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Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ 29 October 2023

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

Last week, we laid to rest a very dear friend and colleague, Sister Susan Louise Eder, OSFS. We worked together for nearly 15 years – she as principal, I as pastor – at Holy Cross Academy, the parish school for Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Fredericksburg. She was greatly loved by so many children, families, and those of us who had the privilege of knowing her.

She was truly a daughter of Saint Francis de Sales, whose motto was “Live Jesus.” I have never known anyone who did it better.

As an educator and administrator, she was also one of the best. I was a first-time pastor when I went to Fredericksburg and learned much from her about being a good pastor.

The Oblate Sisters of Saint Francis de Sales, whose motherhouse is in Childs, Maryland (near the Delaware border), were asked by Bishop Keating to come to Stafford County and start a school that would ultimately become a parish called Holy Cross. The Sisters have a photograph of the first time they walked onto the empty field where the school would be born in 1998. There was urgency in establishing a school because the Daughters of Wisdom – the same Sisters who started our school at Saint Bernadette –
were closing their Catholic school in Fredericksburg, Montfort Academy, and a Catholic school was needed. The Oblate priests were already here in the diocese, having founded St. John Neumann and Our Lady of Good Counsel Parishes and Bishop Ireton and Paul VI High Schools.

Sister created the community at Holy Cross and gathered the people of God together. Holy Cross Academy thrived and was a model school academically and spiritually. When the Sisters were abruptly asked to leave five years ago, they were welcomed by the Archdiocese of Baltimore at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish’s school, which was at that time in crisis. Also, at that time, Sister learned she had cancer. The Sisters, with the leadership of Sister Susan Louise, were able to turn that school around. She gave everything she had to the people she served wherever God sent her. We celebrated her funeral at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church on October 20.

I write about her today because I miss her, and I want you to know the beauty of her vocation. She was the best of all of us, and her vocation as a religious sister needs to be remembered by all those who might be considering the beauty of a vocation like hers.

I write also about her today to all those who have this idea that women don’t have a role in the Church. This has been a topic of discussion at the Synod, which continues this month in Rome. It is inaccurate to say that women don’t have a role; you can only say that women aren’t priests. At the Synod, for example, there is a lively conversation about the possible role of women as deacons in the Church – it has happened in the past. But do not underestimate the amazing influence and contributions of women like Sister Susan Louise. Consider the impression she has made on children and parents as a principal of 500 students a year for 30 years, as well as her always active life in the parish. She was a great speaker and leader in the diocese and beyond in her order, and she was a dear friend to many.

May her memory truly be a blessing to all of us.

 

The Lord be with you,

 

Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ 22 October 2023

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

You may have noticed - again, this year, our ushers are counting how many people attend Mass each Sunday during October. It is the “October count.” Last year our Mass attendance was down slightly from the pre-COVID count, not as much as many parishes experienced. I think we came through the pandemic rather well, and our attendance is robust. We will see how our numbers look this year. But generally speaking, Christianity across the board seems to be experiencing a decline in active participation. It is the topic of an article in The Atlantic, “The Misunderstood Reason Millions of Americans Stopped Going to Church:”

“A new book, written by Jim Davis, a pastor at an evangelical church in Orlando, and Michael Graham, a writer with the Gospel Coalition, draws on surveys of more than 7,000 Americans by the political scientists Ryan Burge and Paul Djupe, attempting to explain why people have left churches—or “de-churched,” in the book’s lingo—and what, if anything, can be done to get some people to come back. The book raises an intriguing possibility: What if the problem isn’t that churches are asking too much of their members but that they aren’t asking nearly enough?

“The Great Dechurching finds that religious abuse and more general moral corruption in churches have driven people away. This is, of course, an indictment of the failures of many leaders who did not address abuse in their church. But Davis and Graham also find that a much larger share of those who have left the church have done so for more banal reasons. The book suggests that the defining problem driving out most people who leave is … just how American life works in the 21st century. Contemporary America simply isn’t set up to promote mutuality, care, or common life. Rather, it is designed to maximize individual accomplishment as defined by professional and financial success. Such a system leaves precious little time or energy for forms of community that don’t contribute to one’s own professional life or, as one ages, the professional prospects of one’s children. Workism reigns in America, and because of it, community in America, religious community included, is a math problem that doesn’t add up.

