FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Palm Sunday - March 29, 2026

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Palm Sunday

March 29, 2026

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings,

Today is Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week.  Please see the other page of this bulletin for the complete Holy Week Schedule.  Please note that we will hold Stations of the Cross at 12 p.m. in the church and that on Holy Saturday, Easter Vigil Mass will start at 8 p.m., later than the other services this week.  I encourage you to arrive early to Easter Vigil for parking and seating.  Our Easter Vigil Mass is a wonderful experience and when our fellow Parishioners, Billie-Jeanne Buster and Jessica Agosta, will receive the last of their Sacraments of Initiation and enter into Full Communion with the Catholic Church, I encourage you to attend to support them.

Families and friends of our parish, mobilized by our parishioner, Helena Nelson, reached out Saturday to residents of the Caritas Shelter and Healing Place for Women with a delicious dinner.  More than sixty women enjoyed Sunday dinner sharing how much they were delighted to enjoy a real home-cooked meal that offered a welcome break from their daily staple.  They were also impressed by our children's politeness and cheerful service.  It was consoling to bring smiles to the faces of women who have clearly been through much physical and emotional pain.  We pray our Lenten almsgiving may teach us to be sensitive to the needs of others and to help alleviate their suffering.,  Thank you, Helena and team, for making this outreach happen.

On Sunday, St. Elizabeth was proud to host a screening of No Other Land, an Oscar-winning documentary of the struggle of Palestinian communities in Masafer Yatta as they seek to remain in their land, despite violent attempts of the Israeli government and settlers to remove them.  After the film, the community engaged in a thoughtful discussion about the film, led by parishioner Matthew Haddad and VCU professor, Faedah Totah.  We thank Richmonders for Peace in Palestine for engaging with our Justice Ministry to help bring this event to St. Elizabeth.  Please join me in praying for peace for all of God's children in the Holy Land and beyond.

 If you are interested in further discussion or want to know more about how to get engaged, please reach out to Matt (matthadd@verizon.net) or Anne Gibbons (Gibbons@lynchburg.edu) directly.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

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