| Dear St. James Family, |
| April 16, 2023 is Divine Mercy Sunday! About a hundred years ago Jesus said to a polish nun, St. Faustina, that he wanted the Church to have a Feast of Mercy to be a refuge and shelter for souls, especially for poor sinners. He said that on that day the depths of his tender mercy are open and that he would pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approached the fount of his mercy. He said that the soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment (Diary, no. 699). About twenty years ago, the Church responded to this request by declaring the Sunday after Easter to be divine Mercy Sunday. Power to Convert Hardened Sinners: This Sunday I will be preaching about this complete forgiveness of sins and punishments and about what it means in easy to understand terms, to obtain a plenary indulgence. Part of this process requires praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, which we will be doing after Mass. Jesus promised St. Faustina that if the most hardened sinner were to recite the chaplet, the person would receive grace from his infinite mercy (Diary, no. 1541). A Guarantee against Perishing: Below you will see the Divine Mercy Image that the Lord requested, with red and white rays symbolizing the blood that Jesus poured out for us and also the washing away of sins. Jesus asked that his image be painted and venerated throughout the world: “I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish” (Diary, no. 48) and “By means of this image I will grant many graces to souls” (Diary, no. 742). We will have this image displayed at St. James this Sunday. Urgency: Remember, Jesus chose to give us this feast of Divine Mercy at this time in history because the end is drawing near, closer than ever before. The awful day of his justice, is near” but his mercy is available now, especially this Sunday. Don’t wait. Come and join us and partake of his mercy. |
| Happy Meat Friday! Normally we as Catholics give up meat on Fridays (required during Lent, strongly encouraged during the rest of the year), but not Friday, April 14. Why? Because this is part of the Easter Octave. Easter is such a big solemnity on the Church calendar that it is celebrated for a full eight days! That means every day, from this past Sunday, April 9, to this coming Sunday, April 16, is a day of celebration! So, bring on the meat lovers pizza or that sizzling steak in celebration of our Lord’s resurrection! Beautiful Easter Day Mass. Thank you to the Dedicated People of St. James! This past Sunday was truly a splendid liturgical experience celebrating our Lord’s resurrection. The schola, which has been meeting and practicing with great diligence, sang with beauty and movement that truly fit the occasion. Thank you also to the crew that took care of our liturgical gear transportation(altar, statues, kneelers, vestments, child area, etc) to the Hardage-Giddens Chapel and back to the Mandarin Community Club. A special thanks also to the folks who arrived at 6:30 AM or earlier to get everything set up. Also, a special mention of our adopted family over at Hardage-Giddens for so generously allowing us to use their chapel and for taking such great care of us, even providing us with refreshments after each Mass. One of their staff members and his family even joined us for Mass! It is such a blessing to be part of such a wonderful, hardworking, and dedicated community. Thank you. Two Men Baptized and One Received into the Church this Past Sunday On April 9, 2023 at the 8:00 AM Mass I had the privilege of baptizing Kenneth Workman and Brandon Smith and then receiving Brett Baker into the Church immediately before confirming all three men. For many months now, these three men have been discerning and praying and studying in preparation to make the decision to come into the Catholic Church. It is not easy becoming Catholic:-). It was a truly joyous occasion to be part of their journey, which has included not only myself and the community of St. James, but also many others in the wider Catholic community including the Sons of Our Lady who you see pictured with me and the new Catholics in the picture below. Immediately to my right (your left) is Brandon Smith in the white alb, and then Brett Baker(patterned gray shirt). To my left (your right) is Kenneth Workman (white alb, gray hair). |
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Why Public Sunday Worship and belief in the Resurrection are Connected Learn why the sign of being part of God’s family has been for millenia to set asside a specific day of the week for God. Learn why that day changed from Saturday to Sunday. Discover an easy way to get into the practice of public worship on Sundays or if you already have the Sunday habit down, how to more fully observe the whole of Sunday, even outside of Mass, as a day of service to others. Listen to this and my other homilies at StJamesCC.org/Homilies or by searching “Fr. Mayer’s Preaching & Teaching” wherever you get your podcasts Other Upcoming DatesCatholic Prayer Class: Mon, 7-9 PM, 4/24 (Assumption Conference Rm.)Evening Prayer and Potluck: Sunday, May 7, 4-6 PM Host Home Needed. Rogation Sunday Procession: May 14, 2023, following the 10:15 Mass will be a joyful outdoor procession thanking God for the beauty of his creation and asking for his protection during the upcoming hurricane season.Ascension Mass: Thursday, May 18, 5:30 PM Holy Day of ObligationWelcome & Orientation Dinner: Sunday, May 21, 4-7. History and Vision of St. JamesPentecost Potluck: Sunday, May 28, 12:00 PM. Don’t forget to wear red! Check out All Upcoming Events at the Website |
| Faithfully, your pastor,Father Mayer |
| Parochial AdministratorSt. James Catholic Church |
Divine Mercy 4/14/2
