Dear St. James Family, As I write this I am up at Mundelein Seminary, just outside of Chicago, attending the annual clergy assembly, a time of reconnecting with my brother priests, listening to talks, and learning how to be a better pastor by assuring that St. James is a place of welcome and safety. I always enjoy this gathering, but having been here a few days I am looking forward to being back with you all. Which reminds me, if you have been away for a time or have not yet made a visit to St. James, you might check out the webpage I recently assembled for you, with videos about our beliefs, practices, and traditions so that you can learn more about this rich and beautiful expression of our faith and how it developed. Check it out and share it with someone you believe it would be helpful to. ONCE IN A LIFETIME FESTIVITIES IN ST. AUGUSTINE MY EXPERIENCE OF THE CORONATION OF OUR LADY OF LA LECHE This past Sunday afternoon I had the privilege of going down to St. Augustine with a group from St. James to join in the excitement and festivities for the Coronation of Our Lady of La Leche. We gathered with a thousand others and watched the papal legate place crowns on a statue of our Lord Jesus Christ and his Mother, a rare honor from Pope Francis which signifies and raises the shrine to a place of universal prominence for the Catholic Church. You can learn more about the Coronation by watching this promotional video. The statue was then led by a group of white dressed dancing children and processed through the crowd of singing and cheering people. It was a joy filled experience. If you have not seen it, our Lady of La Leche, or our Lady of the Milk is a statue of Mother Mary breastfeeding the baby Jesus. This meditation on the nursing Mother Mary and her child is one of the oldest Christian devotions as can be witnessed from the paintings on the walls of Rome's catacombs of the Blessed Lady nursing the infant Jesus. This beautiful tender image down in St. Augustine has attracted many hopeful parents for the past 500 years, drawn to the intimacy of this image and inspired to ask Mother Mary to pray for them, that they might conceive and give of themselves in this same way to a little child. There are many stories of infertile couples couples who had medical procedures and still could not get pregnant, who then visited the shrine in St. Augustine, asked the Blessed Mother for her prayers and are now parents. If you have not yet been, make a day trip and visit the International Shrine of Our of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios. |
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WOMEN'S GATHERING THIS SATURDAY OCTOBER 16, 2021 at 1:00 PM Ladies, get better acquainted over lunch and enjoy a delicious crepe at the Belgian Sweet House Bistro, 12276 San Jose Blvd, # 713. Please RSVP with Nancy Caron: 904-502-5893. OBTAIN AN ORDO (LITURGICAL) CALENDAR Sunday, October 17, 2021 Reservation Deadline Great tool for daily personal devotion. This traditional calendar faithfully lists the saint days and solemnities of the upcoming year, corresponding to the official ordo of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter. The reservation deadline for this Walsingham Edition 2022 Ordo calendar is Sunday, October 17. Please hold onto the $5 per calendar payment until you receive the actual calendar which will decrease the likelihood of losing track of who paid and who did not. Reserve your calendar by notifying Brian Burch: beburch67@gmail.com or 904-755-4076 UPCOMING DATES AT A GLANCE MARK YOUR CALENDAR - All Souls at St. Joseph: Join Fr. Mayer on Nov. 2, 2021, 7:00 PM at the historic Church of St. Joseph, to pray for the faithful departed. Candlelit procession into cemetery. Contact Office@StJamesCC.org if you will be attending, have a loved one who died in the last twelve months, and you would like their name read out loud at the Mass.
- Outdoor Advent Procession: Sunday, November 28, 2021 Penitential procession at the beginning of Mass, chanting the Great Litany, a beautiful and somber way to begin Adventide, this season of penance, preparation, and anticipation leading up to Christmas.
- St. Nicholas Party: Sunday, December 5, 2021, 11:30 AM. Food, stories, an appearance from the fourth century saint, gold coins for the kids.
- Immaculate Conception Mass: Wednesday, December 8, 2021, 5:30 PM. Holy day of obligation in celebration of the Blessed Mother coming into existence without sin, perfectly designed by her Son who honored her by fittingly seeing that she be conceived in this way.
- Christmas: December 24, 2020 at 4:30 PM Candlelight Vigil Mass or December 25 at 10:15 AM joyously celebrate the Nativity of the Lord.
Faithfully your pastor, Father Mayer |
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SOME SAINTS FOR SEPTEMBER SAINTS PUT A MAGNIFYING GLASS ON CHRIST'S CHARACTER Assembled by Fr. Gregory Tipton, pastor of St. Aelred Catholic Church, Athens, GA HOLY GARDIAN ANGELS OCTOBER 2 Jesus said, "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven." The little ones he's describing are children plainly, and all the baptized spiritually (see: Matthew 18). His claim "their angels" then is the proof text for each person upon Guardian Angels. Also from the tradition of Christians from the earliest days as a teaching passed on from Apostolic times. Likewise, the "Cherubic Hymn" in the Byzantine Liturgy commemorates all "guardian angels." Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi - the law of prayer is the law of belief. ST. JOHN CARDINAL HENRY NEWMAN OCTOBER 9 Saint Newman led the Oxford Movement within Anglicanism in the mid twentieth century. Having retraced Catholic teaching from the Scriptures, a concern for Anglicans in that time, he came upon the realization that the Catholic Church was the true church. He converted and eventually became a Catholic priest and cardinal. His massive intellect was something perhaps unseen since St. Thomas Aquinas. He was known to be an affectionate friend and a man of devotion. As a Catholic, he was perceived with suspicion as 'still Protestant' but time has vindicated his positions. His writings are referenced in the Catechism. He is the unofficial Forerunner of the Ordinariate and some have given him the title of the Father of the Second Vatican Council. ST. EDWARD THE CONFESSOR OCTOBER 13 The first Anglo-Saxon canonized and virtually the last king of England. St. Edward restored England and more specifically the House of Wessex to power over their Danish (Viking) conquerors who had settled in. He grew up assisting at Mass, the Divine Office, and hunting. He made the kingdom run without taxing his people ("good St. Edward's laws") and only fought wars that were defensive (Just War). He was killed by the Normans (modern French) at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. His title "Confessor" means he confessed Christ by deed with a pious life. SAINTS SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES OCTOBER 28 Jude's actual name is Judas, but was shortened in English to "Jude" to avoid confusion him with the traitor, Judas Iscariot. His other name is Thaddeus. The confusion merited him the title "Patron of Lost Causes." Simon was a "Zealot," a group that followed the Maccabees and thought the Christ would return as a warrior to throw out the Romans and the State of Israel would be the source of salvation, rather than the lineage of Israel, the man. He was said to have visited the Brittaniae Isles (English speakers in Albion/Britain) in 44 AD. He was sawn in half in Persia for evangelizing the people. His relics (holy remains) are in the North Transept under the St. Joe's altar at St. Peter's Basilica. ✠ |
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