Our Hearts are Overflowing with Gratitude!

First off, we want to thank all of our Reopening Team Members and Volunteers who have been absolutely wonderful in their assistance at our public Masses. We cannot be open without the help of many, many parishioners. We appreciate the commitment of their time and patience as we figure out how to attend Mass in a way we’ve never done before…which also leads us to express our gratitude to all of our parishioners who have returned to Mass at St. James. We thank you for adherence to all of the new procedures and for your patience as we learn this new way together. It is wonderful to see some familiar faces again, albeit behind masks : )

If you would like to become a Reopening Volunteer, we would be happy to welcome you to the team. Email reopen@stjamesge.org for more information.

Contact Tracing 101

We have now put information on the parish website as to how to anonymously report a COVID positive diagnosis if you have attended an event at St. James the Apostle Parish in the 14 days prior to your diagnosis or onset of symptoms.

https://stjamesge.org/report-a-covid-positive-diagnosis/

Should you find yourself in this situation, we humbly request you to participate in this reporting via a phone call to our COVID Voicemail Line: 630-469-8324 or via an email to contacttracing@stjamesge.org as we want to do our part to mitigate the spread of this disease. Bishop Pates has given us a set of protocol to follow should this happen so that we can love our neighbors by doing what we can to keep others safe.

Additional Resources for Those Unable to Return to Church at this Time

We recognize that many parishioners are unable to return to public worship because it the best decision for their health or the health of those with whom they live. We miss you and pray for you and think of you often!

We wanted to offer you some additional resources, besides our online Sunday Masses, to enhance your spiritual life as you shelter in place.

EWTN, the Eternal Word Network offers daily Mass online, as well as Rosaries and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Here is their schedule: https://www.ewtn.com/tv/schedule And here is a link to watch live whatever they are broadcasting at the moment: https://www.ewtn.com/tv/watch-live

Here is Relevant Radio’s schedule of Masses and rosaries: https://relevantradio.com/faith/daily-mass-video/

This resource lists a schedule of Masses all over the world with links to their live stream: https://mass-online.org/daily-holy-mass-live-online/ and they offer the same for finding live stream Rosaries: https://mass-online.org/holy-rosary-online/

There are also a plethora of Catholic podcasts available on Spotify or your favorite podcast app you have on your devices. Don’t have a podcast app or want one? Many podcasts are also available online. One very popular such podcast is offered by Bishop Barron. It may be found at the Word on Fire website: https://www.wordonfireshow.com/category/podcasts/ Another is Ask Fr. Josh from Ascension Press: https://media.ascensionpress.com/category/ascension-podcasts/askfrjosh/ Another favorite is from Fr. Mike Schmitz: https://media.ascensionpress.com/category/ascension-podcasts/frmikepodcast/ There is much to be learned about the faith from listening to one of these excellent podcasts and they can enhance your knowledge, as well as your life.

For Those Who Want to Help Feed the Hungry

August is one of two months each year that St. James the Apostle helps support the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry through donations. This year, since we are unable to collect goods in the narthex of church, we will be having a one time drive up Food Drive on Saturday, August 15th at Door 10 in the Ministry Center parking lot from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon.

We ask you to please support this food collection by dropping off your food donations at Door 10 during those hours. If you prefer, you can support the food pantry with a monetary donation instead of food (make checks payable to the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry). For your convenience a donation jar will be located on the table near Door 10.

The following is a list of the most desired items:

• Canned chicken or tuna

• Crackers

• Spaghetti sauce and boxed pasta

• Oatmeal

The food pantry continues to serve low income families, seniors, the unemployed, single parents, homeless, immigrants and all others requesting help with their food needs.

The Glen Ellyn Food Pantry staff and board members are grateful for the ongoing support received from St. James.