FATHER JIM'S JOTS - Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 28, 2024

 St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 28, 2024

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings!!

Last weekend I swapped places with Fr. Dan Brady from St. Michael's in Glen Allen to help with selling raffle tickets for the Jazz Festival.  I am pleased to say that we raised $18,946.85.  Wow! Thank you so much to Fr. Dan and the parishioners of St. Michael's for their support and their tremendous generosity!  Also special thanks to Karen and Andy Yesolitis, Eva Wiznerowicz, Erin Cleary, Beverly Bryant, Richard and Roberta Zelenko and Laura Rossmoore for selling the tickets after the Masses at St. Mikes.

Every year our parish applies for the Home Mission Grant from the Diocesan Office of Propagation of the Faith.  We use this to help with renovations and upkeep of our church building.  Last year, we updated the sound system in the Church and this year we received $5,000 to improve the bathrooms in the Parish Hall.

Every week we are getting closer to our Jazz Festival.  Our festival is our largest and sometimes sole fundraiser for the year, so we need all hands on-deck to make it happen!  We need volunteers for the day of the festival.  Please see the second page of this bulletin on where we need assistance and to sign up!  Lastly, please pray for good weather for the Jazz Festival!

Please mark your calendars for Mass for the Feast of the Assumption.  We will have a Vigil Mass on August 14th at 6 p.m., but no noon Mass that day.

Blessings to you and yours,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

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FATHER JIM'S JOTS - Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 21, 2024

St. Elizabeth Church 

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 21, 2024

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings!!

Every week we are getting closer to our Jazz Festival.  This Sunday, I am swapping places with Fr. Dan Brady from St. Mike's.  I will be celebrating all 5 weekend Masses at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Glen Allen to assist with selling raffle tickets for the Jazz Fest.  Fr. Dan Brady will be here for our 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. Masses. I want to say 1 big thank you to Fr. Dan and all our friends at St. Mike's for this wonderful partnership between our parishes.  Special thanks to Karen Yesolitis and Eva Wiznerowicz who are coordinating the raffle sales after all 5 Masses and to all of the volunteers assisting. 

Your help is needed for our Jazz Festival!!! Our festival is our largest and sometimes sole fundraiser for the year, so we need all hands on deck to make it happen!  We need volunteers for the day of the festival.  Please see the second page of this bulletin on where we need assistance and to sign up!

The lineup for the music is now out and the flyer can be found on the kiosk by the front doors and in the E-Bulletin!  Lastly, please pray for good weather for the Jazz Festival!

Schedule update:  We will have NO noon Mass on Wednesday, July 24th.  Please mark your calendars for the Feast of the Assumption.  We will have a Vigil Mass on August 14th at 6 p.m., but no noon Mass that day.

Blessings to you and yours,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

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FATHER JIM'S JOTS - Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 14, 2024

 St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 14, 2024

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings!!

Every week we are getting closer to our Jazz Festival.  Next Sunday, I will be celebrating all weekend Masses at St. Mike's in Glen Allen to assist with selling raffle tickets for the Jazz Fest.  Fr. Dan Brady will be switching with me and will be here for our 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. Masses on July 21st.  Special thanks to Karen Yesolitis and Eva Wiznerowicz who are coordinating the raffle sales after all 5 Masses at St. Mike's and to all of the volunteers assisting.

If you haven't gotten involved in our Jazz Festival yet, it's not too late! Please see the information on the other page of the bulletin to learn about how you can support our Jazz Festival through the raffle, volunteering and sponsorship.  The lineup for the music is now out and the flyer can be found on the kiosk by the front doors and in the E-Bulletin!

Special thanks to George Strother who for the past several years has been the St. Elizabeth "Web Communications".  This service is now being provided by the Catholic Diocese of Richmond.  George sure has helped move St. Elizabeth into the modern age of communications.  We thank George for his years of service.  George is going to continue to help with the Parish Jazz Festival.

The places we go this summer!  In just a few weeks in mid-August, I will be leaving to go on a weeklong cruise to Alaska. Last year, we had flyers for those who were interested in joining the same trip, so I look forward to seeing some familiar faces on this trip as well!

Liz Wiznerowicz, our Director of Religious Ed., is going on a personal vacation to visit friends and her English students online in 6 different cities in Tanzania.  Liz will return to Richmond in mid-August, and we will keep her in our prayers for safe travels.

Sister Anns, our Minister of Human Concerns, is traveling in behalf of her community, the Camboni Sisters of Richmond, to New York State to help with their annual appeal.  Their religious community is international with its Mother House in Italy.  Safe travels Sister Anns and may your mission be successful.

Sister Mary Mwangi, our Social Outreach Coordinator, left earlier this week for her annual retreat in Seattle.  She will return at the end of July and will then spend the month of September visiting her family and fellow religious sisters in Kenya.

