FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time - June 23, 2024

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 23, 2024

FR. JIM'S JOTS

Greetings!!

Last year, we as a parish celebrated the 100th anniversary of our church.  How blessed are we that St. Elizabeth Parish has been a source of faith and community for so many years.  This week our Centennial Anniversary Committee shared a message that I would like to share with all of you.

"From our kickoff celebration November 20, 2022, until November 19, 2023, we have had 12 months of activities, events and programs for all.  We are blessed!

The fiscal year for the parish ends June 30, 2024. The 'Centennial Anniversary' General ledger line items have been reviewed with our bookkeeper.  All the expenses for the centennial anniversary have been paid.  With the Centennial Anniversary Commemorative Booklet ads and sponsorships, donations and event contributions by many parishioners, we have a revenue balance of $16,355.00.  Our parish community has been very generous!  At the end of this fiscal year, June 30, 2024, this revenue will be itemized as 'Fundraiser' and become unrestricted funds.  We are blessed!  God is good!  We truly are a 'Beacon of Hope.'"

Thank you to all of those who were members of our Centennial Anniversary Committee; your hard work and planning is seen and much appreciated.  And thank you to all of our parishioners because without all of your support, we would not have been able to celebrate as we did.

I also want to highlight the special work that our Education Ministry is assisting with this summer.  This week and next week our Education Ministry is taking part in Summer School with Tusome Panoja.  They have gathered 35 children and over 60 volunteers to work with tutoring our students reading and math skills.  This year they are hosted by All Saints School.  Next week there will be a flyer in the bulletin with pictures and more information!

Thank you to all who filled out registration forms last weekend!  We have many families and individuals who are regularly attending Mass and parish activities but are not registered with the Parish.  By registering as a member, it makes it easier to receive communications with the Parish Office as well as show the growth of our parish.  You can register by filling out the form in one of the Welcome Packets by the kiosk by the front doors or you can email our office manager, Eva Wiznerowicz (evabalkarli@stelizcc.org), and she will help you register online.

As we get further into summer, please consider getting involved with our Jazz and Food Festival!! Starting this Sunday, the raffle tickets are on sale!  The sales of the raffle tickets help cover the different costs of the festival.  If you are interested in helping sell the raffle tickets after Mass or taking a few books with you, please let Eva Wiznerowicz (evabalkarli@stelizcc.org) know, and she will give you all the info you need.  To learn more ways that you can help with the Jazz Festival, please see the section in the bulletin.

Blessings to you and yours,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

 ~ Image Source

FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - Father's Day - June 16, 2024

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Father's Day

June 16, 2024

 

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings!!

Happy Father's Day! Today we think of the fathers and men in our lives.  This week, make an effort to do something nice for your dad, grandfather, uncle or whoever has been as a father to you.  Help with a cookout or a special meal or it could be something as simple as cracking open a cold one and enjoying each other's company on the porch.

Prayer for Father's Day

God, our Father, we give You thanks and praise for the fathers young and old.  We pray for young fathers, newly embracing their vocation; may they find courage and perseverance to balance work, family and faith in joy and sacrifice.

We pray for our own fathers around the world whose children are lost or suffering; may they know that the God of compassion walks with them in their sorrow.

We pray for men who are not fathers but still mentor and guide us with fatherly love and advice.

We remember fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers who are no longer with us but who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love.  Amen.

This weekend we are also visited by the Camboni Missionary Sisters as they are selling raffle tickets to support their fundraiser.  They will be here after both Masses this Sunday.  To learn more about their raffle and the work that the Camboni Missionary Sisters do in our community, please reach out to our own Sr. Anns James (anns@stelizcc.org).

We have many families and individuals who are regularly attending Mass and parish activities but are not registered with the Parish.  By registering as a member, it makes it easier to receive communications with the Parish Office as well as show the growth of our parish.  You can register by filling out the form in one of the Welcome Packets by the kiosk by the front doors or you can email our office manager, Eva Wiznerowicz (evabalkarli@stelizcc.org), and she will help you register online.

As we get further into summer, please consider getting involved with our Jazz and Food Festival!!!  Starting this Sunday, the raffle tickets are on sale!  The sales of the raffle tickets help cover the different costs of the festival.  If you are interested in helping sell the raffle tickets after Mass or taking a few books with you, please let Eva Wiznerowicz (evabalkarli@stelizcc.org) know, and she will give you all the info you need.  To learn more ways that you can help with the Jazz Festival please see the section in the bulletin.

Blessings to you and yours,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

  

~ Image Source

FR. JIM'S JOTS - Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - June 9, 2024

 Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 9, 2024

FR. JIM'S JOTS

Greetings!!

This Sunday you may notice something different about my vestments, the altar   and even the inside of this bulletin.  This Sunday, we pack away the white, gold and red colors of Easter, Pentecost, Corpus Christi and Trinity Sunday and we return to the greens of Ordinary Time.  This time of "wearing green" is my favorite time of the year!  The Church has 6 liturgical seasons starting with Advent, then Christmas, Lent, Triduum, Easter and Ordinary Time.

