Second Sunday of Lent
March 5th, 2023 | St. James Parish, Okotoks
“Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.” Gen. 12:1
God calls all of us to leave behind our old ways and to follow Him, placing our complete trust in Him. Some of the old ways that we struggle to leave behind might be materialism, selfishness and greed. Yet, God promises to show us a new land and a better way to live. Remember what St. Teresa of Calcutta said, “God does not call us to be successful, God calls us to be faithful.”
YOUTH MASS -- St. James Youth Ministry will be hosting a Youth Mass on Sunday, March 5th at the 5pm Mass.
Youth Leader Training — Meeting will take place on Sunday, March 5th in the Parish Hall.
Mass on Thursday, March 9th will be held at 9:30am
SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION
Tuesday 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Saturday 10:00am - 12:00pm
Friday (St. Michael) 9:30am - 10:30am
STATIONS OF THE CROSS -- Meditate upon the Passion, the suffering and death of Jesus on the Cross. Each Friday during Lent, meet in the church at 7:00pm (at St. James) or at 6:00pm (at St. Michael) to pray the Stations of the Cross.. All ages are welcome, and booklets are provided.
2022 OFFERING Receipts
Your financial offerings receipt for 2022 is ready for pick up in the Narthex this weekend or during the week at the office. If you don’t find yours, please contact the office during the week. Thank you and God bless.
FIRST COMMUNION — Parent retreat will be held Wednesday, March 22nd at 7pm in the Hall. Session #1 will take place Wednesday, April 19th in the Hall. The Commitment Mass will be held April 22 and 23 at all masses. Registration is still accepted.
ALTAR SERVER TRAINING — Calling on all the children (grade 3 and up) and anyone interested to serve on the altar at mass to join us on Thursday, March 9 at 6:30pm in the Church.
CHILDREN SUNDAY LITURGY will be resuming next Sunday, March 12th mass during 9am mass at St. James. Parents are welcome to join and help out.
BEWARE OF ONLINE SCAMS — Email safety reminder to please always be diligent with any emails coming from St. James Parish staff and Clergy. We will never contact anyone by email for help financially, asking for gift cards or any other personal request. Please phone us directly to confirm that any emails sent are genuine.
EASTER VIGIL CHOIR -- Want to sing at Easter Vigil?Rehearsals will take place every Sunday evening from 7:00-9:00 during the season of Lent. First rehearsal will begin Sun. Feb. 26 from 7-9pm and will run every Sunday at the same time until Easter. Please contact Catherine at cklug4@icloud.com to sign up or for more information.
Moms and Tots Drop-In -- We invite moms (or caregivers) and their young children to join us for drop-in playtime, coffee, and fellowship every Wednesday morning from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. starting Wednesday, March 15th in the St. Martha room, off the narthex/atrium of the church. If you know a mom or caregiver that would be interested in joining, please invite them!
Do you have a hurt, hang-up or habit? ARE YOU READY TO EMBARK ON A JOURNEY OF REAL AND LASTING CHANGE? Check out the CELEBRATE RECOVERY program . It is a Christ-centered program based on the 8 Principles from the Beatitudes. It encourages fellowship and celebrating God’s healing power in our lives as we work towards recovery. There is no cost to the program, attendance is 2 hours per week and will be held at the church. Everyone is welcome. Presently we are looking for potential leaders/coleaders with or without 12 Step experience, (training is provided). If interested, please stop at the information table in the Narthex after Masses on March 11 and 12, or send an email to Gloria at glotom2017@gmail.com. Celebrate Recovery is a safe place to find community and freedom from the issues that are controlling our life.
Project Nazareth FAMILIES. Please set aside one hour on Saturday, March 18, 2023 from 10:30-11:30 to join together in prayer, discussion, learning and fun. We will meet as a whole group in the Parish Hall for prayer. The children will meet with the Youth Team for fun, while the parents have an opportunity to share their experiences with Project Nazareth. This will be followed by a short video about Prayer in the Family and an opportunity to share perspectives with small groups. No need to RSVP; all are welcome! Registration is on going. Please go to www.ProjectNazareth.org. To be included in the family evening events at the parish, please fill out the slip at the Hospitality desk.
HOLY WEEK MISSIONS -- Holy Week is the holiest week of the year, where missionaries walk along side Jesus in His Passion, sharing His merciful love with everyone they meet. Holy Week Missions Called by Name. Join the spirit of communion, fun, prayer & making a difference for others! St. James Parish Youth Ministry invites anyone to join in Mission this HOLY Week and experience the joy of giving.
Who: Youth ages 13 to 17
When: Events run daily from April 2 - 8
Where: St. James Parish, Okotoks and some events in Calgary
Inquiries: ecydfearless@gmail.com
TOGETHER IN ACTION 2023 (TIA) - "Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action." 1 John 3:18, Thank you for your continued generosity to the local and national ministries and initiatives support by Together in Action. Through your sacrifice, the 2022 campaign goal has been exceeded. Diocesan TIA goal for 2023 is $2 million.
$1.4 million of $2 million will financially support the following ministries, partner organizations, and agencies: • Diocesan Ministries • Vocations • Care of Retired Priests • Mission Council • Elizabeth House • St. Francis Xavier Chaplaincy • Catholic Missions of Canada • Calgary Catholic Immi gration Society: Refugee Program • Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute • Canadian Catholic Conference of Bishops.
$600,000 of the $2 million goal each year in the next four years will go to support local or regional healing and reconciliation initiatives for residential school survivors, their families, and their communities.
Our parish goal for 2023 is $46,856. We exceeded our goal of last year by $7,801.63– as per the return of surplus request form – 30% was allocated to the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund, 30% to assist other parishes and 40% to our Central fund loan. This year, we are requesting any surplus funds collected be returned and allocated the same as last year. To give to Together in Action, please drop off donations at Sunday mass or to the parish office, or give online www.stjamesparishokotoks.ca/donate. We now accept e-transfers at: donations@stjamesparishrc.com.
