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Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,
Seems like a couple of weeks since I wrote to all of you in the bulletin. We have traveled from one city to another, each time getting acquainted with the saints who lived there, who are recognized by the Church for their heroic virtue, completing the mission and outcome God had planned for them. In most cases they were not strong people, but rather limited, uneducated, unwise of the ways of the world and, actually, often uneducated in their faith.
It gives all of us hope that God chooses us, the weak, and accomplishes so much of his plan visibly through us. We don’t have to rely on ourselves; we just have keep showing up!
There was an unusually intense period in history in the late 1700s and the first half of the 1800s when Jesus or the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to people here in France to give hope, especially in times of great persecution following the French Revolution. The Church was nearly destroyed. It is in this context that God chose the most unlikely people to speak.
He established some of the most active religious orders we know today to meet the needs of the poor and people at risk. He was able to proclaim the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception Church through St. Bernadette, provide a simple spirituality that sustained common people through St. Therese, establish devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Saint Margaret Mary, and the beautiful spirituality which began the modern tradition of personal devotion and faith in the teachings of St. Francis de Sales in response to the Reformation.
It has been a remarkable opportunity to consider the lives, the places and the spirituality of all of them on this pilgrimage. And every day we bring you and your intentions with us to these places.
This evening I am writing to you on the bus as we make our way to the hotel after a bonus pilgrimage site; the Cathedral in Vezelay on the way to Ars, and the shrine of St. John Vianney. Tradition says that after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, Lazarus and his daughters Martha and Mary, Mary Magdalene and the two other Marys, and little Zacchaeus’ lives were in danger — Lazarus was living proof of Jesus’ miracles, after all — and they fled to France. Mary Magdalene’s, it is said, are the relics we visited in the crypt church, verified by Pope Philip IX in the early 1100s. The cathedral had already become one of the first great pilgrimage sites in France in the 300s.
These cathedrals in the Middle Ages were the homes of relics of saints which would attract people on pilgrimage to come and pray for the saints’ intercession, and would be the economic security for towns, relying on the markets for the tourist trade. On this trip so far we have also visited the incorrupt bodies of saints Therese of Lisieux, Catherine Laboure, Vincent de Paul, John Vianney, and the veil worn by Mary at Jesus’ birth which is the principal relic of Chartres cathedral.
Of course, we will be back already as you read this, but it is good to give a report from the pilgrimage bus on the highway. We continue to pray for you and our parish family as we continue on our way.
The Lord be with you.
Worship Aid for 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
- Members of the Knights of Columbus distributed shoe-box sized cartons to parishioners following all Masses last weekend and parishioners were invited to take home a box and fill it with itmes for boy and girls ranging from 2 to 15. Completed boxes are being collected next weekend before all Masses. Support to cover international shipping costs is much appreciated. Please see today's bulletin for details.
- This weekend’s 2nd collection will be for Hurricane Relief.
- After all Masses next weekend there will be a display of beautiful olivewood handmade carvings from the Hoy Land. Thee crvings are made by the Christians of Bethlehem who use them as thier main source of income. Please see today's bulletin for more information on how we can support our brothers and sisters in Christ who are enduring hardships due to the volatile situation in their home country.
- Keep Christ in Christmas! The Knights of Columbus will be selling Christmas Cards in the vestibule of the church after all Masses the weekends of November 16-17 and November 23-24. You may cintact Mike Candalor at mcandalor@cox.net to get more information or arrange another opportunity to view/puchase cards.
- Concerts at Saint Bernadette presents pianist, Vania Pimentel, Friday, November 8 at 7:30pm. Come here piece by renowned Brazilian composers, highlighting iconic Brazilian styles from folk tunes to tangos and dances. The concert is free, please plan to join us.
- Women are still welcome to join the Walking with Purpose Bible Study. All are also invited to the Women's Advent Day of Reflection on 7 December. Watch the bulletin for more information.
- All 6th-8th graders are invited to Middle School Youth Ministry every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month. Join us this Wednesday, November 6, from 6:45-8pm in the gym.
- The parish offices will be closed on Monday, 11 November in observance of Veteran's Day.
Worship Aid for 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
- ECHO’s yard sale is this Saturday, October 26th, from 8 am to noon in the school gym. Proceeds will help local people experiencing an emergency and those with long-term low-income needs.
- Friday, November 1st, is All Saints Day, a Holy Day of Obligation. Vigil Mass is Thursday, October 31st, at 7:30 pm, and Mass on Friday at 7 and 9 am, noon, and bilingual at 7:30 pm.
