FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Pentecost Sunday - May 24, 2026 ~ Photo by Tony Miller

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Pentecost Sunday

May 24, 2026

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings,

Today we celebrate the official groundbreaking of our new Parish Center!  In 2018 our parish started to consider that a new office/classroom space was needed but the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted plans.

Our Church has grown immensely since then!  We now have over one hundred youth under 18 years old.  The new parish center will have offices, classrooms and gathering spaces.  The classroom space will provide our children with a safe and conducive space for learning that does not require crossing 2nd Ave.  The construction blueprints and the draft of what the final outside will look like are on our website and in the lobby by the front doors if you are interested in learning more about what the parish center will look like.

Today we welcome Bishop Barry Knestout and I would like to say a big thank you to the Bishop, Deacon Ron Reger, the Diocesan Office of Worship and the many staff who work with the Bishop for being here and for their work in preparation for this event.  I would also like to say a big thank you to our Parish Office Staff, Kevin Kitrick and Ken Wall for helping with the food for the reception, Connie Hom, Mary Mukiibi, Helena Nelson and everyone else who was involved with set-up, decorations and coordination of our ceremony and reception.

After the groundbreaking ceremony today, I will be leaving for Michigan to see my family and help with a family funeral.  I will not be here for Mass on Sunday, May 31st so Msgr. Tom Miller will be here to celebrate Masses.  While I am away, we will not have weekday Masses on Wednesdays and Fridays.  There is a full schedule in this bulletin and you can see which days we will hold Masses on our website calendar (stelizcc.org/events/).

Per my jot last week, our current Office Manager, Eva Wiznerowitz, has accepted a summer internship opportunity.  Her last day in-person at our office will be on Friday, May 29th and she will return on August 12th.  Our former Religious Education Assistant, Erin Cleary, will be covering for Eva while she is away.  Thank you to Erin and congrats to Eva!

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

 ~ Image Source

FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Feast of the Ascension of the Lord - May 17, 2026

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Feast of the Ascension

May 17, 2026

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings,

As many of you know, it has been a considered possibility that the current Parish Office be converted to a convent after the parish center is complete.  Sr. Mary Mwangi, our Social Outreach Coordinator, is a sister of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Tarbes. After speaking with our Parish and Finance Councils, a letter was sent to Bishop Barry Knestout to ask him regarding this matter.  Included in this Bulletin is the letter his office sent in early May and on the other side my letter in reply.

Our Office Manager, Eva Wiznerowicz, will be away from our Parish Office this summer.  Eva accepted a summer internship position in her field of study and since the position is full-time and outside of Richmond, she will not be working in the Parish Office this summer.  She will be away from June 1st to August 1st.  Our former Religious Education Assistant, Erin Cleary, will be filling in for her position over the summer.  Congrats to Eva on this amazing opportunity and a big thank you to Erin for her help.

Next week is the Parish Center Groundbreaking Ceremony!! It will also be Pentecost Sunday.  I encourage everyone to wear red - the liturgical color for that Sunday.  Bishop Barry Knestout will be celebrating our 10 a.m. Mass and the groundbreaking ceremony will be held outside after Mass.  Following the groundbreaking ceremony, we will have a wonderful reception afterwards.  Special thanks to all who have been involved in preparing for the Mass, ceremony and reception.

Please see the info for the full schedule for the groundbreaking.

Easter Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

 ~ Image Source

FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Sixth Sunday of Easter - Mother's Day - May 10, 2026

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Sixth Sunday of Easter

May 10, 2026

MOTHER'S DAY

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings,

Happy Mother's Day!  It is quite fitting that the month we honor Mary, Mother of God, is also when we honor mothers and the women in our lives.

Mary has many titles.  Last week, I wrote about praying for her intentions as Mary, the Queen of Peace.  Holy Mother of God, the Blessed Mother, Mother of Perpetual Help, Mother of Sorrows, Mother of Divine Grace are just a handful of the many titles of Mary pertaining to her motherhood.

"Mary's spiritual motherhood springs from her physical motherhood of the Son of God.  By physically bearing Christ through her free, believing acceptance of that mission - Mary also, in faith, gave birth to all Christians who are members of the Mystical Body of Christ.  In other words, she gave birth to the total Christ: head and members."

Mary's spiritual motherhood is grounded in the fact that she is the Mother of God and her motherhood is extended to Christ's disciples and even to all human beings.  In this respect, Mary's cooperation is singular and distinct from the cooperation of all 'other creatures.'  Her intercession does not have the characteristic of priestly mediation (such as Christ's), but is instead situated in the order and analogy of motherhood.  By association Mary's intercession with Christ's work, the gifts given to us by the Lord are presented with a maternal aspect, imbued with the tenderness and closeness of the Mother whom Jesus wanted to share with us (cf. Jn 19:27)." *

Today we honor all mothers, who exemplify the virtues of Mary, those who nuture and support their families and sacrifice for their children.  We honor mothers who grieve the loss of their children and navigate the challenges of infertility.  We also honor our spiritual mothers, religious sisters, godmothers, teachers and all the women who have impacted our lives - who inspire us to walk with Christ and follow his teachings.

Also please see the information below my jot regarding our groundbreaking ceremony with Bishop Knestout on May 24th.  We will have a reception afterwards and ask for volunteers to help.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

* Excerpts from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith: Mater Populi Fidelis - Doctrinal Note on Some Marian Titles Regarding Mary's Cooperation in the Work of Salvation.

