Suggestions for your 2018 Lenten Journey ~ Information provided by Connie Hom and St. E's

ROSARY:  Every Sunday at 8:15 a.m. and the first Friday of March and April at 2:00 p.m. in the Church.

Fridays: 2/23, 3/2, 3/9, 3/16 at 5:30 p.m. and Good Friday at Noon - 12:00 p.m. in the Church/

Every Wednesday 6:00-6:25 p.m. and Saturday, 3.24.2018 at 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. in the Church

Sunday Mass at 9:00 a.m. and Wednesday evening Mass at 6:30 p.m. in the Church.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament - Holy Thursday 8:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. in the Church.

"A Walk through Holy Week" ~ March 24, 2018 ~ 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Photos:
Rosary
Stations of the Cross
Reconciliation
Eucharist
Adoration
Retreat

Pax Christi Mass for Peace ~ New Year's Eve 12.31.16 ~ Photos by EJCooley

~ Photos by EJCooley

More photos of Gaudete Sunday, Lighting the Advent Candle ~ Pictures provided by Lula Lamb

Katherine and Lula Lamb light the Advent Candle

~ Photos provided by Lula Lamb

Second Sunday of Advent ~ Photos by CJCooley

More photos from the 2nd Sunday of Advent.  Our Celebrant was Fr. Jim... Our lector was Chantelle Bryant... Vince and Diane Neylan lit the Advent Candles.

~ Photos by EJCooley

Homecoming at St. Elizabeth's, November 16, 2014 ~ Photos by EJCooley

Our guest organist played before Mass began (Name?)

Deacon Calvin Bailey, our Homilist

Our choir and Diane, our Cantor

Bringing up the Gifts

Roses at the Altar provided by Fr. Jim, Sarah McMahan and Sue Pierce

A good time was had by all!  Many Thanks to the Kitchen Committee and the rest of the volunteers who decorated the Hall and made our Homecoming Dinner so special!


~ Photos by EJCooley

Easter Sunday Morning Mass at St. E's ~ Choir Photos by Lula Lamb

Preparing for Mass to begin

m.a. - Robert - Tim - David
Scott at the piano

Kim - Robert - Chantelle - m.a. - Tim - David
Scott at the piano

Photos by Lula Lamb

Easter Vigil 2014 at St. E's ~ Baptism of Nassem Ameer ~ Photos by Ethel Cooley

 ~ Photos by Ethel Cooley

First Photos of the Holy Saturday Service at St. E's, 2014 ~ Photos by Phil Brew, M.A. Allen

Reading Genesis from the Loft
(photo by m.a.allen)

Congregation as seen from the Choir
(photo by phil brew)

(photo by phil brew)

Changes to the Mass! Here is what you want to know!

Here is what you want to know about the changes to the Mass that will go into effect on the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011. Click on the image above and you will link to the official website for the New Roman Missal. The site will explain all you wish to know about the whys and wherefores of the changes.

For the specific changes in the People's responses and prayers during the Mass, please click HERE... These are the changes that will directly affect YOU!

There have been several Diocesan and local workshops held during the past several months to prepare parish leadership and others to help implement these changes within the parish. There will be other training opportunities in the coming months. There will also be handouts available to help everyone understand the changes so that we can adapt to the changes quickly.

If you have any questions about the changes, Frances Pope or other members of the Liturgy Committee (Phyllis Booth, Mary Walker, Mary Ann Allen) will be happy to respond to them.

Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest

Last Sunday, Fr. Andrew called Frances Pope and Mary Ann Allen to stand before the congregation to be officially recognized as St. Elizabeth's designated worship leaders in the event that a priest is unavailable to celebrate Mass for our people.

Frances and Mary Ann recently attended a diocesan workshop for those deacons and lay worship leaders who had been chosen from their parishes to conduct the Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest rite. With many parishes facing the possibility of not always having a priest available, the Diocese of Richmond has encouraged parishes from all over Virginia to send parishioners to attend local workshops in their areas to prepare themselves for this rite.

Thus, in case of emergency with no priest available, Frances or Mary Ann or both together will be able to conduct a service which is essentially a Liturgy of the Word, with or without Communion. This honor also includes the permission to give a reflection on the Sunday Readings which would take the place of a priest's homily, which is generally denied to those not ordained.

