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Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ 20 August 2023
Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,
Pope Francis calls for authentic liturgical formation that teaches all of us why we do what we do. Only then do we own the sacred action rather than watch someone else do it. Hopefully, this year, we will plan a weekly topic on the liturgy for your formation.
In Pope Francis’ apostolic letter, Desiderio Desideravi, he asks the question: “How do we continue to let ourselves be amazed at what happens in the celebration before our very eyes?” He then talks about that moment of Pentecost when the church became “the initial cell of the new humanity.” Those first men and women reconciled because they were pardoned, alive because he is alive, true because the Spirit of truth dwells in them – only they could break out of the cramped space of spiritual individualism. They could now break the Bread in the certain knowledge that the Lord is alive, risen from the dead, present with his word, with his gestures, with the offering of his Body and his Blood. The celebration is now the privileged place of encounter with him. As he quotes Romano Guardini, “We must learn anew how to relate as fully human beings.”
He asks us to consider the regular rhythm of our assemblies in which we come together to celebrate the Eucharist on the Lord’s Day. Ordained ministers carry out a pastoral action of the first importance when they take the baptized faithful by the hand to lead them into the Paschal Mystery. It is not only the priest but the entire Church, the Body of Christ, that realizes this and includes everyone: “A celebration that does not evangelize is not authentic, just as a proclamation that does not lead to an encounter with the risen Lord in the celebration is not authentic.” This is because the nature of the Liturgy does not consist of mental assimilation of some idea but of real existential engagement with his person. Liturgy is about praise, about rendering thanks for the Passover of the Son whose power transforms our lives. We literally become him.
Consistent with the method of Incarnation, this existential engagement happens in a sacramental way, not with spiritual abstractions: bread, wine, oil, water, fragrance, fire, ashes, rock, fabrics, colors, body, words, sounds, silences, gestures, space, movement, action, order, time, light. This whole of creation is a manifestation of the love of God and is holy. The whole of creation is assumed in order to be placed at the service of the encounter with the Word: incarnate, crucified, dead, risen, ascended to the Father, all fruit of the earth, and work of human hands.
We can’t add anything to the beauty of the inaccessible light where God dwells, Pope Francis says, nor can we add to the perfection of the angelic song that resounds eternally. The Liturgy gives glory to God because it allows us – here, on earth – to see God in the celebration of the mysteries and in seeing him to draw life from his Passover. We, who were dead through our sins and have been made alive again with Christ – we are the glory of God.
Here, there is outlined the first task of the work of liturgical formation: our openness to the transcendent, to God, is oue nature. Not recognizing this leads us not only to not knowing God but being incapable of knowing ourselves.
The Lord be with you,
Streaming Masses and Announcements for the week of 13 August 2023
Today's Live-Streamed Mass
Worship Aid for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Please note! The Sunday 5pm Mass will change to 5:30pm beginning August 27th.
Registration for 2023-2024 Religious Education classes is now open. Click here to sign up today. Registration will close on August 18, and the first classes of the new year will be on Sunday, August 27, and Monday, August 28. Contact the Religious Education Office if you have questions about registering your children.
With over 500 students in over 40 classes, the backbone of our program is YOU: volunteer adults and confirmed teens who teach and assist in our classes and help with security and safety during our class sessions. Training in classroom management, cool Catholic resources to enrich your lessons, and lesson planning, among other topics, will be provided over the summer and on a continuous basis to all our volunteers. All adult volunteers must be compliant with the child protection policies of the diocese, and all teen volunteers must be confirmed. If you have questions about volunteering, call Lynn Jones, Director of Religious Education, at 703-451-8576, ext 136
The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is Tuesday, August 15th. It is a Holy Day of Obligation. A Vigil Mass will be offered on Monday at 7:30 pm and Masses on Tuesday beginning at 7 am, 9 am, Noon, and 7:30 pm (Bilingual).
