FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Second Sunday in Ordinary Time - January 18, 2026

Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 18, 2026

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings,

I am currently in Michigan making a visit to my sister, but I will be back in Richmond on Tuesday.  I thank Msgr. Richard Mooney for celebrating our Sunday Masses in my absence.

Those who are raised in the Catholic Faith are baptized before the age of 7 and receive their other two Sacraments of Initiation, First Communion and Confirmation at different times.  Those who are not baptized before the age of 7 are asked to go through the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA).  This is because Canon Law recognizes 7 years old to be the "age of reason".

Code of Canon Law Can. 97 §2: "A minor before the completion of the seventh year is called an infant and is considered not responsible for oneself (non sui compos).  With the completion of the seventh year, however, a minor is presumed to have the use of reason."

This means that those who are 7-years-old and older go through formation in OCIA and receive Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation at the same time.  If you were baptized in a Christian religion but never received First Communion or Confirmation in the Catholic Church or you have never received any Sacraments and you are interested in becoming Catholic, I invite you to join our OCIA classes that start at the end of January.

I will be leading the first several classes when I return from Michigan.  This article from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops explains the steps of OCIA if you are interested in learning more about the process.  You can read it by visiting bit.ly/usccb-ocia online.  Or you can email me or our Director of OCIA, Chris Metzger at ocia@stelizcc.org.

Lastly, next week, January 25th, marks the start of Celebrate Catholic Schools Week!  All Saints Catholic School (ASCS) is just down the road from our Parish on Noble Ave.  ASCS is part of our parish, as we contribute every year for children to pursue their education.  ASCS came into existence in 1982, a mergfer between St. Elizabeth Parish School and St. Paul's Parish School.  The present building was at one time St. Paul's School.  In 2004, St. Patrick's merged into All Saints School.  Van de Vyver school served students for 50+ years from 1910 to 1969.  Some of its families' subsequent generations have gone on to attend All Saints.  See this bulletin for more information about supporting our schools and enrolling your students!

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

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