12
Fifth Sunday of Lent March 18, 2018 Saint Agnes Catholic Church Arlington, Virginia “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”
Fif
th S
un
day
of
Len
t M
arc
h 1
8,
20
18
Saint Agnes Catholic Church Arlington, Virginia
“And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I will draw everyone to myself.”
F i f t h S u n d a y o f L e n t
P a r i s h I n f o r m a t i o n
Parish Clergy Pastor: Rev. Frederick H. Edlefsen
Parochial Vicar: Rev. Richard A. Miserendino
In residence: Rev. Cedric M. Wilson, O.S.A.
In residence: Rev. Thomas Nguyen
Parish Office 1910 N. Randolph Street • Arlington, VA 22207-3046
Office Hours: M-F 8:00am– 4:00pm
Phone: 703-525-1166 • Fax: 703-243-2840
Website: www.saintagnes.org
Parish Office Personnel
Inquiries : [email protected]
Business Manager: Meg McKnight ([email protected])
Director of Development, Outreach, and Communications:
Amber Roseboom ([email protected])
Facilities Manager: Katie Howell ([email protected])
Program Coordinator, Protection of Children:
Joan Biehler ([email protected])
Coordinator of Adoration, Security & Logistics:
Michael Sirotniak ([email protected])
Accounting: Lucy Estrada ([email protected])
Administrative Assistant: Ligia Santos ([email protected])
Ministry Assistant: Nicole Hendershot ([email protected])
Religious Education Office Director (DRE): Bernadette Michael ([email protected])
Administrative Asssistant: Marie Macnamara ([email protected])
Phone: 703-527-1129
Youth and Young Adult Ministry Coordinator: Fr. Rich Miserendino ([email protected])
Liturgical Music Director of Music: Laura Cooman ([email protected])
Director, Saint Agnes Ensemble: Richard Lolich
School 2024 N. Randolph Street • Arlington, VA 22207-3031
Phone: 703-527-5423 • Fax 703-525-4689
Principal: Kristine Carr ([email protected])
Assist. Principal: Jennifer Kuzdzal ([email protected])
Liturgy at Saint Agnes
Sunday Mass Saturday: 5:00pm
Sunday: 7:30am, 9:00am, 10:30am (High Mass), 12:00pm
Easter Triduum Holy Thursday: Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7:30pm
Good Friday: Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion at 3pm
Holy Saturday: Easter Vigil Mass at 8:30pm
Easter Sunday: 7:30am, 9:00am, 10:30am, 12:00pm
Weekday Mass Monday – Friday: 6:30am , 9:00am (Rosary after 9am Mass) Saturday: 7:30am , 9:00am (Rosary after 9am Mass)
Monday: 7:00pm (in Spanish)
Sacrament of Penance
Wednesday: 6:30-8:00pm Friday: 7:00pm-until line runs out
Saturday 8:00am-9:00am; 3:00pm–4:00pm or by appointment
Sunday Mass Readings:
Fifth Sunday of Lent JER 31:31-34; PS 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15;
HEB 5:7-9; JN 12:20-33
This Week’s Mass Intentions
March Fifth Week of Lent
M 19 St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
6:30 am Elisa DiBianca (Smith Family)
9:00 am James & Elizabeth McCausland (Ann McCausland)
T 20 Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
6:30 am Jack Fish (Burke Family)
9:00 am Annemarie Montgomery (Maria Montgomery)
W 21 Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
6:30 am Jorge Festin (Ford Family)
9:00 am Andrecito Villamil (Carmen Guardia)
Th 22 Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent
6:30 am Lucy Ruse (Tara Telesha)
9:00 am Mary Becker (Ciampa Family)
F 23 Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent
6:30 am Diana Fair (Aurand Family)
9:00 am William McGuire (Nelson Family)
Sa 24 Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent
7:30 am Jim McGinn (Lorna Stockmeyer)
9:00 am Pat & Dan Lyons (Coll Family)
Vigil Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord
5:00 pm Ruediger Gartzke (Christiane West)
Su 25 Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord
7:30 am G.Y. Roos (Roos Family)
9:00 am Peter Zidlicky (Pirozzoli Family)
10:30 am Pastor’s Intention: For all parishioners
12:00 pm Anne Dafron Dolbeare (Kalitka Family) indicates person is deceased
Back to Basics
Pastor’s Column — Rev. Frederick Edlefsen
Three questions. Catechism 101. Hint: Each
question has the same answer.