“Numerous victims of abuse in church environments can identify a moment when they lost the ability to believe when they almost felt their faith draining out of them. The book shows, though, that for most Americans who were once a part of churches but have since left, the process of leaving was gradual, and in many cases, they didn’t realize it was even happening until it already had. It’s less like jumping off a cliff and more like driving down a slope, eventually realizing that you can no longer see the place you started from.”

If this is true, that what begins as a distraction becomes a habit, then maybe a simple word of encouragement from one another can help us stay on track. Especially today, when we are surrounded by such division and inhumanity, even as witnesses of the desperate violence of war and cruelty in Europe and the Middle East, we need to be reminded of the real calling we have received, to be literally counter-cultural, to pray and speak and be the outward sign of peace and unity in the face of such polarization. My brothers and sisters, we are the solution and can’t walk away from it.

 

The Lord be with you,

 

Streaming Masses and Announcements for the week of 22 October 2023

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

fleur cross logo Next week’s 2nd collection will be for Porto Charities.

fleur cross logo ECHO’s yard sale is next Saturday, October 28, from 8 am-noon in the school gym. Proceeds will help local people experiencing an emergency and those with long-term low-income needs.

fleur cross logo Wednesday, November 1st, is All Saints Day. Please mark your calendars for this Holy Day of Obligation. All Saints Day Masses: Vigil on October 31 at 7:30 pm, 7 am, 9 am, noon, and a 7:30 pm bilingual. All Souls Day Mass 7 am, 9 am, noon, and a 7:30 pm bilingual.

fleur cross logo Remember loved ones in the All Souls Day Novena of Masses. All Masses November 2nd-10th will be offered for those included in the novena. Remembrance envelopes are available in the church vestibule. Please return the completed envelopes to the parish office before November 1.

fleur cross logo The Knights of Columbus have partnered with Cross Catholic Outreach to bring its Box of Joy ministry project. You can fill the box with small toys and toiletries for children in need. You are also encouraged to mail a $9 check separately for each box to cover international shipping costs. Pick up your boxes after Mass the weekend of October 28 & 29 and bring them back the weekend of November 11 & 12.

 

 

Streaming Masses and Announcements for the week of 15 October 2023

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

fleur cross logo  All are invited to our Saint Bernadette Parish Picnic next Saturday, October 21, from 1-5pm. There will be great music, food, and games for the whole family. Please see the bulletin for information on what you can bring to share. If you’d like to help serve during the picnic, sign up today in the vestibule.

fleur cross logo The parish will host a celebration in honor of Father Cedric Wilson’s anniversary of ordination next Sunday following the 11am and 1pm Mass in the school gym. All are welcome!

fleur cross logo Join us for Taizé Prayer on Monday, October 16, at 8 pm. Come pray for Christian unity in our community and the world. All are warmly invited.

fleur cross logo All 6th -8th graders are invited to join us for Middle School Youth Ministry this Wednesday, October 18th, from 6:45-8 in the Gym. We will have ice cream, games, and a teaching from Fr. James! Bring a friend for a prize!

fleur cross logo ECHO is hosting a yard sale on Saturday, October 28, from 8am-noon in the school gym. Proceeds of the sale benefit ECHO, whose mission is to help local people experiencing an emergency and those with long-term low-income needs.

fleur cross logo Wednesday, November 1st, is All Saints Day. Please mark your calendars for this Holy Day of Obligation. There will be a vigil Mass on Tuesday at 7:30 pm. Holy Day Masses are 7am, 9am, and noon. Our 7:30pm Mass will be bilingual.

fleur cross logo All Souls Day is on Thursday, November 2nd. Masses for All the Faithful Departed will be celebrated at 7am, 9am, and 12 noon, and a bilingual Mass at 7:30pm.

fleur cross logo Remember loved ones in the All Souls Day Novena of Masses. All Masses November 2nd-10th will be offered for those included in the novena. Remembrance envelopes are available in the church vestibule. Please return the completed envelopes to the parish office before November 2.

 

Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ 15 October 2023

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

It’s Tuesday afternoon as I write this letter, and I’m looking at our living rosary pictures on the page opposite. That was just last Friday... and we had no idea that Israel-Palestine would be in such desperate need of prayers. Look how much can change in just a few days.

