HIGHLAND – Close relative to apostles St. Jude and St. Simon, St. James the Less, another one of the 12 apostles, was considered a brother of Jesus. He wrote the first Catholic Epistle, was the first Bishop of Jerusalem, was a witness of Jesus’ resurrection, and was by no means less than any of the other apostles.
St. James was apparently just short or young, at least smaller or younger than the other apostle of the same name, hence the moniker James the Less. He was 96 years old when he was martyred, having been clubbed to death in the year 62 A.D.
With a feast day of May 3, the Highland parish of the same name celebrated their patronal saint with Mass, dinner and door prizes.
A free spaghetti dinner for 300 people followed the 5 p.m. Mass. “This is our second year doing this,” said organizer David Taylor. “We just love it, and it is going to continue to be a tradition. The wonderful thing is how all the families come together, especially young families with children. Father Gregory (Bim-Merle) has really brought us together.”
After becoming pastor of the parish last year, it was Father Bim-Merle’s idea to begin the celebration of the parish’s patron. “We need to celebrate this feast day,” he said. “It is a wonderful thing to bring the community together, to celebrate with a party. It is one of many great things at our parish.”
Like in so many parishes in the Diocese of Gary, the month of May is filled with activity. For the first time, on May 5, the parish hosted a dynamic, free recital from Jacobs School of Music students Sam Sutliff, performing solo and in duet on piano, with Keign Iwanicki playing the viola. The grandson of Taylor, Sutliff will be a senior at Indiana University in Bloomington, as will his girlfriend Iwanicki.
Taylor said Father Bim-Merle encouraged families with children to sit up front so they could closely observe the talented musicians in order to foster their own musical abilities.
A rummage and bake sale was scheduled from May 9-11. Then a Mother’s Day brunch, hosted by St. Pope John Paul II Knights of Columbus Council 16008, was on the calendar for May 12.
The parish’s long-time bible study group meets each Thursday morning until the end of May. Since April, they have been watching parts of The Wild Goose series produced by 4PM Media, designed to help people have an encounter or a renewed encounter with the Holy Spirit. On May 2, participants talked specifically about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They discussed how the gift of counsel makes concrete God’s will, how important it is to release control to God, and how the gift of speaking in tongues can be a challenging thing to understand.
“I enjoy being a part of this; I create notes for each of the meetings to help our members recall what was discussed,” said Alicia Montalvo, who coordinates the bible study with Art Zuhl. Other sessions have been about the Holy Eucharist, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and various saints. “The more we can surrender to His will and humble ourselves, the more we can do,” she said.
A member of the parish council, Taylor, who revived the parish’s blood drive with his wife Donna, said he loves helping Father Bim-Merle and supporting the parish.
Father Bim-Merle said he is glad that parishioners continue to grow in love of neighbor, which is something they can learn from their patronal saint. “St. James was a great example of charity, love of others and forgiveness,” he said. “He forgave others. He also was an advocate for the poor and helping those in need.”
Even as St. James was beaten to death, he prayed for the forgiveness of his attackers. He was the head of the early Church in Jerusalem and is regarded as its first bishop. He preached the gospel passionately and inspired many conversions. He was fiercely opposed by Jewish leaders who wanted to kill him. When St. James refused to renounce Jesus, furious scribes and Pharisees apprehended him and threw him from the pinnacle of the Temple to an angry mob below. The mob stoned him, and as he prayed for their forgiveness, he was bludgeoned to death with clubs.
A son of Alphaeus, St. James was a cousin of Jesus’ and considered his brother because of the close familial ties. And Jesus appeared to him after His resurrection. He was also known as James the Just because of his fairness. With great wisdom and compassion, he argued that Gentile converts were not obligated to follow the Jewish dietary laws. He is the patron saint for a variety of people, including: pharmacists, rheumatoid sufferers, dying people and hat makers.
Caption: Several members of the St. James the Less in Highland bible study group gather after their May 2 meeting. In attendance were (back row) Thomas Taylor, Bill Sonaitis, Georgia Helfen, Alicia Montalvo, Art Zuhl, (front row) Stephen Schwegman, Mirthala Taylor, Cathy Bartczak, and Dorene Albright. (Lynda J. Hemmerling photo)