Each year the circus and travelling show workers of the United States gather for three days to thank God for their continued blessings. This retreat was Jan. 8-11, 2026, at St. Martha Parish in downtown Sarasota, which is designated the “National Circus Parish.”
The pastoral workers, who ensure that the Sacraments are available and maintained for travelling show people, function under the direction of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat of Cultural Diversity’s Subcommittee on the Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers (PCMRT). Bishop Frank J. Dewane is the Episcopal Liaison for the Circus Ministry of the PCMRT.
During the retreat, the group met and took time to reflect on the past year and to look forward to a year filled with the blessings of the Lord. Each year this meeting is a reunion of sorts, as well as, time to reflect on those lost in the past year and welcome those new to the travelling show ministry.
Bishop Dewane celebrated the closing Mass on Jan. 11, the Baptism of the Lord, and was assisted by several of the priests and deacons who serve the circus and traveling show workers.
“The work of these people is important in helping to maintain the Faith for those who are constantly on the move and don’t have a Parish they can call home,” Bishop Dewane said. “They set up Masses and work to meet the pastoral needs of these groups. They assist in evangelization and help these workers maintain a strong connection to the Universal Church. There are also pastoral workers for other groups who are constantly travelling, such as truck drivers, migrant farm workers, airport workers, and more.”
Appropriate to the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Bishop Dewane praised these pastoral workers for being supportive of others in their faith life and being what Jesus calls each to be in one’s life – “an instrument of the Lord.”
The annual gathering occurs in Sarasota because shortly after St. Martha Parish was founded in 1927, its long association with the circus began as the city became the winter headquarters for the Ringling Brothers Circus.
