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As members of the Body of Christ, the parish of St. James, Lake Placid, Florida proclaims our belief in the message and mission of Jesus Christ.
"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." (Matt 28:19-20)With God's Grace, the example of Jesus, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we seek to live out that belief as a community of worship, of shared faith and of service where each member shares with others the gifts and talents received from God.
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Pastor, Fr. Vincent Clemente
Father Vincent came to the United States from Italy at the age of 15, where his family settled in the Cleveland, OH area. He has one sister. Father was ordained to the priesthood on May 8, 1976 and has previously served at St. Martha’s in Sarasota, FL and as pastor of St. Michael in Wauchula and St. Paul in Arcadia.
WELCOME, FATHER! We look forward to continued spiritual growth with you here at St. James!
Parochial vicar Fr. Felix Gonzalez
Fr. Felix Gonzalez, our newest parochial vicar, was born in Venezuela on September 18, 1953. He studied philosophy in Trinidad & Tobago, West Indies and theology at the Seminary “Santa Rosa de Lima,” Caracas, Venezuela. He was ordained on July 18th, 1981 at the .Archdiocese of Barquisimeto. He came to the United States 20 years ago and studied monastic spirituality in Worcester, MA and worked in different parishes in the Archdiocese of New York— Manhattan and the Bronx. During those years he studied in IONA College and graduated with a Masters in Science, majoring in pastoral counseling. After serving St. Leo for almost two and a half years, he is happy to embark on this new part of his spiritual journey.
Our commitment to a Safe Environment
As Christian adults, we have a moral and legal responsibility and are entrusted by God with the spiritual, emotional and physical well-being of minors and vulnerable adults. St. James adheres to the Diocese of Venice's Safe Environment program. To learn more, visit: https://dioceseofvenice.org/offices/programs/safeenvironment/
Pope Francis' Letter to the People of God, regarding sexual abuse in light of the outcome of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury.
My Dear People,
While using expressive imagery, John performs a Baptism (with water) and proclaims he is not the Messiah. He, who is on His way, will come with the dignity of one who has no human equal, and with the authority of a supreme Judge that belongs to God.
In Christ’s baptism we can find a similarity in the way the sacrament of Baptism affects a person. Christ’s baptism was the exemplar of our own. In it, the mystery of the Blessed Trinity is revealed. The faithful, on receiving Baptism, are consecrated by the invocation of and by the power of the Blessed Trinity. Similarly, heaven opening signifies that the power, and the effectiveness of this sacrament comes from above, from God. The newly baptized have the road to heaven opened up for them, a road which original sin had closed.
Jesus’ prayer after His baptism teaches us: “after Baptism man needs to pray continually in order to enter heaven. Although sins are remitted through Baptism, there still remains the inclination to sin which assails us from within and includes also the flesh and the devil which assails us from without.” (St Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae 3 q 39, a5).
Isaiah in chapter 40 speaks of a voice crying out in the wilderness, which is John the Baptist. These chapters make up the second part of the book of Isaiah, also known as “Second Isaiah”--“Deutoro-Isaiah”. Almost everything here refers to a period of history one or two centuries later than that of the “First Isaiah”. The oppressor is no longer Assyria, but Babylon, which conquered Jerusalem in 587-586 BC, and then began a series of deportations sending the upper classes of Jerusalem and Judah into exile. Many years later (359 BC,. Cyrus, king of the Persians, conquered the Babylonians and issued a decree, allowing those deportees, who so wished, to return home. These events are echoed in Second Isaiah’s oracles, songs, lamentations and denunciations, and the prophetic visions of the final enduring deliverance and restoration of the chosen people and the city of Zion.
The section begins on a formal note with an anonymous voice proclaiming the Lord’s consolation (vv1-5). The same voice calls on the prophet himself to proclaim that the word of God and His message of salvation will endure forever (vv. 6-11). The voice commands a way for one to be opened to the Word of God; the path smoothed; and all obstacles removed. When God comes, He will be able to walk without hindrance. “Prepare the way of the Lord!” means to preach the gospel and to offer consolation to His people, with the desire that salvation of God embraces all mankind.
In the second part of the oracle, the anonymous voice asks the prophet to speak in the name of the Lord. Mere human plans can only go so far, but the word of God stands forever. In the things that the voice says, there must be an allusion to the might of Babylon, which withers like the “flower in the field” when the “the breath of the Lord blows upon it,” because it challenges the goodness of God. The message to be given to the people speaks of trusting in the power of God who comes not to lay waste but to protect those in His care (vv. 9-11). Here we find for the first time the simile of the “flock“ being applied to the people of God, one of several figures of speech used in Holy Scripture to describe God’s tender care of His people; and Christian tradition used to explain the mystery of the Church.
The church is a sheepfold whose one and indispensable door is Christ. It is a flock in which God Himself foretold He would be the shepherd, and whose sheep, although ruled by human shepherds, are nevertheless continuously led and nourished by Christ Himself, the Good Shepherd, the prince of shepherds, who gave His life for His sheep.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Vincent Clemente
JANUARY 6th— Monday. SVdP Meeting, 2PM, Social Hall. RCIA, 6PM, Social Hall.
JANUARY 7th— Tuesday. Child. of Our Lady, 10AM, Social Hall. Grupo de Juan 23, 7PM, Social Hall.
JANUARY 8th— Wednesday. Bible Study, 10AM, Social Hall. Divine Will, 4PM, Social Hall. Confirmation Prep, 7PM, Social Hall.
JANUARY 9th— Thursday. Divine Mercy, 10:30AM, Social Hall. Grief Support, 2PM, Social Hall. Prayer Group, 6:30PM, Social Hall.
JANUARY 12th— Sunday. Faith Formation, 11AM, Social Hall.
JANUARY 13th— Monday. RCIA, 6PM, Social Hall.
JANUARY 14th— Tuesday. Child. of Our Lady, 10AM, Social Hall. Grupo de Juan 23, 7PM, Social Hall. Knights of Columbus, 7PM, Social Hall.
