The Observation Deck

St. James, 6-20-10...after Mass...

After St. James Church's Sunday Mass yesterday, I took some pictures around the church's interior. From the statue of the Blessed Virgin, to the intimate confessional, to the stool that Father John sometimes used for his homilies...memories abound in the hearts of Lakewoodites who will will always remember this sacred place.

St. James Church is currently scheduled to close next week.

You can view my photoblog here...

http://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs/ ... after-mass

Please feel free to download photos for your personal use.

Thank you for sharing your photos Gary. While I am not Catholic I do appreciate the beauty of St. James and am saddened that we will soon lose this beautiful place of worship. Just today while the church bells were ringing I was thinking about how soon they will ring no more.

Thanks Gary, very memorable pictures. Sad sign of the times however.

Gary, great pics!

While some enjoy the last Saturday evening Mass, attended by Bishop Lennon...





... others outside protest the decision and the Bishop.


After the service, hugs and tears were everywhere.



More photos online at:
http://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs/jim-obryan/st-jamess-last-weekend



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Some photos from the very last Mass at St. James.



The last communion.



People walking by kept stopping in grabbing a couple seconds of video or images
on their cell phones.



Then after the Priest had begged the community to stay together here in Lakewood,
it was all over, and the members of the St.James Community started to leave...



or did they? It seemed that most if not all stayed out front to talk, share memories,
hugs and tears.



On this final day only Fox 8 showed up to record the tears. Here Autumn Ziemba
speaks with one of the parishioners.



Tim Carroll says a tearful goodbye.









Grabbing family pledge bricks on the way home.


Over 100 photos of the last weekend of St. James online in the Lakewood Observer Photo Blogs.
http://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs
Isn't it time you start yours, and help the LO keep a visual history of events, people, and
life in Lakewood? It is easy!
http://lakewoodobserver.com/members and click on photo blogging!


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This is almost Biblical....

Refer to Luke 19-40

Did Scriptures not say that the very stones would cry out... if the people did not?

Talk about weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth...

This whole circumstance affects over a thousand of your neighbors...

Look after them...they need your help.

Jim, thanks for reminding us what real photojournalism is all about.

No banjo today though...not today.

I saw this sign, and was wondering how this is going?

I recently spoke with Carol Hunt who lives in the neighborhood and came up
with an idea to try to keep the bells chiming, until they are taken down. The sounds
had become such a standard part of life on the west side of Lakewood

It would be nice.

I have spoken with a couple parishioners in the neighborhood that would help to
underwrite the costs.


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Jim O'Bryan wrote:

I saw this sign, and was wondering how this is going?

Not directly related to this appeal, but the Vatican just recently confirmed the right of a local bishop to close parishes (saw an MSNBC store about it), so I don't think things look too good.

Close it?

Last month they had crews fixing the roof.

Today they were working on the walks and steps.



Looks more like they found the money to fix it up, for sale, but not services.



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My oh My--- Am I seeing a possible link between this fabulous structure and the thread about the bookstore which is emphasizing all kinds of room, nooks and crannies, and endless possibilities that is just far enough away so as not to compete with existing facilities but in an area that is just perfectly in betwixt and between????

I thought they closed St. Ignatius too?


If so why are they fixing them all up?


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St. Ignatius and St. Colman were originally on the hit list, but were spared by the bishop not very long after the original announcement.

St. James on a cold January morning looking very nice, not at all like an abandoned
parish in an abandoned neighborhood. Well only abandoned by the Catholic Diocese.
The neighborhood is alive, and working hard to bring this church back.

Let's not forget.



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