St James Catholic Church

Memorial Masses for Victims at Virginia Tech

PLEASE NOTE: Area Masses/Vigils/Events will be updated throughout the day and coming days at www.arlingtondiocese.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 17, 2007
CONTACT:Soren Johnson
Director of Communications
Diocese of Arlington

703-841-2767

Arlington Bishop Mourns Loss of Life at Virginia Tech,

Invites Area Catholics to Prayer

Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde called northern Virginia Catholics to pray for the victims and families of the Virginia Tech tragedy.  His statement follows:

“I am truly shocked and saddened by the senseless killings yesterday at Virginia Tech.  In addition, many were wounded.  I join countless others across the Commonwealth in praying for those killed, the wounded, the Virginia Tech campus community, and families and friends of the students.  I also am praying for the soul of the person responsible for this heinous act.  I commend all the victims of this unspeakable violence and their families to the Lord of Life and assure them that our diocesan family of Arlington , especially our clergy, offer their prayers and support in this time of grief and need.  Today I offered the holy Mass for those killed, wounded, and the entire community.”

Bishop Loverde invites members of the community to join him at a holy hour of prayer for the victims:

7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 22
Holy Spirit Church
8800 Braddock Rd.Annandale, VA 22003

Noted Irish tenor Mark Forestwill provide music during the time of prayer

Area Catholics Gather to Pray

Numerous area vigils, Masses, and holy hours to pray for the victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy are planned throughout the 68 parishes of the Diocese of Arlington.  An estimated 325 graduates of Paul VI Catholic High School (Fairfax ), Bishop Ireton (Alexandria), and Bishop O’Connell High School (Arlington) are currently enrolled at Virginia Tech.

Events will be updated regularly at www.arlingtondiocese.org.  Among those events planned to-date:

Prayer Service for Cathedral School Students

2:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 17
St. Thomas More Catholic School
(Lee Hall)
105 N. Thomas Street
Arlington, VA 22203

Mass for the Victims of Virginia Tech
7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 18
Holy Spirit Church
8800 Braddock Rd.
Annandale, VA 22003

Mass of Prayer and Healing for the Victims and Families
7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 18
All Saints Church
9300 Stonewall Rd.
Manassas, VA 20110-2594

Evening Prayer
8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 18
Our Lady of Good Counsel Church
8601 Wolftrap Rd.
Vienna, VA 22182

Memorial Mass for the Victims of Virginia Tech
7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 18
St. James Church
830 West Broad Street
Falls Church, VA 22046

Mass to Pray for Victims and the Wounded
7:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 19
St. Bernadette Church
7600 Keene Mill Rd.
Springfield, VA 22152

Holy Hour of Prayer
7:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 19
Cathedral of St. Thomas More
3901 Cathedral Lane
Arlington, VA 22203

Over 400,000 registered Catholics belong to the 68 parishes of the Arlington Diocese, which encompasses 21 counties and seven independent cities in the northern tier of Virginia. Further information can be found at www.arlingtondiocese.org.

Mass of Remembrance: April 4 at 8:00 PM

A Mass of Remembrance for those who have suffered the death of a loved one will be celebrated this Wednesday, April 4 at 8:00pm (Mass is at 8:00pm because of Confessions being heard at 7:00pm) in the Church.

We never get over a death of someone very close to us, especially a spouse, child, parent, grandparent or friend, but we all keep moving forward in life, trusting that one day we will see them again when God calls us home to Him. For those who have suffered a loss; I invite you to come and continue the healing of your loss and to fulfill the scripture passage that says: "Pray for the living and the dead." Maybe for some, this is a time to say the things you wanted to say or to seek forgiveness of the one who died. This Mass is a wonderful moment in the privacy of your heart to offer the Mass for things unsaid or unforgiven. What more beautiful way to prepare for the celebration of Easter morning, than by making peace through this Mass with your loved one and with God.

Adult Confirmation Classes

If you are an adult who has not received the Sacrament of Confirmation you are invited to attend preparation classes taught by Fr. Hanley. Confirmation is a vital sacrament that gives the grace to remain strong in your faith in the face of life's many strains. Classes will be held Tuesday nights at 7:30 p.m. starting April 17 and concluding May 29. Participants will be prepared to receive the sacrament on May 27 at St. Thomas More Cathedral. Please contact the Rectory at 703/532-8815 for more information.

