Reflection by: Fr. Salvator M. Stefula, T.O.R.

Today we celebrate the Feast of All Saints. Our first reading is taken from the Book of Revelation. The section just preceding today’s passage described the end of the world. It described the sun becoming dark while the moon became red as blood and the great earthquake all over the earth. As people were trying to hide from all the terrible things that were happening, they asked the question, “who can survive?” Today’s reading answers the question: those who have followed Christ faithfully, even throughout tribulation and persecution.
Traditionally we celebrate this feast honoring all the saints who are in heaven. There are many women, men and youth who have lived extraordinary lives and have been officially canonized as saints in the church. Today we remember those women and men but also, we call to mine all those who have lived dedicated lives with Jesus and have not been officially canonized by the church. Today the Church remembers our relatives and friends who lived holy lives and who are now with God. This feast is also a way to remind us where we are to go if we live the way that Jesus taught us to live.
If we read the lives of the saints, we see that some were not always holy, but they realized they were doing wrong and they changed their lives.
The church today wants us to remember our relatives and friends who lived holy lives and who are now with God, but it also reminds us where we are going to go if we live the way Jesús taught us to live.
May the Lord give you His peace!

Hoy celebramos la fiesta de Todos los Santos. Nuestra primera lectura está tomada del Libro del Apocalipsis. La sección que precede al pasaje de hoy describía el fin del mundo: el sol se oscurecía, la luna se ponía roja como la sangre y se producía un gran terremoto en toda la tierra. Mientras la gente intentaba refugiarse de todas esas cosas terribles que estaban ocurriendo, se preguntaban: “¿Quién podrá sobrevivir?”. La lectura de hoy responde a esa pregunta: aquellos que han seguido fielmente a Cristo, incluso en medio de las tribulaciones y las persecuciones.
Tradicionalmente celebramos esta fiesta honrando a todos los santos que están en el cielo. Hay muchas mujeres, hombres y jóvenes que han vivido vidas extraordinarias y han sido canonizados oficialmente como santos en la iglesia. Hoy recordamos a esas mujeres y hombres, pero también pensamos en aquellos que han vivido una vida dedicada a Jesús y no han sido canonizados por la iglesia. Hoy la Iglesia recuerda a nuestros familiares y amigos que vivieron vidas santas y que ahora están con Dios. Esta fiesta también es una forma de recordarnos hacia donde debemos ir si vivimos como Jesús nos enseñó a vivir.
Si leemos las vidas de los santos, vemos que algunos no siempre fueron santos, pero se dieron cuenta que estaban haciendo mal y cambiaron sus vidas.
La Iglesia quiere que recordemos hoy a nuestros familiares y amigos quienes vivieron vidas santas y ahora están con Dios, pero también nos recuerda hacia donde vamos si vivimos de la forma como Jesús nos enseñó a vivir.
¡Que el Señor te de Su paz!

On the Occasion of the Celebration of the 800^th Celebration of the Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi 1226-2026

Our dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this year we are celebrating the 800^th anniversary of the death, or transitus, of Saint Francis. The ministers General of the whole Franciscan family have called all Franciscans to celebrate what they have called the Easter of Francis of Assisi. Additionally, Pope Leo XIV has invoked a Jubilee Year, often referred to as a holy year, for all believers to share in this commemoration of Saint Francis entering into heaven. What a wonderful gift for the whole Church!

In contemporary society, we rarely think about death, not only because it reminds us that we are limited creatures, but also because it exposes the false security we get from believing that we are masters over time and life. Saint Francis, on the other hand, welcomed Sister Death with song in his Canticle of the Creatures, the Canticle of Brother Sun, because he understood that death is not the termination of everything but the end that allows us to enter into full communion with God. Indeed, life is a gift that must be given back: “Hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves, that He Who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally!” (Francis of Assisi, Letter to the Entire Order #29)

At the end of his days, Saint Francis contemplated his life and discovered the presence and action of the Lord everywhere. Thus, in his Testament he repeats, like a refrain: “The Lord gave me, Brother Francis… The Lord gave me such faith in churches… The Lord gave me, and gives me still, such faith… And after the Lord gave me some brothers, no one showed me what to do, but the Most High Himself revealed to me that I should live according to the pattern of the Holy Gospel” (Testament 1-14).

The celebration of the 800^th anniversary of the Easter of Saint Francis invites us to contemplate our lives, both personally and as Catholics, with the eyes of faith, and by doing so, perceive the divine presence and action in everything, even in the difficult and dramatic situations we have experienced or are experiencing now.