As summer vacations come to an end, please consider those in our diocese that are struggling with food insecurity. Almost a quarter of a million people in the Arlington diocese don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Our next St. Lucy Food Drive is the weekend of August 26–27. Help stock the warehouse with needed items so that they may be distributed to those most in need. Blue bags with the list of most needed items will be distributed after Masses the weekend of August 19–20. Donations will be collected prior to all Masses the weekend of August 26–27. If the St. Lucy Food Drive Project is a ministry that you wold like to be more involved in, or if you have questions about the August 26–27 drive, please contact Nancy Hoskins, nanjeff@verizon.net or 703-343-0682
Here is your chance to win! Our Spanish speaking community of are hosting a drawing for a new LG 65” LED Television. Tickets are $10.00 and are on sale after all Masses through August 13. The drawing will be held on August 20th and will be accompanied by a delicious food event featuring a range of Central and South American foods. The event will run from 2p – 5pm and feature music and live entertainment. The whole parish is invited to attend. All proceeds will benefit the capital campaign phase II. Details can be found this weekend’s bulletin.
Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ 13 August 2023
Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,
The diocese has recently been asking us to provide volunteers to serve as parish delegates with various offices and initiatives in the church. Here are some of your servant leaders:
Care for Creation Network - Pat Creswick
Catholic Charities Liaison - Rick Caporali (currently)
National Eucharistic Renewal - Tom Smith
New Hispanic Committee - TBD
The Saint Lucy Food Project - Nancy Hoskins
Pro-Life Committee - Tom Palumbo
Vocations Promoters - Mary Beth Williams
With so many violent storms and environmental crises, I thought this week I might highlight our diocesan Care for Creation and our relationship with the Catholic Climate Covenant.
In 2006, to address growing ecological awareness and the need to implement Catholic social teaching on ecology within the US Church, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops helped form Catholic Climate Covenant. Inspired by the USCCB’s 2001 statement on climate change, and supported by 20 national partners (which include Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities USA, congregations of religious men and women, and other national organizations), Catholic Climate Covenant helps US Catholics respond to the Church’s call to care for creation and care for the poor.
Their ministry is grounded in the Church’s deep history of teaching on creation, ecology, and the poor. Caring for creation and caring for the poor have been a part of the Catholic story since the beginning, but in recent years St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and especially Pope Francis have added a sense of urgency to their call for Catholics to act on climate change. The US Bishops themselves have been calling for action since 1981.
Catholics do care about climate change and they’re working hard to create solutions. Catholic Climate Covenant is at the center of these efforts. With the approval and support of the United States bishops, they help guide the US Church’s response to the moral call for action on climate change by sharing authentic Catholic teaching on creation and the poor and by informing and inspiring community leaders to take action (education); by sharing stories of those most affected by climate impacts in the public square (public witness); and by providing concrete tools, techniques, and technical assistance to help Catholic peoples and institutions reduce their carbon footprint and to work for justice (resources).
Catholic Climate Covenant can help us answer the call to care for creation and the poor through the sharing of Church teaching, resources, our programs. Loving God’s creation and God’s most vulnerable is at the heart of who we are as Catholics.
Come with your ideas and let’s get active in the parish doing our part to care for creation. Find our table at Parish Life Weekend, September 16-17.
The Lord be with you,
Streaming Masses and Announcements for the week of 6 August 2023
Today's Live-Streamed Mass
Worship Aid for the Transfiguration of the Lord
Please note! The Sunday 5pm Mass will change to 5:30pm beginning August 27th.
Registration for 2023-2024 Religious Education classes is now open. Click here to sign up today. Registration will close on August 18, and the first classes of the new year will be on Sunday, August 27, and Monday, August 28. Contact the Religious Education Office if you have questions about registering your children.
With over 500 students in over 40 classes, the backbone of our program is YOU: volunteer adults and confirmed teens who teach and assist in our classes and help with security and safety during our class sessions. Training in classroom management, cool Catholic resources to enrich your lessons, and lesson planning, among other topics, will be provided over the summer and on a continuous basis to all our volunteers. All adult volunteers must be compliant with the child protection policies of the diocese, and all teen volunteers must be confirmed. If you have questions about volunteering, call Lynn Jones, Director of Religious Education, at 703-451-8576, ext 136
The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is Tuesday, August 15th. It is a Holy Day of Obligation. A Vigil Mass will be offered on Monday at 7:30 pm and Masses on Tuesday beginning at 7 am, 9 am, Noon, and 7:30 pm (Bilingual).
