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Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ May 28, 2023

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

On this Pentecost Sunday, consider the Holy Spirit as love shared itself in the life of the Trinity with the Father and Son. We are made in God’s image, and love shared becomes the rule of our life, even in the way we approach an encounter with each other. Imagine how different the world would be if we did not stop first to decide whether the other is worthy of our love, but if we led with love. I was reminded of the Rule of Saint Benedict (53) and found this amazing Benedictine commentary from the Christ in the Desert Monastery website as our guide to letting the Holy Spirit be the creator of our bonds of friendship and love with each other:

53. All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Mt 25:35). Proper honor must be shown to all, especially to those who share our faith (Gal 6:10) and to pilgrims. Once a guest has been announced, the superior and the brothers are to meet him with all the courtesy of love... All humility should be shown in addressing a guest on arrival or departure. By a bow of the head or by a complete prostration of the body, Christ is to be adored because he is indeed welcomed in them.

Everyone—everyone—is received as Christ. Everyone receives a warm answer—on the phone, at the door, in the office. Sarcasm has no room here. Put-downs have no room here. One-upmanship has no room here. Classism has no room here. The Benedictine heart is to be a place without boundaries, a place where the truth of the oneness of all things shatters all barriers, a point where all the differences of the world meet and melt, where Jew and Gentile, slave and free, woman and man all come together as equals.

But whatever happens to the heart is the beginning of a revolution. When I let strange people and strange ideas into my heart, I am beginning to shape a new world. Hospitality of the heart could change domestic policies. Hospitality of the heart could change foreign policy. The hospitality of the heart could make my world a world of potential friends rather than a world of probable enemies.

Yet, Benedictine hospitality is more than simply thinking new thoughts or feeling new feelings about people we either thought harshly of before or, more likely, failed to think about at all. Benedictine hospitality demands that we open our lives to others as well... the extra effort, the extra time, and the extra care that stretches beyond and above the order of the day. Real hospitality for our time requires that we consider how to take the concerns of the poor, the hungry, the lonely, and the dying into our own lives.

It is not enough simply to change our minds about things or to come to feel compassion for something that had never touched us before or even to change our own way of life to let in the concerns of others. Real hospitality lies in bending some efforts to change things, to make a haven for the helpless, and to be a voice for the voiceless. Hospitality means we take people into the space that is our lives and minds and our hearts and our efforts. Hospitality is the way we come out of ourselves. It is the first step toward dismantling the barriers of the world. Hospitality is the way we turn a prejudiced world around, one heart at a time.

 

The Lord be with you,

Streaming Masses and Announcements Sunday, May 28, 2023

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for the Pentecost Sunday

 

fleur cross logo Parish offices are closed on Monday, May 29th, in observance of Memorial Day. Parish offices are closed on Monday, May 29, in observance of Memorial Day. Please note there will be no 7 am Mass that morning.

fleur cross logo Mark your calendars: we will celebrate and thank Father Rich for his service to our parish as he prepares to start his new assignment at the University of Mary Washington. The parish will host a Farewell Celebration for Father on Sunday, June 11, from 2-4 pm in the Gym.

fleur cross logo Phase II of our parish Capital Campaign, “Behold, I Make All Things New,” is underway. Even before the in-pew commitment weekend last weekend, we received 98 gifts totaling over $1M! If you have not yet done so, please commit to a sacrificial pledge or gift. We thank you for your generosity.
As you know, we hope to complete this $3M+ pledge process by the end of May, so we ask you to prayerfully consider what you can do for our new Parish Life Center. Our community life is in your hands!

fleur cross logo Come join us as we celebrate the end of the Easter Season with Solemn Vespers (Evening Prayer II) of Pentecost at 6:15 pm, Sunday, May 28. It’s a fully sung Vespers with beautiful musical settings of the psalms and antiphons chosen for easy participation for all. It will last about 25 minutes. The great Paschal cycle that we began with the Eucharist of Ash Wednesday concludes now with this joyful liturgy.

