Mary Taylor Brown believes that laughter really is the best medicine. And she has written a play about it to convince play-goers, and also to help Cedric Washington, a young man who needs a lung transplant.

Brown not only wrote the play entitled With His Stripes, We Are Healed, she also is the director of the gospel musical about patients who come to a medical clinic to have procedures done and are all healed as a result.

With His Stripes will be presented at 6 p.m. on Nov. 3, at Morning Star Baptist Church, 22769 SW 120th Ave. in Goulds, where the Rev. T.T. Shellman is the pastor/teacher.

Tickets are $10 for adults or $5 for children ages 12 to 18. Children under 12 are admitted free.

Cedric is the son of May Eva Harper Washington and the Rev. Enzie "Scooter" Washington. All proceeds from the play will help to pay Cedric's medical bills.

For tickets and more information, call Brown at 305-200-6295 or May Eva Washington at 305-962-5698. Persons who are unable to attend but would like to make a donation should also contact Washington.

Archbishop to speak

The power of faith in overcoming life's challenges and the redeeming value of service, will be the basis of a lecture to be presented by Archbishop Thomas Wenski at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Ruth K. and Shepard Board Auditorium, School of International and Public Affairs Building on the Modesto Maididque Campus of Florida International University, 11200 SW Eighth St.

Wenski's lecture is entitled, "Spirituality in the Contemporary Church," is a part of the Program in the Study of Spirituality's annual lecture series.

Appointed by Pope Benedict XVI on April 20, 2010, Wenski is the fourth Archbishop of Miami and Metropolitan of the Province of Miami (which includes the seven dioceses of Florida) and is the only Florida native serving as a bishop in the state.

The event is free and open to the public.

Chamber music

A concert of classical chamber music will be presented at 6 p.m. Sunday in the sanctuary of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 464 NE 16th St. in Miami.

The "Music in Miami" program is supported by Miami-Dade County's Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, and is free and open to the community.

Also at Trinity: The International Choral Evensong will be at 5 p.m. on Oct. 28. The program will be followed by a reception featuring international treats.

Busy October

October is a month filled with activities. It is the month that has been set aside as Cancer Awareness Month; for pastors' appreciation (warm regards to all the pastors out there), Hispanic Heritage Month, and of course, there are lots of fall bazaars and flee markets going on throughout the month.

That said, the Learning Center at Grace Lutheran Church, 254 Curtiss Pkwy. in Miami Springs, will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a festival to be at 7 p.m. Friday. This should be fun: Each class (the school has 125 pupils) will present a musical dance from various Latin American countries.

In addition, there will be ethnic foods from all the countries represented at the school. It's free and open to the community.

Filipino Mass

The Filipino Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Miami invites the community to a Thanksgiving Mass in honor of Blessed Pedro Calungsod, at 3 p.m., Sunday at the Cathedral of St. Mary, 7525 NW Second Ave.

The main celebrant and homilist will be the Most Rev. Bernardito Cleopas Auza, D.D.., a Filipino archbishop and apostolic nuncio to Haiti. The concelebrants are, the Very Rev. Christopher B. Marino; the Rev. Msgr. Jean Pierre; the Rev. Ferdinand Santos and the Rev. Jesus "Jets" Medina.