Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

St. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:19-20, "So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone."

As Catholic Christians we form a direct chain to the early Church founded by Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. The parish of St. James is in union with this Universal Church through our Shepherd, the Bishop of Savannah, who is in communion with the Successor of St. Peter in Rome. Through our baptism into this church, we are empowered to witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the Good News of Salvation.

Our life in the parish of St. James is centered on the Lord's gift of Himself in the Holy Eucharist. As it says in the Acts of the Apostles 2:42, "They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers." Through the entire sacramental life of our church, through our concern for one another, through our works of charity, through our vocations in society, through our family life, and through our Catholic school, we continue to grow in the knowledge of the Gospel we are called to live and to proclaim to others.

We want to thank you for your support and participation in the Lord's vineyard. We also invite you to become increasingly more active in the work of our Church. You have been commissioned and graced with the life of God. That means that we each have a unique calling to build up the Body of Christ, which is the Church of the Living God.

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Mark J. Ross, Pastor