of their New Year’s Eve celebration with low-income elderly residents, the Baltimore-based Little Sisters of the Poor learned that the Supreme Court issued an injunction temporarily protecting them from the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate. The order by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, issued within hours of the mandate taking […] Full Story