Make time for Mercy! St. James Country Christmas - December 8 Join us on Saturday, December 8, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm for our St. James Country Christmas celebration! From bonfires to hayrides, camels to llamas, and food and warm drink, we will have something for the whole family. A live nativity scene will cap the event. The band and chorus of Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School will provide a lively program of music and carols for the event. It really does promise to be a great time! I will see you there! 2018StJamesCountryChristmas Parking Restrictions on December 8 Due to our Country Christmas Celebration, there will be parking restrictions in effect all day on Saturday, December 8. "B Lot" will be closed ALL day on Saturday, as will the House of Ministries parking lot. We will be putting out appropriate barriers to signify the closures; please do not attempt to move the barriers or disregard them. We appreciate your cooperation on what we know will be a busy day for the Parish.
Solemnity of The Immaculate Conception - December 8 Please do not forget that Saturday, December 8, is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a Holy Day of Obligation which requires all Catholics to attend Mass to celebrate the Solemnity. We will offer Masses on this schedule: Friday, December 7: 7:30pm (Vigil) Saturday, December 8: 6:30am, 8:30am (IHM Sisters' Vow Renewal), and Noon Please note that attending the 5:00pm Vigil Mass on Saturday does not alleviate your obligation to attend one of the masses for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. As parking will be impacted on December 8, please plan your Mass attendance accordingly. IHM Sisters' Vow Renewal - December 8 Please join us at the 8:30am Mass on Saturday, December 8, to celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and to witness our wonderful IHM Sisters renewing their vows as servants of Christ. Our Sisters do so much for St. James Parish, it would be wonderful if the Parish would turn out to support them on this important and holy occasion. Attendance at this Mass will fulfill your obligation for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Thank you for your support.
Parish Events at St. James - Week of December 3, 2018 New Weekly Advent Reflection Series To help you prepare spiritually for the celebration of our Lord's birth on December 25, we have developed a weekly Advent Reflection Video series. On each Sunday of Advent, we will publish a video featuring a St. James Catholic School student. The student will offer their perspectives on a weekly Advent reading and theme. Each video corresponds to a reflection question that will be posted on the weekly Bulletin's cover and the top of page six, as well as online as part of our weekly "Light Your Heart" series of posts. We hope that each video helps you better understand the purpose and meaning of Advent and helps you fully prepare for Christmas. You can find the entire video collection at https://bit.ly/2qezaqy.
Christmas and New Year's Mass and Confession Schedule In order to help you prepare better for the Holy Days of Obligation on December 25 (Solemnity of the Nativity of our Lord) and Januar1 (Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God), please see our mass schedule below: Christmas Masses Christmas Eve (December 24) The Vigil of the Nativity of our Lord 5:00pm (Children's Mass), 7:00pm, 9:00pm, Midnight Christmas Day (December 25) The Nativity of our Lord) (A Holy Day of Obligation) 7:30am, 9:00am, 10:30am, Noon, and 2:30pm (Misa en Español) New Year's Eve (December 31) Vigil of the Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God) 7:30pm New Year's Day (January 1, 2019) The Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God (A Holy Day of Obligation) 6:30am, 8:30am, Noon, and 2:30pm (Misa en Español ) Christmas Confessions December 20 10:00am-11:45am and 7:00pm-8:30pm December 21 10:00am-11:45am and 7:00pm-8:30pm December 22 10:00am-12:00pm, 3:30pm-4:30pm and 7:30pm-8:30pm
The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe - December 12 Join the Hispanic Community of St. James Catholic Church, and surrounding parishes, at a Mass honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe at 7:00pm on Wednesday, December 12. The Mass will be followed by a procession to Knecht Gymnasium where a reception will be held. We hope to see you there!
St. James to Host Simbang Gabi Mass on December 16 St. James' Filipino community, along with Filipinos from across the region, will celebrate a Mass as part of Simbang Gabi on December 16 at 4:30pm. The Mass will be followed by a reception in Heller Hall (Door 13) featuring the food and music of the Philippines. Simbang Gabi is a series of pre-dawn and early evening masses held for nine consecutive days prior to Christmas, the series of masses concludes on Christmas Eve with the "Misa de Gallo," or Midnight Mass. The tradition was started by Spanish friars serving in the Philippines in the early 16th century. For more information Simbang Gabi click here. We hope you will be able to join us for this important tradition.
WorkCamp 2019 Registration Closes on December 19 Any student currently in grades 9-12 is welcome to sign up for WorkCamp that will be held June 22-28, 2019. Participation includes four mandatory preparation meetings held from January- May, plus other optional events, in addition to the actual week of WorkCamp. For more information about WorkCamp, and to watch a video about the program's impact, please visit the Arlington Diocese Website, https://bit.ly/2ondgfu and send an email to Karen Graffam at klgraffam@gmail.com. All participants must sign up by December 19, so even if you are just thinking about it, send a note to Karen.