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PARISH EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Summer is here!

    Friday, August 15 is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and a holy day of obligation. Here is the Mass schedule: Vigil, August 14, 7:30pm; Masses on Friday at 7, 9, Noon, and a bilingual Mass at 7:30pm. Come and celebrate this beautiful
feast.

    Calling all rising 4th graders who would like to serve at the altar as Altar Servers! Training starts September 8, so contact Jean Corday in the parish office to sign up.

    Pick up your blue Saint Lucy Food Drive bags next weekend at Masses, and bring them back for the collection at Masses the following weekend, August 23-24. See p. 7 for a list of most needed items.

    The Knights of Columbus are hosting a Pancake Breakfast for the parish on Sunday, August 24 following the 7, 9, and 11am Masses to celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year. Proceeds will go to KofC charities.

    There will be a Rise Against Hunger planning meeting on Sunday, August 24 in the Bradican Room. Come and see how you can get involved in all the aspects of feeding 250,000+ meals to people who don’t have food today.

    Join us for our monthly Taize Prayer Service, Monday, August 18 from 8 - 8:45pm. The perfect, peaceful, prayerful end of the day. Join us as we pray for unity in the world.

    Thank you to all who have responded to our request to reduce our parish envelope costs. If you are receiving offertory envelopes but don’t use them or no longer wish to receive them, please contact our parish office so that we can remove that service from your registration file. Remember Second and Special Collections can be done electronically through Faith Direct.

FAITH FORMATION

Living the Liturgical Year: 

     On Friday, August 15, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary. It commemorates when Mary, the Mother of God, was assumed into Heaven at the end of her earthly life. It is a Holy Day of Obligation. One way to celebrate the feast day with your children is to create “Heavenly Assumption Parfaits” with blue jello and whip cream. Cooking Instructions can be found here: https://catholiccuisine.blogspot.com/2013/08/heavenly-assumption-parfaits.html. If you would rather craft, you can find craft ideas for the Assumption of Mary at Catholic Icing here: https://www.catholicicing.com/assumption-of-mary-are-you-ready-to/.

     Children's Liturgy of the Word ~ As the CLOW team preps for the new school year, we are in need of volunteers. If you are interested in supporting this ministry, please reach out to Kathryn Melton at yanezka@gmail.com or Lynn Jones at ljones@stbernpar.org.

Who should register? All currently registered students, including all Confirmation 2025, Confirmation 2026, and students preparing to receive First Eucharist next school year.
Questions about your child's registration? Call the Religious Education Office or contact the staff via email. 

     Volunteers for 2025-2026 ~ As we prepare to plan for the upcoming Religious Education school year, please discern if you would like to help. We are in need of Lead Catechists and aides. If interested, please contact the Religious Education Office or fill out the Volunteer Form on the website.  You will also find the QR Code at the bulletin board.

WOMEN'S MINISTRY

     Come and enjoy warm fellowship and great food. No need to RSVP.  For more information, please email us at women@stbernpar.org.

     Our next monthly meeting will be Tuesday, August 12 with Friends at 5pm, at 7pm in the Bradican Room. Summer is travel season: time to explore the world with family and friends. We will hear about recent adventures from several of our members. Come enjoy their stories and get some ideas for your next trip.

YOUTH MINISTRY

High School Socials begin 26 August!

   All high schoolers are invited to join us for Tuesday Socials every Tuesday from 7-8:30pm! Meet in the youth room (in the parish office) for games, ice cream, and a discussion on the faith. Our first Tuesday social of the school year will be Tuesday, August 26. Contact Grace Mee for more information!

   All High schoolers are invited for dinner, games, a fellowship on Saturday, September 13. Meet in the Bradican room from 6-8:30pm!

Middle School Youth Ministry begins 2 September

   All 6th-8th graders are invited for games, snacks, and fun every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month! Meet in the school gym from 6:45-8pm, beginning Wednesday, September 2.