It is an opportunity to thank God for all the gifts he has bestowed on us, particularly (on this occasion) for the gift of Saint Francis of Assisi and his evangelical life, which has become a light to the world reflecting the greater Light who is Christ for the world, and which today still has the strength to call out to women and men of all cultures, both inside and outside the Catholic Church.

And finally, celebrating the passing of the Poverello (the little poor one) is an occasion to remember that we are all called to holiness, and that like Saint Francis, we are invited to reflect the beauty of the gospel, because “holiness is the most attractive face of the Church” (Pope Francis, Gaudete et exsultate 9).

So, in this spirit we welcome all those who come to Saint Patrick in South Tampa to share in the light of the faith of Saint Francis, to experience the rich blessings of this Jubilee and Eighth Centenary of his transitus from this life to life with God. May you be inspired to, as Francis told his brothers at the end of his life: “Let us begin, brothers, to serve the Lord God, for up until now we have done little or nothing.”

Yours in Christ and Saint Francis,

Fr. Salvator M. Stefula, TOR                                                                                                                             Fr. Alberto F. Bueno, TOR

Pope Leo XIV Declares Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi | Gulf Coast Catholic

https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/letters/2026/documents/20260107-lettera-morte-sf.html

https://www.centenarifrancescani.org/index.php/en

BINGO & DINNER

Tuesday

2026 Dates: November 10th, December 1st

2027 Dates: January 12th, February th, March 9th, April 13th, May 11th, June 8th, July 13th, August 10th, September 14th, October 12th, November 9th, December 14th

St. Patrick Catholic Church

Social Hall

Dinner served between 5:30pm- 6:30pm. 

Bingo will start at 6:30pm.

Cost: $25.00

Includes 9 pack of 13 sheets (26 games)

and 4 specials. MUST BE 18 TO PLAY.

TICKETS SOLD AT THE DOOR ONLY.

*Meals subject to Change

Severe Weather Updates – Parish Closings and Cancellations

Hurricane season begins June 1st and runs through November 30th.

St. Patrick Catholic Church follows the closures of Hillsborough County Schools for all severe weather emergencies or precautionary safety procedures. During a severe weather emergency, updates to our parish website will be made daily to keep you up to date on Parish Closures and Meeting Cancellations. Please remember the safety of our parish family and community is most important. Be safe and God Bless.

Mass Attendance:
All parishioners are urged to use good judgement when planning to travel to and from Mass. In the event that roadways are not clear and weather conditions are unsafe to travel, the faithful are reminded that the obligation to attend Sunday Mass does not apply when there is grave difficulty in fulfilling this obligation (see Code of Canon Law, Canon 1248 §2)

Parish Reopening & Updates / Closure & Cancellation Notices:

Our Parish Office Phones have been restored. We are still experiencing issues with a variety of other equipment that was affected by Thursday, September 3, evening’s storm. Thank you for your patience as we address each issue.

Please be Safe and God Bless all of our Community and Families.

Updated: 9/15/2026 11:00 AM

There are two websites that are helpful for both hurricane planning and detailed weather information as a storm approaches. The Hillsborough County Emergency Management Office website is www.hillsboroughcounty.org/emergency  and the National Hurricane Center website is www.nhc.noaa.gov/. At the National Hurricane Center website you can pull up and watch things like the 3-day and 5-day cones for approaching storms. At the Hillsborough County website you can sign up for their E-News which is an automatic e-mail service which keeps you up-to-date with pertinent local emergency management information if you like.

Safety Precautions

• During any heavy rainfall or severe weather event, the City of Tampa encourages the motoring public to heed traffic advisories, obey traffic signs/detours, and to exercise caution when driving in and around standing water.
• Do not drive through water  it is difficult to determine how deep the water is.
• It is best to avoid driving unless necessary.
• Treat non-functioning traffic signals as a 4-way stop.
• If you see a road closed, please follow the detour signs.
• Avoid any downed or hanging power lines – they may be live.

Stay up-to-date

• Residents should also stay tuned to local television and radio stations for more information as severe weather approaches.
• Please check this City of Tampa link for up to date road closures at   http://arcg.is/1JofT7G.
• The Hillsborough County Emergency Management Office website is www.hillsboroughcounty.org/emergency
• National Hurricane Center website is www.nhc.noaa.gov/
• Sign up for Alert Tampa, the city’s official emergency alert system, to receive time sensitive notifications which will be sent directly to your email, cell phone, and in some cases, home phone.  Alert Tampa will provide you the official information you can use to keep your business, your home, and your family safe.  To sign up today, visit our website at  tampagov.net/alerttampa or call (813) 231-6184.