Little Flower Catholic Church Blog

Join us at Little Flower Catholic Church at 6pm on December 11th for our Advent Penance Service. We will have six priests available to hear confessions, and they will remain in the church as long as people are still coming. Sin is to the soul what disease is to the body and forgiveness is the Divine operation that heals. Advent is a beautiful time to receive the Sacrament of Penance, as we prepare our souls

On the heels of our beautiful parish celebration of St. Thérèse, our Patroness, we arrive today at the feast of All Saints and the beginning of November! These indeed have been days of great joy for our parish family. First and foremost, the saints (and especially St. Thérèse) remind us that happiness and fulfillment are within reach for all God’s children.  Since St. Thérèse promised to spend her heaven doing good on earth, let us

“For me, prayer is the heart’s impulse, a simple gaze towards heaven.” -St. Thérèse When I was in High School, I saved up my money to see a movie with my younger sister on the weekends.  One day, I saw an advertisement for movie simply called “Thérèse”.  At the time, I had no idea what the movie was all about; it just looked vaguely religious.  So I went and found out that it was the story of Thérèse

The Rite of Christian Initiation of adults (RCIA) is a process developed by the Catholic Church for prospective converts to Catholicism  who are above the age of infant baptism. Candidates are gradually introduced to aspects of Catholic beliefs and practices.   The ideal is for there to be an RCIA process available in every Roman Catholic parish.  Those who want to join an RCIA group or class should aim to attend one in the parish where they live.   For those

Dear Parishioners of Little Flower, As many of you have already heard, I was recently accepted as a seminarian for the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee.  This decision was a long time in coming.  However, it is important to note that this step is one of discernment as I pursue this potential calling.   Thank you for your support throughout the years, especially in the many ways you have helped to show Christ to our young people during these past

Hello! We hope that everyone is preparing for a fun summer. Your children have worked very hard all year and are excited summer is finally here. The Little Flower VBS team is also excited to announce and invite you and your children to our VBS event!  Vacation Bible School is June 24th to 28th from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm, and our 2019 theme is “ROAR: Life is Wild, God is Good”!  This epic African adventure is sure

Please take a moment to watch Bishop Bill’s address to the diocese by clicking here. After serving 18 months as Bishop, he shares his insights on some challenges and opportunities that we are currently facing. We encourage you to share the video with your friends, fellow parishioners and through social media.

Time is an important concept in the Christian life.  In the beginning was the Word. God created the world in 7 days.  The book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament is a meditation on the meaning of our time and God’s time.  In the book of Revelation God reminds us that he is “The Alpha and the Omega . . . the beginning and the end.” (Rev 22:13).   As we come the end of another

Dear Little Flower parish, Peace! When I made my first pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2000 (which was the Jubilee Year), I had the chance to concelebrate at the mass of Saint Pope John Paul II. I was also fortunate to see places connected with our Savior. I stood in silent wonder at the River Jordan where our Lord was baptized, contemplating the value and significance of that moment. Since ancient times, Baptism has

We wanted to take a moment to introduce the nursing ministry here at Little Flower Catholic Church, their history, and how you can benefit from the generosity of these skilled nurses. Beginning in the early 90’s as “Parish Nurse Ministry” In the late 1990s, Cindy Castellano RN introduced a program called Parish Nurse Ministry through Sacred Heart Hospital with Father Holley’s approval.   Cindy was the first Coordinator and she had four founding members –

We invite the entire parish to the Passion Play this Friday, March 22nd at 7PM in the school cafeteria to meditate on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and his great love for us all. When I was in the third grade at Little Flower School, my teacher, the late Mrs. Ruth Stewart, described the liturgies of the Holy Triduum by saying that these special rites “reenacted” the key moments from the final hours of the

Dear Friends, The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary reflect on moments in the Passion of Christ that we will recall during this season of Lent (the Agony in the Garden, the Scourging, the Crowning with Thorns, the Carrying of the Cross, the Crucifixion and Death), but through the heart of Our Lady. Much like the Israelites in the desert, or the fleeing disciples of Jesus on Good Friday, we are tempted to withdraw from struggle,

Dear Men of Little Flower Catholic Church, The Men of Saint Joseph movement has been around for a while.  It was the brain child of a parish priest who wanted to get men, primarily young men with families, involved in a process of spiritual growth.  A process and a devotion that they could use to help them become better husbands and fathers over time.  The challenge was how to reach men that were already very busy with

Dear Little Flower Family, With excitement, I am pleased to present the names and biographies of the 12 parishioners you have nominated as candidates for our Pastoral Council. As you know, we have not had a Pastoral Council in the parish since the 90’s, so the formation of this advisory council is both long overdue and greatly anticipated. Through the “yes” of those nominated, the clergy will gain a better pulse of what is happening

Dear Parishioners of Little Flower, We recently brought eight members of P.A.C.K., our Parish Youth Group, on a service trip to help those affected by Hurricane Michael. After driving the 2.5 hours to Panama City, the focus of the day was simple: to be onsite at St. Dominic Catholic Church and help those affected, and still struggling, from the immense damage caused by the recent Hurricane Michael. The eight youth of the parish that went were

Dear Little Flower Parish Family, Since we all can’t get enough of election season, now seems an appropriate time to form a new Pastoral Council for Little Flower. Canon Law, which dictates the governance of the Church, states that each bishop may legislate the formation of a pastoral council for parishes in his diocese (CIC, can. 536). Bishop Ricard promulgated such norms for all the parishes of our diocese in January 2004. Upon my arrival,

The St. Teresa Mission, now serving about 250-300 families per month, had a humble origin. Our initial response to the needs of our local brothers and sisters was serving donated clothing from the trunk of a car on parish grounds. The arrival of Msgr. Crawford in the 90’s was the impetus for a building structure and formal process to help the needy. Now, in 2018, the Mission not only offers clothing, shoes, household goods, but food

Dear St. Therese Festival 2018 Committee Heads and Members, Volunteers, Entertainers, Sponsors, Donors, School Administrators, Parents and Students, Parishioners and guests, Peace of Christ! We wish that this letter finds you in the best of health.  Here’s to express to you our sincerest gratitude for the wonderful Festival which we spent together last 21st October 2018.  The festive occasion beckoned for the get-together.  It was a joy that parishioners and families spent such quality time