28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. ( Psalm 118:24) I want to thank the members of the St. Joe Fall Festival Committee and volunteers for their hard work in organizing the festival. I am sure the parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish and the people of the area had a fun- filled time. God bless you for hosting this community building event. In the Catholic Church., the month of October is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. We are encouraged to pray the rosary daily for the dignity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death. The Church teaches us to protect, preserve and promote the gift of God-given life at all stages. The Feast of the Holy Rosary which is celebrated on October 7th commemorates the victory of Christian forces at Lepanto in 1531 thanks to the praying of the rosary. Miracles have happened throughout the world through the praying of the rosary. I highly recommend that parents take the initiative to pray the rosary with your children. We are also called to pray the rosary for peace and unity in the Church and in the world. Despite the hatred and violence present in the world, we pray with hope that people will change and that love will prevail over hatred. By praying the rosary, we entrust ourselves to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary who will present our prayers to her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. St. Francis of Assisi (1180-1220), whose feast is celebrated on October 4th, invites us to be instruments of peace, love and healing. May peace reign in our hearts, in our homes, in our country and in the world. Please keep all the priests of our Diocese in your prayers as we gather together this week, October 6-9, 2025 at the Bethany Center in Lutz, for our annual Priestly Convocation.  God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “ This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. ( Psalm 118:24 ) I am grateful to God and our Bishop Most. Rev. Gregory Parkes for installing me as Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Dade City, FL. I will serve you, the parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish, to the best of my ability. As St. Augustine said: “With you I am a Christian. For you, I am a Priest”. Together let us glorify God and bring people to the Lord as our Bishop told us during his homily. Beginning on Monday and going forward I will be offering a Holy Hour for all our parishioners every Monday. I thank all those who have worked hard to prepare for the event of the Installation: Iris Alicea, our Parish Administrator for overseeing the whole event, our DRE Jennifer Caiazzo for assisting Iris with the preparations, John Bard our maintenance person for cleaning and trimming the bushes on the grounds and painting the rectory doors, my friends and our parishioners Kelli and Roger Crabb for helping to spruce up the rectory, Sandy Holcomb, our parishioner for organizing the reception in the hall and the members of the women’s group and all who assisted her, our sacristans, lectors, ushers, eucharistic ministers and altar servers led by Hai Nguyen, Mary Jo Gude, the leader of decoration ministry for beautiful flower arrangements in the church and the hall, and finally the choir members from the three Masses who came together to lead the congregation in praise of the Lord at the 10:30 am Mass. I also want to thank all of those who worked behind the scenes to make this a special day for me and for the parish. God bless you all! I am pleased to inform you that Bill Zeranski our parishioner has graciously accepted the position of Youth Minister of our Parish. He was born here and grew up here in the parish. He has a great core team of committed parishioners who are ready to revive the youth ministry. Are you all ready for the Fall Festival? It is already here. The Festival Committee has worked hard to make this annual event special for the Parish and our community. The Fall Festival will be held on Saturday, October 4, 2025 from 9 am - 3 pm. Please invite your family, friends and neighbors and coworkers to this community building event. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it". (Psalm 118:24) Please join me in welcoming our Shepherd, the Most. Rev. Gregory L. Parkes, Bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL, to our Parish. He is here to celebrate the Holy Eucharist at 10:30am mass, during which he will install me as the Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Dade City, FL. What is the installation of a pastor about? It is a formal liturgical ceremony where a newly appointed clergy member such as a Pastor or Bishop officially takes on the leadership of a parish or a diocese. In this case, our Bishop will officially present me to the parishioners, staff and Councils of the Parish. During the ceremony, I will lead the congregation in professing our Faith by reciting the Nicene Creed. At the end of the Profession of Faith, I will pledge an Oath of Fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church, headed by Our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. I