Northeast Florida Spirituality in Action

Baby Steps Camino

Members take part in this an annual 3-day walking pilgrimage on the beach from Jacksonville FL to the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine, FL (30 miles). It is an Advent journey to foster personal spiritual growth and to raise awareness and support for Holy Family Hospital of Bethlehem. The walk also celebrates the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Celebration of Feast Day of St. Maria Goretti

Members of Knights of Malta, Northeast Florida, celebrate the feast of St Maria Goretti with Bishop Felipe Estevez, Bishop Baker, Fr Sal DiFazio at the girls’ home – Cenacolo Maria Goretti.

Cenacolo – Mary Immaculate

Mary Immaculate is the newest of the three Cenacolo communities, and ultimately it will become the residence facility for all of the young men. Currently, some twenty to thirty men are in  residence there. Our Chapter brings food to Maria Goretti and Our Lady of Hope that is then distributed to Mary Immaculate.

Cenacolo – Our Lady of Hope

Approximately twenty young men having problems with substance abuse commit to a three-year period of residence of prayer, work, and meditation. We bring an SUV filled with food each week to meet their nutritional needs. In addition we provide weekly classes in small-engine repair to assist some of the men in finding employment.

Cenacolo – St. Maria Goretti

Saint Maria Goretti home houses about fifteen girls recovering from substance abuse. Each young woman commits to a three-year program of prayer, work, and meditation. We provide food on a
regular basis, and our member/master gardener assists the girls with gardening projects that provide activity as well as fresh produce for their table.

Family Rosary

Almost every Catholic family has a friend or a relative who has strayed from the Faith. In an effort to focus the prayer of the organization toward conversion of these relatives and friends, we began a tradition of “Family Rosary.” We rotate the service among members’ homes one Sunday afternoon each month and pray for a reawakening of Faith.

Fasting Ministry

Ve noted C.S. Lewis saying that he does not worry about the news media. He expects that his friends will tell him when to worry, and then he will just pray and fast. In response, membership
suggested that we begin a “fasting” program as a form of prayer for the state of our nation and the threats to religious liberty. As individual members, we have agreed to prayer and fasting on Wednesday of each week. The time commitment obviously varies from member to member, but we hope that at least one hour each Wednesday is devoted to prayer for these intentions.

Malta Prison Ministry

Members minister to the men in solitary confinement at the two Florida maximum security prisons: Union Correctional Institution (UCI) and Florida State Prison (FSP) seven days each month, bringing the Eucharist to Catholics, Catholic literature, a smiling face and a willing ear to all.

Sanctity of Life Issues

We are active in many right-to-life efforts throughout our geographical area. These include prayerful protests at local abortion facilities, especially during Forty Days for Life, and participation in seminars directed toward an end to the death penalty.

Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine, FL

The carpeting in the Sisters’ bedrooms was quite old, frayed, and likely contributing to falls. Through the Grant Program of the American Association we were able to replace the carpeting in ten of
the Sister’s bedrooms.

Sulzbacher Shelter Food Service

We prepare and serve meals for the homeless and needy at the Sulzbacher on the last Sunday of each month with five Sundays. Several hundred people are served at each of the
dinners.