wishes to report that the work on the outside of the church has been completed. The wooden part of the gutters on the outside of the chapel have already been painted. All of the wood of the window frames have been painted. The side entrances of the inside church will be washed and painted. The ceiling near the reconciliation room will be repaired.

Each month the collections for the previous month are reported. The Parish Financial Council has determined that we need $ 3,000 each week in the offertory collection to meet all of our expenses.

Although we never based our budget on the money that was collected from bingo, nevertheless that will be a source of revenue that we will not be able to use as a cushion.

The following are the collections for the month of April.

April 8 $ 2,681.23 Maintenance $ 1,179

April 16 $ 2,507.27

April 24 $ 2,559.27

April 30 $ 2, 356.56

Renew: Training session for those who wish to serve on the Invitational Committee. Monday, May 6 at 7 p.m. at the Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Center on Mt. Pleasant St. New Bedford.

Parish Festival Meeting: Wednesday, May 8 in the rectory at 7 p.m.

Parish Pastoral Council Meeting Monday, May 13 at 7 p.m. in the rectory.

United Interfaith Action Meeting Tuesday, May 14 at the First Baptist Church in Fall River at 7 p.m.

Parish Financial Council Meeting on Wednesday May 15 at 7 p.m. in the rectory.

Thursday, May 16 at 7 p.m. in the church.

This meeting is for the members of the Hospitality and Health Care Committees and the St. Vincent de Paul Conference.

Thursday, May 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the rectory

Renew: Core Community Committee Monday, May 20 at 7 p.m. in the rectory.

Friars of the Primitive Observance (Rivet St.) will be professing their vows. Bishop O’Malley will receive the vows on Saturday, May 25 at St. James Church at 6 p.m. All are invited.

SACRAMENT

ANOINTING OF THE SICK

SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2002

AT THE 4 P.M. MASS

Bishop O’Malley has announced that the Feast of Pentecost will be a day of prayer and healing because of all that we have gone through in the Church.

He has asked that the prayer of St. Francis be prayed during the 9 days before the Feast of Pentecost.

At St. James we will be observing this Pentecost weekend of prayer and healing of healing with the celebration of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.

The Sacrament can be received by those who are going to have serious surgery. Those who are suffering from a serious illness also can receive this Sacrament. People who because of their advanced age find their physical health weakened are also eligible.

The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is for those who are sick. The prayers of the Sacrament are asking God to restore the health of the person. If it is not God’s will that the person recover, the Church prays that this person receive the help to allow this sickness bring him/her closer to God.

Parishioners who would like to receive the Sacrament are asked to call the rectory, give their name and phone number.

The Church encourages all of the Sacraments to be celebrated within Mass, which is the center of our Catholic Christian lives. It is most fitting that this Sacrament be celebrated at a parish Mass so that parishioners can pray and support those who are receiving it.

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THE SOLEMNITY OF THE

ASCENSION OF THE LORD

THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2002

HOLYDAY OF OBLIGATION

MASSES

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8

4 P.M.

THURSDAY, MAY 9

9 A.M.

7 P.M.

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*Mass for the deceased members of the St. James Seniors Tuesday, May 14 at 11 a.m.

* Special blessing of babies who were baptized at St. James last year on Saturday, June 1 at 4 p.m. Parish Mass.

*Graduation Mass for the eighth grade of St. James and St. John the Baptist School at 7 p.m. at St. James Church on Wednesday, June 12, 2002

* Graduation of the Kindergarten of St. James and St. John the Baptist School on Wednesday, June 19 at St. John the Baptist Church Hall.

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WELCOME TO ST. JAMES CHURCH

ROBERTA COSTA

United Interfaith Action

Meeting

Tuesday, June 18, 2002

RENEW

At our meetings to prepare the parishes for this three year time of conversion, statistics were given. The largest Church group in the United States is the Catholic Church. The second largest group after the Catholic Church are those Catholics who do not practice their faith anymore. After this group comes the Methodist Church.

Renew is a process by which parishes move to a point beyond where they are. Eighty dioceses have used this process in their parishes to have them grow. Other countries have also adopted this way of renewal.

"Renew" has something for everybody in the parish. There is a prayer card which parishioners are asked to pray for the success of Renew in their parishes and in the Diocese.

Bishop O’Malley has ordered that each parish do "Renew" as a way of preparing for the centennial of the Diocese in 2004.

Each parish is to form "a core community" which oversees the whole process. Parishioners are invited to join this group. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, April 30 at 7 p.m. in the rectory.

There are three groups that will be "shepherded" by the core community.

The invitational committee will discuss ways of inviting people into the process of "Renew". This group will be the largest.

The Liturgical Committee will plan Liturgies that will develop the themes of the two six week faith sharing groups that take place in the fall and in Lent.

The Mission Committee plans a Parish Mission that will take place in September of 2002.

The faith sharing groups are the core of "Renew". In these groups parishioners are invited to share their faith so that the entire parish can be strengthened.

Each parish that has had "Renew" has happily reported that the parish did grow into a more vibrant community.

The enthusiasm for "Renew" has been very good to see. People are coming forward to join the various preparation groups. Many people have expressed an interest in knowing more about this tool for renewal.

It is hoped that St. James can come alive in little ways. Although we are a very small parish in comparison to many large parishes in the area, nevertheless we can have a life that animates our mission.

UIA is working with the officials of the two cities to eliminate the waiting lists of people who want to go into an "English as a second language" (ESL) class. Over seven hundred people are waiting in the cities of New Bedford and Fall River.