St. Elizabeth Catholic Church Blog: May 2025

FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Church - Sixth Sunday of Easter - May 25, 2025

St. Elizabeth Church

Sixth Sunday of Easter

May 25, 2025

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

This Monday we celebrate Memorial Day, the official start of Summer. I am blessed and thank you all for your kindness last weekend in remembering my anniversary of 36 years of Priesthood. I was ordained at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart on May 13th, 1989. This week I will be in Michigan to celebrate my birthday on May 31st. I was born in 1957 so this year I will be 68 years old.

Please take the time to read a good book this Summer!

Below is my summer reading list:

"Come Forth" by Fr. James Martin S.J.

"Searching for and maintaining Peace" by Fr. Jacques Philippe

"A Painted House" by John Grisham

It is also a great idea to read the upcoming readings for Sunday or even weekday liturgy. You can read the Scripture for each day.

This year we are not hosting a Jazz Festival due to the fact that we should be having our groundbreaking for our new parish center in late summer/early Fall. We have submitted our plans to the City of Richmond and are waiting their approval; and we thank our building committee, the Diocesan Building Committee and Bishop Knestout for their help and input. We also thank you, all of you for your prayers, gifts and pledges. If needed, Capital Campaign envelopes are in the back of church. Please remember to mark in the memo line of your check: Capital Campaign.

Commonwealth Catholic Charities is planning on starting the construction of their affordable housing project sometime this summer.

Thank you to all who supported our Haiti Ministry and Haiti Partner, Beyond Borders. The collection last Sunday was $741.00. Your generosity will enable us to donate $500.00 a month. Safe travels and enjoy this Memorial Day weekend!

Summer Blessings,

Fr. Jim

~ Image Source

Labels: Sixth Sunday of Easter 2025

Baptisms at St. Elizabeth Church - Fr. Jim's 36th Ordination Anniversary Cake - Fifth Sunday of Easter - May 18, 2025 ~ Photos provided by Eva Wiznerowicz

St. Elizabeth Church

Fifth Sunday of Easter

May 18, 2025

BAPTISMS

Fr. Jim's 36th Ordination Anniversary Cake

Labels: 5 18 2025, 5th Sunday of Easter, Baptisms at St. Elizabeth, Fr. Jim's 36th Anniversary Cake

FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Church - Fifth Sunday of Easter - May 18, 2025

St. Elizabeth Church

Fifth Sunday of Easter

May 18, 2025

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

This Sunday is the first of our Monthly Haiti Collections. As a parish, we have been supporting our Haiti Ministry partner, Beyond Borders. Our donations so far have been $17,150 since August 2023 with a monthly donation of $750. The balance in our Haiti account is now $2,173.81. We would like to continue supporting our outreach to Haiti and the wonderful work that Beyond Borders does. Your help is needed. We will be having a second collection on the third Sunday of every month for Beyond Borders. We have envelopes in the back of church just for this collection. Please see the Ushers to pick up an envelope and support this connection once a month. We thank you in advance for your prayers and generosity!

This upcoming weekend is Memorial Day weekend. There will be many people traveling this week as they visit family and friends or simply enjoy a weekend away. Please keep all of those who will be traveling this week in your prayers that they may reach their destinations and return home safely.

O God, protect those who are traveling for the upcoming holiday. Keep them safe in Your hands. Surround them with Your loving care; protect them from every danger; and bring them in safely to their journey's end; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

We will be having a Swahili Mass on Saturday, May 31st at 10 a.m. Please see this bulletin for more information or to sign up to bring a dish for the meal that will be shared afterwards. The Mass will be celebrated in Swahili. ALL are welcome to attend!

"And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim." (Acts 2:4)

These are the words we will hear on Pentecost Sunday (June 8th). To celebrate this Sunday, we will have the readings at Mass read in the different languages that make up our Parish. After Mass we plan to have an international/multicultural potluck! Please sign up to bring a dish that is important to your family or culture to share with the rest of the Parish. You can sign up with the QR code or link in this bulletin. For any questions, please contact the Parish Office! More details will be shared next Sunday!

