Father James Arsenault, pastor of St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Highland Park, will be our Christmas program speaker on December 18. His predominantly African American congregation has welcomed African immigrants, especially a large Sudanese community. They will gather as a church family to celebrate Christmas this year.
Father Arsenault’s friend, Christy Jenkins, suggested him as our Christmas speaker and was particularly enthusiastic about the church’s robust tutoring program for children of all ages, which she says that by itself is quite an amazing story.
He has served St. Elizabeth’s congregation for ten years. Ordained in 1989, he has also served St. Bridget’s in Richmond and churches in Newport News, West Point, Glen Allen, and Blacksburg, where he helped to build the New Parish Church. He was the Catholic priest on the notification team for the Virginia Tech shooting on April 16, 2007.
He attended Sacred Heart Seminary College in Detroit, where he earned an undergraduate degree in history. After that, he received a Master of Divinity degree from St. John’s Seminary in Plymouth, Michigan. He also attended Catholic University of America.
Read more about Rev. Arsenault and the history of St. Elizabeth Catholic Church here.