FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Church - Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity - June 15, 2025

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

St. Elizabeth Church

June 15, 2025

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Happy Father's Day!!

On this Most Holy Trinity Sunday, we give thanks for how God our Father has revealed Himself to us in the Trinity.

God the Father - Creator and author of all life in the Heavens and on Earth.  Please take time to pray and give thanks for the beauty of life and all Creation.

God the Son - Jesus our Redeemer, who entered human history as both God and Man to give us the gift of eternal life through His resurrection and our Baptism.  Pray to Jesus and have Him help us with the challenges of daily life in both our joys and sufferings. 

God the Holy Spirit - the giver of the Gifts of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord.  Pray to the Holy Spirit and pray for one of the gifts to help you and your spiritual life on earth to be closer to Christ and to Love others.

Congratulations and special thanks to Kim Ford on the milestone accomplishment of her Nursing Degree.  We are proud of Kim and know she will be successful in her career.  Please join us for a reception after the 10 a.m. Mass today to celebrate Kim Ford.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

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FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Church - Pentecost Sunday - June 8, 2025

St. Elizabeth Church

Pentecost Sunday

June 8, 2025

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Today we celebrate Pentecost!  The feast is celebrated on the 50th and final day of the Easter Season.  The Greek word "pentekoste" means "fiftieth."  Pentecost is considered to be the birthday of the Church as it marks the the start of the disciples answering Jesus' call to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19)

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful

and enkindle in them the fire of your love.

Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created,

and you shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.

O God, who have taught the hearts of the faithful

by the light of the Holy Spirit,

grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise

and ever rejoice in his consolation.

Through Christ our Lord.  Amen

Next Sunday, we will be celebrating the graduation of our Choir Director, Kim Ford.  We will have a reception after the 10 a.m. Mass.  If you are interested in bringing a dish for the reception you are welcome to do so!  More information about the event can be found in this bulletin.  If you have any questions, please reach out to Diane Neylan from the Choir or the Parish Office.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

 

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FATHER JIM'S JOTS - The Ascension of the Lord - St. Elizabeth Church - Sunday, June 1, 2025

St. Elizabeth Church

Solemnity of the Ascension

Sunday, June 1, 2025

 FATHER JIM'S JOTS

This Sunday, we are delighted to have Msgr. Tom Miller as our priest celebrant.  I would like to thank him for celebrating Sunday Masses while I am away.  I will return to Richmond on Thursday, June 5th, so we will not have a weekday Mass on this upcoming Wednesday.  We will have Mass at 12 p.m. this Friday and since it is the first Friday of the month, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be held for an hour after the Mass.  You do not have to stay the whole hour and I encourage everyone to attend if able.

Thank you to everyone who sent in your or your student's graduation information!  We will be celebrating with a special flyer next week.

Next week will be Pentecost Sunday.  Please signup to bring a dish for our International Potluck after Mass.  You can scan the QR Code in this bulletin or call Eva in the Parish Office (804-329-4599, ext. 10) to get signed up.  Since we hear about the Word of the Lord being understood in different languages in the Scripture reading next week, we want to celebrate our cultural diversity and experiences.  Please bring a dish to share that is important to your family or culture.

Every year our Parish applies for the Catholic Diocese of Richmond grant for Home Missions.  In the past, we have used this grant for the following:  updating the hall bathroom, a new sound system and marble in the vestibule.  This year we are using the Home Mission Grant to have a new AED Defibrillator with a 7-year Warranty included case, storage Wall Cabinet, etc.

We will be holding a CPR/First Aid/AED training with the American Red Cross in on a weekend in July.  If you are interested in attending, please contact the Parish Office.  There are ten spots available; more information about the date and time will be shared as soon as possible.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

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Annual Swahili Mass at St. Elizabeth Church - Celebrant: Rev. Fr. Gerald - Saturday, 5/31/2025 ~ Photos by Eva Wiznerowicz

 Annual Mass in Swahili

St. Elizabeth Church

Celebrated by Rev. Fr. Gerald

Saturday, May 31, 2025

 

 

FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Church - Sixth Sunday of Easter - May 25, 2025

St. Elizabeth Church

Sixth Sunday of Easter

May 25, 2025

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

This Monday we celebrate Memorial Day, the official start of Summer.  I am blessed and thank you all for your kindness last weekend in remembering my anniversary of 36 years of Priesthood.  I was ordained at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart on May 13th, 1989.  This week I will be in Michigan to celebrate my birthday on May 31st.  I was born in 1957 so this year I will be 68 years old.

