General Mission Support

https://epiphanytampamardigras.eventbrite.com

Calling all interested men and boys to join the Fraternal Society of St John the Apostle in celebrating the first of four events during the liturgical year for a night of spiritual enrichment, fellowship, networking, Cajun food, and libations as we celebrate the end of Septuagesima. 

 Our event will be catered by the only Cajun food truck in the Tampa area - Baton Roux.

Adoration and Confession will be offered beginning at 6pm.

The dinner and talk will begin at 7pm.

Our night concludes with a bonfire rosary led by our presenting speaker.

O ur Presenting Speaker is Mike Church. Host of the Mike Church Show on the completely independent CRUSADE Radio Channel founded 7 year ago by Mike Church. Previously Mike spent 13 years as either afternoon or morning drive host on The SiriusXM Patriot Channel. Mike was and remains the longest serving talk show host on Sirius satellite radio with 13+ years of daily broadcast on Sirius. Prior to that, for 11 years, Mike was a local Talk Show Host on some of the best talkers in the U.S. including 1150 WBT in Charlotte, 610 WIOD in Miami and B-97 in New Orleans. In total Mike has been performing daily, talk-radio shows since 1992, that’s 30 years!

Mike has produced 7 Full length Films and Audio Dramas including the award winning Road To Independence The Movie and the Spirit of ’76 Film and audio drama!

MISSION

To inspire men of all vocations to live liturgically in their personal and professional lives by providing quarterly events centered around Adoration, Confession, fellowship, tradition, and spiritual enrichment.

VISION

Mardi Gras, or Shrove Tuesday, falls on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is also the eve of Lent. A long standing tradition of the Catholic Church, it has evolved over time into a seasonal celebration. 

The French word Mardi Gras stands for Fat Tuesday, which came from the practice of feasting on food in one day, in preparation for Lenten abstinence and fasting. 

In commonwealth countries it is commonly known as Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Tuesday, and the tradition was to use up all fat, eggs and dairy (the rich food) before the Lenten season of fasting and abstinence.

If you find that the meanings associated with these colors are familiar, you are not wrong. 

It is because Mardi Gras was closely related to Christmas and celebrates Christ the King, who was presented with gifts by the magi, during the feast of the Epiphany. Also, the King Cake is representative of the circular route believed to have been taken by the magi, to confuse King Herod. 

Over time, Mardi Gras has evolved to be associated with seasons of carnivals or parades before Lent and is even a statewide public holiday in Louisiana, and some other parts of the United States.

The word carnival itself has some spiritual roots. It was derived from the Latin term, carne vale, meaning “farewell to the flesh/meat”, and the Mardi Gras carnival period refers to the ordinary-time that preceded Lent, starting after Epiphany and ending on Ash Wednesday.

However nowadays this season is so heavily secularized that we truly wonder if it can actually be called ‘Christian’ at all.

While it is insightful to know that Mardi Gras has had its roots from the Catholic faith, today it is clear to see that these celebrations have somewhat lost their original meaning because of the unrestrained fun it brings, in which observers indulge in many ‘not-so-holy’ desires.

What was meant to be a joyful farewell to the pre-lenten season is now seen as a time of sin and debauchery due to Mardi Gras’ seedy reputation, and is shunned by Christians themselves, while non-Christians, who are not limited by Christian beliefs, would have nothing to hold them back.