| Dear St. James Family, |
| Greetings on this fourth Sunday of Advent. I’m excited about entering Christmastide with you (December 25 – January 12)! Will we be singing your favorite Christmas hymns? Thanks to Robin Cooper, our dedicated hymn picker, the assembled the list of hymns is below. I’m also looking forward to delivering these heart warming homilies at Mass during Christmastide:December 24: Joyous Hope for Crazy FamiliesDecember 25: Poetic Reflections on the Christmas MiracleDecember 29: The Secret to Navigating Family IrritationsJanuary 1: The Power of Blessings Well ReceivedJanuary 5: Exercising Inspirational HospitalityJanuary 12: How Baptism Changed Eternity Check out this early Christmas gift: our new sign! It was installed at our building this past week. |
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| Upcoming Events FAVORITE HYMNS FOR THE CHRISTMAS OCTAVEJOYFULLY CELEBRATE THE SAVIOR Group singing together is good for your mental, emotional, social, physical and spiritual health (scroll down to see my writeup on these benefits). To get you ready, here are the hymns we will be singing. Christmas Carol Sing-Along, December 24, 3:45 – 4:15 PM Of The Father’s LoveThe First Nowell What Child Is This? Joy To The World Angels We Have Heard On High God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen The Snow Lay on the Ground In the Bleak Midwinter Good Christian Friends Rejoice Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24, 2024, 4:30 PM: Experience hope, joy, and wonder. Beautiful traditional music including choir, organist, and violinist, a message of hope, the Last Gospel, and the cherished tradition of singing Silent Night together at the end of the Mass. This Mass will not have incense. O Come, All Ye FaithfulIt Came Upon A Midnight ClearIn The Bleak of WinterUnto Us A Boy Is BornSilent Night, Holy Night Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25, 2024 10:15 AM: Celebrate the Lord on the day of his birth, and avoid the crowds. Beautiful reflective Mass, Christmas hymns led by song leader and organist, a message of hope, service concludes with the Last Gospel, and singing Joy to the World. There will be incense at this Mass. O Come All Ye FaithfulO Little Town of BethlehemIn The Bleak MidwinterAway In A MangerUnto Us A Child Is Born!Joy To The World! Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Sunday, December 29, 2024 Good Christian Friends, RejoiceLo, How A Rose E’er BloomingO Little Town of BethlehemIt Came Upon A Midnight ClearAngels From The Realms of Glory Mary the Holy Mother of God, Wednesday, January 1, 2025Holy Day of Obligation Immaculate MaryAway In A MangerLo, How A Rose E’er BloomingWhat Child Is ThisTell Out, My Soul, The Greatness of The Lord OTHER UPCOMING DATESLife After Death Workshop: I’ll be teaching on Judgement, Purgatory, Heaven, Hell. December 30, 7:00 PM at the Salem Centre 7235 Bentley Rd. Please let me know at least a few days ahead of time if you will be joining us so we know how much food to prep.Holy Day of Obligation: The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God: January 1, 10:15 AMMonthly Potluck: January 5, 11:30 AM. Opportunity to invest in relationships!Pick up Your Blessed Epiphany Chalk: January 5, 9:15 AMBuilding Update Presentation: January 5 after both Masses. Come and get the latest updates on how plans are changing and movingObtain Holy Water & Salt: January 12, 9:15 AM Experience the powerful blessing of holy water using the older more traditional formula. Bring your cooking salt to be blessed.Women’s Conference: Saturday, January 25, 2025, Savanah. $50. Register here. Cathy Messina is coordinating carpooling. Check out More Upcoming Events at the Website News and Announcements BENEFITS OF SINGING CAROLS TOGETHERREASONS TO MUSICALLY ENTER THIS JOYOUS SEASON Mental and emotional health: Singing reduces stress and anxiety, and improves overall mental and emotional health.Social connectedness: Singing together creates and sustains social bondsboosts feelings of belonging and community.Physical health: Singing improves breathing, posture, and muscle tension. It increases blood flow, which stimulate the production of hormones like endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine. These hormones help you feel happy and relaxed.Pain relief: Listening to and participating in music helps relieve pain.Growth in Holiness: Over and over again throughout the Bible God commands you to “Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.” 2025 LITURGICAL CALENDAR HAVE ARRIVEDPRAY WITH THE SAINTS AND SEASONS – $5 If you are on the pre-order list, we have your calendar ready for you. If you did not pre-order, there is a limited supply of extras. Please see Brian Burch who is often near the Hospitality Table after Mass, to pick up a calendar. CHRISTMAS OCTAVE?FESTIVE CELEBRATION THE RIGHT WAY The most important holy days (holidays) of the Church are celebrated for an octave – that is a full eight days. The Christmas Octave begins on December 25 and concludes on January 1. The foreshadowing of this celebration can be found in 1 Maccabees and is what Jews today celebrate as “Hanukkah.” The fulfilled and revealed form of this festival is called “The Christmas Octave.” This Festival of Lights is a great time to display your Christmas lights! This eight day octave is part of the traditional “Twelve Days of Christmas” which extend until Epiphany (January 5, this year), though the Christmas season goes until the Baptism of Jesus on January 12. If you have extra time off work during this season, this is a great time to give thanks to the Lord by attending Daily Mass as well as spending time with family. This is a great time to host a party too! UPDATED PLEDGE LIST – THANK YOUINCLUDES A FEW NAMES I FORGOT IN LAST EMAIL (-: If you have not yet turned in your pledge