WINTER HAVEN | After 24 years in the public school system, Jennifer Insua returned to her alma mater of St. Joseph Catholic School as a teacher and now, principal. Accompanying her on staff are four other alumni who credit the …
Bishop’s Letter: We are called to welcome the stranger
Beloved Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
As I write this, I know you will read it close to the date of my 20th episcopal anniversary, Aug. 24, 2005. God blesses me with each one of you and all the people …
Seminarians learn to be healers of the heart
The family that prays together, stays together
VIERA | The family that prays together, stays together. The phrase was coined by Venerable Father Patrick Peyton, the Holy Cross priest who created The Family Theater Productions in 1947. Healed from tuberculosis after asking the Virgin Mary for that …
Assignment teaches seminarian how to be a priest
Part two of a three part series. Read part one.
ORLANDO | Imagine being invited to dinner and offered a smorgasbord of delicacies to tantalize your palate. That’s how seminarian Josué Reyes Díaz describes his summer assignment at …
Diocese honors religious jubilarians
Each year the Diocese of Orlando honors its religious jubilarians. Once again, the sisters we honor demonstrate the true nature of God’s calling in its boundless diversity of gifts. They are models of living “through, with and in God’s love.” …
Deacon’s devout life serves as his legacy
Editor’s note: The following is the final story of a three-part series
ORLANDO | Deacon Bob Pleus served as a deacon for 21 years before his passing in 2021. His witness of a devout life leaves a legacy of conversion …
Diakonia: A family affair
The word deacon (diakonia) means service — in ministry to others — and that service most often starts at home. In this three-part series, the Florida Catholic will introduce you to three diaconate families and explore how this vocation impacts …
Students walk with Jesus and Mary at Focus 11
ORLANDO | Hundreds of students from Catholic schools around the Diocese of Orlando teamed up with Jesus and Mary to learn more about vocations and to have an encounter with Catholicism’s most holy saint and her son.
The annual Focus …
Priest’s life cut short after five decades of service
PALM BAY | Father Robert “Bob” Hoeffner and his sister, Sally, were tragically murdered in their home Jan. 28, 2024. Born to parents Bernard and Margaret Aug. 20, 1947, in Queens, New York, Father Hoeffner was one of eight children.…