Good day, St. James Community. Here is the latest news for May 25, 2025.
WE WELCOME ANYONE WHO CAN ATTEND SUNDAY MASS AT ST. JAMES AT 10:00 A.M. Considering that many parishioners are still experiencing the effects of the COVID-19 virus and other infections, if you plan to join us in person, we recommend wearing a mask if you exhibit symptoms or are immunocompromised.
We continue to live stream our 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass, reaching out to parishioners and friends who can’t attend in person. Here is the link to the live stream on our Facebook page for St. James Midtown, KC. A recording of the live-streamed Mass can also be accessed at https://stjkc.org/sundays-at-st-james.
If you weren’t able to join us for our May 4th parish-wide Synod meeting, here is the web address to watch the video: https://www.facebook.com/stjamesmidtown/videos/23869564052667186/
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO VISIT THE ST JAMES WEBSITE REGULARLY at www.StJKC.org and provide feedback or ideas for posts. Please send your ideas to website@stjkc.org.
MEMBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO READ AND REFLECT ON THE READINGS BEFORE MASS. READINGSFOR MAY 25 — SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
FIRST READING — Acts 15:1-2, 22-29: In response to controversies over whether Gentile believers must follow Jewish circumcision and other Mosaic practices for salvation, the early church leaders, guided by the Holy Spirit, agreed that faith in Christ required only a few essential abstentions—avoiding idol-sacrificed meat, blood, meat from strangled animals, and unlawful marriage—to sustain unity and freedom in the gospel.
Reflection Question: How might we discern between cultural traditions that enrich our faith and legalistic practices that might become burdensome, and in what ways can we embrace the freedom of grace in our daily lives?
SECOND READING — Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23: In a transcendent vision, an angel leads the speaker to behold a magnificent, radiant heavenly Jerusalem—encircled by a massive wall with twelve gates bearing the names of Israel’s tribes and a foundation inscribed with the apostles’ names—where God’s glory and the Lamb’s light alone serve as the eternal temple and source of illumination. Reflection Question: How does the vision of a heavenly city, sustained solely by divine radiance without the need for a traditional temple, inspire you to consider where and how you encounter the presence of God in your own life?
GOSPEL— John 14:23-29: In a transcendent vision, an angel leads the speaker to behold a magnificent, radiant heavenly Jerusalem—encircled by a massive wall with twelve gates bearing the names of Israel’s tribes and a foundation inscribed with the apostles’ names—where God’s glory and the Lamb’s light alone serve as the eternal temple and source of illumination. Reflection Question: How does the vision of a heavenly city, sustained solely by divine radiance without the need for a traditional temple, inspire you to consider where and how you encounter the presence of God in your own life?
FAITH FORMATION INSERTS THIS WEEK IS A SUMMARY OF THE SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER AND AN OVERVIEW OF WHO POPE LEO XIV IS.
https://files.cdn.thinkific.com/file_uploads/297590/attachments/f99/d52/c85/B_W.pdf
https://files.cdn.thinkific.com/file_uploads/297590/attachments/9b8/764/72a/B_W.pdf
JAMES’ PARKING LOT HOURS: St. James’s parking lot has a gate that is closed when not in use. On Sundays, the gate opens around 9 am and in the future, it will be closed and locked at 1 pm. We kindly request that everyone remove their cars from the lot by 1 pm on Sundays. If you need the lot past 1 pm on Sundays, contact the parish staff. Thank you for being so cooperative.
GARDEN UPDATE: Depending on the weather, on Saturday, May 23, we will be maintaining the garden and planting sweet potatoes. If it rains, let’s go for coffee. Either way, meet at 10:00 am at the garden. Veggies currently available to be harvested:
- Bed 1, 4 – Mustard and Turnips
- Bed 8 – Kale
- Bed 10 – Radishes and leaf lettuce
- Bed 14 – Head lettuce
- Bed 15 – Arugula
- Along the Cloister – Cherries
FR. DON FARNAN HAS A WONDERFUL WEEKLY PODCAST THAT ADDRESSES important issues of the day and how they intersect with our faith. Check it out and subscribe. https://uponthisrockpodcast.buzzsprout.com/
THE BULLETIN, FRIDAY EMAILS, AND ANNOUNCEMENTS AT MASS. For the size of our parish, St. James has a lot going on. Providing information to the people is crucial. We have three primary methods of communication with parishioners: the bulletin, the Friday email, and announcements at Mass. Parishioners are invited to submit announcements and other items for the bulletin and Friday emails to Bulletin@StJKC.org by midnight on Mondays. To have an announcement read at Mass, your information must be sent to dianeew72@gmail.com by noon on Saturdays. All announcements will be edited for conciseness. We appreciate your cooperation.
