Well, that was a much more devastating storm than predicted! I hope and pray that everyone has power and has recovered. We will all have stories for years to come! Pray for the people who are still without power and water and who have experienced more severe devastation than we – Valdosta up to Augusta, upstate South Carolina, western North Carolina, and eastern Tennessee. We pray for the souls of those who lost their lives to this storm and for the comfort of their families and friends.
Countdown to the Final Sunday – October 13
2 more weekends (including this weekend) in the Church before we move to the Parish Center! Bishop Parkes asked me the other day if I was excited to move mass to the Mercy Conference Room and to the Parish Center. I immediately responded, “YES! ABSOLUTELY! I AM THRILLED!” He looked a little shocked until I gave my reasoning. I am excited about moving out of the Church because it signals and marks the beginning of beautiful and magnificent renovations and updates to our Church and brings us another step closer to beginning the great plans for our School! I am also excited because we will be there as a community! St. James is so much more than bricks and mortar – it is YOU and YOUR FAMILY! We will be there together as a parish, as a community of disciples and believers! We will be there together as a family! I will be there with YOU! That is why I am excited!
Am I excited to worship our Lord and God in a gym and conference room? No, he deserves a better space! The altar and the setting won’t be as pretty. The acoustics will not be as clear. We will have to set up and take down chairs each week (though the chairs are rather comfortable). There are countless other things make the space not very conducive to prayer and the mass! I understand! The space was made for basketball, volleyball, pickleball and other gatherings and not for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. No doubt about it.
Sure, other churches will be more attractive, and some may have the temptation to go to another parish while we are in the Parish Center. St. James will not be the same and our family won’t be as complete as it should be if people go elsewhere for mass. Our return to the Church in May/June of 2025 will be even more glorious and triumphant if we go through this temporary inconvenience together as one St. James family of faith!
Please pray for the success of our Charging Forward in Faith and Education capital campaign, for successful fundraising and for the projects! St. James the Less, pray for us and all our endeavors and plans!
May the Lord Jesus bless you and your families abundantly this week!
~ Fr. Daniel Firmin