St. John Neumann Catholic Community
Staffed by Oblates of St. Francis de Sales
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Current Mass Times
Saturday: 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: 7:30am, 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m. (español), 5:00pm
Monday-Friday: 9:00 a.m.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 12:10pm (Most Weeks - Check Bulletin)
Confession
Saturday: 10:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. (English)
Sunday: 3:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. (español)
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Pastor's Perspective
November
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Dear Friends,
The month of November is chock-full of special occasions to celebrate and give thanks. At the very beginning of the month, we acknowledge the gift of the Saints in the Church and the souls of the faithful departed, especially those of our parish family, our family, and friends. Towards the end of the month, we will celebrate Thanksgiving, taking time to be with family and friends, pausing to give special thanks to God for our blessings, especially our country. Traditionally, on November 21, the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Oblates renew their evangelical vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience throughout the world.
This year, we as a parish have another reason to remember and be thankful in
a special way. Our former pastor, Fr. Bob Brown, OSFS (deceased), is being honored by Support Our Aging Religious (SOAR) at their annual National dinner on November 5. SOAR has created the "Good Samaritan Award," which will be given out annually in honor of Fr. Bob, who was pastor at SJN from 1991-2005. The award's first recipient will be Terry O'Hara Lavoie, co-founder of Culmore Clinic, a non-profit interfaith medical clinic caring for uninsured adults in Fairfax County.
Our parish has been a long supporter of SOAR, especially their Washington, D.C. Gala which is now called the National Gala, due to the initial support of Fr. Bob. This has been an excellent way for the parish to recognize the good works and generosity of spirit of so many women and men religious.
I could not think of a better way to honor Fr. Bob than creating the Annual Good Samaritan Award in honor of his love and support of SOAR and his witness in living the Gospel. If anyone found a way to champion and lift up
the underdog, it was Fr. Bob. He was a great defender of the poor and outcast in our midst in his own quiet and humble fashion. In addition, he embraced and promoted catholic Social Teachings in his ministry as an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales.
I hope this month of November allows all of us to take time to remember the blessings and people in our lives who make a difference both from the past
and the present. Personally, for me, Fr. Bob made a significant impact in my ministry as a priest. After my ordination here at SJN in 1998, I was assigned here as Fr. Bob served as pastor. He certainly mentored me and helped define for me the true meaning of being a priest.
Live Jesus,
Fr. Joe
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Catechetical Corner
Why Pray for All Souls?
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By Thomas Patchan
Last November, as I finished praying before lunch with a friend, I was surprised to hear her continue, “May the Souls of the Faithful Departed, Through the Mercy of God, Rest in Peace” after our blessing. I had become so accustomed to asking God to “Bless Us, O Lord...,” yet I had forgotten to pray for all the souls in Purgatory who cannot pray for themselves. It is easy for me to focus on my daily affairs so much that my prayer can become almost a laundry list of personal requests of God. Yet God calls each of us to so much more! God gave us the gift of the Catholic Church, universal across all generations and nations, uniting us with the communion of saints, living and deceased, in Heaven and in Purgatory, which allows us to look past ourselves to the Body of Christ, our Church, in which we play an active role.
Jesus proclaimed, “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I shall raise Him on the last day.” (John 6:40) Jesus became man, was crucified and resurrected from the dead to purchase eternal life. This sacrifice is not just for the canonized saints we celebrated on All Saints’ Day but FOR EVERYONE! While God calls each of us to join Him in Heaven after our death, many of us are not yet ready to enter Heaven at our death, as nothing impure will enter into Heaven. (Rev 21:27) Purgatory thus is a place of spiritual “cleansing” where the souls are cleansed of sin before entering Heaven. This cleansing does not forgive mortal sins, which break our relationship with God (1 John 5:13-17) and thus must be forgiven through Reconciliation before death but removes the “rust” that sin leaves on our souls. As many souls are temporarily in Purgatory undergoing their spiritual cleansing, they can use our prayers to enter Heaven expeditiously!
