In the spring of 2021, The Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer, bishop of the Diocese of Central Florida, alerted the Standing Committee of his plans to retire in July 2023 at age 72, as required by the canons of The Episcopal Church. By the time Brewer officially announced his pending retirement at the 2022 Diocesan…
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Anyone who has been around churches for long can tell stories of beautiful receptions and overflowing potlucks, but few churches have made 10,000 meals in one day. St. Augustine of Canterbury, Vero Beach, did just that, and the church accomplished this feat in under two hours. Partnering with Rise Against Hunger, a nonprofit whose goal…
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On May 27, 2021, Jeff Jones, 39, Indian River firefighter, paramedic and member of Trinity, Vero Beach, entered the hospital for a routine intensive physical called LifeScan, a biennial requirement for all first responders. The results from a battery of tests revealed two life-threatening heart conditions. That shock was only the beginning of a story…
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On April 10, 2022, more than 270 worshippers gathered to celebrate both Palm Sunday and the inaugural worship service featuring St. Andrew’s new Schlueter pipe organ at St. Andrew’s, Fort Pierce. The parish was honored to welcome The Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer, diocesan bishop, as celebrant and preacher for this special occasion. Following the…
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UPDATE: Since the publication of this article, Grace, Ocala, has raised close to $50,000 for Ukrainian refugees. The unthinkable is happening in Ukraine, and we watch it every day. Apartment buildings, hospitals and train stations, bombed into charred rubble. The machines of war, now mangled heaps of metal. The lifeless bodies of civilians scattered on…
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Chuck Pierce wants you to attend Cursillo. That desire comes not primarily from his position as chair of the diocese’s Cursillo Commission but from his own experience of a Cursillo weekend, which he describes as “an absolutely life-changing, moving experience.” Cursillo, translated from Spanish as “a short course in Christianity,” began as a Roman Catholic…
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To celebrate the 50th anniversary of his ordination on March 25, The Rev. Paul Hamilton, priest-in-charge of Holy Faith, Dunnellon, did things a little differently. Instead of hosting a service at his church, he asked to hold the service at St. Mary’s, Belleview. Instead of a bishop leading the service, Hamilton was introduced and guided…
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It began with a dream, or as some might call it, a vision: a vision of a large home in northeastern Poland. A vision of multiple generations living, loving, eating, playing and working together. A vision of family. A vision of home. Only God could connect St. Michael’s, Orlando, with that large home in Poland…
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Brothers Jake and Luke Damiani led the third annual Soles 4 Souls Shoe Drive at St. Edward’s Episcopal School, Vero Beach, Feb. 7-25, collecting 200 pairs of shoes for those in need. “My mom teaches at St. Edward’s and volunteers a lot, so we volunteer at Habitat for Humanity,” said Jake, 18. “When I was…
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In February 2022, The Rev. John Clark (“Deacon Johnny”) and his wife, Jacki Bailey-Clark, of St. Gabriel’s, Titusville, spent 22 days in Belize representing No One Hungry Inc. and broadening the ministry’s impact. They planted four of what the ministry calls “God’s Gardens” on this, their seventh trip to the nation, and also built St….
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