As summer vacations come to an end, please consider those in our diocese that are struggling with food insecurity. Almost a quarter of a million people in the Arlington diocese don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Our next St. Lucy Food Drive is the weekend of August 26–27. Help stock the warehouse with needed items so that they may be distributed to those most in need. Blue bags with the list of most needed items will be distributed after Masses the weekend of August 19–20. Donations will be collected prior to all Masses the weekend of August 26–27. If the St. Lucy Food Drive Project is a ministry that you wold like to be more involved in, or if you have questions about the August 26–27 drive, please contact Nancy Hoskins, nanjeff@verizon.net or 703-343-0682
Here is your chance to win! Our Spanish speaking community of are hosting a drawing for a new LG 65” LED Television. Tickets are $10.00 and are on sale after all Masses through August 13. The drawing will be held on August 20th and will be accompanied by a delicious food event featuring a range of Central and South American foods. The event will run from 2p – 5pm and feature music and live entertainment. The whole parish is invited to attend. All proceeds will benefit the capital campaign phase II. Details can be found this weekend’s bulletin.
Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ 6 August 2023
Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,
First week of August. How did that happen? in a few weeks everyone will be back in school, and the buzz here at the parish will be back to full speed.
Bravo to all our actors, musicians and volunteer program leaders for their amazing production of “The Wizard of Oz” last weekend! It was a great show, and we had (I think) record audiences. It was good to see so many people come out and support our talented kids. Thanks to all of you parents who keep this labor of love going, and especially to our staff. Not only do you build a community of youth through this shared ministry – you build a community of families. I ran out of space in this week’s bulletin, but we will have some great photos in the bulletin on August 13.
Looking ahead as we begin many programs in the parish, I want to highlight one particular ministry that is so important to the life of the Church, the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. I invite anyone who is interested in joining the Church to contact us and we can get started on the next step of your journey. We have a wonderful program, now complete in both English and Spanish, and we invite you.
The journey to faith can take many turns, and often we listen to peoples’ courageous and complicated stories of how they have been looking for goodness and truth, and ultimately God. The process, generally speaking, culminates at the beautiful Easter Vigil Mass (this year, March 30!) when we celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. Those who are not yet baptized are called Catechumens. Sisters and brothers already united to us in one Baptism who are seeking to be members of the Catholic Church are called Candidates. People often mistakenly refer to those who are baptized as “converts” – but as already baptized, they do not convert, they merely deepen the faith, hope and love they have already received from God in baptism through sacramental participation in the Church.
I am often asked the question, especially as the director for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, if it all really matters anyway. I must say, it does. Although we would never say that God’s love and mercy, his desire that all might be saved, is thwarted by doctrinal definitions, those who know Jesus also recognize the particular love of a God who becomes one of us so that we might be one in him, and with him in eternity. No other religious belief system has such a belief. What God sees, and seeks, is what is in our
hearts. He honors all who seek him. We reveal Jesus to others by their seeing him in ourselves as we seek to live an authentic life.
“Those engaged in interreligious dialogue must be consistent with their own religious traditions and convictions, and be open to understanding those of the other party without pretense or close-mindedness, but with truth, humility and frankness, knowing that dialogue can enrich each side. There must be no abandonment of the principles nor false irenicism, but instead a witness given and received for mutual advancement on the road to religious inquiry and experience, and at the same time for the elimination of prejudice, intolerance, and misunderstandings” (Saint Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris missio, 56).
The Lord be with you,
Streaming Masses and Announcements for the week of 30 July 2023
Today's Live-Streamed Mass
Worship Aid for the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Registration for 2023-2024 Religious Education classes is now open. Click here to sign up today. Registration will close on August 18, and the first classes of the new year will be on Sunday, August 27, and Monday, August 28. Contact the Religious Education Office if you have questions about registering your children.
With over 500 students in over 40 classes, the backbone of our program is YOU: volunteer adults and confirmed teens who teach and assist in our classes and help with security and safety during our class sessions. Training in classroom management, cool Catholic resources to enrich your lessons, and lesson planning, among other topics, will be provided over the summer and on a continuous basis to all our volunteers. All adult volunteers must be compliant with the child protection policies of the diocese, and all teen volunteers must be confirmed. If you have questions about volunteering, call Lynn Jones, Director of Religious Education, at 703-451-8576, ext 136
The next Women's Group Dinner with Friends is this Monday, July 24, at 5pm at Saratoga Pizzeria on 8050 Rolling Road.
Here is your chance to win! Our Spanish speaking community of are hosting a drawing for a new LG 65” LED Television. Tickets are $10.00 and are on sale after all Masses through August 13. The drawing will be held on August 20th and will be accompanied by a delicious food event featuring a range of Central and South American foods. The event will run from 2p – 5P and feature music and live entertainment. The whole parish is encouraged to attend. All proceeds will benefit the capital campaign phase II. Details can be found on page 10 of this weekend’s bulletin.
Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ 30 July 2023
Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,
It seems we’ve had a lot of funerals this year. I went into the records and, actually, we are up from previous years, but not that much, maybe a dozen more than this time last year.
I was speaking about this with Cory at Jefferson Funeral Home at the wake for Kenneth Schoonover this week, and he said it may seem like this just because during COVID people often only did the minimum services for loved ones who had died. It was a very difficult time to serve both the living and the dead, especially in those days when we couldn’t be together.
One thing is for certain – we don’t have Vigil Services like we had before the pandemic. I mentioned to Cory that it seems that “wakes,” as we called them when I was a kid, are mostly a thing of the past. He said that it is more than just an effect of the isolation of the pandemic when people were unable to gather. He said that Jefferson has been a family owned and operated funeral home for many years, and for many years the culture always included gathering at funeral homes such as theirs, beautiful and welcoming. Now so many companies have sprung up that just have a warehouse – no funeral chapel or reception rooms – so marketing overtly advertises the value of saving money but also avoiding the difficulty of having to “draw out” the process and see people at a painful time. They suggest that people just have a “viewing” at the church an hour before the Mass begins.
Unfortunately, whether people feel like it or not at the time, this is the time that those who have suffered loss need to be with friends and family the most.
The Funeral Mass, or Mass of Christian Burial, is actually only one part of a three-part Rite of Christian Burial. The first is the Vigil the evening before, then the Mass, then Rite of Committal at the graveside. All three are important to provide the complete services due to the Deceased. By just having a “viewing,” we have eliminated the Vigil prayers, basically a Liturgy of the Word, as well as the time people really need to process what has happened and give one another assurances of hope and friendship. The Vigil is the time when people should be sharing stories about the Deceased, not after Communion at the Funeral Mass, although a short Rite of Remembrance at the Funeral could be included for those who were unable to attend the Vigil. The Vigil builds up the family and community from likely dispersing impersonally after the Mass is ended. Having the “viewing” before the Funeral in our vestibule is awkward, as there is no seating. Having it in the church doesn’t provide for the free exchange of conversation and remembrance because the church is the place of prayer and quiet.
It is also my experience that the Vigil allows for people who are unable to get off work for the Funeral Mass to connect with the family and offer their condolences and consolation. Vigils are always more attended, especially if for whatever reason people may find it uncomfortable to attend Mass. Many times Vigils include two scheduled times, one in the afternoon for those who can’t drive after dark, and another later for those who can’t get off work.
I decided to write about this this week after speaking with Cory. As he said, we are letting corporations who have no regard for our traditions change them, and not for the better. We may even risk losing them.
The Lord be with you,
Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ 23 July 2023
Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,
As I write this bulletin today I’m thinking about our Taizé Prayer Service last evening (third Mondays at 8pm). The Taizé movement has become a significant ecumenical tradition in Christianity for nearly the past 100 years, welcoming the world to the small town of Taizé near Lyons, southeast of Paris, just as they welcomed all the refugees who were fleeing from the Nazis during World War II, seeking refuge. The monks at the Taize monastery welcomed all Christians and developed a kind of prayer that was based on Scripture or the writings of saints, set to simple yet beautiful music with beautiful harmonies for those who wished to sing them. Over time, even the monastery community itself became ecumenical, that is to say, baptized persons from diverse Christian churches.
I have been a soloist singing Taizé music monthly now for over 20 years, and have had many different experiences related to parish culture. Our church is awkward acoustically; it is so large, and usually, you can’t hear much from where we priests are in the sanctuary. I always have the microphone, so I pretty much just hear myself, which can get old, let me tell you.
In the past few months here, at times, I have just stopped singing and listened to the singing of those who attend. Beautiful. I’ve noticed this at Mass lately, too; you are getting a little braver to singing out. You are still hard to hear, though, because we have a full organ right behind us, and it wins every time!
I want to put a challenge to you. I challenge all of you to sing as loud as you can without forcing it. Let’s see what that sounds like. I imagine it would be amazing, the closest sound to heaven we could have here on earth. Singing is the perfect way we pray together. True, as individuals, not all of us might be given a microphone, but when together, there is nothing more perfect or beautiful than the voice of the Body of Christ giving praise to the Father.
