July 2021
St. John Neumann Catholic Community
Staffed by Oblates of St. Francis de Sales
Current Mass Times
Saturday: 5 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m. (español)
Monday-Friday: 9 a.m.

Confession
Saturday: 10-10:30 a.m. (English)
Sunday: 3-4 p.m. (español)
Pastor’s Perspective

Dear Friends,

Tomorrow, we will celebrate July 4, Independence Day. Unlike last year, this year people will be able to gather with friends and family to celebrate with barbeques and other lively festivities. This year's Fourth of July will be especially poignant as the freedoms we lost during the pandemic are being returned to us by the state.

And yet, for a Christian, what does living in freedom mean? I believe that it is in serving God that we live in true freedom, and this is so, even though many people throughout the world are persecuted or silenced in how they exercise their belief in God. Faith and following the commands of God go deeper than what any government or outside force can dictate. Just look at some of our martyrs, especially some modern-day martyrs like Oscar Romero, as examples of this.
 
And yet, we live in a country where expressing and practicing our faith is one of our great liberties; it is a God-given right that we should freely exercise. I wonder if we sometimes take this for granted? With our gifts of freedom and liberty also comes responsibility. Especially as Christians, we see our freedom as a gift from God and one that calls forth a response. Often it is in some form of service to others, especially to people in need, that we recognize our responsibility to serve and give back. We can express true freedom by being agents and promoters of peace and justice.
 
As we celebrate our Independence this Fourth of July, let us be thankful for the gift of our freedom and let us discern how God calls us to serve others and be agents of peace so that all can enjoy true freedom. In our celebrations tomorrow, let us be thankful to our God, who has blessed us abundantly.
 
Happy Fourth of July and Live Jesus!
Blessings,
Fr. Joe

 
New Mass Times Start July 10-11
Don't forget, starting next weekend (July 10-11) we will begin to hold Masses at their usual times: 5pm on Saturdays and 7:30am, 9:30am, 11:30am, 2:00pm (Misa en español), and 5:00pm. We will still live stream the 5:00pm Mass on Saturdays and the 2:00pm Mass on Sundays. See you Mass.

Catechetical Corner
Become a Catechist!
by Ed Walsh
Before the Church baptized our two children, my wife Claire and I both promised to train them in the practice of the faith. As our oldest came to be old enough to enter the youth faith formation program seven years ago, I remember thinking to myself, "What better way to train them than by volunteering to be a catechist?" I've been a volunteer catechist ever since and have taught everything from Pre-K to Fifth Grade.

By becoming a catechist, I wanted to set a good example for my kids. I wanted to show them that being an active Catholic is more than just a weekly Mass obligation. What surprised me about the experience that I didn't originally expect was that I got just as much (if not more) out of my time volunteering than I ever hoped to impart to my students. In many ways, what they say is true - you don't fully know something until you teach it to others - and I have learned so much about my faith through my time as a catechist. I've also formed many friendships with my fellow catechists and the families I have met along the way. And it is a great feeling to see someone I have taught in the past receive their first Holy Communion or simply wave at me from across the way at Sunday Mass.

If you're considering volunteering to be a catechist (and I hope you are!), please feel free to reach out any time if you would like to talk through any questions or concerns.

For information on becoming a Catechist, click here.
Catholic Mass Explained: The Eucharistic Prayer -
The Institution Narrative
By Fr. Don Heet, OSFS

When I was a seminarian, we were given a case in sacramental theology that I have come to call, “The case of the demented priest.” What would happen if a validly ordained, although mentally disturbed, priest were to walk into a bakery, extend his arms and say “This is my body?” The answer, as my very traditional professor assured us is, “Nothing.” The words of Consecration, spoken outside of the context of the Mass, have no power at all.

What we refer to as the Consecration, or more accurately, the Institution Narrative, is not a magic formula, nor is the priest channeling the Lord Jesus when he repeats His words. If we listen to the context in which the priest says “This is my Body, which will be given up for you,” and “This is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant which will be shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins,” it is very clear that we are engaged in an act of remembrance; we are remembering what Jesus did. Each of the Eucharistic Prayers makes it clear that the words of institution are couched in the memory of what Jesus did “on the night he was betrayed.” And it is when we as a church community, gathered with a priest presiding, remember, in the words of the Eucharistic prayer what Jesus did – not only at the Last Supper, but in his passion, death and resurrection, as well as his whole life – it is then that Jesus becomes present body and blood, soul and divinity, in the consecrated bread and wine. The Holy Spirit, operating through the faith and memory of the Church, transforms the bread and wine into the body of Christ. 

