St James Catholic Church

Blessing of Easter Food Baskets

Father Majka will have the traditional blessing of the Easter Food Baskets in church on Holy Saturday, April 7 at 9:30. Come and share this beautiful tradition of many European countries. Prepare a basket, lined with white linen, and include foods such as breads, butter, decorated eggs, cheeses, meats, cakes, salt and pepper. The custom is to end the Lenten fast and celebrate the season of the Resurrection by sharing the blessed foods with your family following Easter Mass.

Holy Week Services

HOLY WEEK 2007

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday
April 2, 3 and 4
Confessions: 7:00 P.M.

Holy Thursday, April 5
Mass of the Lord's Supper,
Holy Communion and Procession: 7:30 P.M.
Visits to the Repository until Midnight

Good Friday, April 6
Confessions: 1:00 - 3:00 P.M.
Stations of the Cross:
3:00 P.M. and 6:15 P.M. (Spanish)
Liturgy of the Passion and Death
Of Our Lord, Holy Communion:
7:30 P.M.

Holy Saturday, April 7
Easter Vigil Mass: 8:00 P.M.

Easter Sunday, April 8
Masses: 7:30, 9:00 and 10:30 A.M.
12:00 Noon, 2:30 P.M. (Spanish)

Download Schedule in PDF format at http://www.stjamescatholic.org/pdf/easter_2007.pdf

40 Hours Devotion

Begins at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 25. Eucharistic Adoration will continue for 40 hours, interrupted only by the celebration of the daily Masses. The Adoration will end at the conclusion of Tuesday's evening Holy Hour at 7:30 p.m. Forms will be available in the back of the church if you would like to participate. Questions? Call the Rectory office at 703/532-8815.  [More Information]

Update on Lenten Scripture Study

Deacon Bello's Message:

The Lenten Scripture Study will continue with its third session on Sunday, March 18, at 6:30 pm in the Knecht Gym Conference Room, the same time and same location as the first two classes. (Click here to visit the 2007 Lenten Scripture Study Web page.)

For the third session, the class voted to look at three of the major themes of the Gospel of Luke:

1. Luke as the Gospel of Prayer
2. Luke as the Gospel of Women
3. Luke as the Gospel of the Holy Spirit

Those who attend are invited to find any references to those three themes in the Gospel of Luke, outside the Infancy Narratives (our focus in Class Two) and the Passion Narrative (our focus in our last class). All are invited. Please bring your Bibles.

Class Handouts:

• Why Read Scripture
• Prayers to the Holy Spirt (1)
• Understanding of Scripture by St. Bonaventure
• Pope Benedict XVI, Bonaventure and Faith

Lenten Soup Supper

LENTEN SOUP SUPPER ~ will be offered every Friday evening during Lent from 6:00 - 7:15 p.m. in the school cafeteria. Join others in a "simple meal" before the Stations of the Cross, which begin at 7:30 p.m. There is no charge, but donations will be accepted. VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED! Please contact Katy Cabbage at 703/463-8031.

Lenten Scripture Study with Deacon Bello

(update)

LENTEN SCRIPTURE STUDY

Deacon Bello's five-week Scripture Study will start the first Sunday of Lent, February 25, at 6:30 p.m. in the Knecht Gym Conference Room. The overall focus will be on the Gospel of St. Luke, but the focus of the first class will be on two important questions:

First, why should Catholics read, study, pray and discuss Sacred Scriptures?

Second, how should Catholics read, study, pray and discuss Sacred 'Scriptures? This will not be so much a "scholarly, highhbrow"

Scripture Study as a class open to all who are interested. Thus, you are invited to think about, formulate and share your own answers to the two questions above. The classes will be both lecture and interactive, and hopefully fun as well. Please bring your bibles. Deacon Bello will be using the Revised New American Bible, the translation used at Masses. We will start at 6:30 p.m. with a prayer, and we'll probably go over an hour, but less than two hours. "Homework" will be assigned after the first class.

Lenten Reflection with Fr. Edlefsen at O'Connell High School

Lent Reflection by Fr. Frederick Edlefsen, chaplain of O'Connell High School

"Prayer and the Spiritual Life"

Thursday, March 1, 7:30 p.m.

Bishop O'Connell High School Chapel 6600 Little Falls Road, Arlington, Va.

Enter the school through the back entrance near the stadium.
Refreshments served. All are invited to attend.

Lenten Schedule

ASH WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21
MASSES: 6:30 & 8:30 A.M., 12:00 NOON, & 7:30 P.M.
ASHES DISTRIBUTED DURING ALL MASSES

STATIONS OF THE CROSS/BENEDICTION
FRIDAY EVENINGS AT 7:30 P.M.

LENTEN REGULATIONS
FAST AND ABSTINENCE

-Everyone over 14 years of age is bound to observe the law of abstinence from meat. Abstinence is to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays within the season of Lent and Passiontide.

-On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, everyone over 18 and up to the beginning of their 60th year is also bound to observe the law of fast. On these two days, only one full meatless meal is allowed. Two other meatless meals, sufficient to maintain strength may be taken according to each one's needs; but together, they should not equal another full meal.

-Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, therefore, are the only days of both fast and abstinence.

Stations of the Cross

Every Friday of Lent, beginning on February 23 at 7:30 PM we will have the recitation of the Stations of the Cross.  Families and individuals are encouraged to come and participate in this beautiful devotional to our Lord.

Confessions during Lent

Confessions will be offered on Saturdays from 3:30 PM until 4:30 PM and again from 7:30 PM until 8:00 PM. During the 40 Hours Devotion, confessions will be offered after the Holy Hours each evening from Sunday, March 25 through Tuesday, March 27. In addition, confessions will be offered on Wednesday, April 4, Thursday, April 5 and Friday, April 6 starting at 7:30 PM. On Holy Saturday, confession will only be heard from 10:00 AM until 12 Noon. There will be no confessions Saturday afternoon or evening.