- 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 1st.
- The Knights of Columbus, in conjunction with Cross Catholic Outreach, are asking for your support in filling a Box of Joy with presents like small toys, toiletries, and more—perfect for children in need. You are also encouraged to mail a $9 check separately for each box to cover international shipping costs. Boxes will be distributed after Mass this weekend and collected for delivery on November 9/10.
- This week’s 2nd collection will be for Porto Charities.
- High Schoolers are invited to the Diocesan RALLY on Sunday, October 27th. Join hundreds of other High Schoolers for rides, talks, Mass with the Bishop, and more. The cost is $25. Contact Grace Rihl, our Director of Youth Ministry, to register.
- Women are still welcome to join the Walking with Purpose Bible Study. See the bulletin for more information.
- The Bishop has announced that the Diocese will take up a second collection for disaster relief for those affected by Hurricane Helene. Please see the bulletin this weekend for information on how to donate online. Our second collection will occur on November 3rd, but the need is now. These financial resources will be utilized to respond to immediate emergency needs for necessities like water, food, shelter, and medical care and aid in long-term building and recovery efforts. Your generosity is appreciated.
- Concerts at Saint Bernadette. Free concert: pianist Vania Pimentel, “Sounds of Brazil.” Pieces by renowned Brazilian composers, highlighting iconic Brazilian styles from folk tunes to tangos and dances. Friday, November 8 at 7:30pm. dmathers@stbernpar.org or 703-451-8576 x 112
Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,
It was my intention this week to prepare a bulletin article on Tuesday night about our first experience at the shrine of our lady of Lourdes and Saint Bernadette. As often is the case lately, travel arrangements go haywire, and we found ourselves before departure, knowing that we would not make our connecting flight in Paris to go to Lourdes, and we were already rescheduled for a flight to on Wednesday morning, essentially losing a full day of our pilgrimage.
Our travel agent was very proactive, and after speaking with him, we were able to reassign all of our Pilgrims to two evening flights on Tuesday, tonight. So on the 23rd 28 our pilgrims were able to go on a 4:40pm flight to Lourdes, and 10 of us were left to take a 9pm flight to Lourdes arriving after midnight to the hotel. I was one of the 10 in the second group, and so I was unable to go to the candle procession and rosary, to be with people, to take pictures, and to give you an impression of what our experience might be. Ultimately, my group of 10 arrived at the hotel after midnight, and we have nothing to report to you. For this I am sorry. As I write this it is after 2pm.
Of course, this is the kind of thing that always happens on pilgrimage, and I always tell our participants on pilgrimage that this is not a vacation, that this is a pilgrimage, and we are constantly asked to offer things up to God when things aren’t perfect.
Unfortunately, I don’t have anything to report you tonight about Lourdes, but will do so in future bulletins.
We will go to the shrine tomorrow morning, and will celebrate a Mass with the entire English community who are present . It won’t be a Mass just for ourselves, but we will find ourselves celebrating Mass with whoever is here speaking English. Then we will tour the town and learn all about Saint Bernadette.
But this experience has left me with a common reflection as I travel lately. Traveling is rarely a pleasure these days, and I think of how we know we have somewhere we must be, regardless of the personal cost. I think of migrants and refugees, the millions of people who are desperate to find what they need for a good life for themselves and their families. This is truly pro-life. Travel conditions are abysmal, but we must power on. And we have an obligation as ourselves an immigrant people, ourselves, not to demonize them but to treat them as human persons like our own families who were - and are - looking for something — better.
Pilgrimage is such a powerful opportunity to put ourselves into the shoes of the poor and forgotten who are just searching for a place where they have dignity. Is this not a powerful gospel message, as poignant as we know from the time of the exiles of the Hebrew people up to today?
When my ancestors were exiled from Northern Ireland because the were Catholic, they became know as “the travelers,” or “tinkers,” because they were made homeless by those who took their homes. Look at Palestine today and see the same reality. Should we not listen to the desperate pleas of those who have given up home and livelihood and often, for a time, even family to provide for them?
The Lord be with you,
Worship Aid for 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Join us for our monthly Taizé Prayer Service on Monday at 8 pm. Come for a peaceful moment of simple song and prayer for unity.
ECHO’s yard sale is next Saturday, October 26th, from 8 am to noon in the school gym. Proceeds will help local people experiencing an emergency and those with long-term low-income needs.
Friday, November 1st, is All Saints Day, a Holy Day of Obligation. Vigil Mass is Thursday, October 31st, at 7:30 pm, and Mass on Friday at 7 and 9 am, noon, and bilingual at 7:30 pm.
