Parish in Paradise. Celebrating a local youth! Newsletter. In this Issue:

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1 Mount Carmel ic Church Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church sletter Parish in Paradise Ou Ca Newsletter August 2018 ISSUE 01 In this Issue: Coral Bay Land Project Holy Sacraments Catholic Charities on St. John Feeding the Needy Pentecost Rally Plus: Celebrating a local youth! Page olmc@hotmail.com P: fax: P.O. Box 241 St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands Page

2 From the desk of the pastor Our Lady of Mount Carmel would like to thank everyone who has made a donation to our Hurricanes Irma/Maria Relief Fund. Your generous sharing of your financial resources was greatly appreciated. Many of our parishioners were in serious need of the basic necessities for life including food, clothing and shelter. Your donation aided to this need and left a smile on so many faces. Our hardworking committee worked to ensure every parishioner s needs were met. They divided it into two phases. Phase one included helping parishioners remove debris from their homes and awarding grants to some parishioners. The second phase assisted parishioners with repairing their roofs and rebuilding their homes. P: P.O. Box 241 St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands Many of the good things that happened on this island s restoration occurred because of the excellent stewardship of people like you. Your generosity has touched the lives of many of our parishioners. P: Thank you to all. P.O. Box 241 St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands Page 1

3 Catholic Charities on St. John Catholic Charities St. John Following Hurricanes Irma and Maria to serve the St. John community, Catholic Charities took over the soup kitchen at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in December Two full time employees were hired for the soup kitchen. Several volunteers come each day to assist. The soup kitchen serves breakfast and lunch to more than 100 persons per day five days a week. This includes persons from Coral Bay, where food is also delivered. Clothing and showers are also available. A few months later, Catholic Charities hired a Case Manager for St. John Michael Jackson Sr. to serve the needs of the St. John community. New Catholic Charities Case Manager, Michael Jackson Sr. Fr. Anthony blesses the new Catholic Charities vehicle and office. He is surrounded by staff and volunteers. Page Page 2

4 Celebrating a local youth Fundraiser for Ronald Lee Jr. Showcases the Young and Talented R onald Lee Jr. will soon head off to study music at George Mason University near Washington, D.C., but before he goes, community members wanted to thank him for all he s done and send him off with some extra money in his pocket. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church organized a fundraiser for him on Saturday, July 7, at the St. John School of the Arts. It showcased some of the most talented young people in the community. For more than four years, Lee has played steel pan, piano, and organ three times a week at masses held at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, but he s done much more, according to the Rev. Anthony Abraham. He s been teaching other young people, helping them after school to learn music. He s a gifted young man who shares his talent, the priest said. If you ve attended a community event, such as a Martin Luther King Day ceremony, or a town meeting called by Sen. Janelle Sarauw, you ve probably Page heard him play. Ronald Lee Jr. performs at Frank Powell Park in Cruz Bay. (Photo by Lisa Etre) July 5, 2018 He s been teaching other young people, helping them after school to learn music. He s a gifted young man who shares his talent Fr. Anthony Abraham On Saturday Lee performed with the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School Jazz Combo, which he now co-directs. The valedictorian of Kean High s graduating class in 2018, Jalen Francis, and the salutatorian, Hezekiah George, were both members of this band, but only George performed on Saturday as Francis recently left the territory to attend college. Also performing on Saturday was the OLMC Dancers: For God Alone; singers Eric Provost and Evanna Chinnery; piano and sax player I Lon Monsanto; and the Love City Pan Dragons. It was through the Pan Dragons that Lee found his passion for music. When I was seven, I used to listen to the Pan Dragons; I literally begged my mother to let me join. I was in love with their sound. After 10 years with the iconic St. John steel band, Lee became one of the leaders. He credits instructor Marlon Ikema Dyer with helping him discover his talent. He discovered I picked up music fast. I have