Please take the time to read a good book this Summer!

Below is my summer reading list:

"Come Forth" by Fr. James Martin S.J.

"Searching for and maintaining Peace" by Fr. Jacques Philippe

"A Painted House" by John Grisham

It is also a great idea to read the upcoming readings for Sunday or even weekday liturgy.  You can read the Scripture for each day.

This year we are not hosting a Jazz Festival due to the fact that we should be having our groundbreaking for our new parish center in late summer/early Fall.  We have submitted our plans to the City of Richmond and are waiting their approval; and we thank our building committee, the Diocesan Building Committee and Bishop Knestout for their help and input.  We also thank you, all of you for your prayers, gifts and pledges.  If needed, Capital Campaign envelopes are in the back of church.  Please remember to mark in the memo line of your check:  Capital Campaign.

Commonwealth Catholic Charities is planning on starting the construction of their affordable housing project sometime this summer.

Thank you to all who supported our Haiti Ministry and Haiti Partner, Beyond Borders.  The collection last Sunday was $741.00.  Your generosity will enable us to donate $500.00 a month.  Safe travels and enjoy this Memorial Day weekend!

Summer Blessings,

Fr. Jim

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Baptisms at St. Elizabeth Church - Fr. Jim's 36th Ordination Anniversary Cake - Fifth Sunday of Easter - May 18, 2025 ~ Photos provided by Eva Wiznerowicz

 St. Elizabeth Church

Fifth Sunday of Easter

May 18, 2025

BAPTISMS

Fr. Jim's 36th Ordination Anniversary Cake

FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Church - Fifth Sunday of Easter - May 18, 2025

St. Elizabeth Church

Fifth Sunday of Easter

May 18, 2025

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

This Sunday is the first of our Monthly Haiti Collections.  As a parish, we have been supporting our Haiti Ministry partner, Beyond Borders.  Our donations so far have been $17,150 since August 2023 with a monthly donation of $750.  The balance in our Haiti account is now $2,173.81.  We would like to continue supporting our outreach to Haiti and the wonderful work that Beyond Borders does.  Your help is needed.  We will be having a second collection on the third Sunday of every month for Beyond Borders.  We have envelopes in the back of church just for this collection.  Please see the Ushers to pick up an envelope and support this connection once a month.  We thank you in advance for your prayers and generosity!

This upcoming weekend is Memorial Day weekend.  There will be many people traveling this week as they visit family and friends or simply enjoy a weekend away.  Please keep all of those who will be traveling this week in your prayers that they may reach their destinations and return home safely.

O God, protect those who are traveling for the upcoming holiday.  Keep them safe in Your hands.  Surround them with Your loving care; protect them from every danger; and bring them in safely to their journey's end; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

We will be having a Swahili Mass on Saturday, May 31st at 10 a.m. Please see this bulletin for more information or to sign up to bring a dish for the meal that will be shared afterwards.  The Mass will be celebrated in Swahili.  ALL are welcome to attend!

"And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim."  (Acts 2:4)

These are the words we will hear on Pentecost Sunday (June 8th).  To celebrate this Sunday, we will have the readings at Mass read in the different languages that make up our Parish.  After Mass we plan to have an international/multicultural potluck!  Please sign up to bring a dish that is important to your family or culture to share with the rest of the Parish.  You can sign up with the QR code or link in this bulletin.  For any questions, please contact the Parish Office!  More details will be shared next Sunday!

Easter Blessings,

Fr. Jim

~ Image Source 

Mothers Day at St. Elizabeth Church - May 11, 2025 - Family Photos taken in St. Elizabeth Park - Part 1~ Photos by Mary Romanello

 St. Elizabeth Church

Mothers Day

May 11, 2025

 

Mothers Day at St. Elizabeth Church - May 11, 2025 - Family Photos Taken in St. Elizabeth Park - Part 2 ~ Photos by Mary Romanello

 Mothers Day

St. Elizabeth Church

May 11, 2025