fleur cross logo Registration for 2023-2024 Religious Education classes will begin on June 1. The link will be live on the parish website, and all current students will receive a Flocknote email with instructions on how to re-register. All students must re-register each year, including those who have completed the first year of sacramental preparation classes. Contact the Religious Education Office if you have questions about registering your children.

fleur cross logo There are still volunteer opportunities for the Together We Rise Against Hunger Event being held at Christ Church, June 7-10. Join local houses of worship in our community to pack and distribute 200,000 life-changing meals. Please see the bulletin for more information, or visit https://www.christchurchva.org/twrah/ to volunteer or donate.

fleur cross logo Thank you to everyone who generously contributed to the Saint Lucy Project Food Drive last weekend, May 20-21. We collected over 6,500 pounds of food and $800 in cash/check donations. Also, thanks to all the helping hands that distributed bags and loaded the truck over the past two weekends.

fleur cross logo Next week’s second collection is for ECHO. ECHO is an all-volunteer non-profit that gives food and financial help to people with short-term emergencies and provides clothes and household items to people with low incomes.

 

 

Streaming Masses and Announcements Sunday, May 21, 2023

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for the Seventh Sunday of Easter - Ascension Sunday

 

fleur cross logo  Please drop your blue bags of food for the St. Lucy Project to the truck outside after Mass today.

fleur cross logo Concerts at Saint Bernadette presents the Northern Virginia Chorale Sunday, May 21, at 7:30 pm, in their program “Love, Laughter, and Song.” With this concert, the Chorale bids farewell to their artistic director of over 40 years, Robert S. Webb, Jr., with some of the greatest and most enjoyable American choral music ever written: Aaron Copeland, Randall Thompson, Morton Lauridsen, current sensation Shawn Kirchner, and an arrangement of What a Wonderful World are only some of the highlights. The concert is free, no tickets are required, and a free-will offering will be accepted. Contact David Mathers at dmathers@stbernpar for more information.

fleur cross logo High Schoolers are invited to join us Sunday, May 21, after the 5 pm Mass for dinner and fellowship in the Bradican Room. 

fleur cross logo Middle schoolers are invited to join us this Wednesday, May 24, from 6:45-8 pm in the school Gym for Capture the Flag and ice cream! Contact Grace Rihl for more information. 

fleur cross logo The Northern VA observance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is this Tuesday, May 23, at 7 pm at Saint Ann Catholic Church in Arlington, VA. Join Bishop Michael Burbidge, Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson (United Methodist VA Conference), Bishop Leila Ortiz (ELCA Metro DC Synod), and Bishop Mark Stevenson (Episcopal Diocese of Virginia) as we pray for Christian Unity. All are invited! A light reception will follow.

fleur cross logo St. Bernadette and other area houses of worship have partnered with Rise Against Hunger to purchase, pack, and distribute life-changing meals to transform the world. Our goal is to pack 200,000 meals! Please see the bulletin for more information.

fleur cross logo We will conclude this beautiful season of Easter with Pentecost Vespers Sunday, May 28th, at 6:15 pm. Please join us.

fleur cross logo Parish offices are closed on Monday, May 29th, in observance of Memorial Day.

 

Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ May 21, 2023

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

Pentecost, the birthday of the missional Church, is the day that the Holy Spirit literally breathed life into the Apostles with the gifts which transformed them into living presences of God. It happened to all of us, once baptized, then anointed with the Sacred Chrism, consecrated oil under whose form we literally receive the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us. God knows us better than we know ourselves.

The early Church was empowered by the Holy Spirit to live differently amid a world waiting for the fullness of redemption; to be led back to the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. What does this kind of transformed Christian life look like in the everyday experiences of your life?

There is a lot of “bad news” in our contemporary culture. But our culture is not that different from the cultures into which the early Christians were sent on missions. They were promised the inspiration and strength that can come from the Holy Spirit. They needed the Holy Spirit to do their work, just as we do.