1. First question: Why did the Father send
his Son to become Man (i.e. Jesus)?
2. Second question: Why the Catholic
Church?
3. Third question: What’s it about?
Answer One: The Father sent his Son to become
Jesus (i.e. to become man) to save us from our sins.
This is the only reason. Forgiveness brings on
the Holy Spirit, who gives us grace – the God-
given power to become holy in this life and gain
Heaven in the next. Find me another reason,
and my credit card and frequent flyer miles are
yours. On Delta and American. Sorry, I don’t
do A380s with grand staircases. I am content
with a shot of Woodford Reserve on Delta
Comfort. Back to the answer: The angel said this
to a dreaming Joseph: “You shall call him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their
sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Answer Two: The purpose of the Catholic
Church is to save us from our sins. The
absolution of sins invites the Holy Spirit, like a
dinner invitation.
Answer Three: It’s about saving people from
their sins in order to invite Jesus to dinner.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone
hears My voice and opens the door, I will come
in to him and will dine with him, and he with
Me” (Revelation 3:20).
It has been said that Catholics are hard to live
with but easy to die with. Given that everyone is
hard to live with, I usually find Catholics easier
to live with and very easy to die with. But blood
runs thick, and that’s another story. So I
challenge you: go ahead. Sell out the Catholic
Church on its moral teachings. Compromise all
you want. You may as well ditch the whole thing
and go back to snake handling and consulting
Druids. In fact, if I wasn’t a Catholic, I’d
go Druid. It’s more interesting than either
Protestantism or Secularism. Catholic writer and
convert, G.K. Chesterton, got it. When asked
why he became Catholic, he said: It’s the only
Church that can forgive my sins. He was referring
to the Priesthood and Confession.
“God did not send his Son into the world to
condemn the world, but that the world might be
saved through him” (John 3:17). Christ did a live
demonstration of this when He asked the woman
caught in adultery, “Has no one condemned
you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Jesus replied,
“Neither do I condemn you. Go, and sin no
more.” It’s as simple as that. Encounter Christ at
your worst. Sin no more. And you’re on the
way to being your best. A saint. Yes, you.
When Jesus forgives sins, He reveals himself as
both God and Priest. When sins are disclosed to
a Priest of Jesus Christ (including non-Jesuits and
slobs like me), with repentance and regret,
there’s no condemnation. He forgives. He
restores life.
Jesus got into a boat, crossed over, and came to
His own town. Just then, some men brought to
Him a paralytic lying on a mat. When Jesus saw
their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Take
courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” On
seeing this, some of the scribes said to
themselves, “This man is blaspheming!” But
Jesus knew what they were thinking and
said, “Why do you harbor evil in your
hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are
forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’ But so
that you may know that the Son of Man has
authority on earth to forgive sins...” Then He
said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat,
and go home.” And the man got up and went
home. (Matthew 9: 1-7)
The Church, through the Priest, does the same
thing. How? Through the sacraments. In its
own way, every sacrament makes Christ present
– and his good works (in the Holy Spirit).
Reflect for a minute. The spiritual potency of the
Priest, and the sacraments that he performs, flow
from Christ’s Passion. When we approach the
Sacraments, we approach the Cross of Jesus
Christ and its life-giving power.
At the Last Supper, Christ consecrated Priests to
administer this healing power. When a man is
ordained a Priest in the Sacrament of Holy
Orders, Christ empowers him through the
Bishop’s “laying of the hands,” to pardon, heal
and sanctify the People of God in the
Sacraments.
Consider the Mass. It must be celebrated by a
Priest. It’s often called a “Holy Sacrifice.” It is a
re-presentation of Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross.
Jesus’ Sacrifice is re-presented when the Priest
consecrates bread and wine separately on the
Altar. When he says the “words of institution” –
“This is my Body…This is my Blood” – over the
bread and wine, they become the Body and
Blood of Christ. Separately. When Christ died
on the Cross, his Body and Blood were
separated. His Blood poured from his wounded
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Pastor’s Column
Continued
Body. During the Communion Rite at Mass, the
Priest must consume both the Body of Christ (the
host) and the Blood of Christ (from the chalice).
This action represents the coming together of
Christ’s Body and Blood at the Resurrection.
When we receive Communion, we receive
Christ’s Risen Body.
