St. Elizabeth Catholic Church Jazz and Food Festival - Saturday, August 5, 2023!

 

FATHER JIM'S JOTS - Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 23, 2023

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 23, 2023

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings!!

This weekend is very important as there are three important Catholic Conferences happening: The National Black Catholic Congress (NBCC), The African National Eucharistic Conference (ANEC) and the Tekakwitha Conference.  Last week many of our parishioners received blessings for their trips to the NBCC and the ANEC.  Please keep them in your prayers as they attend these conferences and for their safe journey home to Richmond.

National Black Catholic Congress:

Cathy Woodson and Sr. Cora Marie Billings, R.S.M.

African National Eucharistic Conference:

John Bosco, Olive Kambilo, Scholastique Mukagatare, Lucy Mwangi, Gorette Mukankake, Neema Ngema, Innocent Karemera, Barasa Francois Khadiga, Martha Kabundi, Aimerance Fatuma, Aline Asero, Marie Jeanette, Merci Diem, Abedi Shishi, Mary Odindo, Sr. Tiberh Hagos, Sr. Mary Mwangi, Joshuah Pursley, Remis, Benjamin, Noel, Pierre, Spey, Christophe, Miles, David, Bosco, Saido and Anastasia. 

Please keep them all in your prayers.

Special thanks to Carolyn and Buzzy Lawler and all those who are helping with the Ice Cream Social Centennial Event today after the 10 a.m. Mass.  Our parish is one of many talents and it is wonderful to appreciate that the great music that some of our parishioners will be providing today.  There will be ice cream, music and games for all ages!  Fun for everyone!

We are only two weeks away from our 13th Annual Jazz Festival!  We need all hands-on-deck!  There will be sign-up-sheets at our Ice Cream Social this morning and in the back of church after every Mass.  Volunteer shifts are only two hours long and there are many different opportunities.  For more information about volunteering, please email Margaret Rittenhouse at margaret.rittenhouse@gmail.com.

Summer Blessings,

Fr. Jim

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FATHER JIM'S JOTS - Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 16, 2023

 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 16, 2023

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings!!

Greetings during this busy summer.  This Sunday, July 13, we welcome Fr. Dan Brady as the priest celebrant for our 8:30 and 10 a.m. Masses.  Fr. Dan is the pastor of St. Michael's Parish in Glen Allen.  We have twinned with St. Mike's for over 12 years.  I asked Fr. Dan to let me help out at St. Michael's this weekend, so I am doing confessions, all their Masses and "selling our Jazz Festival raffle tickets."  Last week Fr. Dan asked all the parishioners to bring their checkbooks.  Thanks, Fr. Dan,for being so kind and good to St. Elizabeth's.

If you have not purchased any Jazz Festival raffle tickets, please do so ASAP.  You can get them after Mass or in the parish office.

Liz Wiznerowicz, our Director of Religious Education is on a trip to Africa with her first stop on her month-long journey. Wow! Liz will be working on not just seeing the sights but also helping with students she has met online to continue teaching them English while she continues to learn Swahili.  She will also be visiting Kenya.

Please keep Liz in your thoughts and prayers.  May she have a safe enjoyable trip, return to us with many great stories, and continue to help us be a bridge to learn Swahili and the rich history and story of Africa.

Special thanks to Eva Wiznerowicz who is now our "Parish Office Manager."  Eva has been doing all the work as our Office Manager but now has the title.

Summer Blessings,

Fr. Jim

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FATHER JIM'S JOTS - Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 9, 2023

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 9, 2023

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings!!

After a long break during the pandemic, we will be holding our first Jazz Festival in 4 years this August!  Our 13th Annual Jazz Festival will be on Saturday, August 5th, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. We need your help and there is something for everyone to do!  Jazz Festival Raffle Ticket Sales help us with the cost of the festival.  Please consider taking home a book of tickets to sell and bring back to the parish.

Tickets are $2/ticket and $20/book of 10 tickets. 

The raffle 1st place prize is $1000.00!

Tickets can be purchased with cash, check, credit or debit.  They will be available after Mass each Sunday and during the week at the parish office.  For credit/debit sales, please see Eva (evabalkarli@stelizcc.org) after Mass or in the parish office.

We also need volunteers to help make this event a success!  We will need all hads on deck!  Volunteer opportunities include:  set-up, cleanup, gate admissions, kid zone, volunteer check-in, raffle sales, and more.  Volunteer shifts are 2 hours long.  If you would like to volunteer, please see the sign-up sheets in the back of church after Mass or contact Margaret Rittenhouse (margaret.rittenhouse@gmail.com) or Larry Williford.

If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming a sponsor for the Jazz Festival, please contact Eva at the Parish Office (evabalkarli@stelizcc.org) or 804-329-4599 or our Jazz Festival Coordinator, Tim Timmons (ratimmons88@gmail.com) for more information.

Thank you to everyone who has made all of this possible so far!

Blessings and Peace,

Fr. Jim

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FATHER JIM'S JOTS - Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 2, 2023

 Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 2, 2023

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings!

This week marks the holiday, Fourth of July.  Because of this, our Parish Office will be closed on Tuesday, July 4, 2023.  Please note that both Fr. Jim and Deacon Chris are away; therefore, no Daily Mass on July 5, 2023.  For the many people traveling this weekend, I pray that everyone will have safe travels and reach their destinations safe and sound.

Fourth of July Prayer

God, source of all freedom, this day is bright with the memory of those who declared that life and liberty are your gift to every human being.  Help us to continue a good work begun long ago.  Make our vision clear and our will strong: that only in solidarity will we find liberty, and justice only in the honor that belongs to every life on earth.  Turn our hearts toward the family of nations: to understand the ways of others, to offer friendship and to find safety only in the common good of all.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.

I would also like to say a big Thank You to all those involved with this year's Vacation Bible School.  Thank you to the staff from St. Elizabeth's, Holy Rosary and All Saints for coordinating and planning the event, especially All Saints Catholic School for generously hosting at their school.  They had a total of 29 children, 14 from St. Elizabeth's and 15 volunteers,7 from our parish.  Teaching our children about our faith is an important thing we do as Christians.  See the Good News section of this bulletin for pictures from VBS.  Thank you!!!

Blessings and Peace,

Fr. Jim

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