 ~ Image Source

 ~ Mother's Day Image

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - First Communion Sunday and Crowning Mary, Queen of Peace - May 3, 2026 ~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin

 St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

First Communion Sunday

and

Crowning Mary, Queen of Peace

May 3, 2026

 

  

~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin

FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Fifth Sunday of Easter - May 3, 2026

 St Elizabeth Catholic Church

Fifth Sunday of Easter

May 3, 2026

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings,

Congratulations to our First Communicants this weekend!  This Sunday, Lucy, Bobbi, Zeezee, Leona, Mwenebatu, Jaselia and Jonalise received their next Sacrament of Initiation, the Holy Eucharist.  Congratulations to all of them on this big milestone!

Also special thanks to Mary Romanello for assisting us with our 2026 Parish Directory project and coordinating the photography this Sunday.  I am extremely pleased to announce that we will be holding the groundbreaking ceremony for our new parish center Sunday, May 24th.  We have been waiting for this day for quite some time now and it is the next big step in our construction project.  On this Sunday, Bishop Barry Knestout will be celebrating our 10 a.m. Mass.  Afterwards, we will have the groundbreaking ceremony held outside.  Following the ceremony, we will have a reception and fellowship in our Parish Hall.  All are welcome and invited!  Many thanks to all of those who contributed to our capital campaign to make this project possible whether through financial donations or your much needed prayers.

May is the month of Mary, the Mother of God.  During this month we make a conscious effort to pray to Mary, asking for her intercession for the things we pray for.  One of the many titles for Mary is Queen of Peace.  I encourage you to pray the following prayer for peace in our world and in our lives.

Heavenly Father, you sent your only Son to bring peace to our world.

Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary ever Virgin, Queen of Peace,

hear our earnest prayer;

Grant that our times may be tranquil,

That violence may be settled with peaceful dialogue,

and that we may seek to understand and love our neighbor,

so that we may live in peace as one family.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

~ Image Source

 

FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Fourth Sunday of Easter - "Good Shepherd Sunday" - April 26, 2026

 St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Fourth Sunday of Easter

April 26, 2026

"Good Shepherd Sunday"

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings,

This Sunday we welcome the members of the St. Teresa Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.  The St. Teresa of Calcutta Conference is made up of members from St. Bridget Catholic Church, Holy Rosary Catholic Church and our parish.  Vincentians work to promote housing stability for low income individuals who live within the three parish boundaries.  The St. Teresa Conference provides payments to landlords for rent and security deposits and to power, water and gas utilities to avert service disconnections.  During the last fiscal year, the conference provided about $70,000 in total direct aid and goods.

If you are interested in learning more or volunteering some time to become a member of the ministry, please see Sister Anns James after Mass or email her at:  anns@stelizcc.org.

I am very happy to announce that we are starting work for our 2026 Picture Directory!  The last time we published a parish directory was in 2021.  Our Parish has changed and grown so much during the time since then, so this seemed like a much-needed project.

Our first photo date will be May 3rd after both Masses.  We will have a few additional dates after that but would prefer to have most photos taken on that Sunday.  Each family will get one photo to be included in the directory.  If you do not want your photo to be included but would still like your contact information published, that is also possible.  Mary Romanello, a St. Elizabeth Parishioner and owner of Romanello Photography, will be working with us for the photography needed for the directory.  We will also need volunteers to help with proofing the directory before it is printed so please let the office know if you would like to help!  Thank you Mary for helping us get started with this wonderful project!

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

~ Image Source

 

Miscellaneous Photos from the Third Sunday of Easter - April 19, 2026 - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church ~ Photos provided by Sr. Beulah Martin

 St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Third Sunday of Easter

April 19, 2026

Miscellaneous Photos

~ Photos provided by Sr. Beulah Martin

 

FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Third Sunday of Easter - April 19, 2026

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Third Sunday of Easter

April 19, 2026

Emmaus Sunday

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings,

I am very happy to announce that we are starting work for our new 2026 Picture Directory!  The last time we published a parish directory was in 2021.  Our parish has changed and grown so much during the time since then, so this seemed like a much-needed project.

Our first photo date will be on May 3rd after both Masses.  We will have a few additional dates after that but would prefer to have most photos done on that Sunday.  Each family will get one photo to be included in the directory.  If you do not want your photo to be included but would still like your contact information published, that is also possible.  Mary Romanello, a St. Elizabeth Parishioner and owner of Romanello Photography, will be working with us for the photography needed for the directory.  We will also need volunteers to help with proofing the directory before it is printed, so please let the office know if you would like to help!  Thank you Mary for helping us get started with this wonderful project!

Below is a prayer for peace shared by Pope Leo XIV during the Rosary for Peace that was held last Saturday:

Lord Jesus,

you conquered death without weapons or violence;

you shattered its power with the strength of peace.

Grant us your peace,

as you did to the women filled with doubt on Easter morning,

as you did to the disciples who were hiding in fear.

Send forth your Spirit,

the breath that gives life and reconciles,

that turns adversaries and enemies into brothers and sisters.

Inspire in us to trust in Mary, your mother,

who stood at the foot of your cross with a broken heart,

firm in the faith that you would rise again.

May the madness of war cease

and the Earth be cared for and cultivated by those who still

know how to bring forth, protect and love life.

Hear us, Lord of life!

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

~ Image Source

St. Elizabeth Social Justice Committee Activities - Reducing Nuclear Weapons ~ Photo and commentary provided by Deacon Chris Barrett

Social Justice Committee

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

"Reducing Nuclear Weapons"

Parishioners Chris Barrett and Eileen Tarr met with two of U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan's aides at her district office here in Richmond, including Taylor Thornhill, 2nd from right, former aide to Sen. Tim Kaine.

Chris and Eileen were representing our parish Justice Ministry Committee, as well as the Richmond area Franciscan Justice Circle and were appealing to Congresswoman McClellan to co-sponsor House Resolution 317 to reduce nuclear weapons.

~ Photo and Commentary by Deacon Chris Barrett