Current Mass Times

Saturday: 5 p.m.

Sunday: 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m. (Spanish), 5 p.m.

Monday-Friday: 9 a.m.

August 15: Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

(Holy Day of Obligation)

9 a.m., 6 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. (Spanish)

Watch a livestreamed or recorded Mass

Confession

Saturday: 10 a.m.-10:30 a.m. (English)

Sunday: 3 p.m.- 4 p.m. (Spanish)

St. Jane de Chantal: A Saint with an Eye for Talent

by Fr. Michael S. Murray, OSFS

By the time that Jane de Chantal died in 1641 at the age of sixty-nine, over eighty – that’s 80 – Visitation communities had been established. Beginning with the first modest foundation at Annecy, France, in 1610 with the help of St. Francis de Sales, that averages out to be three communities per year over a span of three decades!

Just how did Jane manage to do that? A cursory review of her surviving correspondence with other Visitation Sisters reveals one of her greatest gifts: Jane de Chantal had an eye for talent.

In letter after letter, we witness Jane writing to individual members of the ever-expanding contemplative community, inviting them to consider leadership roles they might take on in each new foundation: a possible superior, treasurer, procurator, or novice mistress, just to name a few.

But invitations alone don’t expand an enterprise: follow-ups with advice, counsel, and coaching are key. There are countless examples of Jane offering support, suggestions, direction – and even on occasion, correction – to sisters who periodically experienced hesitation, frustration, and even exhaustion in the face of their new responsibilities. In the background of Jane’s down-to-earth, hard-earned wisdom, we can hear the words of St. Francis de Sales, who believed that we learn to sing by singing, dance by dancing, lead by leading; we learn to serve by serving, and we learn to love by…loving.

I can’t help but think that St. Jane took a page out of Jesus’ own book on how to recruit and retain talent. On the surface, the Twelve Apostles appeared a pretty motley crew requiring a great deal of Jesus’ time, attention, correction, and encouragement, but time revealed that he picked the right people (with the exception of one) to continue the mission of preaching and living the Good News.

What’s a takeaway for us as we remember the life and legacy of St. Jane de Chantal, particularly on her August 12 feast day? When we look back at the course of our own lives, how many of us may have been approached by another person who asked, “Have you ever considered applying for this? Have you ever considered taking on that?” When our initial response might have been, “Why me?” – in the spirit of St. Jane, that person may have responded, “Why not you?” To what degree are we who we are today precisely because somebody else recognized in us gifts, talents, and abilities that we might not otherwise have recognized in ourselves? In the process of putting our hands and hearts to challenging things with the encouragement, support, and insight of others, how have we become more of the person that God empowered us to be had we simply been left to our own insecurities and self-doubts?

St. Jane might be called the “Patron Saint of Talent Scouts.” How might we imitate her example through our daily efforts to recognize the talents of others who might not otherwise recognize the ways – both obvious and obscure – and invite/encourage them to make beneficial use of those talents to grow the Kingdom of God in their little corners of the world?



I have always thought of the Corporal Works of Mercy as a GPS for life. They certainly provide a road map to living out Christ’s message to love one another and, fortunately for us, there are many ministries and groups at St. John Neumann whose mission is to carry out one or more of these actions.

With last Sunday’s gospel reading, the feeding of the five thousand, echoing in my head, the work of mercy that came to mind, and one that we frequently see lived out in our parish, is the call to feed the hungry. From stacks of casserole pans for our annual Hypothermia Prevention Shelter, to boxes of stuffing and cans of yams for Thanksgiving baskets, to bags of groceries tumbling from the back of an overflowing Cornerstones van each month, to blue bags brimming full in support of South Lakes H.S. Pantry for our Juneteenth celebration, our parishioners are generous in the work of feeding the hungry! In both sharing with those among us who experience hunger as a daily part of their lives and those experiencing a sudden disruption in their lives (which makes planning for and preparing meals a monumental task), we have parish-wide initiatives committed to feeding the hungry.



In addition to these large and well-supported opportunities to serve, the parish is sprinkled with several smaller groups who are impacting hungry people in our parish, in our local Reston community as well as those living in Fairfax City, Alexandria, and the District. Volunteers come together in the SJN kitchen or meet in one another’s home or work in their own space to peel, chop, cook, and pack meals that are feeding physical bodies and nourishing hungry souls. They are closely united in their desire to live out the corporal work of mercy to feed the hungry and are loosely connected within the parish under the title of Loaves and Fishes.