Easter Blessings,

Fr. Jim

~ Image Source

Labels: 5th Sunday of Easter 2025, Fr. Jim's Jots

Mothers Day at St. Elizabeth Church - May 11, 2025 - Family Photos taken in St. Elizabeth Park - Part 1~ Photos by Mary Romanello

St. Elizabeth Church

Mothers Day

May 11, 2025

Labels: Mothers Day at St. Elizabeth Church 2025

Mothers Day at St. Elizabeth Church - May 11, 2025 - Family Photos Taken in St. Elizabeth Park - Part 2 ~ Photos by Mary Romanello

Mothers Day

St. Elizabeth Church

May 11, 2025

Labels: Mothers Day Photos 2025 part 2

FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Church - Fourth Sunday of Easter - Good Shepherd Sunday - May 11, 2025

St. Elizabeth Church

Fourth Sunday of Easter

"Good Shepherd Sunday"

May 11, 2025

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings!

"Habemus Papam!" We Have A Pope!

It is with great joy that we celebrate Pope Leo XIV!

He is the first from the Augustinian Order and the United States of America to be Pope. The Augustinian Order was founded by Pope Innnocent IV in 1244 and is fundamentally based upon the teachings of Jesus Christ and St. Augustine of Hippo. Augustinians seek to live out a Christian vocation of love for God and neighbor in communion of life and service to the Church. They profess to "live together in harmony, being of one mind and one heart on the way to God." To learn more about the Augustinians visit their website at augustinianorder.org.

Please CLICK HERE to see the prayer for Pope Leo XIV that is included in this bulletin. I encourage everyone to keep him and the Universal Church in our prayers as we anticipate his Inaugural Mass on Sunday, May 18th.

I would like to say a special thanks and congratulations to Connie Hom who celebrated a recent birthday! We are fortunate to have her help in so many aspects, including her work as our Liturgical Coordinator, her role in decorating the Church and her care and kindness to Phillis Booth! We wish you many more happy birthdays to come, Connie!

If you are interested in connecting with Margaret Pittman, a longtime parishioner who has been having health issues, please contact the parish office for her new contact information to send her a card or ask about visiting.

Mark your calendars! Our Choir Director and friend, Kim Ford, is graduating from Nursing School! We will be hosting a party to congratulate her on this important milestone after the 10 a.m. Mass on June 15th. If you would like to assist with the reception, please contact the Parish Office. There will be a box for cards and small gifts at the reception, for those who would like to offer their congratulations.

As a parish, we have been supporting our Haiti Ministry partner, Beyond Borders. Our donations so far have been $17,150 since August 2023 with a monthly donation of $750. The balance in our Haiti account is now $2,173.81. We would like to continue supporting our outreach to Haiti and the wonderful work that Beyond Borders does. Your help is needed. With the approval of Parish Council and Finance Council, we will be having a second collection on the third Sunday of the month for Beyond Borders. We have envelopes in the back of church just for this collection. Please see the Ushers to pick up an envelope and support this collection once a month. We thank you in advance for your prayers and generosity!

Easter Blessings,

Fr. Jim

~ Image Source

~ Pope Leo Image Source

Labels: Fourth Sunday of Easter 2025, Good Shepherd Sunday 2025, Pope Leo XIV

FATHER JIM'S JOTS ~ St. Elizabeth Church - Third Sunday of Easter - May 4, 2025

St. Elizabeth Church

Third Sunday of Easter

May 4, 2025

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Congratulations to all who received Sacraments this weekend! We had nine children receive their First Holy Communion at our 10 a.m. Mass this Sunday and two children Baptized.

As of our most recent report, we have fully reached our goal for the Bishop's Annual Appeal. Thank you to everyone who contributed whether through your prayers or your financial support!

This Sunday, we continue to honor Pope Francis and reflect on his service to the Church.

Dear God,

We thank you for the years of service Pope Francis gave to our Church: his encyclicals, his prayers, his pilgrimages, his work for a brighter tomorrow. May his life and service remind us of our ultimate goal - You and You alone.

Amen.

In last week's bulletin, I wrote on how we are all called to be one family, Brothers and Sisters in Christ and to speak out against the sins of racism and hate. This Easter and in the time that follows, let us truly embody Christ and His Church by upholding the Commandments. In a few weeks on May 18th, we will read in the Gospel of John, Jesus saying to the Disciples: "I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Easter Blessings,

Fr. Jim

~ Image Source

Labels: Fr. Jim's Jots, Third Sunday of Easter 2025