St. James Parish, Mason at 1010 S. Lansing St, Mason, MI 48854-1920 US -
The Inquiry
The Inquiry
In an effort to strengthen communication, St. James’ pastoral council has created “The Inquiry.” This monthly column will appear in our parish bulletin and on our website and is a convenient way for parishioners to ask questions, from issues troubling them to things they’re just curious about.
Questions can be submitted using this form and placing it in the metal mailbox located in the gathering space between the doors to Cave Hall. They can also be submitted by email to StJamesInquiry@gmail.com . All questions will be considered, and questioners will remain anonymous. A panel has been formed and will work with Fr. Al to provide the best answers possible.
Send your questions—if you’re wondering about something, chances are others are wondering too!
Liturgy, which means “work of the people,” is the highest communal prayer of our church. Because it is not a passive prayer and we all say Mass together—not just the priest—it requires our active participation. Taking our own gifts during the Presentation of Gifts gives us an opportunity to see the wholeness of an active community. In other words, we get to witness everyone participating in an offering to God. Our offering allows us to give back to God for the life, health, and material goods given to us. Our offering also allows us to bring forward any burdens and sorrows that we might have, giving us an opportunity to figuratively lay these at the altar. By getting up and going forward, we are able to personally present our gifts to God, including the gift of self.
As its name suggests, the Christian Service Committee’s mission is to promote Christian service amongst the people of St. James. The committee is responsible for many things, including:
Delegating 4 percent of the parish tithe to needy organizations
Organizing the back-to-school giving tree project, which collects donated school supplies from parishioners and distributes them to needy children in the area
Providing pies for the community Thanksgiving dinner
Gathering and distributing packets of personal necessities for End Violent Encounters (EVE), Inc., an organization that helps victims of domestic violence
Sponsoring Anointing of the Sick Masses
Organizing various social events, including tea events
Sending birthday cards to seniors
Contributing to the Uganda Sister Parish Committee and the Migrant Ministr
Young couples will find plenty of activities at St. James, including:
Knights of Columbus (KC) and Angels (the latter is an organization for wives of KC members), which meet the last Sunday of every month at 7 p.m.
Occasional parish dinners; the last one welcomed home Fr. Al and had approximately 400 people in attendance
Opportunities to welcome new parishioners to St. James
Team teaching opportunities for the faith formation kids
RCIA sponsorship opportunities
First Friday Devotions, which take place after noon Mass on the first Friday of each month
Opportunities to serve as scout leaders for our many scouts
Various bible study groups
The Blackthorn Committee, which works to plan the annual silent auction and Blackthorn Dinner, a catered dinner followed by singing and entertainment by the Irish folk group: Blackthorn. (This year’s dinner will be held March 28 at 6:30 p.m.)
Opportunities to serve as Eucharistic ministers, commentators, and ushers
There are two ways of counting the days of Lent to add up to forty. One way, is to start with the First Sunday of Lent counting every day (including Sundays) through Holy Thursday. The days of Ash Wednesday until the First Sunday are “preparatory”. This is the current Liturgical Season of Lent. The Triduum begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday Evening. The pre-Vatican II way was to begin on Ash Wednesday, and count through Holy Saturday, but subtract all of the Sundays. In this way of counting, Sundays were not included, and people were excused from the strict discipline of fasting required for each day of Lent back in those days.
In the early church, statues, icons, and other visual images were used as far back as the Hebrews (Ex 25:18-22, Kings 6:23-29, 7:36). Statues were not created to be idols but to serve as reminders of the holy person(s) and to assist in prayer.
A statue, rosary, water, oil, incense, and the like are all sacramentals—material objects or things to encourage good thoughts or increase devotion. Statues may represent the virtue of the saint, the holiness of Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Sacred Heart of Jesus. They inspire one to greater devotion, serving as a reminder and a reflection of the person. St. John of the Cross stated that devotion should be directed “spiritually toward the invisible saint in immediate forgetfulness of the statue.”
In the 1960s when Vatican II opened up the Mass and brought it around to the view of the congregation, necessity of side altars, statues, and the like was minimized. Statues were relegated to other locations in the church since the congregation could now see the priest in the celebration of the Mass and were expected to participate. Statues are by no means forgotten, but the central focus is now at the main altar in celebration of the Last Supper.