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 1st.
The Knights of Columbus, in conjunction with Cross Catholic Outreach, are asking for your support in filling a Box of Joy with presents like small toys, toiletries, and more—perfect for children in need. You are also encouraged to mail a $9 check separately for each box to cover international shipping costs. Boxes will be distributed after Mass next weekend and collected for delivery on November 9/10.
Next week’s 2nd collection will be for Porto Charities.
High Schoolers are invited to the Diocesan RALLY on Sunday, October 27th. Join hundreds of other High Schoolers for rides, talks, Mass with the Bishop, and more. The cost is $25. Contact Grace Rihl, our Director of Youth Ministry, to register.
Women are still welcome to join the Walking with Purpose Bible Study. See the bulletin for more information.
The Bishop has announced that the Diocese will take up a second collection for disaster relief for those affected by Hurricane Helene. Please see the bulletin this weekend for information on how to donate online. Our second collection will occur on November 3rd, but the need is now. These financial resources will be utilized to respond to immediate emergency needs for necessities like water, food, shelter, and medical care and aid in long-term building and recovery efforts. Your generosity is appreciated.
Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,
As you might know, the week before last, I participated in an ecumenical forum for a group now 20 years in existence, Christian Churches Together. At the CCT Forum, 40 different denominations were present, and the topic was the Holy Spirit and what the Spirit is saying to the churches. How do we authentically share what we hear from the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit does not deny himself to anyone who asks.
Here are the three statements and leading actions that concluded our week together:
1. The Holy Spirit anoints each individual, not for their own sake, but toward communion. The charisms of each must be identified and acknowledged to build up the Body of Christ to full stature, each and every person equally. To deny this Spirit in the other is the cause of division: you are somehow less than I. This is the systemic problem of racism, genocide, discrimination and colonialism. Action: We must trust that the Holy Spirit can do/is doing / will accomplish this work of perfecting us toward the transformation into divine nature, or theosis, of all people. This positive anthropology needs to be introduced as a light into the darkness of our world.
2. We must hold each other accountable to this sacred trust. “Who but the Church can help us understand history as the People of God?” asked a bishop of the Church of God in Christ at Mason Temple in Nashville. If we aren’t writing our own stories they will be rewritten by others. We must preserve this truth/history for our youth who desire to know it and connect more deeply in community. Action: We must witness to, and record the truth which forms the narrative of our history, and our identity in faith.
3. We must affirm the process of receptive ecumenism which we have experienced together this week. (Receptive ecumenism is a dialogue for the sole purpose of listening intently to, and receiving the truth spoken by others about themselves so that we may grow together. It is basically what the Church calls the synodal process.) This week, we have focused on the Spirit, we have listened better and trusted more than any forum before. It is an effective method of dialogue and we have used the model more effectively and grown into, and with each other. Action: Commit to bringing this method of dialogue to our own community and between communities after we return home.
So let’s start with ourselves. I propose this question for your dialogue in your homes and gatherings: Why is the number of Christians (Catholics) declining? Why are so many of our children losing heart and leaving? Why have so many people simply given up? (This is a question that people of all religions are asking.)
I was having a conversation with a colleague just recently. He said that he has been wondering about the reason so many people who are unaffiliated with any particular religion, who claim to be “spiritual” but not “religious.”
He said to me, “I wonder sometimes if I am ‘religious’ but not ‘spiritual’?” The silence that followed was itself a dialogue, so much to say and not really knowing how to say it.
What if we have not given an example to others of the Spirit that must necessarily form the foundation of our religious practice? Religious rites aren’t rites of passage or gestures that define us in some sort of cultural way. But isn’t that how they often define the life of the Church, really, in our practice?
An onlooker who might be uncatechized, or poorly catechized, who is watching us might interpret an empty observance of rites and laws without the exchange of love responding to God’s outpouring of love as nothing more than hypocrisy. Not attractive, the shell of religion might seem to most to be an empty, superfluous (even dishonest) waste of time – especially for a person who is seeking a living relationship with the Divine who they might glimpse is seeking them.
I’ve talked about this before: is the Church – is our community – based on compliance? Or commitment? Going through the motions, frankly, just gets old. Some people may have superpowers of slogging through it for years, but that isn’t what Jesus is asking of us. He wants our hearts, he wants us to have life, his life, to the full. He wants to turn our discipline into discipleship so that the truth, beauty and goodness we have found in him goes out to all the world.
