Mothers' Day 2018 in 3 Parts - Eucharist ~ Photos by EJCooley

~ Photos by EJCooley

A Rose for the Mothers of the Church ~ Mothers' Day 2018 ~ Photos by EJCooley

The Mothers of the Church on Mothers' Day 2018

~ Photos by EJCooley

Mothers' Day Breakfast 2018 ~ Photos by EJCooley

Mother's Day, Sunday, May 13, 2018.The mothers of the church were honored with a long stem rose and a scrumptious breakfast was prepared by the men of the parish for the mothers and the rest of the parish members.

Congratulations to Fr. Jim, who celebrated the anniversary of his priesthood.

~ Photos by ejcooley

Visiting Blacksburg, 4.30.2018 ~ Received from Karen Yesolitis

Visiting Blacksburg

You've seen some of the photos and heard some of the comments.  Our journey to Blacksburg on April 30 included 23 travelers from St. Elizabeth and 27 from St. Michael parishes.  What a wonderful trip to see beautiful St. Mary's, the church that Fr. Jim built from purchasing the land through final dedication ten years ago.  Several St. Mary's parishioners were waiting to greet their former pastor and his group.

We began our tour in the social hall named after him, where Fr. Jim provided some history of St. Mary's Catholic Church which began as a mission parish in the early 20th century.  It now has about 900 families and many Catholic students from VA Tech attend Sunday Mass.  The church sits on 35 acres of rolling hills and mountain backdrops.

The sanctuary is surrounded by stained glass windows acquired from Corpus Christi Parish near Philadelphia, each representing the twelve apostles and the seven sacraments.  The History window depicts the three church buildings as St. Mary's grew through the years.  A Rose window, high above, was designed by Fr. Jim and two members of the building committee.  Three statues of the Blessed Mother, St. Theresa and St. Anthony were acquired from St. Theresa's Church in New York City.  A unique iron chandelier, hand-crafted by a local artisan, hangs inside the front entrance of the building.  Fr. Jim's "signature" appears throughout in the form of shamrocks and fleur-de-lis denoting his Irish-French ancestry.  Fr. Jim celebrated Mass and homily with a spirit of joy and nostalgia.

Our journey continued to the campus of Virginia Tech and the memorial which honors the 32 victims who were tragically killed there in 2007.  Ten of the victims were Catholic, and Fr. Jim was a member of the Notification Team who met with families of the victims the afternoon of the shooting.

Our final stop was at the Hotel Roanoke for a sumptuous buffet lunch in the Regency Room, a perfect ending to a beautiful day.

~ Photo by Karen Yesolitis

Congratulations to Sheryl B. Smith! ~ Photo by Annmarie Pancham

Congratulations to Sheryl Smith who has recently received her Masters Degree in Church Administration from Virginia Union University!

~ Photo by Annmarie Pancham

Springtime in St. Elizabeth's Garden ~ Photos by EJCooley

Spring has Sprung! Our flower garden is so beautiful & bountiful! Thanks to

Fr.Jim & the members & friends of St. Elizabeth! Special thanks to Connie,

Patty, Rosa, Sarah, James, Cliff & Howard!!!

Spring has sprung!  Our garden is beautiful and bountiful. Thanks to Fr. Jim and members and friends of St. Elizabeth's.  Special thanks to Connie, Patty, Rosa, Sarah, James, Cliff and Howard!

~ Photos by EJCooley

Faith Formation by Chris Metzger - How the Readings We use Each Sunday and Weekdays are Chosen - 5.6.2018 ~ Photos by EJCooley

Some of the participants in Sunday's Faith Formation Class

Chris Metzger, Catechist

~ Photos by EJCooley

First Friday Benediction and Adoration - 5.4.2018 ~ Photos by Janet Stern

~ Photos by Janet Stern

Mass at St. Mary's, Blacksburg and Visit to Virginia Tech - 4.30.2018 ~ Photos by Karen Yesolitis

St. Mary Church, Blacksburg

Virginia Tech Memorial

~ Photos by Karen Yesolitis