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Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ 11 February 2024

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

Ash Wednesday is here! I have a proposal for everyone this Lent. Are you looking for something to give up, or maybe something positive to do for the season as a penitential and transformative practice?

As much as we can, let us stop using our screens for Lent.

I’ve been doing a little research and the results are overwhelming. Screens are replacing society as we know it. Community, real community, can’t be virtual. You are no longer challenged to love your neighbor, all you have to do is swipe. Screens are replacing relationships, too, and some studies show that we will have an economic population crisis in the future because people aren’t entering into meaningful (and challenging) relationships which lead to family life. Online, no commitment necessary. We find that pornography has become a common part even of married life, it is so easy to access. God is the third person in your marriage. Seminaries in many churches have added an additional year of “human formation” because they find candidates for ministry aren’t coming with an aptitude for forming healthy relationships.

Is it any wonder that gossip, hate and inhumanity are so prevalent when virtual chat and social media allows people to say, without any accountability whatsoever, things they would never dare to say to another person face to face? God did not create us anonymous... and when people put on a mask usually bad things happen. The hate that bubbles up to the surface and becomes visible is actually only the tip of the iceberg. Cruel and violent words are exchanged between children, and I find that parents often are not doing a very good job at monitoring their sons’ and daughters’ content. If we are virtually shooting people for hours a day, at some point that is going to bubble over into streets and schools.

Reality becomes something other than truth. And now with artificial intelligence, that person you are “talking with” may not be a person at all, influencing your opinions and the way you live your life, a new filter through which we approach our own real life, which has suddenly become boring, inadequate, even optional. There are studies which say that suicide rates are up and up and content on screens is to blame.

Health providers all agree that the prolonged use of screens has a detrimental impact on our mental health, leaving us fatigued, irritable and disillusioned about what the world has to offer, leaving people with a more negative outlook on life. Screens near bedtime alters your sleep patterns. The bright light from screens reduce melatonin production and keep you up late into the night. Higher levels of screen time is commonly associated with depression and weakens your stress response. Researchers from Harvard University find that higher levels of screen time is associated with a less efficient cognitive control system. It is a cycle of boredom which seeks more and more stimulation, and people don’t have a chance to let their brains wander without stimulation.

We would call that prayer, or meditation.

Now that I think about it, this is far bigger than Lent. But we can certainly take advantage of Lent to help turn around these trends, especially with our children who are completely unaware of the dangers of overstimulation and the need to pause, self-regulate their emotions, and form real friendships.

The Lord be with you,

Streaming Masses and Announcements for the week of 11 February 2024

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for the Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time 

fleur cross logo The mailing for the 2024 Bishop’s Lenten Appeal – also called the BLA - has been sent to registered parishioners. The funds from the BLA are a unique way for leaders of ministries, volunteers, lay people, and priests – people from all walks of life – to grow as a community to enrich parish life, form seminarians, teach children our Catholic faith, help the needy and inspire those outside the church through evangelization efforts. Please read the BLA materials and then prayerfully reflect on making a sacrificial pledge to this vital appeal that spreads the love of Christ throughout our diocese. Thank you.

fleur cross logo We have kicked off our 23rd Gala and Auction by opening the first of several waves of silent auction items. Beautiful baskets donated by our school families will continue to be displayed in the school vestibule, and bidding will remain open through February 11. Make your bid now or purchase a Gala Ticket today!

fleur cross logo Do you love putting your creativity into action? Be part of our team for the upcoming “Sailing into The Future” Gala being held by our beloved Saint Bernadette School. The event will be on April 20. Use your time and talents to help us execute a beautiful and enjoyable evening. Please contact Jean Corday in the parish office.

fleur cross logo The Saint Lucy Project Food Drive is here! The charity collects and distributes food where it is most needed in the Diocese. Please bring your blue bags this weekend.

fleur cross logo Ash Wednesday is this Wednesday, February 14. Mass Times: 7am, 9am, 12pm, 6pm (Liturgy of the Word-NO Communion), and a bilingual Mass at 7:30 pm

fleur cross logo Lenten Soup Suppers start this Friday at 6 pm, followed by Stations of the Cross in English at 7 pm and 8 pm in Spanish.

