FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Church - Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - January 26, 2025

 St Elizabeth Church

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 26, 2025

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

During significant years or milestones, the church celebrates a jubilee.  Pope Francis has proclaimed 2025 to be a Jubilee Year with the theme:  Pilgrims of Hope.  We are called to be a people of hope.  I am asking all parish groups to think and pray about how we can put into action, perhaps monthly, a prayer, a service project, educational event or retreat centered around the message of Hope.

Sr. Anns James and Connie Hom are asking for help with brainstorming these ideas.  On the other page of this bulletin are more resources for the Jubilee Year as well as an invite to join a small group to help plan a possible Jubilee Event.  Very little time commitment is required and we hope that you will contact Connie so that all can be involved in this important celebration; not just our Parish but also the Universal Church.

The following is an excerpt from Pope Francis delivered on January 20, 2025:  Pope Francis calls President Trump's plans of mass deportation of immigrants "a disgrace."  The Pope made the comments during an evening talk show.  Pope Francis said he prayed that America would live up to its ideals of being a "land of opportunity and welcome for all."

Many U.S. bishops have firmly opposed Trump's deportation plan, with the incoming Archbishop of Washington D.C. Cardinal Robert McElroy saying such policies were "incompatible with Catholic doctrine,"  We as a church universal are committed to defending the rights of all people and protection of their human dignity.

Please join us to plan for our Jubilee Year so that we can be united to spread the Gospel Good News of Hope.

To read the entire article on Pope Francis' statement, please visit: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/pope-francis-calls-trumps-plans-of-mass-deportation-of-immigrants-a-disgrace 

To read the entire article on the USCCB's official statement, please visit: https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/executive-actions-will-subject-vulnerable-families-and-children-grave-danger-says-bishop 

If you have attended one of the Capital Campaign House Meetings that took place over December and January, please turn in your pledge card if you have not done so.  You can turn this in by mailing it to the Parish Office or via the collection on Sunday.  Please make sure that your pledge card is attached to your first initial contribution so that we can add it to our records.  You can pick up your pledge card on Sunday if you have not done so already.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor 

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St. Elizabeth Church Sponsors "JUST FAITH" - A Civil Dialogue Program! - Beginning in Mid-February - Here is the Information You Need!

 "JUST FAITH"

A Civil Dialogue Program

As we begin the new year, St. Elizabeth will once again be sponsoring a "Just Faith Program on Civil Dialogue, Want to Talk? Communication Tools for Divided Times." 

This program, which reflects JustFaith Ministries' commitment to anti-racism, draws upon the wisdom of experts in non-violent communication, civil dialogue and grassroots organizing.  Participants will leave the program with practical tools for navigating the political polarization of our time, as well as tough conversations with their loved ones.

Participants will meet weekly and virtually over an 8-week period.  We hope to begin mid-February and continue through the Lenten season.  Once we know who is interested we will determine exact meeting dates and times.

Cost:  $35 for registration and $46 for books and resources.  Please contact Anne Gibbons at gibbons@lynchburg.edu or Cathy Woodson at cwood329@gmail.com if you are interested.

Father Jim's Jots - St. Elizabeth Church - Second Sunday in Ordinary Time - January 19, 2025

St. Elizabeth Church

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 19, 2025

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Today we return to the greens of Ordinary Time!  These past few months we have celebrated Advent and Christmas.  Even though it's called "Ordinary Time" it can be special and meaningful to our faith lives as our other liturgical seasons are.  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 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.

Let us take this time between now and the beginning of Lent to reflect on how we may learn to follow the example of Christ's life. Tomorrow, we observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  We observe this day of memorial by acts of service and by attending events that honor or further Dr. King's works.  In this bulletin there is a flyer for different MLK Day Events taking place in Richmond either later today or tomorrow.  I encourage you to attend one of these events if you are available to do so.

If you have attended one of the Capital Campaign House Meetings that took place over December and January, please turn in your pledge card if you have not done so.  You can turn this in by mailing it to the Parish Office or via the collection on Sunday.  Please make sure that your pledge card is attached to your first initial contribution so that we can add it to our records.

If you were not able to attend one of our house meetings that took place in December or that will take place later this week, please join us today after both Masses in the Parish Hall.  We will share the most recent status of Our Campaign for Tomorrow as well as have your pledge card ready to pick up, if you have not already done so.  For more information, please contact the Parish Office or see the other page of this bulletin.  There will be coffee and doughnuts!

Our Capital Campaign will be coming to an end come March as Lent gets started.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

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FATHER JIM'S JOTS - Feast of the Baptism of the Lord - January 12, 2025

 St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

The Baptism of the Lord

January 12, 2025

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord!  If your child, under the age of 8, needs to be baptized, please contact the Parish Office so that we may meet with you and schedule their baptism.  If you or your child who is over the age of 8 needs to be baptized, please see the contact information on the other page of this bulletin to get started.

If you have attended one of the Capital Campaign House Meetings that took place over December and January, please turn in your pledge card if you have not done so.  You can turn this in by mailing it to the Parish Office or via the collection on Sunday.  Please make sure that your pledge card is attached to your first initial contribution so that we can add it to our records.

If you were not able to attend one of our house meetings that took place in December or that will take place later this week, please join us for this meeting on January 19th after both Masses in the Parish Hall.  We will share the most recent status of Our Campaign For Tomorrow as well as have your pledge card ready to pick up, if you have not already done so.  For more information, please contact the Parish Office or see the other page of this bulletin.  There will be coffee and doughnuts!!

Our Capital Campaign will be coming to end come March as Lent gets started.

2025 marks the start of the Jubilee Year as well as the third year of the National Eucharistic Revival.  For more resources on these two events, please see this bulletin.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

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 St. Elizabeth Catholic Church 

Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord

January 5, 2025

 

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Happy Epiphany!  This week marks the end of our Christmas Celebrations and we return to Ordinary Time.  I would also want to wish everyone a Happy New Year!  Our parish has grown so much.

We now have 206 registered families and 530 registered individuals!

In 2024, we gained 17 new households.  This past year we had 16 Baptisms, 17 First Communions, 6 Confirmations, 2 Catechumens go thru RCIA and 66 newborns of our families were born.

After next week, the quiet phase of our Capital Campaign will be coming to an end and we will be starting the next phase.  If  you were not able to attend one of the house meetings that took place in December or that will take place later this week, please join us for this meeting on January 19th after both Masses in the Parish Hall.  We will share the most recent status of Our Campaign for Tomorrow as well as have your pledge card ready to pick up, if you have not already done so.  For more information, please contact the Parish Office or see this bulletin.

2025 marks the start of the Jubilee Year as well as the third year of the National Eucharistic Revival.  For more resources on these two events, please see this bulletin.

As a reminder:

- Our Campaign for Tomorrow will be running until the start of Lent; all information regarding the campaign will be updated on our website here:  stelizcc.org/our-campaign-for-tomorrow/

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

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