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Saint
James Parish Goal
To deepen our own faith in Jesus Christ in order to
bring it to and share it with others. |
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HEALTH CARE |
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 The
July issue of the Catholic Update entitled “Catholics and Health
Care: They Go Together” and written by Fr. Thomas Nairn, OFM looks
at the connection between health care and social justice, especially
human dignity, the common good, the care of those who are poor and
sick, responsible stewardship, and the rights of conscience. He
explains that the work of a Catholic health-care system is a
participation in the healing ministry of Jesus which includes a
commitment to those most vulnerable. Pick up a free copy of
the CU each month from the table in the narthex. Read it and see
what you think! |
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MARRIAGE |
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The June
issue of the Catholic Update entitled “Seven Keys to Marriage” and
written by John Feister looks at the U.S. Bishops’ new pastoral
letter, “Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan.” As a married
person, the author reviews some overall themes of the letter, as
well as some hot-button issues in our society that threaten the
institution of marriage. Pick up a free copy of the CU each
month from the table in the narthex. Read it and see what you
think! |
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CONGRATULATIONS! |
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 One
Sunday at the 10:45 Mass we honored all 22 high school seniors from
our parish and their many contributions they have made to the life
of St. James. Kathy Perry presented a special certificate to senior
Jenna Hilliard who was this year’s nominee for the St.
Timothy Award, a diocesan award given for outstanding service.
Congratulations to Jenna who has been so active at St. James Parish
and served in so many ministries, e.g., altar server, VBS teen
helper, CCD, ROCKS, Mission Trips, dinner server, children’s choir,
cantor, etc.
In
addition, Annmarie Lyons, daughter of Jean and Pete Pascale,
presented the Anna and Joseph Pascale Scholarships. This is the 15th
year this scholarship has been given to recognize academic
achievement and stewardship to the parish and to remind teens of the
love St. James always offers them. This year’s winners were
Christopher Baker and Jenna Hilliard, with honorable
mentions given to Angelica Audia, Josh Phillian, Zachary Romeo, and
Brad Vasko. After Mass we gathered in the Social Hall for a grand
reception hosted and served by the women in CWO who gave each senior
a special gift. We applaud all our young women and men with whom we
have had the privilege to share faith and whose lives have touched
ours. May they continue to stay close to Jesus as they move forward
on their faith journeys and may they always find a welcoming home at
St. James! |
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MARY |
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Who helps
you to deal with the daily struggles of life? Who is a faith model
for you? The May issue of the Catholic Update entitled “Mary,
Mother of God and Our Mother” and written by Dominican Fr. Peter
John Cameron suggests that Mary, as seen in her “real life,” can be
an inspiration for us. In realizing how Mary lived by faith, we
might find the courage and grace to do the same. Pick up a free
copy of the CU each month from the table in the narthex. Read
it and see what you think! |
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| Victim’s
Assistance Hot-line Diocese of Pittsburgh |
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If you
are a person who has been hurt by abuse from clergy or others
associated with the Church, the Diocese offers assistance with
counseling, spiritual direction and referrals to other supportive
services. For information on any of these services, we invite you to
contact the Diocesan Assistance Coordinator toll free at
1.888.808.1235.
If you feel you are a victim of sexual abuse by any personnel in the
Pittsburgh Diocese,
call the Diocesan Victims Assistance Hotline
1-888-808-1235. |
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ALL VOLUNTEERS
IN THE PARISH |
 As
part of the plan to create a safe environment for children in our
church, all parishioners who volunteer in any
capacity in the parish – Committee/Council/Team Members, CWO, Men’s
Group, Catechists, Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Music Ministers,
Ushers, Kitchen Workers, etc. – are asked by the Diocese of Pittsburgh
to fulfill four basic requirements which are described below.
For more information about the requirements, contact Susan Dexter or Sr.
Zoe Ann at 724-964-8276.
1)
The first requirement is
to register online with the Diocese of Pittsburgh Database. This is a
relatively simple process of entering your name, address, and basic
information about yourself. To begin the application process go online
to the diocesan website
www.diopitt.org and click on
the box for database application on the left side of the screen or call
the parish office for directions on how to apply.
2) The second requirement is
to sign the Code of Pastoral Conduct. This is a document stating the
expected behavioral standards for all Church volunteers within the
diocese. Your signature on the Acknowledgement Form signifies that you
agree to act in accord with Catholic values. Call the parish office to
obtain a copy of the Code.
3) The third
requirement is to participate in a Protecting God’s Children workshop.
It is an excellent program that truly equips adults to create safer
environments for children. For a list of all PGC workshops in our
area, go to the diocesan website
www.diopitt.org and scroll
down toward the bottom to the section on Current Issues and click on the
line Protecting God’s Children Workshops.
