St. James Roman Catholic Church

From the Pastor’s Desk

 I am pleased to share with you the latest information from our diocese relative to the resumption of public worship in our churches. Our current schedule of public Mass is Saturday at 5pm, and on Sunday at   9:30am with   the following restrictions:

•  We are limited to 120 people at each Mass. All in attendance MUST wear a mask or face covering and all are required to practice the current CDC guidelines to maintain social distancing and remain 6 ft apart.  You will find that certain pews have been roped off while others have been marked to indicate where you may be seated. In the interest of safety, please sit only in those pews that are open and appropriately marked.
•  Entrance to the church will be only through the new sacristy entrance, where you will find ushers at the doors keeping count of people entering the church. While we prefer that you exit via the sacristy doors as well, the other doors may be utilized for this purpose. 
• Please feel free to utilize the hand sanitizer stations located throughout the church.
• The 5pm Mass will be live streamed  and taped for broadcast on our website and Facebook pages.
• Daily Mass will continue at 8am, Mon-Fri; no morning Mass on Saturday.
• The resumption of our regular Mass schedule will be revisited in the coming weeks as we continue to monitor not only Mass attendance, but the number of COVID cases in our area. The health and well being of  our parishioners remains our top priority.

We have also been given the go-ahead to resume private baptisms (one family at a time), an adjustment to our previous practice of celebrating the sacrament with multiple families; if you are interested in scheduling a baptism, please call the office as soon as possible to discuss the schedule and available dates. Weddings and funerals will also resume, again following CDC guidelines related to masks, social distancing, and reduced attendance in the church.

As I’ve mentioned in earlier communications, the church we are returning to is, in so many ways, different from the church we attended a few months ago. We have endured physical separation from each other and had some of our most beloved traditions upended, specifically surrounding the Triduum days and Easter. Yet, throughout this entire ordeal, our faith has sustained us and we will once again be able to gather around the Table of the Lord within the walls of our church.

Some physical changes to the church include the long awaited replacement of our air conditioning units which took place this week; the  electrical work will not take place until next week, so we ask  for your patience as  the workers make every effort to complete this job as quickly and safely as possible.

In addition, the new/refurbished tabernacle is in place, having been pulled forward from the alcove in which the previous tabernacle was housed. A wall has been installed that now encloses the alcove, allowing us to create additional much needed storage space. The finishing touches on this project will soon be in place, but again, I ask for your continued patience.

Amidst all of this good news, we unfortunately are faced with a deficit of $85,000 in our collections (year to date). These past months have been challenging for all of us, and the financial issues brought about by the pandemic cannot  be taken lightly.  As our economy begins to reopen, please continue to remember how vital your financial support is to the survival of our parish.

Finally, please allow me to not only thank all of your for your support and prayers, but to also ask you to remember that the resumption of in person celebration of Mass and all that is associated with it, is a process, and will, of necessity, continue to evolve as the weeks unfold before us. We will make every effort to keep you informed of additional changes, and invite you to regularly visit the parish website for the latest information on this rapidly developing situation.

Pax et bonum,

~Fr. Jim

The Washing of the Feet

          A reflection on life lessons, submitted by a St. James parishioner

I remember a chapter of my life when I was about 16 and was working as a busboy in a local eatery. I used to come home late at night from work with my bus jacket and shoes covered in grease.

One night as I stumbled into bed, I had taken off my filthy clothes and shoes and closed my eyes to sleep. I went out like a light! In the morning I put my soiled clothes in the hamper and looked for my work shoes......they were gone! I opened my bedroom door and there outside the door on the floor were my work shoes all polished and clean! I asked my father if he knew anything about it.......he said yes.

“I cleaned and polished your shoes”, he told me. I asked him why, and he replied, “Because I know how hard you work and I wanted to show you how much I HONOR YOUR WORK.”

I have never forgotten that. In that simple act of kindness my father not only showed me his love for me, but on a much larger note, he showed me the power of hard work in one’s life.

You EARN what you want through your own efforts!

I remember my cousin got a new car that his father bought him. I excitedly told my father as he sitting in his chair reading the local newspaper. He said, “That’s nice” and continued to read his paper. I asked him, “Are you gonna buy me a new car too?”  Dad put the paper down and said, “Look out the kitchen window and tell me what you see in the driveway”.  I looked out and saw our family car and reported back to him. He asked, “Is it a NEW car?”  I said no.  He said, “Well if we can’t afford a new car, how will I buy you one?” And he followed that with, “Get a job. Save your money, and when you have enough, I will help you find a good running car. But I WILL NOT pay for the car, YOU will.”

He told me that if I worked and saved for the car, I would treat it like gold.  Sure enough, I worked and saved, and bought my first car a Rambler American, nicknamed “The White Flash”, complete with Budweiser stickers on the back.

As I reflect on these memories, I’m reminded of the washing of the feet by Jesus, a simple act of humility that made a huge impact on his disciples. My father did the same to me when he washed and polished my soiled work shoes. Both Jesus and my dad taught me a great lesson -  that I was loved, wanted, and important, I never forgot that life lesson.

Praise God, and praise Dad too! Amen.

Looking for our virtual Masses during the COVID 19 Health Emergency? Look at our banner at the top of this page where you will find links to Holy Week celebrations as well as our weekly Masses.

For your convenience, you will also find above, links to homilies by both Fr. Jim and Fr. Fitz.

A special request for help from the staff at Our Daily Bread

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

May God bless and protect you and your families during this challenging time.  While we are all impacted by the changes to our lives caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, some people are particularly vulnerable.  Among those are the homeless, the poor, and the unemployed.  Additionally, many of the small businesses in our community are facing severe hardship. 

In an effort to help our struggling friends and neighbors, if your financial means allow it, we ask that you please consider donating a gift card (in denominations of no more than $20 each please)  for one of our local restaurants or bakeries to Our Daily Bread.

We will then distribute these cards to the people who visit our soup kitchen/pantry.

We will do this for the foreseeable future, but would especially like to be able to provide the gift cards for Easter.  If you are able to help, please drop the card in an envelope marked “ODB” into the mail slot at the rectory office.

Thank you for your generosity, and stay safe and healthy.

Our Daily Bread Volunteers