FATHER JIM'S JOTS ~ Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time - August 27, 2023

 St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time 

August 27, 2023

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings!!

I am pleased to announce that our newly renovated nursery will reopen on Sunday the 27th!  Our Assistant Director of Religious Education, Erin Cleary, has been working tirelessly for the last month to repaint, furnish and revamp the space herself, to make it a more comfortable and versatile room for our young children and parents.

A special thanks to Todd Vaughan for the new flooring that has been placed in the nursery, as well as a big thank you to Miranda for painting the beautiful mural.  The nursery is available for the young children of our parish and their parents, but also for use as a classroom for our new faith formation class (ages 3-5) during the 10 a.m. Mass.  If you'd like to volunteer in the nursery, please contact the Office or Erin Cleary.

After three years of persistence, Mayor Levar Stoney has agreed to meet with leaders from RISC (Richmonders Involved in Strengthening Our Communities) and VCORE to discuss gun violence and asking him to implement Group Violence Intervention (GVI) - an evidence-based tool that has cut gun violence in half in cities across the country.  During this meeting, RISC members will conduct a prayer vigil outside.  All RISC members and others are encouraged to attend!  As a church, we are Pro-Life; being for sensible gun legislation is a pro-life issue.  It's time to take a stand, VOTE and put our thoughts and prayers into ACTION.

Tuesday, August 29th at 4:30 p.m., at City Hall's East Marshall St. entrance!

During this vigil, they will pray for a successful meeting, hear testimonies, pray for the hundreds of lives that have been lost to gun violence since they first proposed GVI  to the Mayor in 2020, and end the evening with a press conference.  They will conclude around 6:15 p.m.  For more information, please contact Nancy Kunkel:  804-212-6777.

Lastly, I would like to say a big thank you to Edith Jeter, the Director of the Office of Archives of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, for the generous gift of the restoration of a set of bells used during the Consecration.  These 100-year-old bells are the original bells that have been used since the founding of the church.  Thanks to parishioner, Marie Barrow, they were saved and now have been restored.  They will be used at our Centennial Close of Ceremonies Mass on Sunday, November 19th.

Summer Blessings,

Fr. Jim

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