4) The fourth
requirement is to apply for the Dept of Public Welfare (DPW) Child Abuse
History Clearance. After you complete the first requirement of
registering online with the diocesan database, a PA State Police
Criminal Record Check (CRC) will automatically be submitted
electronically for you. A copy of that report will be sent to the
parish. The parish will then provide you with a copy of that CRC report
and a DPW form to complete. The CRC report must be attached to the
completed DPW form before it is submitted it to the state. |
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BIBLE DONATION
 Recently
a generous parishioner made a monetary donation
to St. James Parish in memory of Mary Phillian
asking that we buy various translations of the
Bible and make them available to the
parishioners. Mary was involved in the
prayer and Bible study group that meets on
Friday mornings. In honor of Mary who
loved the Scriptures, 6 books were purchased.
One of the new books is a comparative Bible
which gives each passage of Scripture laid out
on a page with four different translations side
by side for easy comparison. You may be
interested in reviewing some of the books which
are housed for the time being in a specially
marked box in the narthex or in the Social Hall. |
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Hi St. James
Parishioners, |
As
you probably know from the
bulletin articles, there is
a Food Cupboard at St.
Joseph Parish in New Castle
that is supported by the
parishes in Lawrence Co.
So now when people come to
us at St. James with
requests, we can send them
to St. Joe's for food.
Anyone from our area who is
in need of food can go there
for help.
We are grateful that St.
Joe's is willing and able to
provide this wonderful
ministry, and we want to
support them so that this
can continue. Thus, we
send monetary and food
contributions to the Food
Cupboard.
Each month we at St. James
are collecting a specific
food item to donate.
This month it is
CANNED VEGETABLES.
So when you are shopping
this week or see a good
sale, remember to throw a
few extra cans into your
grocery cart for the Food
Cupboard.
Then when you come to Mass
this weekend, remember to
bring your cans and put them
in the containers in the
narthex. Thank you
for reaching out to others
in this way and helping to
feed Christ present among us
today!
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MARRIAGE MINISTRY |
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Following are some contacts for marriage
ministries sponsored by the Diocese of
Pittsburgh. For more information on any of
them, call the number listed or contact Sr. Zoe
Ann.
Engaged Encounter
Marriage Preparation Weekend for engaged
couples Contact Brian & Nancy Stevens at
412-861-0262
Marriage Encounter (Inspirational Weekend
Experience for Married Couples) Contact Mary &
Lou Locante at 412-635-7775
Retrouvaille (Help for Troubled Marriages)
weekend experience: private time &
confidentiality.
Contact Eric & Vicki John at
1-800-470-2230
Natural Family Planning Contact numbers
for information on NFP include the following:
Jacki Pleska 724-747-2470; Dolores Shipe
412-732-0502; Micha Peters 412-766-4053 |
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VILLA SHOPPE |
 There
is a gift shop at the Villa which is now open to
the public each day from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
each day except for
Monday, Wednesday & Sunday when it's closed. The shop features
traditional items, e.g., sweatshirts, cards,
jewelry, crosses, rosaries, books, CDs, as well
as many unique gifts, e.g., prayer bowls,
handheld labyrinths, fair trade coffees and soup
mixes, original art prints, holiday baskets and
the Villa Cook Book. Call ahead for
evening hours. 724-964-8920 ext. 3279. |
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NEW ADULT CATECHISM |
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Many of you are probably aware that there is a
new United States Catholic Catechism for Adults.
There have been articles about it in the
newspapers and in the Pittsburgh Catholic.
Based on the universal catechism, the book was
developed by the U.S. Conference of Bishops.
It is written with a very reader-friendly format
including lots of stories, sidebars, and summary
boxes. Copies of the new catechism are
available at St. James for purchase at the
discounted price of $16 rather than the list
price of $25. Anyone interested in
purchasing a catechism should contact Sr. Zoe
Ann or sign up on the sheet in the narthex.
Checks can be made payable to St. James.
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BIBLES FOR SALE |
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$10 for paperback copy. The New
American Catholic Bible. Contact Sr. Zoe Ann or
The Religious Education Committee |
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NEW RCIA GROUP |
| We are presently forming a new
inquiry group for the RCIA process. If you know
of someone who may be interested in learning
more about the Catholic Church and is discerning
the possibility of becoming Catholic, please
contact Sister Zoe Ann by calling the parish
office at 724-964-8276. |
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HOSPITAL & NURSING HOME
STAYS |
 A
recently enacted law has affected the
longstanding practice of hospitals and nursing
facilities of providing information to parishes
about parishioners who are patients or
residents. Because of the new law, the priests
and the staff of the parish may not promptly
learn or may not learn at all, that a member of
the parish has been admitted to the hospital or
nursing home. If you, or a member of your family
are hospitalized or enter a long-term care
facility or assisted, independent living
residential facility and you want the parish
office to know, please personally or through a
family member contact the church office
promptly. We will do our best to obtain
information about our parishioners, but we are
limited in the information we can obtain. Thank
you for your attention to this important
matter. |
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