The video program, Protecting God's Children, designed to introduce child sexual abuse and safety issues to parents, employees, volunteers, coaches and chaperones of the Diocese of Palm Beach, will be offered on Sunday,  February 28th, at11:00 a.m. in the Art Room, upstairs in the school.

This video is presented at various times throughout the year. If you have viewed this program previously, there is no need to attend again.

If you plan to attend this presentation, please RSVP at 561-391-4345, leaving your name, parish or school affiliation and a return phone number in the event we need to contact you. If you have any questions or need more information, please call the number mentioned above.

Beginning in the New Year we will have a slightly different schedule for the Sacrament of Penance. In order to provide easily accessible times, confessions will be heard before and after masses on Saturday afternoons and early evenings.

Each Saturday there will be two confessors available during two Confession times:

Saturdays from 3:15 to 4:00 P.M. and
Saturdays from 5:30 to 6:15 P.M.

The Sacrament of Penance will no longer be available between
8 and 8:30 P.M. on Saturday evenings.

In addition to these scheduled times, the Sacrament of Penance can be scheduled by appointment throughout the week with any of the priests on their Duty Days.

Boca Raton News.- With a full house of worship St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church parishioners welcomed their new Pastor Monsignor Michael D. McGraw last Sunday.

Msgr. Mike, as he likes to be called, identified ‘hope and mercy’ as two critical characteristics of Catholic parish life, in his opening Homily. He quoted Jesus as He began his public ministry “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim a year of favor from the Lord”.

Msgr. Michael McGraw was ordained a priest by the Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania, where he was a University Professor in Theology and in Social Work at Gannon University. He was also the University Chaplain and founder of the Center for Social Concerns. In 1991 he was appointed Executive Director of Catholic Charities and served on the Administrative Cabinet of the diocese until 2004. At that time he joined the Faculty of St. Vincent DePaul Regional Seminary as Dean of Pastoral Formation and Professor of Spirituality where he oversaw the pastoral placement and supervision of seminarians in parishes, social service agencies and healthcare facilities throughout the State of Florida. His graduate education includes degrees from St. Mary Seminary & University, John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Fordham University in New York and Case-Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

After Sunday’s Mass, all present were invited to a reception at Our Lady of Mercy Center where parishioners were able to mingle on a more personal level with Msgr. Mike and Fr. David Downey who delighted all attendees with his cheerful character.

Fr. David Downey joined St. Joan of Arc after serving as a priest at St. Peter Church in Jupiter for the past six years. Fr. Downey was a Registered Nurse, and a member of a religious order, The Congregation of Alexian Brothers. His undergraduate Nursing Degree is from Loyola University of Chicago. He also holds a degree in Human Resource/Organizational Mgmt. from St. Joseph’s College-Calumet in Indiana. Fr. Downey completed his Seminary education and Master of Divinity Degree at Blessed Pope John XXIII National Seminary in Boston and was ordained in May 2003. Fr. Downey looks forward to being part of the pastoral care of the sick and infirm at St. Joan of Arc.

Msgr. McGraw hopes to assist the already vibrant and active St. Joan of Arc Parish in the areas of spirituality, pastoral care, education and pastoral administration. He stated “I hope that I can help the St. Joan of Arc parish family to embody ‘hope and mercy’ in all that we do. I envision the arms of Jesus as being stretched out very widely to embrace all people with compassion and acceptance”.