Dear Brothers and Sisters,


“For at the Last Supper with his Apostles, establishing for the ages to come the saving memory of the Cross, he offered himself to you as the unblemished Lamb, the acceptable gift of perfect praise.” (Roman Missal p. 500) At every Mass we stand at the foot of the cross of our salvation. Through the ministry of the priesthood, the sacrifice is offered and distributed as the true life of Christ. Jesus invites us to feed on him. The elements of bread and wine become for us – true food for the journey and an abiding presence of Love. The body, blood, soul, and divinity is received into the hearts of the faithful to guide our discipleship.

This great gift is available to each of us every day. This treasure of unfathomable love brings hope to the hopeless, comfort to the sorrowful, forgiveness to the sinner, and healing to the sick. As a priest, I am so privileged to bring the Eucharistic presence to the faithful and be a witness of their joy receiving him. Although many of us have been challenged during the pandemic around our personal reception of communion, I believe that the extra effort by so many people to participate in the Mass online or via television has encouraged the whole community to appreciate this gift of salvation.


As a parish community we have made the transition to our ordinary form of worship. With attendance slowly increasing, I am grateful for everyone’s patience and neighborly support for each other. We will continue to livestream Mass throughout summer and have it posted for people to watch at their convenience.

I extend a special thank you to all the helpers who made the bishop’s visit to Saint James an enjoyable experience. I am glad that many parishioners stayed after Mass to engage the bishop about our parish community. I also want to thank ahead of time the Knights of Columbus for hosting the hot dog reception at Saint Clement following the blessing of the Fatima statues this Sunday. Our parishes are coming alive again!

With the gift of the Eucharist as our nourishment, may we be a welcoming and vibrant presence in our community.

Peace of the Bread of Life.
Fr. Workman