Happy Thanksgiving to the St. James family and friends, This Sunday we will be kicking off a new liturgical year as we enter into Adventide, a season of expectation and preparation leading to Christmas! If you have been away from the Church for a time, this Sunday would be a great opportunity to hop back on-board. The first Sunday of Advent has always been well attended at St. James, so be sure to arrive early if you would like a good seat. At the 10:15 liturgy, we will begin outside by chanting the Great Litany (a prayer of repentance) while walking around the perimeter of the property prior to entering the church to begin Mass. I will be giving a homily explaining an impending end times event, that if properly understood, is powerful in bridling the evil inclinations of the heart and a great assistance for growing in holiness. Over the next few weeks at Mass I will continue to share the Church's teaching on the last things as is traditional during this time of the year. For those of you who are curious to put your toe a bit further into the water at St. James, especially if you are planning to or have begun attending in the last twelve months, we will be hosting a four week class designed especially for you. This class will allow you to get to know me and your fellow attenders, to learn about the history and vision of St. James and how you fit in, as well as discovering the depth and intricacies of the Mass so you can pray it well. January 9, 16, 23, and 30, 9:15 AM - 10:00 AM. Limited space. Reserve your spot: office@StJamesCC.org. |
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ST. NICHOLAS PARTY SUN, DEC. 5, 2021, 11:30 AM Come and be our guest as we celebrate the life of this fourth century saint and bishop of the Church. There will be food, stories, and an appearance by this much loved saint, as well as gold coins for the kids. |
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WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION? MASS, WED, DEC. 8, 2021, 5:30 PM Many people mistakenly believe that this solemnity celebrates Jesus’ conception, but what is actually being celebrated is the immaculate conception of Mary. Jesus perfectly honored his mother by assuring that she be created immaculately or as Scripture says "full of grace," that is conceived without sin, one of only four human beings to come into existence in this way (the other three are Adam, Eve, and Jesus). |
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This is one of the most important Marian feasts in the liturgical calendar, so much so that for dozens of countries this is a public holiday and the occasion is celebrated with parades, fireworks, processions, food, and cultural festivities in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Church has proclaimed this occasion to be a Holy Day of Obligation meaning that all Catholics are obliged out of obedience to go to Mass on this day, unless a person has a serious reason why he cannot go. Otherwise deliberately forgoing this obligation is a grave sin. |
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CHRISTMAS CAROLS FRI, DEC. 24, 2021, 3:50 PM - 4:20 PM Join in singing your favorite Christmas hymns led by the St. James Schola! Christmas Carols have a rich tradition within the Church. Though carols were in place during the first few centuries, they fell out of popularity until St. Francis of Assisi revived them in the thirteenth century when he started his nativity plays. In the seventeenth century in England, the powerful Protestants stopped all Christmas singing, however such joy and festivity could not be kept under wraps for long and carols once again became popular in churches and concert halls, reaching their zenith in what is known as a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. |
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CHRISTMAS EVE CANDELIGHT VIGIL MASS FRI, DEC. 24, 2020 at 4:30 PM Experience hope, joy, and wonder. Beautiful traditional music, a message of hope, and the cherished tradition of passing the candlelight - the light of Christ - as we sing Silent Night together at the end of the Mass CHRISTMAS MASS DURING THE DAY DEC. 25, 2020 at 10:15 AM Celebrate the Lord on the day of his birth, and avoid the crowds. Beautiful reflective Mass, Christmas hymns, a message of hope, service concludes with singing Joy to the World. |
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BISHOP ELECTED LITURGICAL CHAIRMAN
Our Bishop, Steven J. Lopes, was elected to head the Committee for Divine Worship by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) at their annual general assembly in Baltimore last week! How exciting an honor!
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For those of you who do not know, Bishop Lopes shepherds our diocese, the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, one of three Roman Rite Catholic dioceses with Anglican traditions established by Pope Benedict XVI. The diocese has nearly 40 parishes and communities spread across the U.S. and Canada. Bishop Lopes was ordained a Catholic priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 2001 and later worked in the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith until Pope Francis named him bishop for the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter in 2015. Bishop Lopes has led the Ordinariate with a focus on Pope Francis's vision of "missionary discipleship.” The bishop has expertise in Eucharistic theology, and has championed the Ordinariate as living out Vatican II's vision both of ecumenism and Catholic ecclesial life. Happy Advent and Christmastide, Faithfully your pastor, Father Mayer |
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