fleur cross logo Our 40-hour Eucharistic Adoration begins in two weeks, on Sunday, February 25.  We will need two people for adoration round the clock from Sunday evening through Tuesday evening.  There will be two additional Masses on Monday and Tuesday evenings at 6:30 pm.  Sign up for adoration in the vestibule.

fleur cross logo Additional Wednesday evening confessions during Lent begin Wednesday, February 21, from 6:30 to 8 pm.  Our parish penance service will be on Tuesday, March 19th.

fleur cross logo The Knights of Columbus are hosting a Spaghetti Dinner and Trivia Contest this Saturday, February 17th, in the school cafeteria. Dinner is from 6-7:45 pm followed by trivia until 9 pm. See the bulletin for more information.

fleur cross logo The Confirmation 2025 Team #3 has put together a prayer tree with the names of our 2024 Confirmation Candidates that can be found in the Vestibule. Each tag has the name of a candidate and a simple prayer that can be said daily on their behalf. Please take a tag on your way out of Mass and pray for your candidate in preparation for their confirmation next November.

fleur cross logo All High Schoolers are invited to join us every Tuesday for fun and fellowship. We meet weekly from 7:00-8:30 pm in the youth room.

 

Streaming Masses and Announcements for the week of 4 February 2024

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for the  Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time 

fleur cross logo The mailing for the 2024 Bishop’s Lenten Appeal – also called the BLA - has been sent to registered parishioners. The funds from the BLA are a unique way for leaders of ministries, volunteers, lay people, and priests – people from all walks of life – to grow as a community to enrich parish life, form seminarians, teach children our Catholic faith, help the needy and inspire those outside the church through evangelization efforts. Please read the BLA materials and then prayerfully reflect on making a sacrificial pledge to this vital appeal that spreads the love of Christ throughout our diocese. Thank you.

fleur cross logo We have kicked off our 23rd Gala and Auction by opening the first of several waves of silent auction items. Beautiful baskets donated by our school families will continue to be displayed in the school vestibule, and bidding will remain open through February 11. Click here to start bidding or here to purchase a Gala Ticket.

fleur cross logo The Saint Lucy Project Food Drive is here! The charity collects and distributes food where it is most needed in the Diocese. The Food Drive will be held next weekend after all Masses. The blue bags and lists of required items are being handed out this weekend. 

fleur cross logo Ash Wednesday is February 14. Mass Times: 7am, 9am, 12pm, 6pm (Liturgy of the Word-NO Communion), and a bilingual Mass at 7:30 pm

fleur cross logo Our Children's Liturgy of the Word program continues this weekend during the 9 am Mass for three to six-year-old children to hear the Word of God proclaimed at their level. Children must be pre-registered to participate. Please see the bulletin for more information or sign up using the QR code on our poster in the vestibule.

fleur cross logo Do you love putting your creativity into action? Be part of our team for the upcoming “Sailing into The Future” Gala being held by our beloved Saint Bernadette School. The event will be on April 20. Use your time and talents to help us execute a beautiful and enjoyable evening. Please contact Jean Corday in the parish office.

fleur cross logo All High Schoolers are invited to join us every Tuesday for fun and fellowship. We meet weekly from 7:00-8:30 pm in the youth room.

fleur cross logo Inclement weather policy for the school and all parish programs. Saint Bernadette Parish and School follows the Fairfax County School System regarding closings for snow and other inclement weather. If public schools are closed, our school is closed, and all activities on the campus for that day and evening are canceled. Check the parish website for weekend announcements regarding cancellations. Please take this policy into account when scheduling activities during winter months.

 

Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ 4 February 2024

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

Are you sitting down?

It is always a great feeling to be the bearer of really good news. I know many of you have asked me if “that building” will ever be built! We know well that it has been in process for what seems like a pandemic (oh, right, it was...). We started dreaming of a Parish Life Center in 2017. In the fall of that year, we announced a Capital Campaign phase one and since then have completed a second Capital Campaign phase, refined the concept, and for nearly the last year have been waiting on approval from the county.