 

To learn more about our middle and high school ministries,
please contact
Grace Mee, gmee@stbernpar.org

Fr. Don’s Weekly Letter ~ 10 August 2025

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

These weeks of August are time which we are all getting a sense of what the coming year will look like. We have a list of all the things we hope to do this year, as well as a list of all the things we have to do. We must seriously consider if we have the time and spaces to accomplish all of it. There is never enough time and space. Unfortunately, we have to assign priority to the things that are more important. Our young people carry impossible schedules and we often do not put first the things that are most important.

Prioritize now. Intentionally include in your daily schedules quality family time (not just going from one place to another in the car), and time for prayer (again, not just in the car!). Include time spent in community, too, and build your self-awareness not on your individual performance in accomplishing all of your tasks, but learning how we can accompany each other along the way. Write these things with a highlighter on the calendar alongside all the other things that fill your time, and decide to be as conscientious about them as you are with anything else.

Because of the school year and summer vacations, programs in the parish tend to follow the school year, and we are now coming to that crunch time when everything hits at once. We would like to get a head start on getting you involved in real ministry serving God and others, despite that everyone isn’t back until school starts and demands on your time have already made themselves known.

Please, include worship and parish life in your planning. It may well be your and your family’s salvation.

Take this moment to think about what is really important: being a good example for others of Christian values of honesty, kindness, selfless unconditional love, and forgiveness. Prioritize these. Show your children your goodness so that they will desire to be like you. Share your faith freely in everyday, casual words so that faith doesn’t seem like an extracurricular. Saint Paul was known to say, “Put on Christ.” Well, you don’t have to because, in your baptism, you already have. Your mission in the world is to make him visible. The priest and sister Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales simply instruct: “Live Jesus.”

Although the next few weekends are so busy as you come back from travels and summer programs and get acclimated again to parish life, think now about how you would like to be involved here, where you belong. Make your parish your home, and our people your family. Make your beautiful faith sweet and central to your lives again. Rediscover that wonder you may have known as a child: in that space we are open to hear what God wants to say to us. Allow that openness to be the quality of your daily life.

A lot of preparations are underway this week as we prepare for our Parish Life Weekend September 13 and 14. We will be asking you to take an active, intentional role in parish work. We have been confused in the past thinking that all we need to do is join something that will benefit us, like a Bible study or prayer group. I encourage you to consider how you can become the leader that leads that Bible study or prayer group. Not something that will benefit you, but what you can do to benefit others. Live Jesus.

Imagine what community we could be. That is the first step. I will ask you to make a concrete commitment in this opportunity to take responsibility for the life of faith that we enjoy as a community, a life of faith that needs to deepen and broaden outside our immediate circles. I ask you to begin thinking about how you would be able to share your gifts – certainly your talents to build up our community – but also gifts of time and treasure. It is the hallmark of a Christian believer, to give freely of yourself in such a way that when people encounter you, they encounter Jesus.

Don’t be doubtful about your ability to do this. It is too easy to think you are not enough. God made each and every one of us enough, to accomplish our own small miracles of loaves and fishes to feed a multitude. It is not you who accomplish this, but Christ who lives in you. Live Jesus!

The Lord be with you.

PARISH EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Summer is here!

    Set sail on the S.S. American for a hilarious romp on the high seas with Anything Goes! Featuring unforgettable tunes, this classic Golden Age musical guarantees a night of delightful entertainment. Get ready for laughter, romance, and fantastic tap-dancing sailors! Performances are Thursday, July 31 thru Saturday, August 2 with performances each evening at 7pm. There is also a matinee performance on Saturday, August 2 at 1pm. Tickets go on sale July 15 (online) and will be available after all Masses on July 16-17 and 23-24 at a discounted price. All performances are at Bishop Ireton High School. Tickets are valid for any one performance.

FAITH FORMATION

Living the Liturgical Year: 

    Hello August!!! The month of August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The dedication had been established because of World War II and Pope Pius XII’s devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. He wanted to establish a more universal devotion to Our Lady’s Heart so he established the Feast of the Immaculate Heart on August 22. It is now the Feast of the Queenship of Mary. You can create an Immaculate Heart Rosary Craft, instructions found here: https://www.catholicicing.com/sacred-and-immaculate-heart-rosaries-a-fun-catholic-craft/.

