Fr David writes:

The Lord is risen! We thank God for all that was possible as a parish online and in person.

What was you favorite moment of Holy Week? What did you learn about God, your neighbor, or yourself?

What I learned is how much I love the sunrise service. And how much I need to encourage people to come to the dark and deep Vigil service Saturday night or the mystical glow of the sunrise service illuminating the tombstones and hearts of all who gathered “early in the morning while it was still dark….”

That is because we were bursting at the seams at the 10:30 AM Mass with nearly 400 people present! In person attendance from the Saturday Great Vigil through Easter morning was up 23% over last year’s total (an additional 750 people). When we add unique online views, that makes at least another 259 people! Across all of Holy Week from Palm Sunday to Easter we ministered to over 1,800 people in person and online.

Thanks be to God for his power at work within us!

Yours in Christ,

David+

First Friday Compline at the Urban Well

Featured is the Salve mater gracie (Mother of compassion) taken from the fascinating 15^th century Codex Speciálník (literally, “Special Songbook”) which originated in a monastery near Prague. Join us for the timeless and ethereal sound of female voices who follow an over 1,500 year tradition of monastic women singing nightly prayers. Click here to view via livestream.

Forum Resumes

Thomas Aquinas teaches that the Eucharist is both a sacrament and a sacrifice. The sacrament bestows grace on those who receive it in faith and love, whereas the sacrifice benefits those on whose behalf it is offered by the priest, including those in heaven or purgatory. The practice became quite widespread of priests offering the sacrifice of the Eucharist alone, with no one else present, to benefit the blessed departed in purgatory, and to stir up the prayers of the saints in heaven.

Join us at Forum hour this Sunday as we explore the way the Church in the Medieval period understood the Mass as a sacrifice and the development of what came to be called the private mass.

Click here to join forum via Zoom. Did you know? All resources used in forum hours along with the Zoom recordings are available on our website. Click here to go to the Forum Resources page.

Women's Bible Study in the Library

Attention all ladies!! Women's Bible study meets this Sunday in the parish house library. The women's Bible study meets the first and third Sunday's of the month. Click here to email Kristy Clark for more information.

Fenice to sing at 10:30 AM Mass

This Sunday, April 7, the treble choir from Elizabethtown College called Fenice will help us celebrate Eastertide in song at our 10:30 AM Mass. This gender-inclusive treble choir is under the direction of faculty member and Saint James parishioner Dr. Anne Gross.

Join us on April 28th at 5:00 PM for a sending service for Mother Shayna as she embarks on a new chapter of her ministry at Trinity Episcopal Church in the Takoma park neighborhood of Washington, DC.

If you would like to contribute to her farewell gift, click here. If you would like to write a check, make it payable to Saint James, and be sure to put "farewell gift for Shayna" in the memo line.

Six containers are available for plantings. You may plant anything you like and then commit to care for yours as well as share in the upkeep of your neighbor's bed all throughout the season. It's an easy and fun way to share in the wonder of gardening. Plantings that have done well in past years were herbs, cherry tomatoes, peppers, carrots, beets, and flowers.  

Click here to email Diane Raymond about getting started!

Scholarship Application Process Underway

Saint James is fortunate to offer scholarships to eligible parishioners pursuing post-secondary education, whether full or part time, in various academic programs. These scholarships are made possible by generous donations to our endowment, specifically earmarked for this purpose. The application process will begin on Monday, April 1st. Click here for more information on how to apply.

This year’s theme is “Compassion Camp: What Every Living Thing Needs.” Each evening, children will explore the basic needs of all living things such as food, shelter, water, air, and community. They will also learn about showing compassion towards the living earth, especially in their local ecosystems. Click here for more info and registration.

Term 2 of the 2024 Mercy Seminar, will include the study of the Zen Buddhist tradition by means of a contemplative reading of the classic Zen training manual, The Gateless Barrier. Zen Buddhists insist that we must all apprehend the Great Tao (or Truth) directly in our own experience, and not attempt to grasp or understand it with our minds or language. Join us this term as we explore the many paths to the Gateless Tao in the Zen Buddhist tradition. Click here for more info and to register for Term 2.

Join the Upper Room Men's Group in the parish house forum room for breakfast on April 20th. Men of all ages are welcome to this time of food, fellowship and thought-provoking discussion on some of today's most important topics.

In our next meeting, we'll discuss how words, stories, encounters, and hospitality can make a difference for you and the world in which we live. Click here to email Lorraine Rollo for the Zoom link.

Described as a Pennsylvania Dutch Country swashbuckling, pseudo- legendary pioneers of the Amerikindasorta style of string band music, Vinegar Creek Constituency channels the venerable old ghosts of American folk music tradition through imaginative, emotive original songs delivered with rock n roll intensity. Join us Saturday night at 5:00 PM, in person, for a variety of toe-tapping original and standard tunes that will uplift and inspire you in your faith journey.

The Wheatland Chorale will be performing in concert on Sunday April 21st at 3:00 PM. The program, A New Dawn, explores the concept of light, morning/dawn, renewal and the excitement of Spring through music from a diverse range of composers and genres. General admission: $25; Students (w/ID) $10. Click here to purchase tickets.

The group meets for six Thursday evenings at 5:30 PM, April 25th through May 30th. Cost: $125, scholarships are available. Click here to learn more and register.

Despite a recent diagnosis of early onset rigor mortis, I still plan to run (actually more like shuffle) the Race Against Racism, and once again serve as the captain of the Saint James Harriers. And I want you to join me! You can run, walk, crawl, stumble, use a walker, take a stroller, whatever. Just click here, type in Saint James Harriers in the team/group box, click the "join" button, fill in the info, and pay $35.  Early bird discount ($35) lasts until April 7th!

April 5, 9:00 PM | First Friday Compline at the Urban Well

April 7 | Early Bird Discount ends for Race Against Racism

April 17, 3:00 PM | Holy Eucharist at Willow Valley

April 18, 7:00 PM | Mercy Seminar Term 2 begins

April 20, 8:30 - 10:30 AM | Men's Upper Room Breakfast Meeting

April 20, 10:00 - 11:30 | Women's Gathering

April 20, 5:00 PM | Saturday Night Mass with Vinegar Creek Constituency

April 21, 3:00 PM | Wheatland Chorale

April 25, 5:30 PM | Group Spiritual Direction begins

April 27, 8:30 AM | Race Against Racism

May 8 - 16: Habitat for Humanity

May 11, 11:00 AM: Mother's Day Brunch

May 12, 4:00 PM: World & Early Music in a celebration of Eurasian music and art