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

A Look Back: St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - The Ancient Order of the Hibernians Serve Breakfast for Our Parishioners - February 15, 2026

 St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

The Ancient Order of Hibernians

Serve Breakfast for Our Parishioners

February 15, 2026

 

~ Image Source

FATHER JIM'S JOTS - Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church - Laetare Sunday - Fourth Sunday of Lent - March 15, 2026

Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Laetare Sunday

March 15, 2026

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

 

Greetings!

Next week, several members from the Catholic Women's Club will visit at our 10 a.m. Mass and they are providing coffee and donuts after the 10 a.m. Mass.  A big thank you to the CWC for their support and presence.

Our progress on the Annual Diocesan Appeal is going very well.  As of this past week, we have reached 96% of our goal with $17,315 from 44 households.  We have $655 left to reach our goal.  Thank you to everyone who has supported this through your financial support and prayers.  I will give our final update next Sunday as the Diocese will update their data and send it our way on Tuesday.

Our Parish is growing and our Faith Formation Ministry is in need of more volunteers.  This ministry is extremely important as it provides our children the foundational knowledge of our faith and prepares them to receive sacraments and to become active participants in our church community.  The children are the future of our Parish.  The time commitment is small, only a few hours on the weekends that you are available.  Catechists, drivers and help with food pick-up are needed.  The only requirements are current VIRTUS Training (which we will help you with if you don't have) and a commitment to serving the children of our parish.  Faith Formation classes start after Easter.  If you would like to serve in this ministry or would like to learn more, please contact our Director of Religious Education, Liz Wiznerowicz, at religioused@stelizcc.org.

The following prayer is an excerpt from St. Patrick's Prayer for Protection.

Christ with me, Christ before me,

Christ behind me, Christ in me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

~ Image Source

FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Third Sunday of Lent - March 8, 2026

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Third Sunday of Lent

March 8, 2026

 

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings,

I am happy to announce that we are already 66% of the way to our Annual Appeal goal of $17,970, having received $11,915 from 30 households.  If you would like to give with cash or check, you can pick up an envelope from one of the ushers or you can give online by scanning the QR code in this bulletin.  Thank you to all who have contributed financially and with your prayers.

March is a busy month for us!  As we move through these weeks of Lent, we are getting closer to Holy Week and Easter.  Please see the Holy Week/Easter schedule in this bulletin and save the dates to your calendar!

We will have a Lenten Retreat led by Deacon Chris on Saturday, March 21st prior to the Communal Reconciliation Service.  Lent is about preparing our hearts, minds and souls for the Resurrection of Christ and the Easter season.  Attending a retreat is an excellent way to enrich our spritual lives.  See the flyer in the bulletin for the details and the information for the RSVP.  We ask that you sign up so we can ensure there are enough materials for all participants.  I encourage you to attend!

Save the date for our annual Community Church Clean-up on March 28th from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.  This is the Saturday before Palm Sunday and Holy Week.  Join us to tidy up the church in preparation for our Masses and services that week.  Work often includes vacuuming, dusting, organizing hymnals, polishing and sweeping.  We need as many people as we can get to come and help us as long as they can.  Many hands make light work!

Prayer for Peace:

Almighty God, I pray for peace in our world, where they is often conflict and strife.  Bring an end to violence and injustice.  Inspire leaders to work towards the well-being of all people.  May your love and compassion prevail, uniting nations in a common pursuit of peace.  Let your kingdom of peace reign on earth as it is in heaven.  In the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, I pray.  Amen

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

~ Image Source

Celebrating Ms Phyllis Booth's 99th Birthday at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church! Sunday, March 8, 2026! ~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin

 99th Birthday Celebration

honoring

Ms Phyllis Booth

March 8, 2026

 

~ Photos by Sr. Beulah Martin