Prayer for Summer Travelers

Dear Lord,

As summer beckons us to explore new horizons, we seek your divine protection during our journeys.  Watch over us as we venture near and far, ensuring safe travels on the roads, in the air and over the waters.  Guide us through unfamiliar paths and bring us back to our loved ones, enriched by our experiences.  

Amen

This past week, our church collaborated with the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart for Vacation Bible School.  Keep a look out for next week's bulletin for information about how it went and pictures!

Blessings to you and yours,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

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FATHER JIM'S JOTS -Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 7, 2024

 St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 7, 2024

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings!!

I am at a wedding in Boston this weekend, so I thank Msgr. Tom Miller for celebrating Sunday Masses.  I will be returning this week and will be here for Friday Mass at noon.  This Wednesday, Deacon Chris Barrett will be leading a Communion Service at noon in place of Mass.

I am inviting all parishioners to a Parish Town Hall meeting on Sunday, July 14th.  After both Masses, Finance Council, Parish Council and the Building Committee will meet with all St. Elizabeth parishioners regarding prospective plans for a new Parish Center.  Please be prepared to briefly stay after Mass for this meeting.  We will have coffee and doughnuts afterwards in the Parish Hall.

If you would like to attend the Eucharistic Congress at St. Anthony's Maronite Catholic Church on July 20th in the Innsbrook  area of the West End please see the QR code in this bulletin or the link in our E-Bulletin.  The cost to attend is $20 and includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Our own Sr. Tiberh Hagos will be one of the keynote speakers.  You must register before July 12th.

Another Prayer for Independence Day:

Loving God, as we come together to commemorate this Independence Day, we lift up a prayer for unity.  In a world often divided, help us remember that we are all part of your creation.  May our differences be a source of strength and may our unity be a reflection of your love.  Guide us to stand together in harmony, honoring the principles that make our nation great.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

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 Arsenault

              

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FATHER' JIM'S JOTS - Fifth Sunday of Easter - April 28, 2024

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church 

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

April 28, 2024

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings!!

Thank you to all who helped with the "Earth Day" celebration last Sunday.  It was a great Success.  The event was led and coordinated by our newly formed Creation Care Team.  If you enjoyed Sunday's celebrations, there will be another event hosted by them in May.  For more information, please see the flyer in the bulletin.

This Friday, May 3rd is the first Friday of May,  After 12 noon Mass, we will have an hour of Exposition and Adoration.  Please consider joining us for this experience of prayer and meditation.

Update on the Commonwealth Catholic Charities Housing Project on our former school grounds:  Commonwealth Catholic Charities is planning on celebrating their groundbreaking around the beginning of August.  This has been delayed due to permits from the City of Richmond.  It should not affect our 2024 Jazz Festival which is Saturday, August 3rd.

Updates on the Planning Committee and potential building plans for our parish:  On March 28th, the Parish Council, Finance Council  and Planning Committee met in the Parish Hall. It was voted on and we moved forward to hire an architect from a Richmond firm, McAllister and Foltz Architecture.  With this first step and the advice and permission of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, we will get a rendering of the proposed building.  This rendering will give us an idea of what a new parish center will look like and an estimated cost.  Once we get the rendering and cost estimate, we will have a parish town hall to bring everyone up to date and move forward if the parish wishes.  More info to be shared soon.

Easter Blessings to you and yours,

 Fr. Jim, Pastor

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FATHER JIM'S JOTS - Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - June 30, 2024

 St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 30, 2024

 FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings!!

This week I am traveling to Michigan to visit family and next weekend to Boston for a wedding.  Because of this, we will not have Mass on Wednesday, July 3rd or Friday, July 5th.  Instead of Mass on Friday, we will have Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament led by Sr. Anns from 12 p.m. to 1 p m.

After this Sunday, we enter the month of July and in just a few weeks the nation will be celebrating the National Eucharist Revival Congress in Indianapolis.  For those who were unable to attend due to travel or the cost of attending but would still like to take part in our final year of the National Eucharistic Revival, St. Anthony's Maronite Catholic Church in the Innsbrook area of the West End is holding a day-long Eucharistic Revival Conference on July 20th.  The cost to attend is $20 and includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Our own St. Tiberh Hagos will be one of the keynote speakers.  For more information or to register, please see the flyer in this bulletin.

I am inviting all parishioners to a Parish Town Hall meeting on Sunday, July 14th.  After both Masses, Finance Council, Parish Council and the Building Committee will meet with all St. Elizabeth parishioners regarding prospective plans for a new Parish Center.  Please be prepared to briefly stay after Mass for this Meeting.  We will have coffee and doughnuts afterwards in the parish hall.

Prayer for Independence Day:

Loving God, as fireworks light up the sky, ignite a fire of renewed commitment within.  Help us to recommit ourselves to the ideals of justice, equality and liberty that our nation stands for.  Empower us to be agents of positive change, working towards a society where all are valued and respected.  Guide us as we continue to strive for a better tomorrow.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

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 that 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 

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