Another important part of this rite is a prayer for vocations to the priesthood. The absence of a priest to celebrate Eucharist and the substitution of this rite by the worship leader highlights this loss for us. Even though the Word can be broken open for our people, there can be no Consecration of Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. Communion can be distributed to our people only if there are enough consecrated Hosts in the tabernacle.

However, the Sunday Celebration does have a positive aspect to it and that is, this rite gives a parish the opportunity to worship together as a community despite not having a priest available. We do not anticipate the lack of a priest at this time, but our people now know that steps have been taken to insure that we can stay together as a community.

On a personal note and I know I speak for Frances too, when I say we are very grateful to be able to serve you in this way. Be assured that we approach this responsibility in humility and prayer; and we hope you will keep us close to your hearts.

Benediction Returns on the First Sunday of February

Beginning next Sunday, February 3rd, Fr. Andrew will again be offering Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament to our people on the first Sunday of each month. This special devotion to the mystery of Jesus' presence in the Holy Eucharist will take place at the end of the Sunday Mass.

If you missed the original blog article about the history of Benediction, please click the following link:

http://stelizabethcc.blogspot.com/2007/07/benediction-adoration-and-blessing-with.html

The ritual for the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is as follows:

1. The priest places the consecrated Host in a monstrance so that it can be viewed by the people for adoration. See the picture above.

2. At this time, a hymn of praise, such as the Latin or English version of Pange Lingua is sung as the priest incenses the Blessed Sacrament. This is a time of adoration, where the people pray quietly in order to come in closer spiritual communion with the Lord.

3. At the end of the period of adoration, the priest again incenses the Blessed Sacrament as the hymn of praise, the Tantum Ergo in Latin or English, is sung.

4. The priest then puts on the humeral veil, which is a special white rectangular cloth worn so as to cover the back and shoulders of the priest. Its two ends hang down in front and are used to hold the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament. To prevent its falling from the shoulders, the humeral veil is fastened with clasps or ribbons attached to the border. The use of this article probably dates back to the end of the Middle Ages.

5. The priest then blesses the people with the Blessed Sacrament, making the sign of the cross with the monstrance. After the blessing, the priest returns the Blessed Sacrament to the tabernacle.

6. There can be a concluding hymn at the end of the service.


~ Image by Two Hearts Design

Our Jesse Tree in Bloom!

The Jesse Tree stood starkly bare that morning as people filed into church for our First Sunday of Advent Liturgy. As the parishioners came into church, each person was given their construction paper leaf with instructions to write what they desired from this Advent Season.

Frances Pope, our liturgical minister, spoke to the congregation again before Mass began, to encourage the people to write of their hopes, petitions and praise; and to hang the leaves on the tree at the appointed time. The Liturgy Committee hoped that many of our people would participate in this Advent activity and that it would be a meaningful one for all of us.

After Communion, Frances alerted the congregation that the time had arrived; She invited everyone to come to the Jesse Tree and attach their leaves to its branches. To our delight, the parishioners rose as one and came forward to place their petitions, hopes and praises on our bare tree. It was an absolutely moving moment. The stump of Jesse had done more than sprout! Our tree was clad in leaves!

BENEDICTION (Adoration and Blessing With the Sacred Host) ~ by Ethel Cooley

This liturgical action is a devotion to the Sacred Host outside the Eucharist. The Blessed Sacrament is exposed in the monstrance (a receptacle in which the consecrated Host, in a pyx, is held and displayed) outside the Eucharistic Celebration.

Historically,around the 15th Century, this devotion spread rapidly and became a custom, in order to look upon the Sacred Host apart from the Eucharistic Celebration. It has always been considered that the adoration is laudable but it doesn't replace the Grace we receive in the Eucharistic Celebration. Hence the Adoration to the Eucharist is reserved after the Eucharistic Celebration.

The following are the widely practiced procedures for Benediction:

1. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in an appropriate Altar. The Priest, Deacon, Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion or someone deputed by the Bishop may act as a Minister to expose the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance.



2. After the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in an appropriate Altar, incense, prayers, songs, meditations, prayers of the faithful, scripture passages are usually done, according to the timeframe. The Minister incenses the exposed Blessed Sacrament.