     Children's Liturgy of the Word ~ As the CLOW team preps for the new school year, we are in need of volunteers. If you are interested in supporting this ministry, please reach out to Kathryn Melton at yanezka@gmail.com or Lynn Jones at ljones@stbernpar.org.

Who should register? All currently registered students, including all Confirmation 2025, Confirmation 2026, and students preparing to receive First Eucharist next school year.
Questions about your child's registration? Call the Religious Education Office or contact the staff via email. 

     Volunteers for 2025-2026 ~ As we prepare to plan for the upcoming Religious Education school year, please discern if you would like to help. We are in need of Lead Catechists and aides. If interested, please contact the Religious Education Office or fill out the Volunteer Form on the website.  You will also find the QR Code at the bulletin board.

WOMEN'S MINISTRY

     Come and enjoy warm fellowship and great food. No need to RSVP.  For more information, please email us at women@stbernpar.org.

     Monday, August 4, is our next Dinner with Friends at 5pm, at Saratoga Pizzeria, 8050 Rolling Road.  We meet for this casual meal in addition to our normal dinner on the 1st and the 3rd Monday of every month.

     Our next monthly meeting will be Tuesday, August 12 with Friends at 5pm, at 7pm in the Bradican Room. Summer is travel season: time to explore the world with family and friends. We will hear about recent adventures from several of our members. Come enjoy their stories and get some ideas for your next trip.

YOUTH MINISTRY

High School End of Summer Social - 5 August

    All rising 9th-graduated 12th graders are invited for a bonfire, S'mores, and games on the rectory patio from 7-8:30pm. Contact grace for more information - gmee@stbernpar.org.

To learn more about our middle and high school ministries,
please contact
Grace Mee, gmee@stbernpar.org

Fr. Don’s Weekly Letter ~ 3 August 2025

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

I’m writing this week’s bulletin while still in my second to last day in Taipei, and I have a lot of thoughts. If you are willing to pull back the Buddhist veil of outward appearances (and appearances are very different from our practice of faith!) you begin to see the similarities at the core. Human beings trying their best to be good.

History well will look back on the Venerable Master Chin Kung, whose third anniversary of his death we commemorated this week, as the most influential person/force in the restoration of Chinese religion and culture after its dismantling by Communism. He taught Buddhist teaching (dharma) four hours a day for 62 years, and established multiple international foundations to bring back the identity of Asian people. Like Ezra and Nehemiah restoring the law of Moses to the Hebrew people after the great exile, or modern day efforts to rediscover “Hinduism” after the disastrous English occupation of India, this is historic.

One of the privileges I had this weekend was to observe a 2,000 year-old Confucian Ceremony of Remembrance for their Ancestors which was held at the city convention center. Ritually very different from us (to say the least), it was the ultimate eastern All Souls’ Day.

Confucius, like Master Chin Kung, saw that the wisdom of the ancients was being forgotten over the generations, so he went about all of Asia to record the traditions and philosophy of 5,000 years of sages. None of his writings were original to him, he was the scribe. He understood the way of Heaven and Earth: the character ru, which means “Confucian,“ is a combination of the character ren, which means “human,” and the character xu, which means “requirement,” meaning “the requirement to be born as a human being.”
His thoughts have educated generations of Chinese children and become an essential core of traditional Chinese culture. They will continue to benefit future generations and all humanity.

What is the way that can help people in the world have peaceful minds, love one another and live in harmony, cooperate harmoniously regardless of whether their status is high or low, despite privation or absence of justice?

Confucius said, “Filial piety is the essence of virtue and the source of teaching.” The highest virtue of the ancient emperors was filial piety, which is the root of all virtues and from which comes education. Filial piety here is meant the honor and respect that people have for their parents and ancestors. Once my identity is established, in my self awareness I am also aware of my responsibilities. Education is the foundation of culture and its lifeline.

Therefore, the deep meaning of filial piety is that this universe, with its endless time and infinite space, is one—one entity of life that stands together through good times and bad—and inextricably linked. In this shared body, the love between parents and children is the origin of love that is inherent in each person’s true nature. To carry forward this selfless love and to love all people is, as the ancient Chinese saying goes, “All within the Four Seas are siblings.” By promoting this kind of sibling love, we can achieve harmony in the universe.

