$3,000 is needed each week to meet all of the expenses for the fiscal year.

May 5 $2,099. 39

maintenance $1,043.00

May 11 $2,559.50

St. Vincent de Paul $619

May 18 $2,343.02

May 25 $2,337.24

June 1 $2,2144.59

               maintenance $1,132.00

June 8 $ 2,528.27

              Seminarians $ 772

June 15 $ 2,283.89

June 22 $2,237.82

             Latin America $647

June 30 $2,342.14

The Parish Financial Council also reports that the work has been completed in the two side entrances. (Take a look at how bright the murals are now.)

New gifts are needed for the "twistees" adult and children’s booths. They can be left in the gathering area of the church or at the rectory.

During the month of July there aare sign up sheets for people to volunteer to work the games booths during the Festival weekend.

http.//www.saintjames-nb.org

AFTER THE MASSES IN THE CHURCH HALL.

This registration is for all students in public schools (Grades 1-9) who are returning to our program or who are entering for the first time. It also includes children in Catholic Schools in Grade 2 (First Communion) and Grade 9 (Confirmation).

For all parishioners to spend some hours together to hear speakers speak about why their Faith is important to them; to share ( if you wish); and to have a Mass and meal together. Sign up sheets will be available in the church in August and September to register for this wonderful afternoon. Mark your calendars.

* Feast of St. James Mass

Thursday, July 25

Mass at 7 p.m. No Mass at 9 a.m.

Parishioners are asked to bring refreshments for the evening celebration

… come to the church hall every Tuesday after noon at 1 p.m. in the summer to play cards or bingo with St. James Seniors.

… participate in the perpetual adoration at Our Lady’s Chapel.

I would like to thank everyone for their cards and well wishes.

The word "Renew" should be a little more familiar to everyone. It is a process that the whole Diocese will be undertaking as a preparation for the centennial celebration of the Diocese in 2004.

One of the parts of the process is special celebrations of weekend Mass during the six week periods when faith sharing groups are meeting. The first period will be the six weeks beginning in October. The second period will be the six weeks of the Lenten Season.

The theme for the first period of Masses is "Gather us in". Emphasis will be placed on the gathering for Mass.

We don’t come to Mass to be alone. We come to Mass to join our parish and Church family in sharing the sacrificial meal.

Could we do better in gathering? We have a church that can comfortably seat 500 people. We never have that number at any Mass except for Christmas Eve. Is it possible that we could sit closer to one another so that we would be helping one another to have a physical sense that we are together to worship God?

I suggest (it is only a suggestion) that the people who habitually sit along the walls come into the middle to sit with the others.

I often wonder how much the people who sit along the walls can see. I can’t see them at certain times of the Mass because of the pillars. Can they see me for the whole Mass?

There is plenty of room in the middle.

(We never have more than 150 people at any Mass.)

By everyone being in the middle people can hear one another sing and pray. The celebrant of the Mass will be able to see everyone for the whole Mass. The church will seem more full. It will be a sense of gathering.

It might lead to a deeper sense of community.

When we were painting the church and everyone had to sit in the middle because of the scaffolding along the walls, I suggested that people might consider sitting in the middle after the painting was done.

One parishioner reportedly said to someone nearby, "No one is going to tell me where to sit". I am not telling anyone to do anything. If there are very legitimate reasons to sit along the wall, so be it.

"Renew" can be an opportunity in our parish to do things a little differently to bring about some growth in our worship with one another. This is one way among other many ways.

As we journey together in this "Renew"