The work of these ministries looks and sounds like....

A parent and child shopping together and praying over the ingredients before preparing a casserole. “Lord, bless these ingredients and bless our hands as we prepare this meal. May it bring enjoyment and nourishment for the guests. We thank you for this opportunity to serve you.” They are likely making an extra casserole for their dinner and enjoying it at their family table will bring to mind the guests at the local shelter, who will be eating the same meal.

Friends gathering at a parishioner’s home to make a dozen casseroles bound for another shelter. Can you hear the music, the laughter, the conversations in that kitchen?

A parishioner rising early to scramble eggs and heat up potato cakes before driving along the empty Northern Virginian roads at sunrise to arrive in time for a prayer with the staff at a drop-in center.

An excited group of Scouts who are learning how to bake cookies in an industrial kitchen, and then packing them into individual cookie “envelopes” to be a sweet treat to end a welcome meal for someone experiencing food insecurity.

A bustling parish kitchen with Knights of Columbus members using every burner and each shelf in the oven to cook pasta, sauce, and vegetables. Another crew is washing pots and pans, while a third team of parishioners forms an assembly line to pack 150 meals into separate foil pans, stacking them in insulated containers to keep them hot upon delivery to those who are standing in a parking lot, in line anticipating the comfort of a hot meal.

Who among us has not, at some time, needed an invitation from a friend for a lunch date, enjoyed the sharing of a potluck dinner, or been the recipient of a casserole or stew dropped off during a family crisis? At St. John Neumann, the Meal Ministry supports fellow parishioners, who are experiencing a short-term emergency, with both the comfort and connection of food. Meals are prepared and delivered twice weekly, supporting a family for a few weeks or a few months. The meal preparation and delivery are flexible and rotate between the ministry's volunteers to allow for shared responsibility and accommodation of volunteers' personal schedules. Diane Trentacoste facilitates this outreach and welcomes new volunteers. 

On the afternoon of the second Tuesday of every month, five or six SJN parishioners travel to the Carpenter Shelter in Alexandria to serve the 25-30 mothers and children who rely on the shelter for their evening meal. The menu is consistent: chicken and cheese noodle casseroles prepared by parish volunteers in their kitchens and delivered to Rita Schoka, along with green beans and corn, a fresh vegetable or fruit salad, desserts donated each month by Carmela Basuel, and freshly made buttered cheese bread, which is a favorite menu item! After serving and cleaning up, the group returns to Reston in the early evening. The menu does not vary from month to month nor does the appreciation of the recipients and the compassion of the servers.

The second Tuesday of the month finds Rita and another group of SJN volunteers also providing lunch for approximately 90 individuals at The Lamb Center, a day drop-in center located in Fairfax City. In the morning, Rita and her husband deliver ten homemade noodle and cheese casseroles, prepared by SJN parishioner volunteers, along with canned beans and corn, fresh homemade salad, and cookies. In addition to the served meal, there are 25 freshly made tuna sandwiches that clients at the Lamb Center can take for an evening meal or for lunch if they cannot stay for the hot meal.

On the second weekend of each month, St. John Neumann provides dinner for at least 100 at the Missionaries of Charities Convent in Washington, D.C. Prepping and cooking responsibilities alternate between Rita Schoka’s and Veronica O’Donnell’s kitchens, where volunteers gather on Friday morning to prepare 18 pounds of meatloaf, along with green beans, corn and tomatoes, and mashed potatoes. Juice and cookies complete the menu and, despite the hour-long trip downtown, the meal is delivered in time for dinner.

When a fifth Saturday occurs in a month, the 75-80 individuals who stop by The Lamb Center for a warm breakfast, fellowship, laundry, and shower facilities along with a Bible study provided by this crucial community center, are greeted and served by the joyful faces of St. John Neumann parishioners. Kelly Gallo arranges this volunteer opportunity, which occurs four or five times a year, to provide any type of breakfast casserole, egg dish, hash brown potatoes, fresh fruit, juices or any other item that would complement a hearty breakfast. Lidded casserole pans are available for casseroles, and delivery of food items for the early morning drop off (7:45 a.m.) in Fairfax City can be arranged. Servers are always welcome as well, and schedules can be adjusted for any time between 8 a.m. and noon.