Schedule Notices for Holy Week

REMINDER - EXPOSITION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT: Please note that there will be Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament this Friday, April 6, from 9:00 -11:45 a.m. in St. James Church.

ATTENTION! THERE WILL BE EARLY DISMISSAL FOR THE SCHOOL AT 11:30 A.M. THIS THURSDAY, APRIL 5.. MAY WE ASK PEOPLE ATTENDING THE NOON MASS TO PARK ON THE STREET? THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION

PLEASE NOTE: the Rectory office will be closed on Good Friday, April 6th. The office will reopen at 9:00 a.m. Monday, April 9th.

Divine Mercy Prayer Host Families Needed

St. James will be blessed to host a beautiful image of the Divine Mercy in the Church for one week. Five families are also needed to host smaller images in their homes at the same time. They are asked to pray the Chaplet of Mercy and the Rosary every evening for the week the image is in their homes. Prayers will be offered for the intentions of suffering parish families. If interested, please call the coordinator, Fatima Diaz, at 703/658-2526.

Divine Mercy Prayer Coordinator Needed

St. James will be blessed to host a beautiful image of the Divine Mercy in the Church for one week. A coordinator is needed to recruit parishioners to pray in the church during that week. Five families are also needed to host smaller images in their homes at the same time. They are asked to pray the Chaplet of Mercy and the Rosary every evening for the week the image is in their homes. Prayers will be offered for the intentions of suffering parish families. If interested, please call the parish office at 703/532-8815.

President's Day Schedule

PRESIDENT'S DAY HOLIDAY CLOSING Monday, February 19,2007, President's Day is a Federal Holiday. There will be only one Mass at 8:30 a.m.

James School and the Rectory Office will be closed.

St. James Hospitality Committee

We would like to form a Hospitality Committee for our parish. When I arrived here, at St. James last summer, one of the first things that I wanted to do, was have a "Meet and Greet" after all the Masses my first weekend, with coffee and doughnuts. When I asked "Who in the parish could put this together?" the response was that we haven't done this in so long, and there is no group in the parish to do this. Since then, we have had so many wonderful events and speakers here, at St. James, and we are always struggling to find someone to help set up coffee, tea and cookies to help welcome those attending the different events.

If you would like to be a part of the Hospitality Committee to greet new priests coming into the parish, welcome outside speakers coming to give a talk to our parishioners, organize different hospitality events, call Cindy at the parish office, 703/532-8815, to place your name on the list. The first meeting of the Hospitality Committee will be on Saturday, March 31 at 10:00 a.m., in the Knecht Conference Room. For this meeting, I will prepare coffee, tea and treats!

St. James Parish Nurses Ministry

St. James also wants to form a Parish Nurses Ministry. This group of retired or active nurses will help with monthly blood pressure screenings after the Masses one weekend a month, help organize a variety of health screenings during the year, go with the priests on house call visits to the sick (the parish nurse would not do hands on medical care, but would reassure the person that either the reaction to some meds was normal, or that they should contact their doctor), and promote health awareness issues through the parish bulletin.

The first meeting of the Parish Nurse Ministry will be Saturday, March 31, at 11:00 a.m., in the Knecht Conference Room. Please call Cindy to put your name on the list so we know how many people to prepare for. The guest speaker will be Nancy Grish, who is the coordinator of the Parish Nurse Ministry at St. Francis de Sales Parish in Purcellville Virginia.

St. James Bereavement Committee

We need you! We want to form a Bereavement Committee that would help reach out to our parish members who are suffering a loss of a loved one. This committee would be informed of a recent death and make a visit to the family, represent the parish at the vigil service, be present to help the family pass out programs and holy cards at the Mass, offer to host a reception luncheon after the cemetery visit and make a follow-up visit to the family after a few days have gone by. My idea is that several families would agree to make lasagnas and have them frozen and available at the Church facilities, so when a family is in agreement, to have some light reception after the cemetery. The Committee would heat up the lasagna and offer a salad and refreshments in the parish hall. If you would like to be a part of this committee, please call Cindy Dreslin at the parish office to be placed on the list.

The first meeting of the Bereavement Committee is scheduled for Saturday, March 31 at 9:00 a.m. in the Knecht Conference Room, next to the gym. If you cannot make this meeting, but are very much interested in being a part of the committee, let Cindy know this when calling.