Coming Events

PARISH MINISTRIES

JUST FAITH

If your children are in formation now, maybe it's time for you to continue your own faith formation. The Church values the transmission of the faith in the home church - from parents to their children. JustFaith can help prepare you to show your children how to live the Gospel of Jesus in today's challenging and broken world. JustFaith is a thirty-week program focused on understanding and addressing the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable people in our world. The program includes weekly meetings, regular reading, retreats and immersion experiences and will run from September through May.

Join us for an information session on Tuesday, August 12 at 7:30 PM in Heller Hall. In case you are not available on August 12 additional information sessions for the St. James program will be held at St. Ann's on Wednesday, August 20 and St. Anthony's on Monday, August 25 also at 7:30 PM. For more information contact Arlene Griff at 703-533-1841 or Janet Qualters at 703-573-9170.

HEALTH MINISTRY

St. James is pleased to offer a preventive health event for members and local residents. Life Line Screening, the nation’s leading provider of preventive health screenings, will host their affordable, non-invasive, painless health screenings on August 19, 2008 in Heller Hall. Register for a Wellness Package with Heart Rhythm, for $149. All five screenings take 60-90 minutes to complete. Your Health is in Your Hands, so call 1-800-690-6313 to pre-register.

WIDOWED CATHOLICS OF ST. JAMES

Welcome to all widowed Catholics of St. James. You are all invited to our annual ice cream social on Thursday, August 21st from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will be several kinds of ice cream and yogurt, cookies and soft drinks. Please come and be with us to cool off the hot summer. Questions ?? Call Fran Gros 703-532-0435.

PRO-LIFE COMMITTEE

Baby Supplies Collection: On Sunday August 24, the Pro-Life Committee will have playpens at the front doors of the church for depositing baby supplies. We will deliver the items to A Woman's Choice pregnancy center. They accept all kinds of baby supplies, including diapers, wipes, formula, pacifiers, clothes up to 3 years, toys, car seats, bassinets, and umbrella strollers. For more information, contact Richard Hunter at 703-241-1424.

NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING

Natural Family Planning (NFP) Classes: NFP classes teach couples how to observe and interpret their signs of fertility, as a healthy means of recognizing the design of he body and of planning for pregnancies. The next series of three classes begins on Sunday, August 24th at 10:30 a.m. at the St. James House of Studies, 913 Park Avenue, Falls Church, VA. For more information, contact Susan and Stephen Baumert at (703) 652-4637 or nfp@stjamescatholic.org. See the Sunday Bulletin for more information.

HOSPITALITY

Please join us on August 31, September 7 and 14 after the 7:30am, 9:00am, 10:30am and Noon Masses for coffee, juice and donuts. Come to meet new and old parishioners and friends. We also need families willing to man the fort. Volunteers are asked to contact Frances Duerst at the Parish Office, 703-532-8815.

RCIA

Classes for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, RCIA, will begin Monday, September 8th, at 7:30 P.M. in the Conference Room of the Knecht Gym. These classes are for any non-Catholics who are interested in the Catholic Church and would like to find out more. Catholics who would like to refresh and renew their own knowledge of the Faith are also welcome. If you know of anyone, family or friends at work or in the neighborhood, interested in the Faith please tell them about this wonderful opportunity and maybe offer to bring them to the class. The sessions will be taught by Fr. Hanley.

YOUTH MINISTRY AT ST. JAMES

Beth White, Youth Director Phone (703) 532-8815 X126
Email: beth@stjamescatholic.org

Reflection from a St. James Pilgrim

I was blessed to go to Australia for World Youth Day with the help of my family, friends, and the great parish of St. James. I had a great experience going on this pilgrimage that is awaited every couple of years by youth around the world. The theme of this World Youth Day was “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses”. In my mind, the topic of the Holy Spirit is one that is not always looked upon as much as others. But in the week of World Youth Day, I fully understood and felt the Holy Spirit. You could feel the Spirit in great crowds of people from all over the world, with their cheerfulness and the sacrifice they had made in traveling so far away from their homes. The Holy Spirit was especially felt when the Holy Father came to greet the youth of the world. He said that the Church has confidence in the youth and to let the Holy Spirit guide us to be children of God because that is our true identity. After this, my first World Youth Day, I truly feel that I can be a witness for Christ. I really hope that more youth will go to the next World Youth Day to really live and experience their faith. Thank you to everyone at St. James for all of your support!
- Evelyn Diaz
Rising Senior, Bishop O’Connell H.S.

Catch the WYD spirit! The talks and homilies from World Youth Day 2008 can be found at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/travels/2008/index_australia_en.htm.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS

If you are new to the parish or have a kindergartener or first grader and need to register for Religious Education classes, please call the Religious Education Office at 703-533-1182 ext. 104, for a registration form. You will also need a copy of your child’s baptismal certificate, if they were not baptized at St. James.

Registration forms for the 2008-2009 school year are now past due. Please return your registration forms to the Religious Education Office at 830 West Broad Street, Falls Church, VA 22046, immediately. The following afternoon classes (4:30-5:45pm) are filled: Grades K, 3, 5 and 7. If you have any questions, please call the Office at 703-533-1182 ext. 104.

The St. James Religious Education Program will be in need of another 3rd grade, and a 6th grade and 7th grade catechist for the Afternoon Session (4:40-5:45 p.m.). We are also in need of substitutes for both Afternoon and Evening Sessions and an Evening Office Aide (7:00-8:15 p.m.). We offer instruction for children in Grades K to 8. We provide training and support to assist anyone who volunteers in this Ministry. If you are able to assist us, please call the Religious Education Office at 703-533-1182 ext. 104.

The Religious Education Sacrament Preparation at St. James for Penance, Eucharist and Confirmation is a two year program. For the 2008-2009 school year, if you have a 2nd grader who was not enrolled in a Religious Education program or Catholic School for Gr. 1, they will be placed in 1st grade for 2008-2009 and will receive Penance and Eucharist in 2009-2010. If you have an 8th grader who was not enrolled in a 7th grade Confirmation Religious Education program or Catholic School, they will be placed in 7th grade for 2008-2009 and will receive Confirmation in 2009-2010.

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Today's Gospel