This is very consistent with the early Fathers’ understanding of the unity of God’s creation of one Mankind and our Christian doctrine of the Body of Christ.

In the Analects by Confucius is read: “A virtuous and wise person should focus on the root. When the root is established, the Way will grow. Filial piety and fraternal love are the root of benevolence.” This means that a moral person should emphasize the root of everything and start from there.

With the root, people can establish a correct outlook on life. Being filial and respectful to our parents and revering our teachers is the essence of benevolence.

All human beings are facing various serious challenges. If everyone has a grateful heart, does not forget their roots, respects teachers and their teachings, and emulates the virtuous, then society will be stable and the world will be peaceful.

The Lord be with you.

PARISH EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Summer is here!

    Please note: due to summer schedules, there will be NO 7AM Mass on Wednesday–Friday July 23–25 and Monday–Tuesday July 28–29.

    Registration for Religious Education classes for the 2025-2026 school year have begun. Please visit our link on the parish website.

    Thank you to all who have responded to our request to reduce our parish envelope costs. If you are receiving offertory envelopes but don’t use them or no longer wish to receive them, please contact our parish office so that we can remove that service from your registration file. Remember Second and Special Collections can be done electronically through Faith Direct.

    You are warmly invited to an informational meeting on Sunday, July 27 after the 9am and 11am Masses in the Bradican Room. Come learn more about our parish-wide Week of Service Project, Rise Against Hunger, and how you and your family can get involved. Contact: Rick Caporali – rcaporali@stbernpar.org.

    Set sail on the S.S. American for a hilarious romp on the high seas with Anything Goes! Featuring unforgettable tunes, this classic Golden Age musical guarantees a night of delightful entertainment. Get ready for laughter, romance, and fantastic tap-dancing sailors! Performances are Thursday, July 31 thru Saturday, August 2 with performances each evening at 7pm. There is also a matinee performance on Saturday, August 2 at 1pm. Tickets go on sale July 15 (online) and will be available after all Masses on July 16-17 and 23-24 at a discounted price. All performances are at Bishop Ireton High School. Tickets are valid for any one performance.

FAITH FORMATION

Living the Liturgical Year: 

     This weekend’s gospel tells us when Jesus had taught his disciples to pray the Our Father and how we should approach God, the Father. Teach your children the meaning of each line of the Our Father by doing different activities like making a heaven collage or “God is with us” pin. You can find instructions here: https://flamecreativekids.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-lords-prayer-crafts-games-and.html

     Registration for 2025-2026 ~Registration for Religious Education will close on July 31.  Get your children registered now! Continue your child's growth in the faith by signing them up for classes in 2025-26! Our class sessions will be on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, and we will again offer our Special Religious Development class on Saturday mornings for students with special learning needs (SPRED) and our Family Faith Formation classes once a month on Sunday afternoons (for grades K-5) where parents take a larger role in their child's faith formation. Registration information can be found in the Religious Education page of the parish website https://stbernpar.org/religious-education-copy/ or the QR Code in the bulletin boards.

Who should register? All currently registered students, including all Confirmation 2025, Confirmation 2026, and students preparing to receive First Eucharist next school year.
Questions about your child's registration? Call the Religious Education Office or contact the staff via email. 

     Volunteers for 2025-2026 ~ As we prepare to plan for the upcoming Religious Education school year, please discern if you would like to help. We are in need of Lead Catechists and aides. If interested, please contact the Religious Education Office or fill out the Volunteer Form on the website.  You will also find the QR Code at the bulletin board.

WOMEN'S MINISTRY

     Come and enjoy warm fellowship and great food. No need to RSVP.  For more information, please email us at women@stbernpar.org.
     Monday, August 4, is our next Dinner with Friends at 5pm, at Saratoga Pizzeria, 8050 Rolling Road.  We meet for this casual meal in addition to our normal dinner on the 1st and the 3rd Monday of every month.