Also, consider intentionally making Saint Bernadette a similar place of refuge for anyone who is seeking goodness. We can do this. Together, we are the ones who can provide a kind word and a friendly face to someone who probably isn’t finding it in many other places in their lives. As Christian disciples, we are here to serve them, not ourselves and our purpose is our function of being the presence of Christ to all people we encounter.
One of my favorite final blessings for Mass is found in the Rite of Marriage. After we are invited to bow our heads and pray for God’s blessing, one of the prayers says,
“May you be witnesses in the world to God’s charity so that the afflicted
and those in need who have known your kindness may one day receive
you thankfully into the eternal dwelling place of God.”
Amen. May our service and loving-kindness we have for others be the
treasures we store up in heaven.
The Lord be with you,
Streaming Masses and Announcements for the week of July 23, 2023
Today's Live-Streamed Mass
Worship Aid for the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Registration for 2023-2024 Religious Education classes is now open. Click here to sign up today. Registration will close on August 18, and the first classes of the new year will be on Sunday, August 27, and Monday, August 28. Contact the Religious Education Office if you have questions about registering your children.
With over 500 students in over 40 classes, the backbone of our program is YOU: volunteer adults and confirmed teens who teach and assist in our classes and help with security and safety during our class sessions. Training in classroom management, cool Catholic resources to enrich your lessons, and lesson planning, among other topics, will be provided over the summer and on a continuous basis to all our volunteers. All adult volunteers must be compliant with the child protection policies of the diocese, and all teen volunteers must be confirmed. If you have questions about volunteering, call Lynn Jones, Director of Religious Education, at 703-451-8576, ext 136
Tickets are on sale for our Summer Theatre Program’s production of The Wizard of Oz! Performances are July 27-29 at Bishop Ireton High School. Discount tickets will be available for purchase after all Masses next for the next two weekends.
Join us Sunday, July 23, after the 9 am, 11 am, or 1 pm Mass to welcome our new priests, Fr. Jeb Donelan and Fr. James Waalkes. The welcome receptions will be held in the school gym.
The next Women's Group Dinner with Friends is this Monday, July 24, at 5pm at Saratoga Pizzeria on 8050 Rolling Road.
Mark your calendars! Another great food and fun event hosted by the Hispanic community is coming! Please join us on August 20 from 2-5p. There will be food, drinks, music, and live entertainment. Tickets for the door prize - large screen television - will be on sale after the 1pm Mass! All proceeds will benefit our capital campaign.
Streaming Masses and Announcements for the week of July 16, 2023
Today's Live-Streamed Mass
Worship Aid for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Registration for 2023-2024 Religious Education classes is now open. Click here to sign up today. Registration will close on August 18, and the first classes of the new year will be on Sunday, August 27, and Monday, August 28. Contact the Religious Education Office if you have questions about registering your children.
With over 500 students in over 40 classes, the backbone of our program is YOU: volunteer adults and confirmed teens who teach and assist in our classes and help with security and safety during our class sessions. Training in classroom management, cool Catholic resources to enrich your lessons, and lesson planning, among other topics, will be provided over the summer and on a continuous basis to all our volunteers. All adult volunteers must be compliant with the child protection policies of the diocese, and all teen volunteers must be confirmed. If you have questions about volunteering, call Lynn Jones, Director of Religious Education, at 703-451-8576, ext 136 All Christians are warmly invited to Taizé Prayer on Monday, July 17, at 8 pm. Come pray for Christian unity in our community and the world.
Join us on Sunday, July 23, after the 9 am, 11 am, or 1 pm Mass to welcome our new priests, Fr. Jeb Donelan and Fr. James Waalkes. The welcome receptions will be held in the school gym. If you'd like to volunteer please contact Maria Paniagua mpaniagua@stbernpar.org.
The next Women's Group Dinner with Friends is Monday, July 24, at 5 pm at Saratoga Pizzeria on 8050 Rolling Road.
Mark your calendars! Another great food and fun event hosted by the Hispanic community is coming! Please join us on August 20 from 2-5p. There will be food, drinks, music, and live entertainment. Tickets for the door prize - large screen television - will be on sale after all masses starting next weekend! All proceeds will benefit our capital campaign.
Tickets go on sale next weekend for our Summer Theatre Program’s production of The Wizard of Oz! Performances are July 27-29 at Bishop Ireton High School. Discount tickets will be available for purchase after all Masses next for the next two weekends.
