Today was Pentecost, or as I like to call it “the annual reminder I don’t own anything red”. I did manage to dig out a burgundy ensemble which is as close as I can come! (We wear red to remember the flames of the Holy Spirit that came upon the Disciples at Pentecost, you can read about it in Acts). Many of the flowers had a red/orange theme, especially the ones around Mary (no picture of her sorry!) but I didn’t find the main banners until I was leaving and happened to look up so here they are in the picture above!

That is what is directly to the left of where I tend to sit. I’ve been going to St. James over a month but basically went to sit where I always sit. I think I’ll do a post about why next since it is rather a long tale.

That is what is directly in front of where I am. It subtly changes every week I noticed. There is a fabulous relief sculpture of Bethlehem with incredible detail as a backdrop to the figures. Today we had Father Nzomo, who is my personal favourite. He is always enthusiastic and has great stories from his time in Africa.

This isn’t a very flattering one, but it really is quite impressive up by the altar. I did a sort of hit and run picture here, because I was going out to breakfast with a group of people from the 9am Mass. That was a lot of fun– we headed for the nearby Peets and had a long conversation. I also finally got the official tour– it is a larger area than St. Vincent’s and there are absolutely no signs anywhere. When an event is listed at, say “Parish Centre” you can wander all over the property without finding it. Not to mention the extensive gardens. By garden I mean that literally– raised beds of veggies and flowers that is taken care of by Parishioners, particularly those in apartments that don’t have one of their own. The general idea is that it is hard for poorer families to afford fresh produce, and this is one way they can get some for free. Most food bank type places don’t deal with fruits/veggies since they go bad so quickly.