FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Feast of the Baptism of the Lord - January 11, 2026

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

The Baptism of the Lord

January 11, 2026

 FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings,

Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord!  It is also the First Sunday in Ordinary Time.  During this time of year, we acknowledge Christ manifested in our world with feasts such as Christmas, Epiphany and the one we celebrate today.  Because of this, we continue with white and gold liturgical colors this Sunday and will move to the green of Ordinary Time next week.  We will be in Ordinary Time for a few weeks before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, February 18th.  Our Lent schedule will be shared soon so please keep a look out for that.

I would like to share how our Parish has grown since last year.  We now have 212 registered households and 542 members.  Of our registered members, 122 are children ages 0 to 17.  Sacraments in 2025:  Baptisms: 17, First Communions:  8, Confirmation:  3, OCIA: 5, Marriage:  2.

We have more than 20 children enrolled at different Catholic Schools, including All Saints Catholic School, Cristo Rey Richmond and Saint Gertrude High School!

Our Parish continues to grow!  If you are a new family to the Parish and would like to register, we have forms on the bulletin board by the front doors or visit stelizcc.org/join-our-parish

I encourage everyone to visit the Vatican News website and to add it to your regular news rotation.  We hear constantly of terrible things happening in our country from our news sources, so I encourage you to refresh and read something different.  The Vatican covers global news but also all the important things happening in our Church.  Visit:  www.vaticannews.va

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

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