This past week we passed a major milestone in the county permitting process with the approval of the Board of Zoning Approvals to move forward.

Our next step is to go back to the diocesan building commission with our budget, 10-year parish financial plan, and documents from the diocesan construction office and our architect showing the project’s feasibility.

Once we have that approval, we begin producing construction documents. In my conversation with one of the directors of our Office of Planning, Construction and Facilities, I found him very optimistic: at the current time it is an excellent bidders market, he said, and builders are looking for projects. There is no reason to think, he said, that we can’t break ground for the new Parish Life Center in spring/early summer of next year (2025).

Having passed this milestone together feels really good, doesn’t it? Congratulations and thanks for all the time, talent, and treasure that you have provided these last years as we are about to commence on the next step of seeing this dream become a reality.

I also wanted to express my thanks to so many of you who started the Called and Gifted process last weekend. It was very satisfying to be with all of you and see your interest in discerning your gifts, seeking a deeper life with God and our community. Thanks also to Rick Caporali, Jean Corday and our staff who worked so hard to provide such a seamless workshop. We pretty much filled the cafeteria -- the sky will be the limit when we have our new spaces!

Finally, it is hard to believe that next weekend is the last before the Season of Lent begins. It is a good time now to start thinking about how we plan to make the most of this gift of time, this opportunity for praying and serving. Plan now to include our Lenten Soup Suppers and Stations of the Cross on Friday nights as a part of your observance. Of course, fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays. Plan to get to confession so you can feel that authentic mercy and forgiveness of God who loves us no matter what. We know that love as long as we are mindful of him. We’ll print the Lent schedule in next week’s bulletin. Together let us fast and pray for so many who are suffering in the world at this time, that our small sacrifices can come together to bring peace and healing where it is needed the most. And let us ask God to continue to bless our parish family.

One visitor last week remarked how moved she was entering our church. She said she felt a powerful welcome from all the prayers and goodness of this parish that literally have soaked into the walls...

The Lord be with you,

Streaming Masses and Announcements for the week of 28 January 2024

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for the  Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time 

fleur cross logo Phase II of our parish Capital Campaign, “Behold, I Make All Things New,” is coming to a close. We have received over 513 gifts totaling over $2,671,228! If you have not yet done so, please commit to a sacrificial pledge or gift. We thank you for your generosity. Thanks to all of you who have given so generously to the lifeline for our parish, our new Parish Life Center. And remember, as the new diocesan capital campaign begins its early stages, we can no longer solicit gifts for ourselves, but we can still receive them!

fleur cross logo The mailing for the 2024 Bishop’s Lenten Appeal – also called the BLA - has been sent to registered parishioners. The funds from the BLA are a unique way for leaders of ministries, volunteers, lay people, and priests – people from all walks of life – to grow as a community to enrich parish life, form seminarians, teach children our Catholic faith, help the needy and inspire those outside the church through evangelization efforts. Please read the BLA materials and then prayerfully reflect on making a sacrificial pledge to this vital appeal that spreads the love of Christ throughout our diocese. Thank you.

fleur cross logo  Our Children's Liturgy of the Word program continues this weekend during the 9 am Mass for three to six-year-old children to hear the Word of God proclaimed at their level. Children must be pre-registered to participate. Please see the bulletin for more information or sign up using the QR code on our poster in the vestibule.

fleur cross logo All parishioners and spouses who have volunteered in the past several years are invited to our Night of Gratitude on Saturday, February 10th. Join us for an evening of hors d’oeuvres and dancing as we recognize and appreciate the work of parish volunteers. Call the parish office to RSVP.

fleur cross logo Do you love putting your creativity into action? Be part of our team for the upcoming “Sailing into The Future” Gala being held by our beloved Saint Bernadette School. The event will be on April 20. Use your time and talents to help us execute a beautiful and enjoyable evening. Please contact Jean Corday in the parish office.

fleur cross logo All High Schoolers are invited to join us every Tuesday for fun and fellowship. We meet weekly from 7:00-8:30 pm in the youth room.

fleur cross logo Inclement weather policy for the school and all parish programs. Saint Bernadette Parish and School follows the Fairfax County School System regarding closings for snow and other inclement weather. If public schools are closed, our school is closed, and all activities on the campus for that day and evening are canceled. Check the parish website for weekend announcements regarding cancellations. Please take this policy into account when scheduling activities during winter months.