The pandemic brought an unexpected invitation to live out the call to extend mercy and support to our often-unseen neighbors. When both volunteers and supplies became scarce, shelters felt the brunt of it. Generous SJN parishioners and the community partners of Santini's in Reston and Lucia's in Herndon answered the call, and the outreach ministry of the Shelter Meals Program was born. From April 2020 to November 2021, this partnership fed the guests of the Embry Rucker Shelter a hot, nourishing meal twice a month (120 persons were originally served, but it was reduced to 70 individuals in August 2020.) Beginning in December 2020, Shelter Meals volunteers joined the FACETS' Hot Meals, serving 100 clients (115-135 meals) on the first Thursday of even months. These meals were distributed from the back of a FACETS van to walk-up clients by a team of SJN parishioners.



Today, SJN parishioners provide a monthly meal for 100 individuals, including families, at Embry Rucker through Shelter Meals. Each month, the Shelter Meals team invites one of the parish’s ministries to host the meal. With support from the team, ministry members provide casseroles, sides, salads, and desserts and can also volunteer to serve the meal at the shelter. Beginning in June 2022, the Knights of Columbus began a collaboration with the Shelter Meals team to provide 130-175 meals for the Hot Meals Program. In the SJN kitchen, K of C members prep and cook homemade pasta with meat sauce, completing the meal with Mediterranean veggies and a roll. Members of the SJN Scout Troop 124 bake 10-13 dozen cookies to provide a sweet ending for the meal, which is then all packed by Shelter Meal volunteers into foil, compartmentalized and lidded pans, loaded into the FACETS van, and distributed by another group of Shelter Meals volunteers. Beginning this past June, this collaboration added service of an additional 25 hot meals for students who are accessing food at the South Lakes H.S. Food Pantry.

A member of the Shelter Meals team reflected on the impact of interacting with the individuals who were in line for a meal:

"Joining the SJN Facets Hot Meals delivery team has been a joy for me. Greeting people who are experiencing homelessness, seeing them face to face, is a powerful experience. Along with the other team members who deliver hot meals, we seek God's face in each one of the people we serve and have built a sense of community over the years. Serving people who are unhoused in this way, reminds us of our call to respond to those in need as Jesus has asked us to do."

On July 29, a group of St. John Neumann parishioners, led by Cornerstones board member Brian Funaki, prepared and served the first evening meal at the Temporary Overflow Shelter (TOS) at the North County Human Resources Center. The TOS is the result of a partnering between Cornerstones (with the support of its faith-based and non-profit partners) and Fairfax County to support the County’s plans to compassionately end the tented community of unhoused Reston residents by transitioning them into a safe, temporary overnight shelter. Cornerstones is providing case management services to link program participants with services, prioritizing the creation of an individualized housing plan to support them moving into permanent housing. As one of Cornerstones partners in supporting marginalized individuals in Reston, SJN plans to provide a monthly meal, along with volunteers to serve it, at the TOS. Additionally, Cornerstones is providing a list of items that these unhoused individuals need along with instructions for providing bagged lunches.

Each of these ministry groups is a lifeline to the individuals they serve. Together our SJN ministries are providing a minimum of 426 meals a month, more than 5,000 meals a year, and in their works of mercy, volunteers also receive fruits of their labor. They are the beneficiaries of much joy and appreciation as they are integral parts of a community with purpose. It is not only the physical body they are nourishing, but they are also feeding people’s spirits, providing comfort, and with servants' hearts, hopefully helping those who are often unnoticed, feel not only seen, but also loved.

There is plenty of room for new workers in our ministries. Commitments can be one time, intermittent, or on a regular basis; there is flexibility to fit anyone’s personal schedule. Work can be done at home or on the road - drivers are desperately needed. Each of these opportunities are group work, and it is typically easier, and certainly more fun, to serve alongside others, especially when you share a passion, a belief, and a mission. If you share this heart for feeding the hungry, we ask you to answer the call. Check out the Loaves and Fishes page on the SJN website. There you will find details of each of the programs outlined here, and an email or phone number for the outreach point of contact. If family, work, or other time commitments make it impossible to join in a hands-on way, you can contribute to collectively support our SJN ministries with a donation.

Thank you for considering how you can answer the call of our corporal work of mercy. In closing, St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta puts our obligation to feed the hungry in perspective with these words:

At times, the Catholic Church has had a complicated history with cats, especially during the papacy of Pope Gregory IX, who equated cats, especially black cats, with evil. Nevertheless, Church history and legend largely reveal a love for God’s curious creature. In fact, a long-told Christian legend is that the tabby cat was specially marked by the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the manger, Jesus lay shivering, and a cat jumped in the manger to warm him. Mary gratefully caressed the cat’s forehead leaving an “M” as her mark on all tabby cats. August 8 is International Cat Day, a day that has been celebrated since 2002, established by the International Fund for Animal Welfare to raise awareness and support for our feline friends.

