Eastertide 4/20/23

This Sunday during the homily I will be explaining what we do during Mass. If you are curious about how the liturgy is structured or why the priest traditionally says the prayers with his back to you or how to pray the Mass well rather than moving through what feels like empty ritual, this Sunday is for you. Come and learn how the resurrected Lord becomes present during the Mass in order to set your heart on fire!

At the beginning of the primary Mass (10:15 AM) I will also be welcoming a number of people as candidates. These are individuals who have been attending classes and learning about the Catholic faith, who are now taking the next step to make public their discernment about whether or not to become part of the Catholic Church. They and their sponsors will be asked to come forward at the beginning of the Mass so that the community of St. James can know who they are and can pray for them and support them during this part of their journey.

Keep Meatless Fridays Going
All throughout Lent you practiced meatless Fridays. What many do not know is that we are asked to continue offering up Fridays as sort of mini Lent throughout the year. To do this, going meatless on Fridays holds pride of place, but for some, giving up meat is not much of a sacrifice and soon the Fridays outside of Lent, you can choose to fast from something else of your choice that would be more of a sacrifice for you than meat.

Why do we fast? Just as Jesus fasted and prayed (Mk 1:13) so we too from time immemorial have set apart Friday, the of Christ’s crucifixion, for special penitential observance. Through this we gladly suffer with Christ that they may one day be glorified with Him. The Friday penance is a little participation in Jesus death for us on cross (Col 1:24).

Our bishops also encourage other ways of exercising the Friday penance: volunteer work in hospitals, visiting the sick, serving the needs of the aged and the lonely, instructing the young in the Faith, participating as Christians in community affairs, and meeting our obligations to our families, our friends, our neighbors, and our community, including our parishes, with a special zeal born of the desire to add the merit of penance to the other virtues exercised in good works born of living faith.

Make a Good Marriage Great: Learn about Teams of Our Lady on April 27 or May 12
Connect with other couples, grow spiritually, have fun. A Team is comprised of seven couples (whose marriage is recognized in the eyes of the Catholic Church) who meet monthly, rotating from one home to another. The team shares a simple meal, prayer, sharing on endeavors, and a study topic. Teams of Our Lady is a movement of “married spirituality” officially recognized by the Holy See under the Pontifical Council for the Laity. This is an information meeting which means there is obligation, just an opportunity to learn. Thursday, April 27, 2023, 6:30 PM at the Queen of Angels Catholic Store, 11629 San Jose Blvd. Suite 3 In Mandarin or Friday May 12, 2023 6:30 PM at the home of Chad and Raquel Tripp (RSVP to obtain their address). Share the Information Meeting Flyer.

Prayer and Potluck at a Miller Home, May 7, 2023 at 4:00 PM
Experience one of the treasures of the Ordinariate: Praying Daily Office Evening Prayer while having fun and eating food with your favorite people at the home of Bart and Susan Miller: 6900 Greenholly Dr., Jacksonville. Please let Brian know after Mass that you are coming so that he can get you signed up to bring a dish. For questions or more information please contact Doug Nesmith: dnesmith01@yahoo.com 904-708-0675.Please RSVP by May 4, 2023.

Encouragement from GlobalChurch News: Pope Francis Masterfully Engages those Living AlternativeLifestyles
I found myself much encouraged while listening to the Where Peter Is Podcast in which you willhear discussion around the latest developments with the German Church’s SynodalWay, the new Disney+/Hulu special featuring Pope Francis, and an update on theSynod on Synodality, which has progressed from the continental stage and is nowpreparing for the October assembly in Rome. You can listenor watch the special over at You Tube.

My Pilgrimage Experience Down to St. John Fisher Catholic Church
About a dozen of us had a great time together this past Saturday driving down to St. John Fisher Catholic Church near Orlando to see if a leased space in a store front might be a possible next step for us as a community. St. John Fisher is a sister community that was meeting for Mass in a school cafeteria for the past few years until they built up their attendance to about 100 people on a weekend. They found a 3,800 square feet space that was previously used as a dance studio and turned it into a Church. For us to do something similar we will need to increase our monthly giving from $7,000 to$11,000. During the past few years giving has increased over 50% per year so if that continues we will be able to afford to move into a more permanent leased space sometime next year.

Finance Update for MarchGiving for March: $7,522.18 | Monthly Average Giving for past twelve months:$7,083.19 (average giving at this same time last year: $5,135.61)March Expenses: $5,589.45 | Covers quarter of priest’s support, half of pension, travel, liturgical supplies, music, building rent and liability insurance, advertising, bishop’s tax, almsgiving, hospitalityOur Own Space: help us increase our monthly average giving to $11,000 in order to move into a leased space allowing for daily Mass, 24/7 tabernacle access, classes, gatherings, meetings, space for children’s ministry, an office for Fr. Mayer. At our current growth rate, we hope to meet this goal during 2024.

Divine Mercy Indulgence Explained
Learn how to obtain complete remission of all sins and punishments on Divine Mercy Sunday.
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 Dates

• Catholic Prayer Class: Mon, 7-9 PM,  4/24 (Assumption Conference Rm.)
• Evening Prayer and Potluck: Sunday, May 7, 4-6 PM
• 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 Obligation
• Welcome & Orientation Dinner: Sunday, May 21, 4-7. History and Vision of St. James
• Pentecost Potluck: Sunday, May 28, 12:00 PM. Don’t forget to wear red!

Check out All Upcoming Events at the Website