     Our next monthly meeting will be Tuesday, August 12 with Friends at 5pm, at 7pm in the Bradican Room. Summer is travel season: time to explore the world with family and friends. We will hear about recent adventures from several of our members. Come enjoy their stories and get some ideas for your next trip.

YOUTH MINISTRY

Middle School Summer Drop-Ins

    All rising 6th through 8th graders are invited to our last Summer Drop-In!  Join us July 30th for fun, games, friends, and of course, ice cream! We will meet from 6:45-8pm in the gym.


High School End of Summer Social - 5 August

    All rising 9th-graduated 12th graders are invited for a bonfire, S'mores, and games on the rectory patio from 7-8:30pm. Contact grace for more information - gmee@stbernpar.org.

To learn more about our middle and high school ministries,
please contact
Grace Mee, gmee@stbernpar.org

Fr. Don’s Weekly Letter ~ 27 July 2025

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

As you know this weekend, I am in Tainan City, Taiwan at a conference of Pure Land Buddhists. It is called the “Ceremony for the Third Year of Venerable Master Chin Kung’s Nirvana.” Master Chin Kung was a great international leader in interreligious dialogue and, like Pope Francis, found his emphasis in the one human family. Pure Land Buddhism has at its center the figure Amitabha, infinite light, who created a heavenly realm where ordinary people can strive for enlightenment.

My short talk is printed here, to the right, so that you may know what I’m up to this weekend. I’ll take pictures.

But what I’m most thinking about this weekend is that I’m missing the opportunity to personally promote our Summer Theatre Program’s production of “Anything Goes.” Since the end of the school year, 47 youth, 6th grade through rising college freshmen have really worked and shared their talent. Last weekend we had a rehearsal for the understudies and I couldn’t believe the depth of talent in this group of youth who are giving everything to this show. I am grateful to them, and for them and their families who have given most of a summer so that they could create this amazing company. You will be truly amazed at how talented they are, it will feel like a discovery. I hope you will buy tickets for performances next weekend.

I am also grateful to and for the volunteer staff and directors who have worked more than we’ll ever know in this labor of love. They get no salary, except to be able to see talent emerge and grow in these young people, become confidence, and build community by their shared love of the arts.

Special thanks to Bill Molino, Executive Director and Producer; Jess Sannito, Producer; Liz Couchman, Director; Maggie Rabe, Music Director; and Jenny Roegner who choreographed the musical including getting 47 actors (some experienced) to tap dance like a Broadway production. Also to Kathryn Weabley, Assistant Director, Emma Krause and Ally Hamilton, Company Managers, and Josie Smith, Production Intern.

 

The Lord be with you.

PARISH EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Summer is here!

    Please note: due to summer schedules, there will be NO 7AM Mass on Wednesday–Friday July 23–25 and Monday–Tuesday July 28–29.

    Registration for Religious Education classes for the 2025-2026 school year have begun. Please visit our link on the parish website.

    Thank you to all who have responded to our request to reduce our parish envelope costs. If you are receiving offertory envelopes but don’t use them or no longer wish to receive them, please contact our parish office so that we can remove that service from your registration file. Remember Second and Special Collections can be done electronically through Faith Direct.

    Set sail on the S.S. American for a hilarious romp on the high seas with Anything Goes! Featuring unforgettable tunes, this classic Golden Age musical guarantees a night of delightful entertainment. Get ready for laughter, romance, and fantastic tap-dancing sailors!

Performances are Thursday, July 31 thru Saturday, August 2 with performances each evening at 7pm. There is also a matinee performance on Saturday, August 2 at 1pm. Tickets go on sale July 15 (online) and will be available after all Masses on July 16-17 and 23-24 at a discounted price. All performances are at Bishop Ireton High School. Tickets are valid for any one performance.

FAITH FORMATION

Living the Liturgical Year: 

   On July 20, we celebrate the feast day of Korean martyrs St. John (Ioannes) the Baptist Yi Kwang-nyol and St. Lucy Kim. The founding and spread of Catholicism in Korea had rested on the backs of the laity.  Catholicism was introduced to Korea through translated texts brought back from China by Korean scholars and nobility sharing their faith and baptizing others. Their resilience in the face of persecution and unwavering faith serves as an example to the enduring strength as followers of Christ. You can celebrate the feast day with your children by eating some Korean food, like dumplings (mandu) and bulgogi, and reading about one the hundreds of Korean martyrs here, as each of them has a story of their own: https://www.cbck.or.kr/en/CatholicChurchInKorea/103-Korean-Martyr-Saints?page=3.

