Shrine director the Rev. Ted Brown, M.S., says the theme of the 2016 season comes from both Mother Mary and Jesus Christ's message to spread the word of the Gospel, making known the Good News.
"Coming off the Year of Mercy, we want to continue to emphasize Christ's message of love and compassion," Fr. Brown said. "During the Year of Mercy, perhaps we've experienced mercy ourselves, and it's now time to bring it into the world...the mercy we've received, we now want to bring into the world that needs to be touched by God's love and care."
The Festival of Lights, which draws crowds numbering into the thousands, officially runs from 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day until January 1, 2017. While many of the popular staples will come back for another year – such as Clopper the Donkey at the life-size Nativity scene, the hot chocolate and toddy booths and the Creche Museum – a new feature will be the lighted outlines of angels at each of the 14 Stations of the Cross.
In addition, the weekends will offer a 20-minute trolley ride around the Shrine grounds to take visitors places where cars cannot go, or to give those who do not wish to walk a chance to view the sights. Admission is free and Brown believes that the Festival of Lights offers a low-cost night out for many families who want to treat their children to something special.
“As a Catholic my whole life, that’s what it means to help the poor. He’s a clear example of that,” said Brenda Ramirez, 35, a Winter Haven lawyer and member of the Hispanic faith community since it was founded in the early 1980s. “He was extremely simple and so full of faith. He was comfortable with anybody and everybody. He was a member of our family.”
Fr. Farland, 77, a member of the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette of the Roman Catholic Church, died at the Our Lady of Guadalupe rectory at 2150 Bomber Road, where he had served for 23 years.
At long last, the Sisters of the La Salette Shrine in Attleboro, MA., will have a home to call their own. A vacant house directly across the street from the Shrine at 928 Park St. is under renovation, and could be ready by this fall or early next spring.
The two-story house, which survived a fire many years ago and has been owned by the Shrine for years, will be home to three nuns who have been with the Shrine for seven years, but haven't had a permanent residence of their own. When they first arrived, they stayed in the retreat house, then in the monastery, and more recently to quarters in Cumberland.
Independent contractors Richard Gordon and Dino Hawkley of Attleboro have been busily hammering nails and sawing wood on the renovation in between previous commitments. Work is expected to pick up speed this month.