WeShare Online Giving

Make your donations to The Catholic Faith Appeal online here:

CFA

Learn more about The Catholic Faith Appeal and how to make paper donations here.

Verlo en Español.

You can make donations to St. James parish here:

Thank you for your support! It is appreciated!

Welcome

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.

 

Welcome, Pope Leo!
 
 
Join our Flocknote! Stay informed on the things you care about!
 

      Like us on Facebook 

 
 
Sign up for the Florida Catholic e-edition.
 

Mass Times

MASS TIMES:
Weekends
Summer Mass Schedule (June - September)
Saturday Vigil 4 PM
Sunday 9 AM
Winter Mass Schedule (October - May)
Saturday Vigil 4 PM
Sunday 8 AM and 10 AM
Weekdays (M - F) - 9:00 AM
First Saturday of Every Month
9:00 AM (with Anointing of the Sick)
Holy Days
7:00 PM Vigil, 9:00 AM Morning

Office Hours - For emergencies call 863-465-3215

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
9:00 am to 12 noon
12:30 pm to 3:00 pm

Wednesday
9:00 am to 12:00 noon

3380 Placid View Dr.
Lake Placid, FL 33852

 Fr. Vincent Clemente

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!    

 Fr. Felix Gonzalez

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 Jesus was walking towards Jerusalem, a man asked Him if only a few would be saved. Jesus Christ did not answer the question directly, because it was not a question that concerned men; only God. How important is it for us to know if there may be only a few who will be saved? For us, it is necessary to be saved! Because we are not predestined to perdition or salvation, to be saved depends on our efforts in doing good and in our filial appeal to divine mercy. 

More than knowing the number of the elect, we need to make an effort to belong to that number! We must not presume to have a privileged position in Paradise because we had it on earth, as part of the chosen people. This is the basic meaning of Jesus’ answer. He exhorted them to enter in Heaven through the narrow door, that is, through the path of renouncing our disordered passions and being faithful to the divine law. 

The world thinks this path to be narrow and oppressive! Jesus calls it narrow in this sense, but in reality the true narrow and oppressive door is of the evil one, because it ties the soul to the toils of a most awful slavery. The gate of heaven appears narrow, but in reality it is  immensely large and beautiful! It is enough to enter it in order to understand. 

The narrow door can be seen as the epilogue of one’s life! When one carries to God what one has done, and if the time of the test has passed, then one cannot do anything to change one’s condition. Divine justice then is like something narrow, in the sense of a precise assessment of a life, self-evident and therefore irrevocable. Many would like in that moment to enter and to change their condition, but they will not be able to do so because the door will be closed.  Their life (in time) has ended, and it is not possible to begin again.

To think, as many foolish people do, that after death there can be another way and a new earthly existence to resume the path of life, is just a dangerous fantasy. When one has arrived, one has arrived; and when the door of earthly life is closed, there is no other alternative. Either stay inside with the Father of the family and rejoice, or remain outside to suffer, in eternal perdition. 

Speaking directly to the Jewish people, Jesus pointed out that their position of privilege among the peoples of the earth did not constitute a claim for the attainment of eternal glory. If they did not do good works, they, too, would be far from God’s eternity, just as surely as the master of the house is far from someone who is completely unknown to him. They will purely and simply be considered as committers of iniquity, and will be condemned to eternal damnation—away from the saints and away from all persons who are saved who will come from all parts of the world. 

Then it will be realized that the “last” called by God to His kingdom will be “first,” and the first, who are part of the chosen people, called by God first, shall be last. 

The way of salvation is narrow because many plot against it and try to put obstacles in its path. There is in the world a strange enmity against all that is good, an enmity that comes from diabolical suggestions, and sometimes even ensnares good people, making them involuntarily instruments of the evil one. 

It is necessary to continue to walk straight ahead and always look towards the ultimate goal we must reach. [Taken from Don Dolindo Ruotolo on reflection on the Gospel of Luke]

Fr. Vincent Clemente

 

Upcoming Events

AUGUST 19th— Tuesday. Child. of Our Lady, 10AM, Social Hall. Grupo de Juan 23, 7PM, Social Hall.

AUGUST 20th—Wednesday. NO Bible Study. Divine Will, 4PM, Social Hall. 

AUGUST 21st— Thursday. Charismatic Prayer Group, 6:30PM, Social Hall.

AUGUST 26th— Tuesday. Child. of Our Lady, 10AM, Social Hall. Grupo de Juan 23, 7PM, Social Hall. Knights of Columbus, 7PM, Social Hall.

AUGUST 27th—Wednesday. NO Bible Study. Divine Will, 4PM, Social Hall. 

AUGUST 28th— Thursday. Divine Mercy, 10:30AM, Social Hall. Charismatic Prayer Group, 6:30PM, Social Hall.

SEPTEMBER 1st— Monday. OFFICE CLOSED FOR LABOR DAY.

prayer for Hurricane Season