Dec 18, 2025 APOPKA | Excitement was in the air as parishioners of St. Mary Protectress Ukrainian Parish in Apopka came together to celebrate St. Nicholas Day, marking the beginning of Christmas. In the beauty of the Greek Orthodox rite, parishioners came forward lighting candles and submitting prayers to the Lord during the liturgy as they eagerly anticipated…

Dec 18, 2025 ROME | As the sun rose over St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome All Saints’ Day, I joined thousands of fellow Catholic educators in celebrating the Eucharist with Pope Leo XIV. We were pilgrims who had traveled from the far reaches of the world to seek hope and renewal as part of the Jubilee of the…

Dec 18, 2025 ORLANDO | Catholic Charities of Central Florida’s Comprehensive Refugee Youth and Mentor Services program provided a Christmas celebration for more than 30 refugee families Dec. 13, 2025, thanks to private donors and the Knights of Columbus Council 2112. The morning began with breakfast with Santa and continued with the distribution of gifts to more than…

Dec 18, 2025 WAHNETA | In a remote town outside Winter Haven, a community mostly made up of Mexican immigrants rose in the early hours before dawn. It was Dec. 12, 2025, and the crowd gathered to witness the story of the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego, a native of the Nahua tribe. The…

Dec 15, 2025 ORLANDO  |  The 2025 Caravana Guadalupana once again brought vibrant faith, unity, and Marian devotion to Central Florida as more than 100 vehicles participated in the beloved diocesan pilgrimage honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas. Cars left 10 parishes Dec. 7, 2025, decorated with images and statues of Our Lady, others laden…

Dec 15, 2025 ORLANDO | More than 100 students from the Diocese of Orlando attended the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, Nov. 20-22. Of those, 70 traveled from St. Isaac Jogues Parish in Orlando. They formed the largest diocesan contingent. Elina Del Rosario attended as a young adult leader and shared how just two years earlier, NCYC…

Dec 15, 2025 ORLANDO | Servant of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary Sister Gianna Grace Perino will tell you her mother knew she was going to be a nun since she was five years old. She often took couch arm guards, placed one on her and another on her brother Frank’s head, and together they walked around…

Dec 15, 2025 Beloved Children of God: Grace and Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you as we journey together this holy Season of Advent. We pray this Gaudate Sunday, Dec. 14, that the wondrous prophecy of God’s intervention redeems all deficiencies and we rejoice in this knowledge of He who was, is and will ever…