 

Streaming Masses and Announcement for the week of 21 January

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time 

fleur cross logo Phase II of our parish Capital Campaign, “Behold, I Make All Things New,” is coming to a close. We have received over 513 gifts totaling over $2,671,228! If you have not yet done so, please commit to a sacrificial pledge or gift. We thank you for your generosity. Thanks to all of you who have given so generously to the lifeline for our parish, our new Parish Life Center. And remember, as the new diocesan capital campaign begins its early stages, we can no longer solicit gifts for ourselves, but we can still receive them!

fleur cross logo The mailing for the 2024 Bishop’s Lenten Appeal – also called the BLA - has been sent to registered parishioners. The funds from the BLA are a unique way for leaders of ministries, volunteers, lay people, and priests – people from all walks of life – to grow as a community to enrich parish life, form seminarians, teach children our Catholic faith, help the needy and inspire those outside the church through evangelization efforts. Please read the BLA materials and then prayerfully reflect on making a sacrificial pledge to this vital appeal that spreads the love of Christ throughout our diocese. Thank you.

fleur cross logo  Our Children's Liturgy of the Word program starts this weekend during the 9 am Mass for three to six-year-old children to hear the Word of God proclaimed at their level. Children must be pre-registered to participate. Please see the bulletin for more information or sign up using the QR code on our poster in the vestibule.

fleur cross logo All are warmly invited to Taizé Prayer on Monday at 8 pm. Come pray for Christian unity in our community and the world.

fleur cross logo On Tuesday, our parish will host a Mass and Healing Prayer Service at 7:30 pm. All are welcome.

fleur cross logo All parishioners and spouses who have volunteered in the past several years are invited to our Night of Gratitude on Saturday, February 10th. Join us for an evening of hors d’oeuvres and dancing as we recognize and appreciate the work of parish volunteers. Call the parish office to RSVP.

fleur cross logo Do you love putting your creativity into action? Be part of our team for the upcoming “Sailing into The Future” Gala being held by our beloved Saint Bernadette School. The event will be on April 20. Use your time and talents to help us execute a beautiful and enjoyable evening. Please contact Jean Corday in the parish office.

fleur cross logo All High Schoolers are invited to join us every Tuesday for fun and fellowship. We meet weekly from 7:00-8:30 pm in the youth room.

fleur cross logo Inclement weather policy for the school and all parish programs. Saint Bernadette Parish and School follows the Fairfax County School System regarding closings for snow and other inclement weather. If public schools are closed, our school is closed, and all activities on the campus for that day and evening are canceled. Check the parish website for weekend announcements regarding cancellations. Please take this policy into account when scheduling activities during winter months.

 

Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ 21 January 2024

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

Jonah is a complicated character.

God called Jonah to go to the 120,000 people of Nineveh, enemies of Israel, to tell them that God would destroy the city within 40 days if they did not turn from their wickedness. Nineveh was on the east bank of the Tigris River in ancient Assyria, on the eastern side of the modern city of Mosul, Iraq. The city was founded some 6,000 years before Christ.

Jonah wanted nothing to do with it. For one thing, it was not an easy trip, about a 14-hour drive today. If he had a jeep, so he gets on a boat to go in the opposite direction, not just to Crete or Malta, but to Tarshish, beyond the Strait of Gibraltar on the Atlantic side of southern Spain. He really did not want to go. A great storm comes up, and the others on the boat learn Jonah’s story and put two and two together: this storm is because Jonah is running from God, so they throw him overboard.

God sends a huge fish to save Jonah’s life. He spends three days in the belly of the whale (a prefiguring, perhaps of the three days that Jesus is in the tomb, suggested by himself) and then is vomited onto the shore of Nineveh, making God’s instructions more obvious than ever where he is supposed to go. He was more likely deposited somewhere on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean since Nineveh doesn’t really have a shore other than a riverbank in the middle of the Tigris/Euphrates valley.