He wants us to listen intently to and receive the truth he is speaking to our hearts so that we may grow together, first with him, then with one another. Commit first to bringing this method of dialogue into your own life of faith. Maybe we will discover together that our being in God together is the most precious part of life.
The Lord be with you,
Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,
I’ve had a number of requests for a homily I gave a couple weeks ago. Of course, you can always hear the audio of my homilies on our website at https://www.stbernpar.org/welcome/homilies, but I will print as much of it as I am able here.
Sitting the other evening, I imagined the scene in the first reading. First of all, concealed by a cloud, the Lord comes down and talks with Moses. Taking some of the spirit that was “on Moses” he bestowed it on the 70 elders. Moses’ spirit rested on them, and they began to prophesy. Remarkable.
I asked myself if this is some revelation of hierarchy? Did the 70 have the spirit only because it came through Moses? Next comes the answer: No. Eldad and Medad, two of the 72, were absent, still at the camp, and were not there to witness God-in-the-cloud speaking with Moses. But the spirit, obviously not limited by distance, rested on them, too, and they began to prophesy. God’s work was accomplished in them, anyway.
Somebody reports it and Joshua demands that Moses make Eldad and Medad stop. Hear his very interesting response: “Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets! Would that the LORD would bestow his spirit on them all!”
Exclusivity. We are all guilty of it. For centuries we have not wanted to give the benefit of the doubt even to Christians of other camps – let alone people of non-Christian faiths – that their prayers were authentic and that they might be on the same path as we, just at a different humna mile marker on the way.
Again, Pope Francis was misquoted by the media this week: His statement was not that all religions are the same, but that God has provided many paths for people to come to him.
And who would God be, if he only wanted to bestow his spirit on a few? He wouldn’t be God for most.
Can the power of the Spirit be confined to an institution?
He is God of all creation, all peoples, and our human nature is wired to seek him. The same hunger for the mystery of the divine has unfolded in many cultures and contexts. The beliefs might be different, maybe even seemingly contradictory or unsupported by our experience of revelation, but the seeking of the peoples is the same, authentic desire of the human heart for the transcendent God. God does not refuse his spirit to anyone who sincerely seeks him.
This was one of the revelations of Vatican II. Most of Vatican II is a reworking of always-existing Church teaching and Tradition so that it makes more sense in the context of this modern age, rather than medieval times. But this is a new area of theological reflection based in Scripture and Tradition. Listen to Saint Pope Paul VI in his address opening the second convening of Vatican II in September of 1963:
“The Catholic Church looks into the distance, beyond the confines of the Christian horizon; how could she place limits on her love, if this very love is to be that of God the Father who showers his favors upon everyone (cf. Mt 5:45), and who so loved the world that for it he gave his only Son (cf. Jn 3:16)? The world; not me. Look therefore beyond your own sphere and observe those other religions that uphold the meaning and the concept of God as one, Creator, provident, most high and transcendent, that worship God with acts of sincere piety and upon whose beliefs and practices the principles of moral and social life are founded.
“The Catholic Church unquestionably, and to its regret, perceives gaps, insufficiencies and errors in many religious expressions as those indicated, yet she cannot fail to turn her thoughts to them as well, to remind them that the Catholic religion upholds in just regard all that which in them is true, good and human. Moreover, in order to preserve religious sentiment and the worship of God in modern culture – the duty and need of a true civilization – she is in the forefront as the most valid supporter of the rights of God over humanity.”
From the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen gentium, 1964:
“Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience – those too may achieve eternal salvation. Nor shall divine providence deny the assistance necessary for salvation to those who, without any fault of theirs have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God, and who, not without grace, strive to lead a good life. Whatever good or truth is found among them is considered by the church to be a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all that they may at length have life.”
The Lord be with you,
Worship Aid for 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Our Parish Offices will be Closed on Monday, 14 October, in observance of the Federal Holiday.
Please join us for our Anniversary Mass for the Dedication of our Church on Monday at 7:30 pm in the Church.
Come to our Saint Bernadette Parish Picnic on Saturday, October 19th, from 1 to 5 pm. Volunteers are also needed! Please call the parish office to sign up to volunteer.
High Schoolers are invited to the Diocesan RALLY on Sunday, October 27th. Join hundreds of other High Schoolers for rides, talks, Mass with the Bishop, and more. The cost is $25. Contact Grace Rihl, our Director of Youth Ministry, to register.
All 6th-8th graders are invited to Middle School Youth Ministry every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month. Join us THIS Wednesday, October 16th, from 6:45-8 pm in the Gym.