The answer for this age is the same as the answer of those early disciples for their broken and lost age. You know the answer well: the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Like them, we are called to present the new culture which is revealed in the heart of the Church through the power of the Holy Spirit to our own age. Pope Francis speaks much about this. We are living in a new missionary age and are called into the whole world to preach the Gospel in both word and deed.

The Second Vatican Council began with a prayer for a “new Pentecost.” I mentioned it last week; Pope Saint John XXIII prayed, “Renew your wonders in this, our day, as by a new Pentecost.” The Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost and continues to be poured out on, in, and through the Church for the sake of her mission in the world. The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church and the source of her power for mission. As a body has a soul that is its animating principle, so the Body of Christ has the Holy Spirit.

We need to pray for a new Pentecost to come and unite individual churches who suffer from internal divisions and schisms and for unity for all the baptized in this hour! The Holy Spirit is our hope for the new evangelization so she can take the mission to the whole world and heal its brokenness. We need to be renewed in the Holy Spirit in order to take our role as a member of the Body of Christ in this new missionary age.

Pray that the Church may rise up in this hour with the same power with which she transformed the world of the first centuries. She can...by the power of the Holy Spirit! We must be convinced it is possible.

Especially during this time of the Holy Spirit novena -- call upon the Holy Spirit who is just waiting to hear from you.

The Lord be with you,

Streaming Masses and Announcements Sunday, May 14, 2023

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for the Sixth Sunday of Easter

 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

fleur cross logo The second collection next week is for Catholic Communication Campaign.

fleur cross logo There will be no 7 am Masses the week of May 21.

fleur cross logo Phase II of our parish Capital Campaign, “Behold, I Make All Things New,” is underway. We have sent a packet to every registered family in the parish. Our In-Pew Commitment Weekend is next weekend. We thank you for your generosity. As you know, we hope to complete this $3M+ pledge process by the end of May, so we ask you to prayerfully consider what you can do for our new Parish Life Center. Our community life is in your hands!

fleur cross logo Join us for Taizé Prayer Monday, May 15, 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 The St. Lucy Spring Food Drive is here! The St. Lucy Food Project collects and distributes food where it’s most needed in the Diocese. Our St. Lucy Food Drive is May 20 & 21. Blue bags and a list of needed items will be handed out after all Masses this weekend.

fleur cross logo The Knights of Columbus are handing out Project Manger envelopes after Masses this weekend. “A Woman’s Choice” pregnancy center in Falls Church serves over 1,000 families each year by helping mothers continue to choose life during pregnancy and providing assistance after birth, and by purchasing baby cribs for mothers in need. Please take an envelope and read the flyer. If you can support a donation, please send it in the envelope provided, or donate online, as described in the flyer. All funds collected go to the purchase of cribs and are 100% tax-deductible. Thank you in advance for your generosity and support for mothers in need.

fleur cross logo The Summer Theatre Program is back for its 28th exciting summer. Announcing auditions for the Wizard of Oz! Auditions are on Monday and Tuesday, May 15 & 16, at 7 pm in the gym. Join Dorothy and her friends on their exciting journey with witches, munchkins, good friends, lions, tigers, and bears (Oh my!) in this summer's production of The Wizard of Oz. Auditions are open to all current 6th-12th grade students. Students who cannot attend in-person auditions can submit a video audition on or before Wednesday, May 17. No experience is required. Please consider joining this great community of young people throughout our parish and the region. For more information about the program, auditions, and the summer ahead, please visit our website at www.summertheatreprogram.org or email info@summertheatreprogram.org. Wizard of Oz is produced through a special arrangement with Concord Theatricals.

fleur cross logo Our Novena to the Holy Spirit begins Friday, May 19. You will find the text of the prayers in the pull-out center of the bulletin.

