St. James Roman Catholic Church

AN UPDATE ON COVID 19 from Fr. Jim

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Revised Sunday, March 29, 2020; the latest DRVC guidelines have advised that the suspension of the public celebration of the Mass will continue until further notice; Masses will NOT resume on April 14 as hoped. 

As of this date, by NYS law and DRVC discipline in this ongoing unprecedented time of pandemic healthcare emergency please make note of the following:

We will not be permitted to have funerals, attend wakes, celebrate baptisms (save emergency situations) or weddings until further notice.  This is all in an attempt to get in front of the disease and prevent the widespread mortality rate, as we are witnessing in Italy (God’s blessings upon that nation and her people).

 This is a time of great trial for all of us; a ‘happy fault’ of time, akin to the ‘happy fault’ we sing of in the beautiful Vigil Exsultet.  A time of isolation which allows us to move not in a commercial sense of time but in a monastic sense of time.  Time not of the school or workplace but a time of the hours of God’s day.  What I mean is that we can get up later, we can set time to walk, to pray- without distractions, time to sit and reflect and listen to the Spirit.

Perhaps, we can all try this:  find a comfortable place, chair, position … close one’s eyes … breathe deeply and be aware of our breathing … deep and slow, quieting thinking: ruah- Hebrew for the breath of God- the breath he breathed into the clay and gave life to man and woman … after a fashion, think-pray the psalm: Be still and know that I am God … repeat two, three times- to get into our heads that we will be still/quiet/non-rattling away in words … then the dangerous words: Speak Lord, your servant is listening

What do you think God wants to say to you, but couldn’t because you were too busy following a demanding schedule of ‘Gotta Do’s’ … What is God saying … to you?  Listen, be still … in time say thank you and offer an Our Father, or a Hail Mary.

The fasting of gathering as the Body of Christ in the assembly of the Eucharist, the abstinence from the reception  of the Body and Blood of Christ is our Lenten sacrifice that we offer in an act of solidarity and intercessory prayer for the greater good of the common good / the public square.  We offer this sacrifice in the service and sign of charity … like Jesus, giving His life for you and me to be free … like a parent, giving their blood, sweat, tears for the sake of their spouse, their child/children (I would offer my life to save my child’s) … for the health of all.

As many of you discovered this morning, we now have the ability to provide live streamed  Mass from our church. Our deepest thanks to parishioner James Townsend and his partner, Corey Arnold, for their generosity in  providing us with this capability. Again, I encourage you to frequently visit the parish website for regular updates on our schedule. As of today, we will celebrate Mass at 8am on Wednesday mornings as well as on Sunday mornings at 10am. Elsewhere on this website, you will find the listing of Holy Week services that will also be live-streamed. 

Until we are able to gather around our family table (Fr Bob’s image) again to break the Bread and share the Cup of the Lord, let us not be afraid, despair, lose faith for the Lord is in our midst: ‘I am with you till the end of time’ and as Julian of Norwich, an English mystic, wrote: “All will be well.  All will be well (in Jesus).”

Stay well

Pax et Bonum (Peace and Goodness)

Fr Jim

Formed as the Body of Christ through the waters of Baptism, we are Beloved daughters and sons of the Father.  We, the Catholic community of the Three Village area, are a pilgrim community on Camino- journeying toward the fullness of the Kingdom of God, guided by the Holy Spirit. Nourished by the Eucharist and formed by the Gospel; we strive to respond to Jesus’ invitation: to be faithful and fruitful disciples; to be a Good Samaritan to (our) neighbor and enemy.  So that in Jesus’ name, we may be a welcoming community, respectful of life in all its diversities and beauty; stewards of and for God’s creation; and witnesses to Faith, Hope and Charity. 

One Family in Mission, Called to Evangelize

To donate, please visit: https://www.drvc.org/cma/

Dear Parishioners,

Earlier today (Tuesday, March 17), all pastors received the letter below from our Auxiliary Bishop Richard Henning. While we were asked to share this message with our deacons, (although our parish is currently without a deacon)   I feel  his message is especially poignant and worth sharing with all of you.  We are indeed, in uncharted waters, and we are all suffering together, especially with the news of the suspension of Holy Mass.  Yet, as Bp. Henning points out,  this long Lent presents us with an opportunity to minister to one another in different ways if we but embrace this extraordinary moment of charity.

Pax et bonum,

Fr. Jim

Dear Deacon Brother,

In this most extraordinary moment, I wish to reaffirm my gratitude for your service of the People of God in the Central Vicariate.

Yesterday, all of our hearts missed a beat to receive the news about the suspension of the public celebration of the Holy Mass. In a moment when we are all already concerned for our communities and loved ones, it seems almost too much to bear. But bear it we will.

This long Lent will be unlike any before in our lives. Right now, thousands of lives depend upon the decisions and actions of each one of us. If we heed the counsel of our medical professionals, they need time to cope with the storm that is breaking upon them – and they need us to help them slow the spread of the virus to buy that precious time. They, and we, need every medical resource for the care of those most vulnerable to this virus. Our isolation, our sacrifice of even that most dear to our hearts, will help make certain that those resources are there for those who need them.

Lent is about prayer, fasting, and almsgiving – know this, this extraordinary moment is an act of charity. We have not closed our Churches in fear, we are embracing a cross for love of our fellows. We will not be able to exercise our ministry in the usual way, but we can exercise ministry. Look for ways to connect people and connect people by other means. Help them remember in this crisis who we are and that we are a people who check on neighbors and help those in need. And, please, help the People of God understand the nature of this moment and the sacrifice that has been asked of us all.

May the Divine Physician heal you of every ill and May the Lord in His mercy forgive us, save us, and love us into eternity.

Fraternally yours,

+Richard