St. James Roman Catholic Church

                                      Advent: Because That’s Just Who We Are

   Advent comes from the Latin word for “Coming” or “Arrival”. It’s obviously about the birth of Jesus, but it is also about the arrival of the Kingdom. The attributes we assign to Advent regarding the birth of Jesus: preparation, readiness, awareness, conversion; are also the same attributes assigned to us for the coming of the Kingdom of God.

   The Gospel for the last Sunday of the Church year (Christ the King) gives us the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. The “King” separates people as a Shepherd would separate sheep and goats. “Come, you who are Blessed by my Father. Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”.  The assumption is that the Kingdom is a reward for their behavior (not an inheritance at all).  Here’s the thing, it’s not a reward. The “Sheep” have no idea what the King is referring to. The “Goats” respond that they would have acted differently if they had only known, or if they were told; “When didn’t we minister to you Lord?” “Just tell us the rules”. The “Sheep”, after their actions are commended, reply, “Oh that, it’s just what we do”. They’re not following rules, performing good works, they are just doing the right thing because that is who they are. They sincerely have no clue about the depth of their disposition to others, and THAT’S THE POINT. The Kingdom is a RELATIONSHIP made up of people who will instinctively, naturally and without thought or calculation, JUST TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER. 

   The Kingdom and the preparation of Advent, is not about being good, behaving properly, or following the rules; it’s about doing the right thing, because that is simply who we are. Advent is a time to help us become people who build the Kingdom by doing what comes naturally as people of Faith. If it’s simpler or easier to accept by just being told to feed the hungry, quench the thirsty, shelter the homeless, visit the sick and imprisoned; of course that is exemplary, and you should do that (as the “Corporal Works of Mercy” are a wonderful guide). The call and challenge, however, is to DO all that, without even knowing you’re doing it, or, at the very least, have no idea why.

   Advent is a time to cultivate an automatic, instinctive, and natural disposition to take care of those in need, not for credit or some type of reward, but because it is just what we do, because it’s just who we are.

   The Birth of Jesus doesn’t make us good, it makes us Kingdom-People.  The most successful Advent would be the one that ends with hearing God say, “You are Blessed because you have created the Kingdom by taking care of me”. And us responding, “Oh that, we didn’t even know that was you, that’s just who we are.”  Happy Advent!

Mask It or Casket! A reminder about the importance of wearing a mask in church.

Please be advised that in accordance with CDC guidelines and our previously announced requirement that all who choose to attend Mass at St. James MUST wear either a mask or other face-covering that covers the mouth and nose is mandatory and no exceptions will be made.

Anyone observed not wearing a mask/face covering will be asked by an usher to either don a mask or immediately leave the church. Should that individual refuse to comply with the usher’s request, the ushers have been directed to interrupt the presider, who will publicly address the situation with the offender.

The wearing of face coverings has been shown to reduce transmission of droplets that may carry the coronavirus or other illnesses.  As such, it is a simple and effective sign of courtesy and respect towards others in our midst. 

Your cooperation is vital in order for us to continue to publicly celebrate Mass during the ongoing pandemic.

The lockdown caused by the ongoing pandemic has affected the majority of houses of worship, regardless of their specific faith tradition. The struggle to provide safe ways to bring people back to church is universal and has resulted in some humorous approaches to the issue. Here's what one Episcopal priest has done to entice his parishioners back to church services: ( be sure to have your volume on!)

https://url.emailprotection.link/?bn_93kyX_OdPIEsr4ju0Qfeu3ok6nvk6FfpqFgbmWrsLwzwwmO22ORizjp-ajKaggtO7eTAClhJwpH1UDDi4HNEQIbtAZjUYrxRUOmYqaTsSYiQtt2HKhwFHQv1-_okoeg1pD27VxDKJhvNoU4ZzpYrR6CYmwvZU9VYd8hTQxy7Q~

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

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. 

We continue to see an increase in the number of people coming to Our Daily Bread for assistance and once again ask for your assistance in keeping our pantry stocked with non-perishable items such as peanut butter, jellies/jams, beans, canned tuna or chicken, canned fruits, pasta, mac and cheese, cereal, rice, tomato sauce. Personal care/toiletry items are also needed, including toothpaste, soap and toilet tissue.

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

Our Daily Bread Volunteers