for 2025, please email it to me. Thanks to those who so graciously shared their giving estimates for this upcoming year: Dan Lucas, Robin Cooper, Louis Caron, Tina Newman, Nancy and Rex Setzer, Haitham Habib, Armando Lugo, Mary Ankenbauer, Philip and Melissa Mayer, Al and Diane Lamoureux, David Knapp, Cathy and Robert Messina, Paul and Lori Adelfio, Mercer Morris, Jeremy Dobbs, Mahlon and Iciar Wood, Ernie and Valerie Davis, Tammy Bonkowski, Susan and Bart Miller, Linda and Joe Salvatore, and Brian Burch. BUILDOUT PROGRESS UPDATEMADE IT THROUGH THE FIRST ROUND OF PERMITTING Sign Now Installed: This past Tuesday I met the sign guys to install the eye catching St. James sign. We now have a large, visible stake in the ground helping to let the community know that we will soon be arriving Flooring Finalized: Working with our interior designer, we finalized the flooring and are working on getting the order completed and set for delivery. You are going to love the warm wood floor appearance of the commercial grade vinyl planks that will be installed.Church Chairs & Kneelers are Ready: I received word that our 100 church chairs and slide out kneelers are now ready for delivery. These chairs have a waterfall seat front and a seat back with a lumbar cutaway for maximum comfort and support. They are 100% virgin polyurethane foam with no fillers (no carpet pad), treaded feet to keep rows in line, and come with a lifetime warranty.Met with Engineers: I was finally able to get a meeting with the engineering firm that we hired so that we could get on the same page with plan adjustments. Once these are completed, they will be submitted back to the city for permitting. Let’s go engineers. Dear Lord give them speed. YOUR GIFTS MATTERMAKE A YEAR-END TAX DEDUCTABLE GIFT Thank you for making a difference. God has used every act of kindness and generosity to help change the world. As 2024 is nearing its end, I am here to assist you with any year-end giving needs you may have. If you would like to make a year-end gift to support programs and ministry, or make a gift toward our capital fund which goes toward moving St. James into a stable location, you can do so today. Go to StJamesCC.org/Giving and make a one-time gift prior to 11:59 pm on December 31, 2024. You can use a credit card, debit card, or e-check. Gifts can also be sent through the mail but must be postmarked by December 31, 2024 to be eligible for a the 2024 tax deduction. The address is: St. James Catholic Church, Parsonage3725 Lilly Road NorthJacksonville, FL 32207 If you need assistance, please let me know by responding to this email or calling me at 904-999-1423. I look forward to connecting with you and helping to steward your gifts for the greatest ministry impact. SUPPORT HOLY FAMILY HOSPITAL, BETHLEHAMSPECIAL ADVENT REQUEST BY BISHOP LOPES Be part of making this Christmas look different in Bethlehem. With the current wartime conditions, families are struggling to find work or put food on their table. Holy Family Hospital serves as a light during these dark hard times by providing steady employment and essential healthcare services. Holy Family Hospital of Bethlehem is a Catholic teaching hospital located just 1,500 steps from the birthplace of Christ. Learn more or pick up a card from our giving tree on Sunday. Grow and Be Challenged in your Faith: Listen to a Homily If you have been away from St. James for a while or have yet to join us, get a little taste of the experience and receive some spiritual nourishment by listening to one of the homilies given during Mass. You can listen here or by searching for “Fr. Mayer’s Preaching & Teaching” wherever you get your podcasts. HOW TO MOVE THROUGH DIFFICULT TIMESDELIVERED ON DECEMBER 8, 2024 If you are moving through times of sorrow and affliction, this homily is for you. Learn from the 2,600 year old writings of Baruch and also the 2,000 year old preaching of John the Baptist how to transform sorrow into joy. A SIMPLE METHOD TO HELP OTHERS GET READY FOR JESUSDELIVERED ON DECEMBER 15, 2024 Learn from the prophets of the past whose voices still echo down through the centuries, an easy yet highly effective method for helping others get ready for Jesus’ return. By Inspired by the Richness of Our Traditions and Patrimony BLESS YOUR CHRISTMAS TREEWE MADE A LITTLE BROCHURE SO YOU CAN DO JUST THAT Our Cathedral in Houston has assembled a little booklet so that you can gather your family together for a tree blessing, ideally completed on Christmas Eve (though anytime is better than no blessing at all 🙂). It only takes a few minutes, is beautiful, full of Scripture, and includes a couple spots for carols around the tree. Lori, our secretary, has created a nice little brochure with all of the tree blessing prayers. Swing by St. James for Mass and pick one up. LAST GOSPEL DURING CHRISTMASTIDEEXPERIENCE THIS BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF POETRY The Last Gospel is the name given to the reading of John 1:1-18 at the end of Mass which especially emphasizes Christ becoming flesh. This practice began in medieval times when it became common among the priests and the altar party to recite the words of this gospel privately among themselves while on their way to the sacristy after leaving the altar. They considered this an especially appropriate way of meditating on the way that Christ becomes present in the Mass. The practice quickly spread in popularity and was soon taken up by the people. In response to the esteem of this devotion it was added to the Roman Missal in 1570. It ceased to be used in the Ordinary form of the Mass in the 1970s, but it continues within the Ordinariate and is especially commended during Christmastide, the great seasonal festival in which we commemorate Christ becoming flesh among us. |
| Faithfully, your pastor, Father Mayer |
Christmas 2024
