FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Second Sunday of Easter - Divine Mercy Sunday - April 12, 2026

 St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Second Sunday of Easter

Divine Mercy Sunday

April 12, 2026

 

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Today we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday.  This special celebration takes place on the Second Sunday of Easter every year.  This is an important feast in the Catholic Church that originates in the 1930's when Jesus revealed himself to St. Faustina of Poland.  He asked on numerous occasions that a feast day be dedicated to the Divine Mercy and that this feast be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter.  This Feast, which had already been granted to the nation of Poland and been celebrated within Vatican City, was granted to the Universal Church by Pope John Paul II on the occasion of the canonization of Sr. Faustina on 30 April 2000.

On this Sunday, I encourage you to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet using the Rosary:

(Repeat 3 times) O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!

Pray the Our Father, Hail Mary and the Apostle's Creed

For each of the five decades 

(On each "Our Father" bead of the rosary, pray):

Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

(On each of the 10 "Hail Mary" beads, pray):

For the sake of his sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Concluding prayer (Repeat 3 times) Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Pope Leo XIV has reminded us of God's mercy and care for us through his beloved Son.

"All of us are alive today thanks to a relationship, a free and freeing relationship of human kindness and mutual care.  That human kindness is sometimes betrayed.  As for example, whenever freedom is invoked not to give life, but to take it away, not to help, but to hurt.  Yet even in the face of the evil that opposes and takes life, Jesus continues to pray to the Father for us.  His prayer acts as a balm for our wounds; it speaks to us of forgiveness and reconciliation."

-- Pope Leo XIV, Homily, Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents & the Elderly, June 1, 2025

Easter Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

~ Image Source

Divine Mercy Sunday - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - April 12, 2026 ~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Divine Mercy Sunday

April 12, 2026

 

~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin

 

Holy Week 2026 - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Easter Vigil - Holy Saturday - April 4, 2026 ~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Holy Week 2026

Easter Vigil Mass

Holy Saturday

April 4, 2026

(Click photo to enlarge)

 

~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin

Holy Week 2026 - St Elizabeth Catholic Church - Good Friday - Adoration of the Cross - April 3, 2026 ~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Good Friday

Adoration of the Cross

April 3, 2026

~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin

Holy Week 2026 - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Holy Thursday Washing of the Feet Ceremony - April 2, 2026 ~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin

Holy Week 2026

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

April 2, 2026

Washing of the Feet Ceremony

 

 

~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin

Holy Week 2026 - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Bringing the Holy Oils to the Church - Holy Thursday - April 2, 2026 ~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin

Holy Week 2026

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church 

April 2, 2026

Bringing the Holy Oils to the Church

 

~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin

Palm Sunday at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - March 29, 2026 ~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin

Palm Sunday

at

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

March 29, 2026

The Reading of the Passion

 ~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin

Richmond Times Dispatch Front Page Article about St. Elizabeth's Adventure into Affordable Housing for Highland Park ~ March 30, 2026

 

Richmond Times Dispatch Article

March 30, 2026

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

~ Image Source

FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Fifth Sunday of Lent - March 22, 2026

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Fifth Sunday of Lent

March 22, 2026

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings,

This is the last Sunday that you will see the purple liturgical colors of Lent in the bulletin and on vestments and the altar.  Next Sunday is Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week.  During Holy Week we commemorate many events that are vital to our faith, including the Institution of the Eucharist, the Passion of Jesus and His Resurrection from the dead.  You will see in this bulletin our schedule for Holy Week Masses, Services and Stations of the Cross.  Stations of the Cross on Good Friday will be held at 12 p.m. in the church.

I would like to say thank you to the Catholic Women's Club for visiting us today during our 10 a.m. Mass and for bringing donuts to share after the 10 a.m. Mass.  Thank you!

As of this Sunday, we have reached 123% of our Annual Diocesan Appeal Goal!  More details are in this bulletin but thank you to everyone who contributed through financial support or prayers.

Lastly, I would like to invite you to attend our Church Clean up on Saturday, March 28th from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.  We will be doing some light cleaning to get the church ready for Holy Week and Easter.  The work is not difficult; you can choose what you would like to work on and you are not required to stay for the entire two hours.  Some of the tasks include organizing the hymnals in the pews, cleaning windows, sweeping, vacuuming and polishing.  There will be some tasks that can be done sitting down at a table as well.  I encourage everyone to attend and help out for even a little bit!  The more people that come, the lighter the work and the more we can accomplish.  If you are a student (at any grade level) and want to record community service hours for attending, please let our Parish Office know.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

~ Image Source

2026 Lenten Retreat - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - March 21, 2026 ~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin

 2026 Lenten Retreat

Led by 

Deacon Chris Barrett

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Saturday, March 21, 2026

~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin

"Let the Children Come!" - Children's Liturgy at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - March 22, 2026 ~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin

 St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

"Let the Children Come!"

Children's Liturgy

March 22, 2026

~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin