We have received updated guidelines from Bishop Soto in regards to holding Masses. We no longer will need to utilize the Sign-Up Genius. It will be first come, first serve. However, social distancing and other protocols are being observed, so please do come early to secure a seat. We will continue to livestream our Masses as we have in the past on our YouTube channel. Please be advised that if you have any flu-like symptoms, please do not attend any public worship services. Thank you and God Bless

Liturgical Guidelines

Fr. Rey & Fr. Dan's Priesthood Anniversary Celebration

Please help celebrate Fr. Rey Bersabal's 30th Anniversary and Fr. Dan Looney's 50th Anniversary of the Priesthood on June 12th after the 5:30pm Mass. All Covid-19 protocols will be followed. We will have a socially distanced reception with heavy appetizers in the Courtyard between St. James School and the Memorial Center, and the playground. Please RSVP by using the Signup Genius Link on our website by June 5th. This reception is funded by parishioners not by the parish so if you would like to make a donation please do so at the check-in/registrations station at the reception or call the office at 530-756-3636.

Click Here to pre-register

Men's Retreat English sign-up link

Men's Retreat Spanish sign-up link

Calendar

How to support

St. James Parish

Diocese of Sacramento Support Your Parish link

St. James church Withdrawal Authorization Form

During this period of the COVID-19 pandemic I request prayers for all who are suffering and that the financial needs of our parish and parishioners are met.

Pope Francis recently reminded us we will survive this coronavirus situation by sticking together. He invites us to live this moment with humility, penance, compassion and hope, and to demonstrate our solidarity with others; especially those who suffer.

Yes, these are dark times for many of us. Yet our faith commends us to not be consumed by fear, insecurity, and anxiety. As followers of Jesus, we put our trust in God who, in the power of the Holy Spirit, sends us to be about God’s mission of restoration, reconciliation and wholeness in the face of brokenness, alienation, and illness.

Now is the time for us to be the Church that God wants us and needs us to be.

Here at St. James our vibrant ministries, faith formation and Catholic education have been severely disrupted by the pandemic. Limitations on weekend Mass participation have impacted our sense of community with a concurrent reduction of 25% in parish income.

Understandably, this has placed a tremendous strain on our ability to operate and maintain our parish facilities.

So, my friends today I humbly ask for your generous financial support. For those having reduced or suspended contributions to our parish please resume your ongoing support. For those having not been impacted by COVID-19 and are in a position to do so, I ask your consideration of increasing your support. And, for those presently unable to contribute, please pray for all of us and a future of vibrant liturgy, ministry and service to our Community of Faith.

May God grant us a reprieve from this terrible illness through the intercession of Mary, Queen of Apostles, and through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

~YOUR generosity is appreciated~

Community of Faith Campaign

St. Vincent De Paul Society Assistance Line: (530) 979-4338

For more information CLICK HERE

Feast of Faith

The General Intercessions

The general intercessions were restored to the liturgy in the reforms that followed the Second Vatican Council. In these prayers— also known as the “universal prayer” or “prayer of the faithful”—the assembly prays for the Church, the world, and the local community. As the name “prayer of the faithful” reminds us, these intercessions are a privilege of the baptized, which is why any catechumens are dismissed before the Creed and the intercessions. In baptism, we become members of a royal priesthood, and what do priests do? They intercede; they pray. In standing to pray to God as a community, we are living out our royal priesthood. The intercessions at Mass usually follow a clear pattern, moving from general to specific needs. We pray for the whole Church. We pray for the world and for our nation. We pray for our local community, for those who have died and for all the sick and afflicted. In our united prayer, we reach beyond ourselves and our own needs and grow in awareness of and compassion for the needs of others.

PARISH OFFICE NEWS

If you would like to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) please call the office for an appointment 530-756-3636.

The Pastoral Offices are currently closed for visitors. However, we are in the office for drop-offs, phone calls and available to help you however we can during the current pandemic. During this time we are in the office from 8am to 3pm only. Calls after 3pm will be answered the next day. Sign ups for the weekend Masses can fill quickly, however you are welcome to call the office to sign up.

The office is closed on the weekends.

Deacon Joe

Solemnity of the Annunciation, 2021

Fiat

The Blessed Virgin Mary’s last words in the Gospel were directed to the servers at the wedding in Cana. Mary had advised Jesus the wine had run out. Mary said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” When Mary, always perceptive of the social sensitivities of the hosts brought their situation to her son’s attention it may have startled Jesus who was focused on the recruitment of his apostles to follow him on his mission to restore the relationship between heaven and earth. Jesus initially responded to his mother, “My hour has not yet come”. Perhaps, after re-centering himself and further considering his mothers’ prodding in an expanded scope of his mission, he quickly turned to address the problem. While it is not recorded, it is expected that Jesus learned much about life through his parents’ Spirit-filled insights.

Thirty years earlier, Mary came to be the mother of Jesus when this startled virgin affirmed the angel Gabriel’s very unconventional annunciation with her fiat, “Let it be done to me according to your word.” This fiat implies trust, especially a trust that God in his mercy will work to bring us all to him in ways we do not understand. The Annunciation, celebrated on March 25th, 9 months before Christmas, exemplifies the humility and trust we are all called upon especially in this season of Lent as we prepare for the Solemnity of Easter. We need model saints like Mary who turned away from temptations of fear, self-pity, poor self-discipline and hopelessness; saints who trusted in God’s loving Providence. Mary’s life was formed by her Jewish spirituality. She had the righteousness of the Law in her heart. When the time came to listen to the Lord and do whatever he tells her, her humble Fiat brought Salvation into the world. We all play a role in bringing forth the Kingdom of God by listening and then taking action as Mary did. (It is no accident that the birth of Christ was announced through a woman and the Resurrection was first realized by women.)

Mary’s fiat represents the beginning of the New Covenant where Jesus would live with his people and establish his church and now she, the church, listens and prepares to be one with God.

RANDOM THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS BY DEACON SAM

---Nothing we face in life is a surprise to God. His grace is sufficient for us. Our challenge is to keep our passion for life alive – we can finish projects with a song in our heart and a spring in our step. Think of it – there is no sin bigger than the mercy of God. Life matters and our prayers are powerful. Today, people search in different ways trying to make their life meaningful. In the Eucharist we consume the Bread of Life and become Bread for others – which is the love of Jesus Christ. When we live in trust that life is a gift we become truly ourselves. God is faithful to us. Prayer and love prepare us to say “Yes” to Jesus.

--Don’t discount the gifts God has given to each of us. If you are not content with your gifts and how God made you, you will likely rarely feel good or comfortable with yourself. You don’t need to have a great gift for God to use it in a great way. God will one day judge us on how well we used the gifts He gave us. Be the best you can be with what you have. As a rule for our daily life, our service to others is a gift of self. I pray: “God use me to show others how awesome and great you are.”

--Failure is an event – it is not who we are.

--Life is full of distractions – each day, ask yourself “am I leading the life God wants me to lead?” We are not a failure if we have sinned – seek God’s forgiveness and begin again to live a righteous life. When we turn our backs on God, He does not turn His back on us. Sometimes we say we have found God – but God wasn’t lost. He is the one who has found us! How great is this!

--Faith is a gift from God:

-We should pray for deeper faith for ourselves and others; -We should pray that we will live our faith;

-We should introduce faith to others by our words and actions.

--“I just know it is Him!” How do you recognize the voice of God? The more we pray the more we recognize His voice speaking to us in our heart. Prayer expands our heart so that Jesus can come and talk to us. Mother Teresa said: “Don’t just pray - learn to love to pray.” Part of praying is to be comfortable with silence so we can ponder God’s words in our hearts. Read and reflect on the words of the beautiful Psalm 23:

“The Lord is my shepherd: I have everything I need, know that your goodness and love will be with me all of my life; and your house will be my home as long as I live….I will not be afraid Lord for You are with me…” Prayed in its entirety, may this amazing psalm lead us to hear the voice of God. “I just know it is Him!”

--When we wonder what God is like, we are urged to turn to the Gospel and meditate on the person, the life and the teachings of Jesus. God created humankind in His image and has entrusted to us the responsibility to be good stewards of His creation. We all have to play our part in the enormous challenge facing us. Desire and longing are part of the human experience: a desire for the infinite, a desire for God. We are all made to be in relationship with God. Jesus is the Way to achieve our goals – His life and His teachings suggest how we are to act – how we are to love one another. Christ died for our sins and was raised on the third day – this is the core of our beliefs. We need to be imitators of God – to love as God loves us. The great truth of our faith, I believe, is LOVE – God is love itself and we are called to share the love. This, for me, is the defining quality of the life we are called to live.

--“What you hold may you always hold, what you do may you always do, and never abandon; But with swift pace, light step and unswerving feet, So that even your steps stir up no dust, Go forward, the Spirit of God has called you.” St. Clare May

God bless all the St. James Parish family with His love and mercy and may our lives radiate that love and mercy to all that we meet.

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Diocesan News:

November 21, 2020

~~Dispensation from the Bishop~~

Bishop Soto has granted a dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass on Sunday for those members of the Faithful who are sixty years of age and older as well as those suffering vulnerable health conditions.

Due to new instructions provided by State and local public health officials, this decree is now extended to include all members of the Catholic Faithful from the obligation to attend Mass on Sunday. This dispensation will continue until further notice.

Decree of Dispensation English

Decree of Dispensation Spanish

November 21, 2020

~~ICP Registration~~

The Diocese of Sacramento is joining those in Los Angeles, Fresno, Orange, San Bernadino and San Diego in a program that brings compensation and justice to those who were sexually abused as minors by diocesan priests. All claims, regardless of how long ago they may have occurred, will be considered by the program. The ICP is independent, outside the control of any diocese. For more information, including how to submit a claim, please visit www.CaliforniaDiocesesICP.com. Let us always remember to pray for the victims of priest sexual abuse. As their pain is ongoing, so must our prayers for them be.