     Registration for 2025-2026 ~Registration for Religious Education will close on July 31.  Get your children registered now! Continue your child's growth in the faith by signing them up for classes in 2025-26! Our class sessions will be on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, and we will again offer our Special Religious Development class on Saturday mornings for students with special learning needs (SPRED) and our Family Faith Formation classes once a month on Sunday afternoons (for grades K-5) where parents take a larger role in their child's faith formation. Registration information can be found in the Religious Education page of the parish website https://stbernpar.org/religious-education-copy/ or the QR Code in the bulletin boards.

Who should register? All currently registered students, including all Confirmation 2025, Confirmation 2026, and students preparing to receive First Eucharist next school year.
Questions about your child's registration? Call the Religious Education Office or contact the staff via email. 

     Volunteers for 2025-2026 ~ As we prepare to plan for the upcoming Religious Education school year, please discern if you would like to help. We are in need of Lead Catechists and aides. If interested, please contact the Religious Education Office or fill out the Volunteer Form on the website.  You will also find the QR Code at the bulletin board.

WOMEN'S MINISTRY

     Come and enjoy warm fellowship and great food. No need to RSVP.  For more information, please email us at women@stbernpar.org.

 

     Monday, July 21, is our next Dinner with Friends at 5pm, at Saratoga Pizzeria, 8050 Rolling Road.  We meet for this casual meal in addition to our normal dinner on the 1st and the 3rd Monday of every month. 

YOUTH MINISTRY

Middle School Summer Drop-Ins

    All rising 6th through 8th graders are invited to our last Summer Drop-In!  Join us July 30th for fun, games, friends, and of course, ice cream! We will meet from 6:45-8pm in the gym.


High School End of Summer Social - 5 August

    All rising 9th-graduated 12th graders are invited for a bonfire, S'mores, and games on the rectory patio from 7-8:30pm. Contact grace for more information - gmee@stbernpar.org.

To learn more about our middle and high school ministries,
please contact
Grace Mee, gmee@stbernpar.org

Fr. Don’s Weekly Letter ~ 20 July 2025

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

Some clergy of the Burke-Springfield area meet monthly just to check in and learn what is going on the community. We met this week to plan our upcoming interfaith Thanksgiving prayer service (which we will host here Tuesday, November 25!) and another program in which our congregations hopefully will participate called Faith250, coming together to discuss secular texts (“The New Colossus,” the Declaration of Independence, “America the Beautiful,” “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?”) to rediscover and nourish core values that make us America. It starts with the clergy group, then expands to our respective congregations, finishing with a large gathering/potluck of area churches, synagogues, mosques and temples to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation. Watch for details as they come.

With this planning came a rich discussion and I thought I might float some of these ideas for your reflection about where we are as a people today.

The framers of the Constitution never intended the Constitution to take place in a vacuum, something just to be litigated. It happened alongside the human and moral formation (granted, largely Christian) that happened in houses of faith.

Today with each successive generation becoming more and more “unchurched” across the wide range of houses of worship and faiths, “community” has changed. Society is red or blue, divided right down the middle, and the divide sadly has also entered religion, in many ways that are either “red” or “blue.”

Surveys have shown across the board that people simply are less and less likely to trust anyone or anything – churches, leadership, or institutions. I think this is because the human and moral formation which had been rooted in faith communities is no longer central. The Constitution is not a religious document, but it has become the focus of bitter fighting, as if over words of a contract.

We might even claim to be tethered to faith by some particular religious affiliation, but how many of us actually know why? To have a rule is good, and it is good to follow a rule, but faith in my own life didn’t come to life until I began studies in the seminary. There I found out it was actually okay to question everything – healthy, even. I found that the remarkable thing about Catholicism is that there is a reason why we believe and do everything we believe and do. If you don’t search, you won’t find; if you don’t ask, you won’t learn. Who I am is so much more than simply words on a page that I recite. It is the Spirit behind our limited human attempts to express the Good, the True and the Beautiful which we need to touch, and to touch us. Of course, in faith language, this is God.