So Jonah goes and preaches to the wicked people of Nineveh, who listen and change. They put on sackcloth and put ashes on their heads, an outward sign of inward conversion. And God has mercy on them.

Jonah is furious - knowing full well that God saved him - because God didn’t destroy the wicked Ninevites. Justice does not anticipate conversion and mercy. Jonah goes out into the hot desert and God grows a gourd plant to give him shade, but the next day God sent a worm to eat the vine. Jonah is sitting in the hot sun, just wanting to die. He isn’t getting anything he wants.

God scolds Jonah for being more concerned about a plant than the 120,000 souls who were saved.

A few thoughts. Is it possible to say that we can get our priorities and concerns so far out of alignment when we become too self-centered? Of course, Jonah is an extreme example. Or is he?

Then, what are the chances that an entire city filled with wicked people would suddenly hear Jonah and, well, just change? Either the words simply rang so true that people were suddenly moved, or there was a divine insight given to this culture that Jonah could not see? Why would God do this for them, and not him? That, also, might have made him angry.

The Gospel today simply says that Jesus appears in Galilee proclaiming, “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” He wasn’t the first, apparently, to proclaim such things, nor the last. What if he appeared in church today, though we didn’t know who he was. Would we listen? Probably not, unless we already knew his voice, and if we heard him in the words we speak.

The Lord be with you,

Streaming Masses and Announcement for the week of 14 January

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time 

 

fleur cross logo Our Parish Office will be closed on Monday, January 15th, in observance of the Martin Luther King Holiday.

fleur cross logo Phase II of our parish Capital Campaign, “Behold, I Make All Things New,” is coming to a close. We have received over 513 gifts totaling over $2,671,228! If you have not yet done so, please commit to a sacrificial pledge or gift. We thank you for your generosity. Thanks to all of you who have given so generously to the lifeline for our parish, our new Parish Life Center. And remember, as the new diocesan capital campaign begins its early stages, we can no longer solicit gifts for ourselves, but we can still receive them!

fleur cross logo God has a unique call for you and the gifts to fulfill your mission in life. The Called & Gifted Workshop on Saturday, January 27 will help you find out how. Read more about the workshop in our Sunday Bulletin. The deadline to register is 19 January.

fleur cross logo There is still space available on the bus for the March for Life in Washington, DC, on Friday, January 19th. Call our parish office to sign up.

fleur cross logo We are starting Children's Liturgy of the Word for 3 to 6-year-old children at the 9 am Sunday Mass beginning next week. Children must be pre-registered to participate. Please see the bulletin for more information or call our parish office.

fleur cross logo The parish is hosting a baby supplies drive for Catholic Charities Migrant and Refugee Services and Mary’s Comfort until January 21st. We are in great need of new and like-new baby supplies for both causes. See the bulletin for our Amazon Wishlist.

fleur cross logo All High Schoolers are invited to join us every Tuesday for fun and fellowship. We meet weekly from 7:00-8:30 pm in the youth room.

fleur cross logo All 6th-8th graders are invited to join us for Middle School Youth Ministry on Wednesday, January 17th, from 6:45 to 8 pm in the gym. Contact Grace Rihl, our Director of Youth Ministry, with any questions.

fleur cross logo Join us for Taizé Prayer on Monday, January 22, at 8 pm. Come pray for Christian unity in our community and in the world. All Christians are warmly invited; invite your friends!

fleur cross logo On Tuesday, January 23, Saint Bernadette parish will host a Mass and Healing Prayer Service at 7:30 pm. All are welcome. See the bulletin for details.

fleur cross logo Inclement weather policy for the school and all parish programs. Saint Bernadette Parish and School follows the Fairfax County School System regarding closings for snow and other inclement weather. If public schools are closed, our school is closed, and all activities on the campus for that day and evening are canceled. Check the parish website for weekend announcements regarding cancellations. Please take this policy into account when scheduling activities during winter months.

