St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jacksonville is giving parish members the opportunity to sponsor newly commissioned statues, which will be a gift to the church, Fr. Sebastian George said in the Aug. 23 bulletin.

"If this is a gift you are interested in making, I ask you to please see me so that we may further discuss this," George said. "We are commissioning five statues in total and they are: The Crucifix, Sorrowful Mother Mary at Calvary, St. John the Apostle at Calvary, a statue of the Holy Family with emphasis on St. Joseph, and a relief of St. Cecilia which will adorn the choir area."

The church is also moving back to normal operations, starting with reopening the Eucharistic adoration.

Adoration is taking place Monday through Friday in the Cody Center Chapel after the 8 a.m. daily Mass. Benediction will also take place at 11:45 a.m.

Additionally, there will be an adoration hosted the second Friday of each month by the church's Hispanic community from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Cody Center Chapel.

Furthermore, ministries will now be able to meet in the Cody Center, but only in the second-floor meeting rooms to allow for adequate space to social distance, George said. While the main church building isn't open at this time, when it does reopen, more meeting space will be available to the ministries.

The church also reopened its St. Joseph Catholic School with many measures in place to ensure the safety of students.

"Our PREP registration is under way and we look forward to welcoming students back on Wednesday, Sept. 16, for the first evening of classes," George said in the Pastor's Notes. "Registration is still open and please visit our Web page to complete your enrollment. We are so very grateful to our administrator of Religious Education, Lourdes Flemming, for her countless hours of hard work to ensure our program is a success."

Fr. George also noted that the parish is selling copies of a new book published by the Diocese. "Faith on a Mission: A Portrait of the Diocese of St. Augustine at 150 Years" is available to purchase for $40 in the Cody Center at the Rectory. To reserve a book, contact the Rectory at 904-268-5422.