Confronted with the question who am I? or who are you?, it is easier to deflect the question by engaging judgment on another. Who really is an American? a Catholic? We have introduced division.

Do you believe it is possible to live in a community which follows a rule of life revealed by God and suspends judgment on each other, rather focusing on how I can grow in goodness, and how we can grow together in goodness? A community where there is no exclusion, no minority. I do. I have to become my brother’s keeper, a good Samaritan, an offering to God that is pleasing to him.

Next weekend I will be giving a short talk at a conference of Pure Land Buddhists in Tainan City, Taiwan. It is called the “Ceremony for the Third Year of Venerable Master Chin Kung’s Nirvana.” Master Chin Kung was a great international leader in interreligious dialogue and, like Pope Francis, found his emphasis in the one human family. Pure Land Buddhism has at its center the figure Amitabha, infinite light, who created a heavenly realm where ordinary people can strive for enlightenment.

My short talk is on what I call “The American Experiment” and the Spirituality of Interreligious Dialogue. Hopefully I will print it in next week’s bulletin in case you are interested in what I will be saying.

The Lord be with you.

Fr. Don’s Weekly Letter ~ 13 July 2025

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

Recently I was talking with a baptized Christian who is considering joining the Catholic Church through the OCIA Process. (Yes, not a typo - see p. 7.) He had many questions and found aspects of the Church confusing. I said, “I know, right?”

It was interesting how most of his questions weren’t about doctrinal matters, even the stereotypical ones that you might presume divide Catholics and other Christians. For example, he was raised with, and has always had, a very strong faith in the real presence of Jesus in Holy Communion. You might be surprised how many non-Catholics truly do believe. He was very thoughtful, considering that marriage really should be considered a sacrament by everyone and not just Catholics. Maybe we would be better at it.

I find often, rather, most questions are about practice. Why we do what we do and how we don’t agree sometimes. His last congregation never sang more than two verses of the songs. That is a choice that a pastor or community makes. Here at Saint Bernadette we sing all the verses. I explained that the songs are important prayers that the people actually get to own and it wouldn’t be right to take the words out of their mouths at Mass.

He had noted that music styles vary radically between parishes in the Catholic Church, as much as they do among different denominations. I explained that here, we try to provide a wide repertoire of music that is reverent and able to touch peoples’ hearts, is singable and beautiful, and appropriate for the feasts or seasons. Music can be our Amen!, our praise, our confession of faith in different ways. Our music director, David, puts a lot of time into planning liturgy.

He had questions about how people receive Holy Communion. He did some looking in the internet for explanations and found a lot of ugliness: truly, a house divided over Communion. I told him that there are official teachings of the Church that we follow here. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has stated that the proper posture for receiving Holy Communion is standing, although individuals may kneel if they desire. It is the general sense of the Church that we be united, not divided, by our postures and practices, one Body of Christ coming forward united by singing a Communion song. When I was a kid we were always taught that you stand when an adult enters the room out of respect. I think this is thing of the past, though.

It is also customary to bow or make some reverence to Jesus before receiving. This is a good practice. He asked me why everyone doesn’t do this. Certainly, I explained, we must always remind the assembly of the need for total reverence when encountering the Lord in this way, but it is okay if you don’t make an outward gesture. When the reform of the Mass was promulgated by the Second Vatican Council (we learned in the seminary), the bishops in the United States declared that we would kneel before Communion when the priest says, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world...” You may have noticed when you travel to other countries that this is only the case in the United States, who introduced this reverence as part of the Mass so that all make it.

He also had read much about receiving the Host at Holy Communion and found this maybe the most confusing thing. Again, divided by Communion... He said some claim Communion in the hand to be evil and that for centuries the Church received on the tongue. Well, there is more to this than can be covered here. From earliest times people received Communion in the hand. Then, for centuries it was rare that people received it at all and it became more of a pious practice, which risked losing the understanding that we receive not merely for the sake of receiving, but to become Christ’s Body actively in the world.