I wonder if the damage done in these few days has a solution or even if this is just the beginning. I have to admit that I knew something was coming, but I never thought it would take such a horrible, barbaric turn. There is nothing that can justify such evil savagery.

I was on a Zoom call a few weeks ago with board members of our nonprofit, Holy Land Christians Society, a group we formed in 2002 when Israel was building the system of walls that basically created ghettoes of cities and regions that were deemed to be a security threat. Palestinians are locked inside compounds with 30’ concrete walls accessible only through military checkpoints. To be fair, terrorists are embedded in these regions and are virtually impossible to discern from the innocent population, so it seemed like a solution. Over the years, we have continued to fundraise and provide assistance to Christian schools, institutions, an orphanage, small business development, and initiatives for peace in these areas who cannot move freely for education or business.

Anyway, we were on Zoom with a lawyer in Israel who has kept watch of the hundreds of Israeli settlements over the years which have developed, despite international law forbidding Israeli occupation. They have published a document, “The Strategic Encirclement of Jerusalem’s Old City, The Emergence of a Settler-Controlled Biblical Realm.” Settlers over time have taken control of land and properties in Palestinian East Jerusalem to the north and south of the Old City, and plans were announced recently to declare the Mount of Olives an Israeli state park, which would close off access from the east (already largely prevented by a border wall that cuts across the top of the Mount of Olives). West Jerusalem is not part of the Palestinian territory. Therefore, access to all the holy sites precious to Christians and Muslims would be restricted to those who have been given clearance. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre will be a museum. To cut off Muslim access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque would cause a firestorm. Apparently, it has begun.

You have to ask, how did Hamas get so many missiles? And how will they be stopped in so densely populated and small a place as Gaza without the loss of so many innocent lives, over two million Muslims and Christians who have nowhere to go? Unfortunately, for many people, the names “Palestinian” and “terrorist” mean the same thing, but they are not. The vast majority of Palestinians and Israelis only want peace, the greatest irony of all. However, Israel believes their survival depends on the elimination of Hamas and other terrorist groups, and Hamas believes they cannot survive if Israel holds power. War is not a solution.

Our hearts have continually broken watching the atrocities in Ukraine, as well, now well into its second year of tragedy and loss. Where are effective and honest leaders who can see through the complexities of today and seek peace? Although there isn’t much we can do, we can pray. For conversion of hearts and for voices of truth that can speak to everyone, “Enough.”

 

The Lord be with you,

 

Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ 8 October 2023

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

It’s Sunday night as I write this letter because I am going to be gone Monday through Thursday this week at a conference in Savannah, GA, called Christian Churches Together. CCT is a relatively new ecumenical annual, national gathering of churches who enter into a particular dialogue topic each year. This year, the topic is the centrality of baptism for all of us.

CCT was a newly developed dialogue gathering about ten years ago when it was noted that there were families of Christianity that were not intentionally participating in active dialogue. CCT is a consortium of five Christian families: Roman Catholics, Mainline Protestants, Orthodox, Historic Black Protestants, and Evangelicals. This is the first group with which such a dialogue has intentionally involved all five of these “families” and given them equal voice.

Each day a different family leads prayer. For some of us, the kind of free-flowing prayer of Evangelicals and Pentecostals can seem a bit uneasy. This is one of the benefits of this gathering: we stretch, and we come to understand each other more and better.

I am excited about the prospects of our conversation this week. If we all truly believe that it is our common, one Baptism that marks us as daughters and sons of God, we will take those five families and redefine ourselves as one family. It was only about ten years ago that I was present in Austin, Texas, at a formal signing of a covenant that declared that the traditional Reformed Churches (Presbyterian USA, Reformed, United Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ) recognized the validity of our Catholic and Mainline Protestant baptism. As long as the sacrament was celebrated with the intention of the Church and used the proper formula of in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, it was a valid baptism.

Of course, the Catholic Church has always been very pastorally generous with regard to baptism. As long as the baptism is done with the right intention, water is poured, and the trinitarian formula is used, it is valid -- regardless of the faith of the person doing it. I remember, as a seminarian in Philadelphia, there was a nurse in the NICU at Jefferson Hospital. If she knew that the parents were Christian and that the baby was in danger of death, she always baptized -- validly -- those children. And she was Jewish. God bless her!