Christmas Time and Easter Time highlight the central mysteries of the Paschal Mystery, namely, the Incarnation, death on the cross, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The seasons of Advent and Lent are the times that we prepare ourselves for these important celebrations.

The Sundays and weeks of Ordinary Time, on the other hand, take us through the life of Christ.  This is the time of conversion.  This is living the life of Christ. 

Ordinary Time is a time for growth and maturation, a time in which the mystery of Christ is called to penetrate ever more deeply into history until all things are finally caught up in Christ.  This is represented by the final Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

As we get further into summer, please consider getting involved with our Jazz and Food Festival!!  Starting this Sunday, the raffle tickets are on sale!  The sales of the raffle tickets help cover the different costs of the festival.  If you are interested in helping sell the raffle tickets after Mass or taking a few books with you, please let Eva Wiznerowicz (evabalkarli@gmail.com) know, and she will give you all the info that you will need.  To learn more ways that you can help with the Jazz Festival, please see the section in the bulletin.

Blessings to you and yours,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

~ Image Source

FR. JIM'S JOTS - Corpus Christi Sunday - June 2, 2024

 St. Elizabeth Church

Corpus Christi Sunday

June 2, 2024

FR. JIM'S JOTS

Greetings!!

This Sunday, we celebrate Corpus Christi Sunday.  Also known as the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, this feast honors Jesus Christ, Really, Truly and Substantially Present under the appearances of bread and wine.  This Presence happens through the change which the Church calls transubstantiation ("change of substance"), when at the Consecration of the Mass, the priest says the words which Christ Himself pronounced over bread and wine, "This is my Body," "This is the chalice of my Blood," "Do this in remembrance of Me."

The Latin words "Corpus Christi" translate to "Body of Christ." The Catholic Church honors Christ's Presence in the Holy Eucharist with a special feast owing to St. Juliana of Liege, a 13th-century Norbertine canoness from Belgium.  She had a great love for the Eucharist.  When she was 16, she had a vision signifying that the Church was missing a feast dedicated solely to the Body and Blood of Christ. This eventually led to the universal feast of Corpus Christi.

For more information on Corpus Christi Sunday and a link to the Corpus Christi Novena, please CLICK HERE.

  

This past year, 30 children from our parish received extra English Language and math tutoring through our Education Ministry.  Almost 50 teens from more than 12 high schools around Richmond have volunteered hundreds of hours to work one-on-one with our students.

These teen volunteers have taken upon themselves to showcase their work and the results of this important ministry to Re-Establish Richmond's Multi-Cultural Fair this Saturday, June 8, from 1-4 at Dogwood Dell. I hope you'll stop by this fair to see all the exhibitors, especially to meet these dedicated teens so you can learn about all the good work they are doing with our students.  These volunteers do all the work that makes tutoring our students possible.  Please consider supporting them by attending on Saturday.

Blessings to you and yours,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

~ Image Source

FR. JIM'S JOTS - Trinity Sunday - May 26. 2024

 St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Trinity Sunday

May 26, 2024

FR. JIM'S JOTS

Greetings!!!

May is a busy month with graduations and Mother's Day.  I give thanks for my 35 years of priesthood celebrated on May 13, 2024, and remember my parents with my birthday on May 31, 1957, wow 67 years old.  Special thanks for your cards of your kind words and thoughts.

I was shocked by the sudden and sad news of the death of Lula Lamb. Lula had just started ushering at the 8:30 Mass and last week she had given me a hard time about starting Mass two minutes early.  Lula will be so missed. When we get details about her funeral Mass and time at St. Elizabeth, Eva will send out an email to all our parishioners. This Monday, May 27, we as a nation, will be honoring Memorial Day.  Lula Lamb and her beloved husband Robert both proud of their military service.  Please pray for our Nation during this time of grave challenges and division.

With Memorial Day and the unofficial start of summer, I have the following books for your Summer Reading; books I have enjoyed.

Henri Nouwen's books: "You Are The Beloved" and "Turn My Mourning Into Dancing." I knew Henri and have such fond memories of when he and I lived at Daybreak together. Please consider reading any of the many Henri Nouwen books. Henri left Harvard, Yale and Notre Dame and moved to Daybreak in Richmond Hill in Ontario, Canada to live and work with persons with disabilities.

Also, consider "Castlecottage" by Amanda Lee Keller, another from Sr. Bridget's in Richmond. It is an easy and fun read about a young woman and her daughter with her aunt in Ireland learning about the gifts of love and life.

"Where The Crawdad's Sing" by Delia Owens is the story of a girl in North Carolina who lost her mother and family. She is called the Marsh Girl. This a story of survival and courage. I enjoy the story of women who don't give up. You may like it too.

"The Vineyard Remains" by Addison McKnight was given to me by a friend who loves New England. The story takes place in Martha's Vineyard and is a murder mystery. I just started reading this book and am hoping that it will remind me of a summer I spent in Cape Cod while I was in college. 

A must-read is our very own Senator Tim Kaine's book "Walk, Ride, Paddle: A Life Outside." This book is like having a personal connection with Tim. One of the greatest things about this book is the depictions of Virginia scenery is like you are traveling throughout our beautiful state. A must read.

Blessings to you and yours,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

- Image Source