HAVE YOU HEARD THAT ST. JAMES IS GOING CAMPING?! That’s right. On August 1-3, 2025, at Big Rock Candy Mountain Retreat in Jadwin, Missouri. Check it out at www.bigrockcandymt.com. This Retreat Center has lodging options for everyone (serious tent campers and “I need a cabin with beds and electricity, please” campers!) and is located on the Ozark Scenic Riverways. There is an outdoor pool and restaurant on site, as well as numerous recreational options, including horseback riding, kayaking, fly fishing, hiking, biking, and more. Please complete the form below if you are planning to participate and haven’t completed the form previously. Our deposit is due by June 1, so I’ll be collecting money NOW. https://forms.gle/fMVvDC3bmAHF2LtY6 Contact Rachael with any questions, and feel free to share with other St. James folk. Rachael Coffman (816) 885-7718
ST. JAMES’ PARKING LOT HOURS: St. James’s parking lot has a gate that is closed when not in use. On Sundays, the gate opens around 9 am and in the future, it will be closed and locked at 1 pm. We kindly request that everyone remove their cars from the lot by 1 pm on Sundays. If you need the lot past 1 pm on Sundays, contact the parish staff. I appreciate your cooperation.
The Precious Blood Renewal Center in Liberty, MO, offers some excellent programs, including our very own Fr. Garry Richmeier and Fr. Mark Miller. Go to: https://www.pbrenewalcenter.org/ for more information.
REDEMPTORIST– PRESENTATION ON BLESSED STANLEY ROTHER On Monday, June 9 at 7:00 pm, Redemptorist will host Fr. Don Wolf, a priest from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, who will speak about Blessed Stanley Rother. Fr. Rother was martyred in 1981 in Guatemala where he was serving as a missionary in Santiago Atitlan. In 2015, the Vatican formally recognized him as a martyr. He was beatified in 2017 in Oklahoma City. Blessed Stanley Rother is the first martyr from the United States and the first U.S.-born priest to be beatified. Fr. Wolf is a cousin to Blessed Stanley Rother and will speak in the Garden Room at Redemptorist.
WHEN THE LIGHT FINDS US: FROM A LIFE SENTENCE TO A LIFE TRANSFORMED
June 23 6—8 pm Rockhurst University Magis Activity Center 5311 Tracy, KCMO Judy Henderson spent 36 years in prison for a crime she didn’t commit. Come hear Judy’s story in her own words. It is a story of unwavering hope and strength. Judy is now a member of the Missouri Catholic Charities team. To RSVP to this event, click HERE.
A PILGRIMAGE ALONG THE CIVIL RIGHTS TRAIL OCTOBER 19—25, 2025 Trinity United Methodist Church in Kansas City is sponsoring a trip to famous sites in our nation’s civil rights history across the South. The cost is $990. This includes transportation (via a chartered 55-passenger bus with driver), six nights in mid-range motels (based on two people in a room), admission to sites, a light breakfast each day (at the motel), and four other meals. If you have questions, contact Rev. Scott Grotewold at wsgrotewold@gmail.com. For more info or to register, go to https://www.trinitykc.org/civilrights.
Join us for . . . A Conversation on Immigration
When: Sunday, June 1, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.
Where: St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church, 12251 Antioch Rd, Overland Park (Assembly Rm)
Program:
A light lunch will be served at 11:30, followed by remarks from local experts and members of the Immigration Ministries team. Learn about:
- ● The Biblical, Constitutional, and statutory underpinnings of immigration.
- ● Changes in policy and enforcement in the last 100+ days.
- ● What St. Thomas/St. Michael’s Immigration Ministries is doing to support our immigrant neighbors and how you can help.
Speakers:
- Roger McCrummen, J.D., M.Div., founder of McCrummen Immigration Law and Asylum Clinic Kansas City
- Clare Murphy Shaw, J.D., Executive Director Asylum Clinic Kansas City
- Immigration Ministries Leadership Team members
RSVP: Please let us know if you can attend by emailing: ljcbond@gmail.com