Women are still welcome to join the Walking with Purpose Bible Study. See the bulletin for more information.
Join us for our monthly Taizé Prayer Service on Monday, October 21st at 8 pm. Come for a peaceful moment of simple song and prayer for Christian Unity.
Don’t forget to return your baby bottle for the Mary’s Comfort Bottle Drive.
The Bishop has announced that the Diocese will take up a second collection for disaster relief for those affected by Hurricane Helene. Please see the bulletin this weekend for information on how to donate online. Our second collection will occur on November 3rd, but the need is now. These financial resources will be utilized to respond to immediate emergency needs for necessities like water, food, shelter, and medical care and aid in long-term building and recovery efforts. Your generosity is appreciated.
Worship Aid for 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mary’s Comfort is hosting a Baby Bottle Drive. Please pick up your bottle after Mass and help us by filling it with bills of any denomination or a check made payable to Mary’s Comfort. Bottles can be returned the following weekend. Please visit their table in the vestibule.
All Women are invited to join this year’s Walking with Purpose Bible Study on Tuesday mornings beginning October 8th and Thursday evenings starting Oc-tober 12th. Representatives are in the vestibule after Mass.
Everyone is invited to The Lord of Miracles Mass and Procession on Saturday, October 12th. Mass begins at 10 am, followed by a procession at 11:30 am and a food sale in the gym. Come and be a witness to this beautiful tradition.
Come to our Saint Bernadette Parish Picnic on Saturday, October 19th, from 1 to 5 pm. There will be great music, food, and games for the whole family. Check the bulletin to see what food you should bring. Volunteers are also needed! Please call the parish office to sign up to volunteer.
We will celebrate our parish feast with a special Mass on Monday, October 14th, at 7:30 pm. Patronal feasts carry the same solemnity as Christmas and Easter! Please plan to come.
The Bishop has announced that the Diocese will take up a second collection for disaster relief for those affected by Hurricane Helene. Please see the bulletin this weekend for information on how to donate online. Our second collection will occur on November 3rd, but the need is now. These financial resources will be utilized to respond to immediate emergency needs for necessities like water, food, shelter, and medical care and aid in long-term building and recovery efforts. Your generosity is appreciated.
Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,
Do you remember this project? Well, today I have the happy job of telling you there is news about our new Parish Life Center!
Your generosity has weathered through two phases of a capital campaign, and I thank you for all you have given and continue to give with amounts pledged! As you know, we recently hired a new business manager, Linda Patterson, and her good work has helped us to put together a ten-year financial plan for the parish which was our last hurdle toward moving forward. The financial plan exhibits our ability to build and maintain the new building, keep on top of existing facilities and maintenance, and service any debt that
might arise during the construction process.
We demonstrated that our parish is financially very strong and will well withstand unforeseen fluctuations in the offertory or inflation.
We had already received from the county the special addendum approval for the site plan, which gives us permission to move forward on formal development plans, having considered environmental impact and stormwater management. Now, with the green light from the Diocese, we can commence working with our architect, Michael Foster (MTFA), and begin schematic design drawings so we can make tighter estimates of construction costs and stay within budget. Originally approved by the bishop for $7.6M, this step will help us determine how we proceed with design.
Another interesting fact is that the mora-torium which Bishop placed on capital fundraising in parishes last January 1 has been lifted. If you are new to the parish or did not have an opportunity to participate in the Capital Campaign over the past five years, I ask that you consider making a gift or pledge to the Campaign. There will always be inflation and the need for furnishings and finishes that could always be a little nicer if we have the funds at hand. Our second phase of the Campaign was about 10%, or $300K under goal when we
had to stop: we welcome your generosity.
So when do we get out the golden shovel for groundbreaking? As you know, I tend to be optimistic and would like to say we could start at the beginning of the summer. It would save a lot of confusion if we could get the site set up and major groundwork done when there isn’t a carpool twice a day. We will work that out, even if it seems more likely that we will break ground in the fall.
Some of you were starting to ask us if this
plan was even still in the works. Sometimes hopeful silence is better than postponed promises. But I think we are now at a point
where we can really start getting excited about this new space where our family will be able to grow and develop in ministry and outreach to the wider community beyond the limits of our own registration. Now we can surely imagine new possibilities with the knowledge that they are possible!
We’ll keep you informed as things progress. In the meantime, let’s think of parish activities which might add even more to our financial security as a parish and build up our community.
If you are interested in being involved in our ongoing fundraising, please contact Jean Corday in the parish office.
The Lord be with you,