3. After a period of Adoration, the whole congregation kneels and recites the Eucharistic Hymn, which is usually Tantum Ergo. (The last two stanzas of the Pange Lingua.)



4. Benediction. The ordained minister puts on the humeral veil. With this veil covering his hands, he grasps the monstrance, makes the Sign of the Cross over the people, during which a small bell would be rung.



5. After the Benediction/Blessing, all recite together the Divine Praises, during which the minister reposes the Blessed Sacrament in the Tabernacle.



6. There can be a concluding hymn at the closure.

The benefits of Benediction are numerous and speaks volumes. It is factual, that in France at Our Lady of Lourdes, most of the miracles take place during the candlelit Benediction. Also the individual lives of the Saints were enriched by the Adoration. Teresa of the Child Jesus said, "One hour with the Lord, would be the precious moment in anyone's lives." Because it is there that we know him and he knows us.

St. Anthony of Padua had a profound experience in and through Adoration. Teresa of Avila spent most of her time in blessed Adoration and she knew all that was going on around the world, as Jesus used to communicate to her during the Adoration. Of late, Mother Theresa used to spend at least one hour before the Blessed Sacrament before she took any steps.

Note: Frances Pope asked Fr. Andrew to elaborate on Benediction. Fr. Andrew requested me to write an article to the blog to attempt to explain the meaning and nature of Benediction.

The Sacrament of Baptism ~ by Cathy Woodson

Every Baptism is a celebration time for the church; for every Baptism is a new birth in the church's family, a celebration again of Christ's resurrection. Baptisms should take place at our parish Mass so that the whole community can welcome our new member and participate in the rite. This enables our parish to celebrate its own future as it sees its family grow.

Baptism makes us members of the Body of Christ: "Therefore...we are members one of another." Baptism incorporates us into the Church. From the baptismal font is born the one People of God of the New Covenant, which transcends all the natural or human limits of nations, cultures, races and sexes. "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body." ---Catechism of the Catholic Church #1267

Our Faith Formation Committee will be holding quarterly sessions for parents who want to have a child celebrate the Rite of Baptism at St. Elizabeth. The session dates will be listed in the church bulletin. All sessions are held after the Sunday Liturgy in the parish hall.

Once parents have completed the two sessions, a celebration date is selected and the catechist and the liturgical minister will begin preparations to celebrate the rite with the church family.

Godparents are to represent the Catholic Christian community. To ensure that a godparent is capable of assuming this responsibility, Church law also requires that the person be at least 16 years old, fully initiated (by having received Confirmation and Eucharist), be someone other than the legal parents and one who leads a life in harmony with the Church.

The next session will be held on Sunday, August 12 (part 1) and 19 (part 2). If possible, both parents should attend the class. Godparents and other family members are welcome to attend with the child's parents.

Beautiful New Altar Cloth ~ by Ronnie Archer

Did you happen to notice the beautiful new altar cloth that adorned the altar for the Mass of Thanksgiving? It is exquisite and was made by our own Mildred Green. The lovely fabric was chosen by Frances Pope.

Thanks to Mildred and Frances! That cloth adds a very special touch to our newly renovated sanctuary.

How to Become a Eucharistic Minister

Someone has asked the question about how to become a Eucharistic Minister and what the duties of the Eucharistic Minister are. Here is a short explanation:

The Eucharistic Minister assists the priest during Holy Communion. There are always three ministers scheduled. Two of them are Cup bearers and the third distributes the consecrated Hosts along with the priest.

The Eucharistic Minister also has several duties to attend to before and after Mass. The E. Ministers are expected to be at church 15 minutes before Mass. They have the responsibility of making sure that the hosts, wine, purificators, cups, etc. are in their proper places. They see that the candles are lit before Mass and put out after Mass. They are responsible for washing the plates and cups used during Mass and putting them away.

Frances Pope is the person to see if you would like to be part of this ministry. She wants you to know that you will receive training to do this ministry. In fact, after we have gotten back into our sanctuary, there will be classes set up for all the ministries. There are some new guidelines for the various ministries to follow.

Being a Eucharistic Minister is a very very rewarding experience. Many years ago, I was a Eucharistic Minister and I remember well, how honored and humble I felt to be able to offer the Host or the Cup to my fellow parishioners. If you want to be a part of this experience, please let Frances know so that you can be added to the training classes when they are ready to begin.