Announcements

Quilts of Valor—The Mesilla Valley Quilts of Valor group was formed in 2018. Our quilting bee meets on Thursdays in the St. James Parish Hall form 10:00-3:00 weekly. We are affiliated with the national Quilts of Valor Foundation (qovf.org). We make quilts which are made of quality fabrics and include a label on the back of each quilt citing the honoree's name, presentation date, and the name of our group. We also include care instructions with the quilt. To date we have awarded approximately 100 quilts. Currently we are making informational presentations to local groups such as Knights of Columbus, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Optimists, and Rotary Groups. We will gladly present to any group. Please contact me if interested in an informational presentation for your group. 

         Each recipient is awarded a quilt, a certificate, and a copy of the presentation speech. We love nothing more than presenting quilts to our deserving veterans. Veterans do not have to have served in wartime to qualify. Any veteran who has served at any time and has been honorably discharged qualifies for a quilt.  Active duty also qualifies. Family and friends are encouraged to nominate veterans. Any veteran may also nominate him/herself.

         The nomination form is located on the Quilts of Valor Foundation website (qovf.org) and is easy to fill out. Once it is submitted by the veteran or family/friend who is nominating the veteran, it is then vetted and routed to the group closest to the honoree. For example, if you live in Las Cruces or southern New Mexico, it will be routed to the Mesilla Valley Quilts of Valor group. The Veteran will then be contacted by me and we will set up a time, location, and date for the formal presentation of his/her quilt.

         There are currently five groups in New Mexico: Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Silver City, Alamogordo and Las Cruces. There is not a group in Western Texas, so the Mesilla Valley Quilts of Valor group has been covering these veterans as well as all of Southern New Mexico. We work with the Alamogordo group to cover those veterans located in the southeastern part of the state.  If you have any questions or would like to set up a public informtional  presentation for a group, feel free to contact Jennifer Terrazas at 575-993-0498.

Adult Spiritual Education Forum—August 10, 2026. Monday. Adult Spiritual Education Forum, 5:30., St. James Episcopal Church, Library. Facilitator: Jim Maxon. “Chapter 10:  A Life of Virtue: The Devout Life of Saint Francis de Sales”, from the book, “Spiritual Masters” by Archbishop Emeritus, Alfred C. Hughes. ALL ARE WELCOME. Info.: Terry Meyer, 575-571-2964.

Flower Guild—We are excited to share that Saint James is forming a newly created Flower Guild! If you have a passion for flowers, love creating beautiful arrangements, or simply want to help beautify our sacred spaces, we would love for you to join us. No prior experience is necessary, just a willing heart and a desire to serve.

If you are interested in joining or learning more, please reach out to Flower Guild Chair Candace Fitch (210- 248-7374). She will be training all flower guild lovers.