 

Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ 14 January 2024

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

An article by Gerry O’Connell in America Magazine gives a really clear summary of the Church’s position on many international issues. Pope Francis, in his New Year’s address on January 8 to the ambassadors of 184 countries who have diplomatic relations with the Holy See, outlines a global snapshot of where we are and where we need to go. You can find the article at this link, or simply search for America Magazine and the article titled “Pope Francis condemns war crimes in Gaza and Ukraine, calls for ban on surrogacy in talk to diplomats.”

One of the things he speaks strongly about is surrogacy, or so-called “surrogate motherhood,” which is fueling human trafficking globally. I had not heard of this until now. I then came across a report given by the United Nations 37th session of the Human Rights Council - in 2018 - which discusses cases involving traffickers and surrogacy brokers and how the sale of children through commercial surrogacy was a multibillion-dollar business in which there was a demand and a profit to be made. At the time, the market had opened up for surrogacy brokers who controlled and trafficked pregnant women, as well. Cases of Indian women being moved to Nepal, as well as Cambodian and Laotian women trafficked to Thailand, were referenced. That was 2018, now six years ago.

The article continues: “Francis told the ambassadors, “Our world is witnessing a growing number of conflicts that are slowly turning what I have often called a third world war fought piecemeal’ into a genuine global conflict.” In this context, he said, “it is the responsibility of the Holy See within the international community to be a prophetic voice and to appeal to consciences.” “The events in Ukraine and Gaza are clear proof of this.”

He told the ambassadors and their governments: “We must not forget that grave violations of international humanitarian law are war crimes and that it is not sufficient to point them out, but also necessary to prevent them.”

Pope Francis called on the international community to step up its efforts to defend humanitarian law, telling the ambassadors (I find this very moving):
“We need to realize more clearly that civilian victims are not ‘collateral damage’ but men and women, with names and surnames, who lose their lives. They are children who are orphaned and deprived of their future. They are individuals who suffer from hunger, thirst, and cold or are mutilated as an effect of the power of modern explosives. Were we to be able to look each of them in the eye, call them by name, and learn something of their personal history, we would see war for what it is: nothing other than an immense tragedy, a ‘useless slaughter,’ one that offends the dignity of every person on this earth.”

He speaks at length about Hamas’ October 7 attack and the need for a proportionate response, a cease-fire on every front, the release of hostages, his hope for a two-state solution, and an internationally guaranteed special status for the City of Jerusalem. He condemns the conflict in Ukraine and the immense suffering that this unprovoked war has caused. He acknowledges the great suffering of the Rohingya people in Myanmar and the suffering of millions in sub-Saharan Africa due to terrorism, climate change, military coups and corruption, and the civil war in Sudan.

So much to pray for...

The Lord be with you,

Streaming Masses and Announcement for the week of 7 January

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for the Epiphany of the Lord

 

fleur cross logo Phase II of our parish Capital Campaign, “Behold, I Make All Things New,” is coming to a close. We have received over 513 gifts totaling over $2,671,228! If you have not yet done so, please commit to a sacrificial pledge or gift. We thank you for your generosity. Thanks to all of you who have given so generously to the lifeline for our parish, our new Parish Life Center. And remember, as the new diocesan capital campaign begins its early stages we can no longer solicit gifts for ourselves, but we can still receive them!

fleur cross logo God has a unique call for you, and the gifts to fulfill your mission in life. The Called & Gifted Workshop on Saturday, January 27 will help you find out how. Read more about the workshop on pages 4-5. Deadline to register is 19 January.

fleur cross logo Join us for Taizé Prayer, Monday, January 22 at 8pm. Come pray for Christian unity in our community and in the world. All Christians are warmly invited; invite your friends!

fleur cross logo Inclement weather policy for school and all parish programs. Saint Bernadette Parish and School follows the Fairfax County School System regarding closings for snow and other inclement weather. If public schools are closed, our school is closed and all activities on the campus for that day and evening are canceled. Check the parish website for weekend announcements regarding cancellations. Please take this policy into account when scheduling activities during winter months.