Prayer for the dead and their resurrection was already understood in the Old Testament (2 Maccabees 12:44) and the early Christian Church (1 Corinthians 3:15 and 1 Peter 1:7). Although souls in Heaven do not need our prayers, and those in hell cannot be saved from hell, all those in Purgatory WILL get to Heaven eventually, benefiting from our prayers. Our prayers aid the dead just as our prayers can aid the living through the mystery of God’s plan and goodness. God wills for all baptized Catholics to play a role in sharing His grace with the living and the dead, and thus, He answers our prayers for those in Purgatory! When we pray for God to aid the dead, we show confidence that God’s mercy will conquer all sin and that His grace will allow each of us to share eternal life in Heaven. This prayer not only benefits the dead but us living Catholics, as we need that confidence in God to live faithful lives responding to His great love for us.
I challenge each family to pray for the dead every day this November, the Church’s designated Month of the Souls in Purgatory. Maybe you will add the above prayer intention to your meal blessings or visit a cemetery to pray. Whether you compile a list of deceased loved ones to pray for or pray for the anonymous deceased souls, the graces received will be invaluable. By remembering our death, we become more thankful for our very lives, through which we have the blessing and opportunity to glorify God every day. Even in the crosses we wear around our necks, we remember death not as a somber end to life on Earth but as a glorious beginning to our eternal lives in Heaven with God. I pray this month that we may share that life together with all the souls of the faithful departed someday.
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Catholic Mass Explained
The Body of Christ
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By Fr. Don Heet, OSFS
Father Heet continues his monthly series with further discussion of the Body of Christ.
Receiving the Body of Christ in Holy Communion is, obviously, a privileged moment in the Mass. Whether we receive in the hand or on the tongue, just the host or both the host and the Precious Blood, we are receiving and becoming one with the Lord Jesus Christ, the second person of the Holy Trinity, the incarnate Son of God. All that being said, it is vitally important that we keep this action of the liturgy in perspective. Two points in particular come to mind.
First of all, the Eucharist is not fast food, and we don’t come to Mass simply to receive Holy Communion. We are called to participate fully and actively in the entire liturgical action, from the entrance hymn through the dismissal. While Holy Communion is clearly a high point in the liturgy, it is part of a larger whole and we need to see it as such. And while it is true that in special circumstances (a person’s inability to get to Mass because of illness, or the lack of an ordained priest being the most common ones) the Eucharist can be received outside of Mass, this is a recognition of particular situations and is certainly not the norm for receiving the sacrament. The Eucharist is part of the liturgical action.
Secondly, when the priest or Eucharistic minister says “The Body of Christ” and we reply “Amen” we are proclaiming our belief that we are receiving not bread and wine but the Body of Christ. However, we are also proclaiming our belief that as the Church gathered in worship, we – all of us assembled – also constitute the body of Christ. Saying “Amen” as we receive the host implies our loving acceptance of the other members of the community and our willingness to do the Lord’s work, to be the Body of Christ in our World.
The Eucharist is Christ’s great gift to His Church; it is a covenant meal. When we “eat this bread and drink this cup,” we proclaim his death until He comes again. In this covenant Christ commits himself to our salvation and we commit ourselves to walking in his ways and doing his will.
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Staff Spotlight
Fr. Don Heet, OSFS
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How Long Have You Been At SJN? Although I was assigned to St. John Neumann six and a half years ago, I have been helping out by presiding at Sunday Mass since the parish began and was celebrating Mass in the Reston Community Center, some 40 years ago.
What Is Your Favorite Thing About Being Catholic? For me, my favorite thing about being a Catholic is the liturgical sacramental life of the church. There are many good people in other Christian Churches – often they put us to shame – and some indeed have beautiful liturgies, but I think the Mass and the other Sacraments are God’s special gift to our church.
What Is One Of Your Favorite Sights at Mass? Little children – I call them munchkins – can make me smile when I see them play or trying so hard to do what they see their parents do at Church.
What is a Little Known Fact About You? At the tender age of five, I was a fashion model! My father was a buyer at Higbee's department store in Cleveland, Ohio, and they needed someone they could photograph wearing a new line of boys’ slacks. Needless to say it has been downhill since then!
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15th Annual Salesian Retreat |
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When: November 13, 2021
Where: Saint John Neumann Catholic
Community
11900 Lawyers Road
Reston, VA 20191
Coffee: 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Retreat: 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Mass: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Fee: No charge - freewill offerings are encouraged
https://saintjn.org/8327/15th-annual-salesian-retreat-november-13/
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“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
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