Officially, there is not a “patron saint of cats,” nonetheless, St. Gertrude of Nivelles is commonly associated with protection for cats and is referred to as their patron saint. Born in 628 to a noble family who lived at King Dagobert’s court in what is now modern-day Belgium, at just ten years old, the king arranged a marriage between Gertrude and an Austrian duke to form a political alliance for his court. Gertrude refused and proclaimed her intention to live a life dedicated to Christ. After her father’s death, when she was around fourteen years old, Gertrude’s mother, Itta, shaved Gertrude’s head in a tonsure (a practice common to monks and other religious to demonstrate humility and religious devotion) to ward off further unwanted attention to her daughter, and they moved to Nivelles to establish a Benedictine nunnery known as the Abbey of Nivelles. Gertrude dedicated nearly her entire life to serving as the Abbess. She was known to care for the sick, the elderly, the poor, and animals. She was commonly invoked to ward off rats and mice, especially during the Middle Ages. Later, it was assumed that her success with managing the rat and mice populations was due to her affection for cats. Of course, so much of this is speculation, but much of Gertrude’s iconography depicts mice and rats, and in 1982, the Metropolitan Art Museum released the publication, “Metropolitan Cats,” which elevated St. Gertrude's status to protector of cats. Since then, she has been embraced as the Catholic cat lady. However, largely due to her unfortunate feast date—March 17, which is overshadowed by St. Patrick’s Day revelry—her feline affinity is not widely celebrated outside of cat devotees.

Another friend of felines, Julian of Norwich, named for her location in the Church of St. Julian in Norwich, England, was 30 years old in 1373 when she contracted the Black Plague. As a priest held a crucifix over her and administered her “last rights,” Julian had sixteen mystical visions. Upon her miraculous recovery, she sought a life of contemplation as an anchoress. Anchorites thrived throughout Europe, particularly in England, between the 12th and 16th century. They served as the heart of community and spiritual life in their religious role. Anchorites lived in small “cells” attached to a church, with a window into the church to hear daily services as well as a curtained window to the outside where community members could request intercessory prayers on their behalf. Their devotion to prayer coupled with isolation led many anchorites to have highly spiritual experiences, including visions. Julian of Norwich is best known for her book, “Revelations of Divine Love,” written in 1394, which was the first published book attributed to a woman in all of English literature. It specifically details the sixteen visions she had with a comprehensive interpretation of what they convey about Jesus Christ’s love for us, which she compared to the love of a mother. In a time when there was little hope, the Lord said to her in one of her revelations, “But all things shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well." In 1539, King Henry VIII ended the practice of anchorites in England. As recently as 2023, Pope Francis said at the 650th anniversary of her visions and revelations, “It is my hope that through a greater appreciation of the life of Mother Julian, Christians today will be encouraged to follow ever more faithfully and joyfully the example of Jesus, the one who came ‘not to be served but to serve.’” All this to say, what does this have to do with cats? Julian of Norwich lived in seclusion from 30 years old until her death, save one companion: a cat lived with her in her cell. She is commonly depicted with a cat, and though not a canonized saint, she also is revered to as an unofficial patron of cats.

St. Martin de Porres was also known for his fondness of our furry friends. Martin was born in Lima, Peru, in 1579, the illegitimate child of a Spanish man and a formerly enslaved African woman. For being both born of mixed race and to a single mother, he was reduced to a life of poverty and endless ridicule. He chose a life of fasting and prayer in a Dominican monastery, but even there, he was subjected to discrimination and reduced to menial tasks. Filled with compassion for others, Martin spent his days caring for the sick and finding companionship in the animals he cared for at the monastery. He lived at a time when both mice and cats were a novelty to Peru; mice were not mentioned in Peru prior to the Conquest, with the first mention of the creatures in 1552. As for cats, the first one was brought to Peru by a Spanish soldier in 1537 and was said to have been sold in Cuzco for 600 pesos. Martin de Porres lived with and cared for a cat, a dog, a mouse, and a bird in companionship and simple celebration of God’s handiwork.

