The Catholic Community of Northern Columbia County

“The value of persistent prayer is not that God will hear us, but that we will finally hear God."

This year’s focus on the Corporal Works of Mercy reminds us that while we are helping with the bodily needs of others, we, too, are in need of mercy.   Pope Francis in Gaudete et Exsulte:  “…we need to think of ourselves as an army of the forgiven. All of us have been looked upon with divine compassion. If we approach the Lord with sincerity and listen carefully, there may well be times when we hear his reproach: ‘Should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ (Mt 18:33).” We should not underestimate the extent of God’s mercy, but neither should we underestimate our own need for mercy. Whenever we see ourselves as having earned our salvation, we forget our own primary roles as sinners and begin the process of judging others as sinners unworthy of mercy or salvation. God’s mercy is the beginning and the end of salvation. Mercy is not what someone else needs, it is what I need.”

Our January gatherings are:  

· Sunday, January 28 at 5 pm at St. John the Baptist  

· Sunday, January 21 at 9 am at St. James