fleur cross logo Concerts at Saint Bernadette presents the Northern Virginia Chorale Sunday, May 21, at 7:30 pm, in their program “Love, Laughter, and Song.” With this concert, the Chorale bids farewell to their artistic director of over 40 years, Robert S. Webb, Jr., with some of the greatest and most enjoyable American choral music ever written: Aaron Copeland, Randall Thompson, Morton Lauridsen, current sensation Shawn Kirchner, and an arrangement of What a Wonderful World are only some of the highlights. The concert is free, no tickets are required, and a free-will offering will be accepted. Contact David Mathers at dmathers@stbernpar for more information.

fleur cross logo The Saint Bernadette Pro-Life Committee invites you to pray the rosary and witness the sanctity of life on Tuesdays or Saturday mornings in front of the abortion facility on Sherwood Hall Lane in Alexandria. We legally, peacefully, and respectfully gather for an hour at around 10 am. Please email Tom Palumbo at tompalumbo@outlook.com to sign up.

fleur cross logo Join Bishop Michael Burbidge, Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson (United Methodist VA Conference), Bishop Leila Ortiz (ELCA Metro DC Synod), and Bishop Mark Stevenson (Episcopal Diocese of Virginia) as we pray for Christian Unity. The prayer service will occur on Tuesday, May 23, at 7 pm at Saint Ann Catholic Church, 5300 10th St. N, Arlington. All Christians are invited! A light reception will follow. 

fleur cross logo Tuesday, May 23, a Mass and Healing Prayer Service is scheduled for 7:30 pm at Holy Family Catholic Church, 14160 Ferndale Road, Dale City. Fr. John Melmer of Saint John the Beloved Church, McLean, will preside. Confessions will be available. This liturgy comes through the diocesan Catholic Healing Ministry. For more information, contact Grace Sims at 703-981-4620.

fleur cross logo Join us for Solemn Vespers for Pentecost on Sunday, May 28, at 6:15 pm.

 

Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ May 14, 2023

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

Following a beautiful weekend of Masses celebrating our boys and girls’ receiving First Holy Communion, we are left with that image of innocence and beauty, which speaks of the reality of God with us. Ultimately, it will be the beauty and goodness of God that will call us to be victorious over the confusion and darkness of so many places we may find ourselves at times in our lives.

I spoke at Masses last weekend about how, as wonderful as it is to say “God loves me,” and he does – don’t doubt it for a moment –- how much more amazing it is to say “God becomes me.” Love is not something God does (or that we “do”) –- it is who he is. God is love itself. He can’t choose to love or not love. God, in his eternal moment of love, wants to share himself and begets the perfect gift of himself, the perfect sharing that is his only-begotten Son. The Son is sent both by the love of the Father and his own loving self-gift to empty himself of his Glory as the Son of God and enter into the limitedness and sin of our human experience. Imagine the selfless love that would be required for such a sacrifice, only to go deeper and lower into our human experience to include suffering, torture, death, and abandonment. Literally, God-forsakenness. He has gone as low as any of us can ever go, as the Fathers of the Church said, so that wherever we may find ourselves, lost and forsaken, running from the Father, we will always run right into the embrace of the Son who is waiting for us in the depths, like the father of the prodigal son in the parable. He is there waiting, as well as at the right hand of the Father. How amazing and attractive is this image of God. If only people didn’t have so many misunderstandings of who God might be.

“God becomes me...” We could not say this – it would be madness – if it weren’t for the fact that Jesus took the Passover meal at the Last Supper, the most sacred ritual of all that had come before, to show that it was a preparation for the fulfillment of his covenant with us – the new and eternal covenant – which he completes with us in his Body and Blood. We witness that moment of the Last Supper at every Mass as we recall his saving mysteries of the Cross, but we saw it in a particular way last weekend as our boys and girls, like the Apostles at the Last Supper, received First Communion. Boys and girls: you are now apostles – those who are sent to proclaim the beauty and goodness of God that can change the world. We see it in you.

After the Saturday evening Mass, a young man came up to me. It felt like a Gospel moment, one like when Jesus encountered the young person and felt at that moment the love which sent him and caused him to choose to be there. The young man said to me: “May I ask you a question? ...If God is love, ...and God becomes me, ...That means that I am love.” Yes, truly.

