I hope this note finds you well.  

Today is the second Sunday of Ordinary Time, but I always remember Deacon Steve's famous line that there is no such thing as Ordinary Time when you get to spend time with Jesus -- It's Jesus Time.

I want to thank those who were able to join us this past Thursday (Jan 14, 2021), especially Deacon Pete who took time out of his schedule to check in with us.

I just wanted to take a moment to recap what we discussed:

Advent Reflection - Thanks again to Deacon Leo who guided us through the Gospel of Luke.  I personally thought it was an excellent choice to reflect upon Jesus' journey, and the questions especially helped reflect on different aspects of the story.

Simple Suppers - Given everything occurring around the pandemic, the group decided it was not practical to pursue this venture this Lenten Season.  The group agreed we should help organize a late Summer/early Fall celebration in the spirit of Pasta! Pasta!  Will discuss this further in the future.

M4O Marketing - Ron Ward and Mike Colaccino have been working a simple pamphlet that discusses the Men for Other mission.  The idea is to distribute these materials at Mass and try to recruit other men of the parish to join us.  Ron showed a mock up of the pamphlet and indicated they are working on additional details.

Lenten Service Project - Obviously, without Simple Suppers we are missing an opportunity to serve the St. James community during Lent.  We also discussed the fear many of our fellow brothers and sisters may be losing a connection to St. James just for the simple reason we cannot be together in person.  As we discussed the issue, an idea bubbled up among the group to use the Lenten Season to call our fellow St. James members and let them know we are still thinking of them.

Now, no one person can reach out to the hundreds of members.  Therefore, we will be looking for YOU - our fellow Men for Others brothers - to participate in these calls.  You will be provided numbers and talking points to cover during each call.  The goal is to reassure the St. James community is alive and well and looking forward the end of this pandemic.

Please indicate below whether you would be willing to make a few calls during Lent to your fellow community members.  We'll discuss further during our next meeting, Thursday, February 11, 2021.

In the meantime, please stay healthy and continue to pray for an end to the pandemic.

Have a blessed week!

John Fitzpatrick