Traditionally we have focused on the words of Consecration, so much so that some priests were known to have scrupulously exaggerated the sound and pronunciation of the words in the belief that if they were not “precise enough” the miracle of the Eucharist would not occur. Actually it might be better to look at the whole of the Eucharistic prayer as the “moment” when transubstantiation occurs, rather than focusing on one or two particular sentences. It is in the context of praising the Father for his saving actions, asking that He send the Holy Spirit to sanctify the bread and wine as well as us, and praying for the universal church, the community here present and those who have gone before us, that we remember in ritual the high point of our salvation, the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord in the words of institution. When we recall, in the sacred ritual of the Mass, what Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, did for us, He becomes truly present to us in the Eucharist we receive. It’s not the specific words; it is the act of the priest and worshipping community explicitly remembering what Jesus did at the Last Supper. In other words, the whole of the Eucharistic prayer, not just the Consecration, deserves our devout attention.
 

Ministry Leader Spotlight
Nick Buck

1. I’ve been a parishioner since 2002. My kids made me change from another parish because of the welcome we received when we visited for Mass one weekend!

2. Ministry: Youth Ministry, specifically
Work Camp. I am also a Board Member for the Foundation of the Diocese of Arlington.

3. Memorable moments from ministry: too many!
a) Witnessing a teen see Jesus for the first time. 
b) Attending Adoration for the first time at age 43 (at WorkCamp) and actually hearing God speaking to me;
c) Taking on the Stakeholder role and realizing just how extensive SJN’s WorkCamp community is. In addition to the 40 (count 'em!) adults who volunteer for WorkCamp there are so many parents and families involved. It is truly a Parish-wide effort;
d) Seeing a teen “lean into” a fear and gain confidence on the job site;
e) Experiencing true joy living for a week in an intentional Christian community 

4. Favorite thing about being Catholic: receiving the Eucharist is hands down my #1 favorite part of our faith. 

5. Fun facts: I was a Navy Test Pilot and flew 50 types of airplanes. Flew the U2 spy plane to 69,000 feet and saw the curvature of the Earth. In college I was on the offshore sailing team and captained a 63’ racing boat when I was 21 years old. My wife and I have been married for 32 years, starting off with a cake fight at our wedding! 

To learn more about the Diocese of Arlington's WorkCamp Program, click here. To learn more about the WorkCamp program at St. John Neumann, contact Nick.
Congratulations to Chris Gallagher
Knights of Columbus Family of Man Council 2020-2021 Knight of the Year
The Family of Man Council recently selected Past Grand Knight and Sir Knight Chris Gallagher as Knight of the Year for the 2020-2021 Fraternal Year.

No other Knight did more to maintain the viability of the Family of Man Council during the COVID-19 pandemic than Chris. He hosted a backyard social at his home that enabled many of our Brother Knights to meet in person for the first time in many months.

Chris coordinated our participation in October’s Trunk or Treat, Halloween kids’ event, the November Chili Cookoff, February’s Special Olympics Polar Ride fundraiser, and other
in-person social gatherings for our council.

He also arranged Christmas caroling for a quarantined Brother’s family and his 92-year old mother-in-law while she was recovering from COVID-19. Chris scripted and starred in our Council’s recruiting video, which is available online to engage prospective Knights. He participated in every blood drive, food drive, and diaper drive that the Council conducted during the Fraternal Year, served as a Porter at Sunday masses, and continues to recruit new members for our Council at every opportunity.

Chris and his family have been parishioners at Saint John Neumann for 16 years. We are grateful that, during a very difficult year, the Family of Man Council was so fortunate and truly blessed to have such a tireless and selfless Knight working on its behalf.

Congratulations Sir Knight, Chris Gallagher.
Congratulations to 
Christopher Puzzanghero

If you see Betsy Puzzanghero, an administrative assistant in our Faith Formation Office, she'll probably be smiling a little broader than usual, celebrating the fact that her son, Christopher, was named the 2020 Virginia Career Firefighter of the Year. Christopher received the award from Governor Ralph Northam at a ceremony in Richmond on June 4.

Christopher has been involved with the Fairfax County Fire Department since his high school years when he was involved in the Explorer program and as a volunteer. He has served as a firefighter for just over a decade now. In addition to firefighting and emergency response duties with the department, Christopher is also an adjunct instructor in the department's Recruit and Field Training unit, and also as an instructor with a private fire-services training company.

We congratulate Christopher for his achievement, and pray that God will continue to bless and protect him throughout his career.

Photo: (Left-Right: Chelsey Puzzanghero (sister), Annalisa Toma (fiancé of Chris), Chris, Betsy, and Paul Puzzanghero)
Parish Events and Announcements
You can find the electronic SJN weekly bulletin on our website, both on the homepage and on the bulletin webpage. Or, sign up to have it delivered directly to your email inbox. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram @sjnreston or on Twitter at @RestonSt
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.”
John 15:1-2