If our starting point is “God loves me,” we will never reach this conclusion. But if God is love itself, then it is in his image that we are made, but there is more. When God becomes one of us and calls us to communion in himself to be a part of that great act of love that is our redemption, he gathers us together as himself and brings us home with him. We are love.

The Lord be with you,

Streaming Masses and Announcements Sunday, May 7, 2023

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for the Fifth Sunday of Easter

 

fleur cross logo The second collection next week is for Parish Special Needs

fleur cross logo Unfortunately, there will be no 7 am Masses for May's second and fourth weeks. 

fleur cross logo Phase II of our parish Capital Campaign, “Behold, I Make All Things New,” is underway. We have a packet for every registered family in the parish. If you haven’t already done so, please go to the bins arranged alphabetically by last name. Please don’t leave without picking up your packet! We have a packet for every registered family in the parish. Please be on the lookout; Capital Campaign packets will be mailed in the coming days. As you know, we hope to complete this $3M+ pledge process by the end of May, so we ask you to prayerfully consider what you can do for our new Parish Life Center. Our community life is in your hands.

fleur cross logo Our Catholic Women’s Group will meet this Wednesday, May 10, at 7 pm in the Bradican Room. Back by popular demand is an evening of chair yoga followed by healthy snacks. Come enjoy some gentle stretching and mindful movement to calm your mind and lift your spirits. For more information, please email us at women@stbernpar.org.

fleur cross logo Mothers’ Day Novena Mass cards are available for remembering moms, grandmothers, and anyone who has been a mother to you – living or deceased. All intentions will be included at all Masses for nine days beginning on Mothers’ Day (Sunday, May 14). Envelopes are available in the vestibule and the office and enclosed in the offertory envelopes.

fleur cross logo The St. Lucy Spring Food Drive is coming up! The St. Lucy Food Project collects and distributes food where it is most needed in the Diocese. Our St. Lucy Food Drive will be held at all Masses on May 20 & 21. The blue bags and lists of required items will be handed out the weekend of May 13 & 14.

fleur cross logo The Knights of Columbus will be handing out Project Manger envelopes after Masses on May 13 & 14. “A Woman’s Choice” pregnancy center in Falls Church serves over 1,000 families each year by helping mothers continue to choose life during pregnancy and providing assistance after birth, and by purchasing baby cribs for mothers in need. Please take an envelope and read the flyer. If you can support a donation, please send it in the envelope provided, or donate online, as described in the flyer. All funds collected go to the purchase of cribs and are 100% tax-deductible. Thank you in advance for your generosity and support for mothers in need.

fleur cross logo The Summer Theatre Program is back for its 28th exciting summer. Announcing auditions for the Wizard of Oz! Auditions are on Monday and Tuesday, May 15 & 16, at 7 pm in the gym. Join Dorothy and her friends on their exciting journey with witches, munchkins, good friends, lions, tigers, and bears (Oh my!) in this summer's production of The Wizard of Oz. Auditions are open to all current 6th-12th grade students. Students who cannot attend in-person auditions can submit a video audition on or before Wednesday, May 17. No experience is required. Please consider joining this great community of young people throughout our parish and the region. For more information about the program, auditions, and the summer ahead, please visit our website at www.summertheatreprogram.org or email info@summertheatreprogram.org. Wizard of Oz is produced through a special arrangement with Concord Theatricals.

fleur cross logo Our Novena to the Holy Spirit begins Friday, May 19. We will pray the novena prayers at the end of each Mass, and you will find the text of the prayers in next week's bulletin as well as on the parish website's announcements page.

fleur cross logo Concerts at Saint Bernadette presents the Northern Virginia Chorale Sunday, May 21, at 7:30 pm, in their program “Love, Laughter, and Song.” With this concert, the Chorale bids farewell to their artistic director of over 40 years, Robert S. Webb, Jr., with some of the greatest and most enjoyable American choral music ever written: Aaron Copeland, Randall Thompson, Morton Lauridsen, current sensation Shawn Kirchner, and an arrangement of What a Wonderful World are only some of the highlights. The concert is free, no tickets are required, and a free-will offering will be accepted. Contact David Mathers at dmathers@stbernpar for more information.