The Vatican has also known its share of cat people. Most celebrated is the late Pope Benedict XVI. As a child in Bavaria, Joseph Ratzinger grew up surrounded by cats. His love of the fluffy felines continued through his entire life. In 2008, a children’s picture book entitled, “Joseph and Chico” was published. The book is narrated by Chico, a neighbor's tabby cat that Joseph was fond of in his childhood. His adoration of cats continued into his papacy as he was known around the Vatican gardens and in the streets of Rome to never pass by a cat without stopping to pet it or feeding it a treat. Those close to him claim it was common for the kitties to follow him in response to his kindness toward them. After Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI retired, he continued to spend time in the Vatican gardens with two of his favorite cats, Contessa, a black and white kitty, and Zorro, who was gray and white. Throughout his life, Benedict XVI was well-known and photographed as a true cat-holic!

Beyond domestic cats, there are saints also known for their special relationships with big cats. Daniel quite famously won over the lions. Prevailing legend, depicted in several works of art, is that St. Jerome showed kindness to a lion by removing a thorn from his paw, and the favor was repaid with protection and companionship from the lion who remained at his side thereafter.

On International Cat Day, consider ways you can celebrate cats—say a prayer to St. Gertrude or St. Martin de Porres, check out “Joseph and Chico” (there is a copy in the children’s section of our SJN library) and read it to a child (or to yourself!), volunteer at or donate to a rescue, adopt a cat, or simply give your own cats extra love and attention. Above all, take time to glorify God and enjoy this spectacular creature and companion created by God’s infinite mastery.



St. Monica is the patron saint of mothers. Her oldest son St. Augustine was baptized at age 33 and became one of the most renowned theologians of the Church. We believe that he became Christian and eventually a great theologian because of Monica’s prayers. Their feast days are August 27 and 28, respectively.

Before I tell you more about these saints, let me tell you why St. Monica is so important to me. I have been married for 34 years and have four adult children, two sons and two daughters. My oldest son is 33 years old. He has social anxiety and depression – he lives with my husband and I and does not leave the house. He works gig jobs training Artificial Intelligence but is lonely and desires a romantic relationship and to go out with friends. He has struggled with mental health for all his adult life.

Over the years, St. Monica has been a great strength to me as an intercessor for both of my sons. She prayed fervently for 33 years for Augustine to be baptized, often weeping while in prayer. As my son, Billy, suffered, I often prayed to her as intercessor to heal him and to help him to find God as a comfort and friend. I remember one time when he was away at college, and I had a sense that something was wrong. I dropped to my knees, praying and crying for him. Within minutes, he called me saying he was about to take his own life. I was able to talk him out of it and get him the help that he needed. I know that St. Monica understands my prayers since she prayed for 33 years for her own son.

Monica and Augustine lived in the fourth century in Algeria. She had a difficult marriage and home life. Her husband and his mother (who lived with them) both had violent tempers. In addition, her husband lived an immoral life. She had three children, and Augustine was her oldest child. She prayed for her family’s conversion, but her husband would not let her baptize her children and would not agree to be baptized himself. When Augustine was 16 years old, the whole family was baptized, except Augustine, who was away at school. Like his father, Augustine also lived an immoral life, including having a child outside marriage. He embraced a dualistic non-Christian religion and identified as a Manichaean. Monica threw him out of the house when she found out, but they eventually reconciled.

When Augustine moved to Rome, Monica was so concerned about him that she followed him to Rome and then Milan. She never ceased praying for her son, and at age 33 he was finally baptized a Christian. She died shortly thereafter, and he went on to become one of the doctors of the Church, due to his significant theological contributions. Augustine wrote the book “Confessions,” and in it, he tells his mother’s story. Here is a beautiful quote from his mother that he included in the book:



"Son, for my own part I have no further delight in anything in this life. What I do here any longer, and why I am here, I know not, now that my hopes in this world are accomplished. There was one thing for which I desired to linger for a while in this life, that I might see you as a Catholic Christian before I died. My God has done this for me more abundantly, that I should now see you, despising earthly happiness, become His servant."

Mother-son relationships are unique for each family, but a mother’s love is what Monica modeled for all mothers. She never gave up and prayed fervently for Augustine’s conversion. May we see St. Monica as a great intercessor for prayer and receive comfort from her understanding. 



August Intention for Prayer and Action

For political leaders



We pray that political leaders be at the service of their own people, working for integral human development and for the common good, especially caring for the poor and those who have lost their jobs.