will also pledge my obedience to Bishop Parkes. I am grateful to our Bishop for appointing me and installing me as your Pastor. With his blessing and guidance, I am here to serve God and you, the parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish. I pledge to do my best to celebrate the Sacraments of the Church reverently, to be with you in good times and through difficulties and to attempt, in everything I do, to faithfully shepherd our parish for the glory of God. I make it my goal to do my best to live out the Gospel and to be an instrument of the Lord to bring His understanding, consolation, presence, love and many blessings to you as we walk through our lives together. As I formally assume this role, I humbly ask for your prayers so that I will be able to faithfully fulfill my duties as God intends. I appreciate your support, patience and cooperation so that together we will happily serve the Lord and give glory to Him. I assure you of my continued prayers for all of you. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, BEHOLD THE WOOD OF THE CROSS, ON WHICH HUNG THE SALVATION OF THE WORLD: COME, LET US ADORE! From Good Friday Liturgy) This weekend we celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14th) which this year falls on Sunday, the Day of the Lord. The Crucifixion was the worst form of punishment legalized by the Roman Empire at the time of Our Lord for non-Roman citizens. Therefore, the cross was resented by the people. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the sinless one, by dying on the Cross made it holy. Today the Cross has become a symbol of Christ's victory over sin and death and our hope and salvation. The invitation of Our Lord to all of us is to Carry our daily crosses and follow Him. I would like to call your attention to the following two up-coming events: 1. The Eucharistic Encounter: On Saturday, September 20, 2025 Our Diocese will host a Eucharistic Encounter, from noon to 9pm, at Amalie Arena, Tampa. An estimated 15,000 Catholics from around our Diocese are expected to attend this uplifting Eucharistic Event. Nationally acclaimed speakers like Sr. Bethany Madonna, Fr. Mike Schmitz and musician Matt Maher will be highlighting the importance Of the Eucharist in our lives. The Encounter will conclude with Adoration and Holy Mass. I will be attending the event and encourage all those who have signed up not to miss it. 2. Our Bishop's Visit to our Parish: On Sunday, September 21, 2025, our Bishop, Most. Rev. Gregory Parkes, will be visiting our Parish to install me as the Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish during the 10:30 am Mass. As I am humbled to be given this opportunity and I pledge my obedience to our Bishop who is the Pastor of all the Parishes in the Diocese as per the Canon Law. Please join me in welcoming Bishop Parkes to our Parish. I have requested our Parish Administrator, Iris Alicea, to organize and oversee the event: the liturgical ceremony and the reception. She has graciously agreed to do so. Therefore, I ask all the liturgical ministers and other volunteers to cooperate with her so that it becomes a grace-filled event. God bless you! Fr. Bob Romaine

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”. (Psalm 118:24) This weekend the joy is doubled as our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV canonizes two millennials as the first new saints of his papacy: St. Carlo Acutis (May 3, 1991 - October 12, 2006) St. Pier Giorgio Frassati (April 6, 1901 - July 4, 1925) St. Carlo Acutis was born in London, England, but grew up in Milan, Italy. He had a great devotion to the Holy Eucharist, so much so that he began attending daily Mass as a child, shortly after his First Communion. He used his computer skills to put together a summary of Eucharistic miracles from around the world consolidated into one website. Unfortunately, Carlo was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia at the age of 15 and died suddenly before completing this summary of Eucharistic miracles. St. Pier Giorgio Frassati was born into a wealthy family in Italy. He saw his wealth as a way of caring for the poor. He spent his money to buy food for the poor people in his neighborhood. Pier Giorgio went to daily Mass. He was an active participant in the Marian Solidarity, the Apostleship of Prayer, St. Vincent De Paul Society, the Catholic Student Foundation, Catholic Action and the People’s party. He was a College Student with a major in mining Engineering. His other passions include mountain climbing, art and music, and attending the theatre or Opera. At age 24, Pier Giorgio was diagnosed with Polio which he contacted from serving the Poor. The lives of these two young saints is a testimony that holiness is open to all. I urge the youth of our Parish to be inspired by these young men who are canonized this weekend. God wants you to become saints. God wants everyone to become saints. St. Carlo Acutis, Pray for us St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, Pray for us  God bless you, Fr. Bob Romaine

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last. - Lk 13:30