5 I picked up music fast. I have perfect pitch. If I hear a car go by he imitated a car blowing its horn I can tell you what note it is. That s what motivated me to take music seriously. perfect pitch. If I hear a car go by he imitated and friends for helping by giving good advice. a car blowing its horn I can tell you what My friends have influenced me to play. They note it is. That s P: what motivated me P.O. to take Box 241 say St. I ll John, be famous U.S. Virgin someday, Islands said Lee. music seriously. I took it as a sign from God. Article written by Amy Roberts for Tradewinds & St. John Source He continued studying jazz with instructors Shamoi Rodgers and Anthony Nibbs at Kean High, and took piano lessons from Monet Davis. He was also a member of the V.I. Youth Ensemble under the direction of Dion Parsons. Lee chose George Mason University because it s where legendary steel pan player Victor Provost now teaches music. Provost was raised on St. John and continues to be an inspiration for Lee. Once he s at college, Lee expects to continue to study pan, piano, and drums. He also intends to learn to produce and arrange music, and eventually compose it. But before Lee heads to college, he s traveling to Antigua for a Panorama Competition with Marlon Ikema Dyer. This the third year I ll be going. I actually have a name over there, he said. With a little encouragement, Lee tells his story: When he first went to Antigua to compete, he was given an unfamiliar instrument to perform on. The steel pan s notes were arranged differently from what he was used to, And Catholic Church they doubted I could get used to it in time to learn a 10-minute arrangement. It was tough, but I got it, he said. Now they call me The Wizard. Lee credits his family parents P: P.O. Box 241 St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands Ronald Sr. and Catherine Lee, and sisters Khadijah, Shanekua, and Nichole I took it as a sign from God. Ronald Lee Jr. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Ronald Lee Jr. performs on Steel Pan. (Photo by Digna Doway) Page Page 4

6 Sacraments ȮLMC Easter Vigil Baptism Three adults were baptized and made their First Communion at the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday, March 31, Shown with Fr. Anthony Abraham, they were Jovanie Stephenson, left, Sabina Ferrol and David Minner. Pentecost Rally Catholic Charismatic Renewal St. Thomas- St. John Service Team held its annual Pentecost Rally on May 20, The guest speaker was Fr. Carl Clarke of Jamaica. The event included a parade from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church to the Winston Wells Ballfield; testimonies by Sharifah Denis and Ralph Antolino Jr., dances, etc. Easter Sunday baptisms Four baptisms were held on Easter Sunday on April 1, They were Berline Daudier with her parents Norlise and Wilbert Daudier; Amerie Otto with her parents Chemica Jackson and Devon Otto; Neya Calixte with her parents NeAnna Sprauve and Marcellus Calixte; and Jacent Crooke and his parents Jamal Crooke and Jeanell Stamers. Confirmation 2018 Bishop Herbert Bevard conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation on Kade Wallace, Sabina Ferrol, Kitori Thomas, Jason Mathurin, Dave Minner & Merlia Cazaubon. Page 5

7 Coral Bay Land Project On March 25, 2018, Bishop Herbert Bevard blessed the land that was recently purchased to build a chapel in Coral Bay. Page Page 6

8 Our Lady of Mount Carmel Mission Statement Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church will provide support to all through the liturgy, worship and education. We pledge to provide our parish community and our visitors a prayerful experience in an environment of friendliness and courtesy. We are committed to proclaim the Word of God in unity and love towards each other. Our mission is: Evangelization: to evangelize ourselves, our families, our parish and our local community. Liturgy: to celebrate our faith with joy through vibrant and prayerful worship. Education: to educate and become educated in the truths of the Gospel and in the formation of conscience. Service: to reach out in love and service to those in need. Stewardship: to develop the material, financial and human resources of the Church and to manage them as faithful servants. Thank you Donations are gratefully accepted via online giving or USPS. Please indicate which ministry you would like to support. Thank you. The OLMC Parish in Paradise Newsletter is composed by Fr. Anthony Abraham, Simonia Dagou, Lisa Etre and Brenda Rector Wallace. To submit an article or for questions regarding OLMC Newsletter please contact: Lisa Etre by at: olmc@hotmail.com Graphic Design: Julie Vazquez DEVOTIONS: Eucharistic Adoration Daily: 24 hours a day Sacrament of Reconciliation Saturdays at 5 p.m.; after Masses; or by appointment Baptism: By Appointment; 3 weeks preparation Weddings: By Appointment; 6 months preparation Regular Mass Schedule Weekend Saturdays: 6 p.m. Sundays: 7:30 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 5:45 p.m. (Spanish) Weekdays: Tuesdays & Weds at 6 p.m. Thurs & Fridays at 7 a.m OLMC St. John Virgin Islands