When you look for things on the internet, first of all I go to the official Church teachings themselves, not some crazy opinion page. There are plenty of those! You can’t know the intention of the writer. The USCCB website is a good resource, as is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Either way of receiving Communion is considered perfectly acceptable. Any irreverence that might come from either would be due to a lack of catechesis or misinformation by others.

The Lord be with you.

PARISH EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Summer is here!

    Please note: due to summer schedules, there will be NO 7AM Mass on Wednesday–Friday July 23–25 and Monday–Tuesday July 28–29.

    Registration for Religious Education classes for the 2025-2026 school year have begun. Please visit our link on the parish website.

    Thank you to all who have responded to our request to reduce our parish envelope costs. If you are receiving offertory envelopes but don’t use them or no longer wish to receive them, please contact our parish office so that we can remove that service from your registration file. Remember Second and Special Collections can be done electronically through Faith Direct.

    Set sail on the S.S. American for a hilarious romp on the high seas with Anything Goes! Featuring unforgettable tunes, this classic Golden Age musical guarantees a night of delightful entertainment. Get ready for laughter, romance, and fantastic tap-dancing sailors!

Performances are Thursday, July 31 thru Saturday, August 2 with performances each evening at 7pm. There is also a matinee performance on Saturday, August 2 at 1pm. Tickets go on sale July 15 (online) and will be available after all Masses on July 16-17 and 23-24 at a discounted price. All performances are at Bishop Ireton High School. Tickets are valid for any one performance.

 

FAITH FORMATION

Living the Liturgical Year: 

     On July 16, we celebrate the Feast Day of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel who St. Simon the brown scapular. Our Lady promised him that “whosoever dies in this garment shall not suffer eternal fire.” One fun thing to do is making treats that contain “carmel” (caramels). You can also find other activities and videos on Catholic Icing’s site. https://www.catholicicing.com/celebrating-our-lady-of-mt-carmel-feast-day-with-kids/

     Registration for 2025-2026 ~ Registration is now open. Continue your child's growth in the faith by signing them up for classes in 2025-26! Our class sessions will be on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, and we will again offer our Special Religious Development class on Saturday mornings for students with special learning needs and our Family Faith Formation classes once a month on Sunday afternoons (for grades K-5) where parents take a larger role in their child's faith formation. You can register through the link on the parish website on the Religious Education page.  You will also see the QR Code in the bulletin board in the narthex and outside the church.

Who should register? All currently registered students, including all Confirmation 2025, Confirmation 2026, and students preparing to receive First Eucharist next school year.
Questions about your child's registration? Call the Religious Education Office or contact the staff via email. 

     Volunteers for 2025-2026 ~ As we prepare to plan for the upcoming Religious Education school year, please discern if you would like to help. We are in need of Lead Catechists and aides. If interested, please contact the Religious Education Office or fill out the Volunteer Form on the website.  You will also find the QR Code at the bulletin board.

WOMEN'S MINISTRY

     Come and enjoy warm fellowship and great food. No need to RSVP.  For more information, please email us at women@stbernpar.org.

 

     Monday, July 21, is our next Dinner with Friends at 5pm, at Saratoga Pizzeria, 8050 Rolling Road.  We meet for this casual meal in addition to our normal dinner on the 1st and the 3rd Monday of every month. 

YOUTH MINISTRY

    Middle School Summer Drop-Ins

    All rising 6th through 8th graders are invited to our Summer Drop-Ins!  Join us July 2nd, July 16th, and July 30th for fun, games, friends, and of course, ice cream! We will meet from 6:45-8pm in the gym.

    All rising 9th - graduated 12th graders are invited to join us! • July 8 - Game Night - Ice cream sundaes and fun in the youth room - 7-8:30pm, • July 23 - King’s Dominion Day - $39/ticket, volunteers and drivers needed!,
• August 5 - End of Summer Social - bonfire, s’mores, and games on the rectory patio - 7-8:30pm.

To learn more about our middle and high school ministries,
please contact
Grace Mee, gmee@stbernpar.org