fleur cross logo The Saint Bernadette Pro-Life Committee invites you to pray the rosary and be a witness to the sanctity of life on Tuesdays or Saturday mornings in front of the abortion facility on Sherwood Hall Lane in Alexandria. We legally, peacefully, and respectfully gather for an hour at around 10 am. Please email Tom Palumbo at tompalumbo@outlook.com to sign up.

fleur cross logo Join Bishop Michael Burbidge, Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson (United Methodist VA Conference), Bishop Leila Ortiz (ELCA Metro DC Synod), and Bishop Mark Stevenson (Episcopal Diocese of Virginia) as we pray for Christian Unity. The prayer service will take place on Tuesday, May 23, at 7 pm at Saint Ann Catholic Church, 5300 10th St. N, Arlington. All Christians are invited! A light reception will follow. 

fleur cross logo Tuesday, May 23, a Mass and Healing Prayer Service is scheduled for 7:30 pm at Holy Family Catholic Church, 14160 Ferndale Road, Dale City. Fr. John Melmer of Saint John the Beloved Church, McLean, will preside. Confessions will be available. This liturgy comes through the diocesan Catholic Healing Ministry. For more information, contact Grace Sims at 703-981-4620.

 

Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ May 7, 2023

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

This week we will be attending the National Workshop on Christian Unity, an annual gathering of ecumenical leaders which has been taking place for nearly 60 years. This year we meet in Milwaukee from Sunday night to Thursday afternoon.

The Workshop began before the close of Vatican II with some Catholic priests who invited Episcopal clergy for a dialogue. Out of these beginnings today, there are five national networks that lead the Workshop: Catholic, Episcopalian, Lutheran, United Methodist, and Evangelical. I have served as president of the Catholic network beginning my 12th year.

When I started as Director of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the diocese in 2001, we would have attendance at the Workshops of about 350. This week we will have about 140, which is more than we have had for the past several years, obviously, due to the pandemic. It is a work that requires dialogue and relationships, and without the in-person connections – just like any community – real damage was done. In the meantime, there are new people in such roles, and introductions are difficult, even within networks, not to mention between them.

Say a prayer for all of us this week. The work of Christian Unity is more challenging, especially now with the shifting positions of the churches on sexuality, marriage, and gender. The Episcopal, Lutheran, and Methodist churches, as we know them, have all experienced deep schisms because of disagreement on these issues. Pray for us to dig deep into the Tradition of Christianity, recognize the truths that lie at the heart of faith and worship, and resolve to seek unity despite differences. It might seem that only God can solve this mess we are in... I believe that is true. And because we know that it is Jesus’ will that we be one (John 17:21) – so important to him that he prayed for this between the Last Supper and the Cross – we also know that God can make it happen despite our weakness and error, if we leave space for the Holy Spirit in all our deliberations and activities. Nothing is impossible for God, and I know he will reveal the way to full, visible Communion for all those who are baptized. We need you to pray earnestly for us this week that there will be a new Pentecost and God’s message will be so clear that all will recognize what must be done.

As we come out of the pandemic, this will be a vision objective also for Saint Bernadette, to strengthen and establish bonds of fraternity and collaboration between our parish and our neighbors, both those who are brothers and sisters by baptism as well as those who are brothers and sisters in our human family.

One final note: on May 11 this week, the National Emergency declaration for COVID-19 finally comes to an end. It has been in place for more than three long years and we have been very careful. COVID is a virus that will always be with us; like others, it is now proven able to be controlled with medication and good practices. As of May 12, we will discontinue the use of hand sanitizer during Communion at Masses.

