Fr. Don’s Weekly Letter ~ 16 March 2025

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

You may have noticed a new addition to our worship space last weekend. Half a year ago I designed and contracted the finish carpenter, John Matson who made all our sanctuary furnishings in the style of the altar, to make us a baptismal font.

For nearly nine years I have celebrated baptisms in the vestibule and it has never seemed right. Although it is beautiful, its utility is limited. It is a tight space with an uneasy step up/down to the font, and people have fallen. If you have more than two families it is uncomfortable, gathering in what seems such a transitional space with no seating. This does sometimes become a problem because grandparents and great grandparents often need to sit, and they can’t. Conscious of this, I have been aware of rushing baptisms because the space is simply uncomfortable.

The new font in the center of the church will allow us to truly celebrate the Rite of Baptism with standing and sitting as the Rite is written. People, seated in the back center sections of pews will be able to see and participate in the Rite without distractions.

Brides: don’t get nervous. The font is moveable and the aisle is still yours!

I don’t know if you have ever attended the Easter Vigil, probably the most ancient and beautiful Rite of our Church – the blessing

of fire, the lighting of the candle, the blessing of Easter water, the celebration of the sacraments of initiation, the renewal of our baptismal promises – if you have, you will see immediately how beautiful this is going to be, baptizing new members in the heart of the assembly. The font we have used for the past eight years in the sanctuary (actually a landscaping water feature) has become too heavy to lift as we get older.

(By the way, the Easter Vigil this year is on Saturday evening, April 19 at 8:30pm, until probably about 11pm. Try to join us and celebrate with all the new members of the Church and their families. You will be glad you did.)

As we have had a lot of new members join the parish, I find that many people do not know the story of our altar, a great treasure. If you look to the left just inside the front doors of the church around the corner, you will see a photo of Saint Pope John Paul II celebrating Mass in 1979 on the Mall in front of the Smithsonian Castle. That is our altar, the biggest relic I’ve ever seen. In its first years it was smooth and square... Made from green wood, over time it has dried, shrunk, twisted in a most interesting way, and provides a great reflection for us for Lent. We often hear of the cross as Jesus’ altar of sacrifice, but few people can meditate on an altar that literally looks like the wood of the cross!

The Lord be with you.