Faith Focus

Tampa Catholic is proud to introduce a new feature specifically designed for our parent community called “Faith Focus.” Faith Focus will feature topical themes/resources highlighted in our existing communication outlets, the Friday eTC newsletter, our Parent Newsletter and Tampa Catholic Social Media resources (Facebook). It is our hope that the Faith Focus section will allow you as a family to have ready-made topics important to our faith that can be used as discussion starters for the entire family.

Our aim is to align our Faith Focus topics with the monthly themes promoted across the curriculum and from our school wide summer reading project. Our monthly themes for the remainder of the school year are:

October - Value and Dignity of Life

November - Leadership

December - Preparation

January - Connection & Community

February - Teamwork

March - Sacrifice

April - Faith & Hope

May - Celebration & Gratitude

Each Friday we will introduce a topic and resource for your consideration and discussion. Along with this resource we will provide points to consider or discuss. It is our hope that these resources will become a part of your family faith development while reinforcing the lessons we are promoting in the classroom.

Weekly Topics

Week 1

The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is the basis of all the principles of our social teaching. In our society, human life is under direct attack and Amendment 4 is a prime example of this. In order to better understand "Life and Dignity of the Human Person", we invite you and your family to watch this brief youtube video that brings to light our fundamental claim that all people have a right to life.

Why is the Church getting involved in politics?

"People will often cite separation of church and state when it comes to political issues. The Catholic Church is and remains nonpartisan. So, the Church will never endorse a particular candidate for office. But what we will do is get involved with the issues. So, whether it’s issues that a particular candidate is putting forward as part of their platform, or a political party, we will present those in light of our Gospel teachings. The Church plays an important role in the promotion and the attainment of justice and protection of the common good. Therefore, we’re encouraged to participate in public life, and to apply our Gospel values to political activities. When it comes to issues, I think that we not only have a right, but a responsibility as Christians to get involved in the political sphere, and to make sure that our voice is heard."

– Bishop Gregory Parkes, Diocese of St. Petersburg