Baptism is valid if the proper formula is followed, but the Church is even more generous with the grace of baptism than that. We also profess the validity of baptism by desire. If the person is desirous of baptism, but for some reason, it cannot be celebrated, the grace of the sacrament is supplied. This counts for all those children who might die without the benefit of the sacrament, especially those who die of abortion. The desire of the parents -- even the Church -- supplies the grace of the sacrament. We also profess the validity of baptism by blood. If a martyr should die because they were doing good and what they believed to be the will of God, their death is not in vain. The mercy and compassion of God provides the sacrament despite their suffering and death. Nobody dies in vain unless they want to.

Keep us in prayer this week as we gather and seek Christian Unity

 

The Lord be with you,

 

Streaming Masses and Announcements for the week of 8 October 2023

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

fleur cross logo  The Parish Office will be closed on Monday, October 9, in observance of the holiday.

fleur cross logo Father Don, Dr. Burgess, and the Auction Committee invite you to an evening of celebration. The parish is warmly invited to participate in the upcoming school auction on November 4 from 7-10 p.m. This is the school’s largest fundraising event, and its success depends on parish participation. This year’s theme is “Sailing Into the Future”. There will be a silent and live auction, dinner, and live entertainment. Please consider supporting this event for the benefit of our school children. See the volunteers after Mass to purchase tickets and answer any questions you may have.

fleur cross logo This year, all parishes in the Diocese are hosting events to celebrate the Diocesan Rosary Congress during the week. Our parish will have Adoration between the morning Masses, Angelus, and Rosary at noon in the chapel, and rosary at the Grotto at 6 pm in Spanish each evening. Please see the bulletin for more information.

fleur cross logo Join us in celebrating the Anniversary of our Church Dedication on Saturday, October 14th, with Mass at 8 am.

fleur cross logo All High Schoolers are invited to the Diocesan RALLY on Sunday, October 22nd. Join hundreds of other High Schoolers for a day of entertainment, talks, ice cream, and more. Register by this Friday, October 13th. High Schoolers are also invited to join us for dinner and fellowship on Saturday, October 14th. We will meet in the Bradican Room after the 5:00 pm Mass and have Peruvian Chicken for dinner. See the bulletin for more details on these events.

fleur cross logo All are invited to our Saint Bernadette Parish Picnic on Saturday, October 21, from 1-5 p.m. There will be great music, food, and games for the whole family. Please get in touch with the parish office if you’d like to volunteer.

fleur cross logo The parish will host a celebration in honor of Father Cedric Wilson’s anniversary of ordination on Sunday, October 22, following the 11 am and 1 pm Mass in the school gym. All are welcome!

 

 

Streaming Masses and Announcements for the week of 1 October 2023

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

fleur cross logo Our Saint Bernadette Parish and School Auction is just five weeks away, November 4, and it’s time to purchase your tickets. Please, if you support one charity this year, consider our parish mission of education in our school. Sailing into the Future Auction Committee representatives will be available after 9 and 11 a.m. Masses this weekend. Alumni and group tables are welcome. Tickets are $ 100 per person or $ 750 per table. There is a Captain’s Pre-Auction Reception upgrade available. Please speak with an Auction Committee member to learn more about Sponsorships, Advertising, and Underwriting opportunities that are still available.

fleur cross logo This year, all parishes in the Diocese are hosting events to celebrate the Diocesan Rosary Congress during the week of October 7—13. Our parish will have Adoration between the morning Masses, Angelus and Rosary at noon in the chapel, and rosary at the Grotto in Spanish at 6 pm each evening. Please see the bulletin for more information.

fleur cross logo All 6th-8th graders are invited to join us for Middle School Youth Ministry next Wednesday, October 4th, from 6:45-8 p.m. in the Gym. We will have ice cream, games, and a teaching from Fr. James!

fleur cross logo Women of all ages are invited to join this year’s Walking with Purpose Bible Study on Tuesdays beginning October 10th from 9:45-11:30 am and Thursdays starting on October 12th from 7:30-9 pm. Please speak with a representative after Mass in the vestibule or see the bulletin.

fleur cross logo Join us in celebrating the Anniversary of our Church Dedication on Saturday, October 14th, with Mass at 8 am.

fleur cross logo All are invited to our Saint Bernadette Parish Picnic on Saturday, October 21, from 1-5 p.m. There will be great music, food, and games for the whole family. Volunteers are needed! Please get in touch with the parish office.

fleur cross logo Celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi by having your pets blessed! The Blessing of the Animals will take place by the Grotto on Sunday, October 1 at 2:30 p.m.

fleur cross logo St. Bernadette will be participating in the 36th Annual Life Chain on Sunday, October 1 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. in front of Key Middle School. Come and pray in public witness to the sanctity of human life!

 

 

 

Fr. Don's Weekly Letter ~ 2 October 2023

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

It is hard to believe... soon our biennial school auction will be here!

If you weren’t here in 2018, something wonderful happened as we welcomed everyone to “The Music Man” Auction honoring our award-winning band director, Barry Ward. It was the first time that all the parish was intentionally invited to the auction, and the parish really turned out! It was a really good surprise that galvanized the unity between our parish and school “communities” as we realized that we could join together in supporting this primary ministry of the parish. Many people said, “We didn’t think the parish would come,” and others said, “We can’t believe we were never invited!”

The auction in 2018 was in person, of course, and 282 tickets were sold - gross receipts for the evening were $104,000. We built a huge gazebo in the center of the gym for our decoration, the same gazebo that now stands in the center of the playground/parking lot behind the school.

2020, of course, was a little different. It was entirely online, and the dinner was grab-and-go, as people ate dinner and watched the auction online. Even so, 183 people bought tickets, and the gross receipts for the auction was $63,000.

With so much going on in the school last spring, we didn’t think we could pull off another auction, so it was scheduled for November 4: One month from now. There is much to be done.

We have proposals from the caterer and the band, and we need to sell tickets. Tickets are $100 per person, $750 for a table of ten. I am buying a table of 10 and still paying $1,000 for the good of the school.

Parishioners, we need you to get involved in this loving project. Buy tickets. If you have a business, consider a sponsorship - we have a list of opportunities available. If you have an item or service which we can include in the auction, you can help us out in this way. Your participation comes with advertising for you. We will have a silent auction that will be open for several weeks before the night of the auction, as well as some well-selected items which will be auctioned live at the dinner on auction night. At the end of the evening we will have “Gifts from the heart,” an opportunity to raise auction paddles and donate whatever you thought you might have spent at the auction that evening. All of it is for the children.

It is a skilled balancing act, the ministry of Catholic education. You must try in every way to keep Catholic schools affordable, and at the same time provide the most excellent opportunity for our children that we are able to provide. At Saint Bernadette, we have one of the most gifted, talented teams of faculty and staff that you will find anywhere. Saint Bernadette is known for being one of the best. We also have a highly-developed Learning Resource department to provide special services to those students who need a little more attention. Especially after COVID, the need is greater than ever.

Most importantly, we provide an environment where compassion and virtue can thrive. We learn about Jesus, and how to become Jesus in this world for others. This, most of all, makes us who we are and sets us apart.

Come, help us be successful... and have a great auction, as well.

 

The Lord be with you,

 

Streaming Masses and Announcements for the week of 24 September 2023

Today's Live-Streamed Mass

Worship Aid for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

fleur cross logo The 23rd Saint Bernadette School auction will be held on November 4. This year’s theme is “Sailing into the Future”. The event will be held in the school gym from 7-10 pm, featuring an optional Captain’s Reception, silent auction, dinner, live auction, and live music. Tickets are available online. See the bulletin or visit the parish website for more information.

fleur cross logo The parish will host a celebration in honor of Father Cedric Wilson’s anniversary of ordination on October 22 following the 11 am and 1 pm Mass. The event will be held in the school gym. Please join us in honoring Father Cedric’s 50 years of ordination as a religious and 45 years as a priest.

fleur cross logo Celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi by having your pets blessed! The Blessing of the Animals will take place by the Grotto next Sunday, October 1 at 2:30 pm.

fleur cross logo St. Bernadette will be participating in the 36th Annual Life Chain on Sunday, October 1, from 2:30-3:30 pm in front of Key Middle School. Come and pray in public witness to the sanctity of human life!

fleur cross logo Join us in celebrating the Anniversary of our Church Dedication on Saturday, October 14th, with Mass at 8 am.

fleur cross logo All are invited to our Saint Bernadette Parish Picnic on Saturday, October 21, from 1-5 pm. There will be great music, food, and games for the whole family. Volunteers are needed! Please get in touch with the parish office.