The Lord be with you,

Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ April 30, 2023

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

We chose to change the theme of Phase 2 of our Capital Campaign from “Make All Things New” previously to “Behold, I make all things new.” These are Jesus’ own words in the 21st chapter of the Book of Revelation. After a time of great trial and difficulty, victory and peace are restored to all God’s creation. By changing the title, we have shifted our focus from ourselves and toward Jesus, through whom all things are possible:

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them [as their God]. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, [for] the old order has passed away.” 5 The one who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Then he said, “Write these words down, for they are trustworthy and true.”

It is one of my favorite passages of all of Scripture; it speaks of fulfillment and completion and gives us hope for the peace we all desire so much. God is with us, always! He will dwell with us in our place. The old order of sin, pain, and death is no more. All things are new.

Last weekend members of the parish spoke at all the Masses, and personalized, informative campaign packets were available to be picked up by all parish families. For those of you who spoke at the Masses and helped distribute packets, Thank You! Thanks also to the over 500 parish families who picked up their campaign packets.

This weekend we will continue the process of distributing packets. Be sure to stop by the counters in the vestibule, where you will find bins with everything in alphabetical order to speed up the process. If you are not registered, ask for a packet that has not been personalized.

This critical second phase of our campaign will raise a minimum of $3M+ in gifts and pledges for our Parish Life Center, which will put us over the top of our projected $7M+ budget. Once complete, this center will provide the space we already need and allow for expanded and new ministries. Our fellowship opportunities will be plentiful as our parish family will have more space to gather, grow friendships, and build community.

Please pray for the success of the campaign and prayerfully consider your gift/pledge to the campaign. Once you have decided upon your commitment, please return your pledge card to the office, return it by mail, or place it in the offertory basket at Mass. Pledges are counted as cash! If we have all our pledges in by the end of May, our goal is to present our financial plan and project to the Diocese in June.

The Lord be with you,

Streaming Masses and Announcements Sunday, April 30, 2023

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for the Fourth Sunday of Easter

 

fleur cross logo The second collection next week is for Parish and Facilities Maintenance. 

fleur cross logo Unfortunately, there will be no 7 am Masses for the first, second, and fourth weeks of May. During the first week, Fr. Rich and Fr. Don are at priests’ convocation, and in the second and fourth weeks, Fr. Don will lead the National Workshop on Christian Unity and retreat.

fleur cross logo Phase II of our parish Capital Campaign, “Behold, I Make All Things New,” began last weekend. We have a packet for every registered family in the parish in the vestibule after Masses. If you haven’t already done so, please go to the bins arranged alphabetically by last name. Please don’t leave without picking up your packet!

fleur cross logo Mothers’ Day Novena Mass cards are available for remembering moms, grandmothers, and anyone who has been a mother to you – living or deceased. All intentions will be included at all Masses for nine days beginning on Mothers’ Day. Envelopes are available in the vestibule and the office and enclosed in the offertory envelopes.

fleur cross logo The St. Lucy Spring Food Drive is coming up! The St. Lucy Food Project collects and distributes food where it is most needed in the Diocese. Our St. Lucy Food Drive will be held at all Masses on May 20 & 21. The blue bags and lists of required items will be handed out the weekend of May 13 & 14.

fleur cross logo Just a reminder that our school and Religious Ed. Students will receive their First Holy Communion next Saturday at 5 pm and Sunday at 9 and 11 am.

fleur cross logo The Summer Theatre Program is back for its 28th exciting summer. Announcing auditions for the Wizard of Oz! Auditions are on Monday and Tuesday, May 15 & 16, at 7 pm in the gym. Join Dorothy and her friends on their exciting journey with witches, munchkins, good friends, lions, tigers, and bears (Oh my!) in this summer's production of The Wizard of Oz. Auditions are open to all current 6th-12th grade students. Students who cannot attend in-person auditions can submit a video audition on or before Wednesday, May 17. No experience is required. Please consider joining this great community of young people throughout our parish and the region. For more information about the program, auditions, and the summer ahead, please visit our website at www.summertheatreprogram.org or email info@summertheatreprogram.org. Wizard of Oz is produced through a special arrangement with Concord Theatricals.