When we participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass – if we have no unconfessed mortal sins –
venial sins are forgiven by the power of that
Sacrifice. Also, when we participate at Mass, we
join Christ in the Sacrifice that saves the world.
When we attend Mass, our life becomes Christ’s
gift to the Father. Our sacrifices and Christ’s
Sacrifice are no longer two, but one. They
become one single offering to the Father.
Jesus’ Sacrifice is also made present in another
Sacrament: Confession. How so? It has been
said that, when Christ was on the Cross, He
knew and felt the grief and sadness of every sin
ever committed. He confessed them to the
Father. “He who knew no sin became sin for
us” (2 Corinthians 5:21). On the Cross, Christ
became our sins, but without guilt. On the Cross,
He confessed those sins to the Father, on our
behalf. He felt the shame. He felt the full force
of all the guilt, sorrow, anguish, grief, darkness
and despair of every sin ever committed and that
would ever be committed. He felt abandoned by
his Father on our behalf. “My God, my God,” he
cried, “why have you abandoned me?” From the
Cross, He made the supreme Confession of
sins – of each and every one of them. It was
the first real Confession. Redemption began. The
Church’s mission began. The Cross was the first
Confessional.
When we confess to the Priest in the
Confessional, Christ confesses to the Father for
us. And we join Christ’s confession of our sins to
the Father. We participate in his Confession. In
so doing, we receive forgiveness and healing.
We are on the Cross with Christ at Calvary.
Good Friday is less than two weeks away.
Take Jesus’ Sacrifice seriously. Feel its power.
Confess your mortal sins, if you have them, in
the Sacrament of Reconciliation. No mortal sins?
Then confess your venial sins. If you do, Christ
will nonetheless make a perfect act of His Love
in you. Don’t refuse God’s mercy.
Here’s a dumb one: “I don’t need a priest. I tell
my big sins directly to God.” Snake handlers
don’t need Priests either. They live in illusions.
It’s a rejection of the Incarnation and the
Priesthood of Jesus Christ. It’s a rejection of
rationality. No more cockamamie excuses.
Unload your sins on the Priest in the
confessional. Set yourself free. Join Christ’s last
utterance from the Cross to the Father: “Into
your hands I commend my spirit.”
Only the Priest can make present the Sacrifice of
Jesus – and its power to save – in Confession and
at Mass. The patron saint of Priests, St. John
Vianney, said: Neither angels nor even the
Virgin Mary can forgive sins. Only a Priest! St.
John Vianney also said, “Without the priest, the
Death and Passion of our Lord would be of no
avail … The priest is not a priest for himself; he
does not give himself absolution; he does not
administer the Sacraments to himself. He is not
for himself; he is for you. After God, the priest is
everything. Leave a parish twenty years without
priests; they will worship beasts … See the
power of the priest; out of a piece of bread the
word of a priest makes a God … If I were to meet
a priest and an angel, I should salute the priest
before I saluted the angel. The [angel] is a friend
of God, but the [priest] holds His place …
The priest continues the work of redemption
on earth. If we really understood the priest on
earth, we would die not of fright but of love.
The priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus.”
Donation baskets are in the church vestibule. There is also a box at St. Agnes School.
Questions? Please contact Kathryn Foley at [email protected].
Baby Item Collection Ends Sunday, March 25th
Please join the Challenge Club and St. Agnes Pro-Life Ministry in donating baby items to A Woman’s Choice Crisis Pregnancy Center.
Cub Scout Pack 111 Easter Flower Sales
Friday, March 23rd - Sunday, March 25th Friday during the Fish Fry outside the Parish Hall
Saturday & Sunday after all Masses outside the church
The Cub Scouts’ only fundraiser of the year!
A beautiful selection of lilies, tulips and hyacinths will be available for purchase. Each lovely flower is only $10. Flowers may also be purchased for the scouts to deliver to homebound parishioners or residents of the Cherrydale Health & Rehabilitation Center or Sunrise Assisted Living Center.
Thank you in advance for your support!
Contact Sean Ruff at [email protected] with any questions.
Girl Scouts’ Lenten Food Drive 0
for Our Lady of the Blue Ridge
Ends March 22
Please consider picking up a bag or two of non-perishable groceries to contribute. Donations can be left in the back of the church. Food Lion and Walmart
gift cards may also be brought to the Parish Office.
Please contact Nancy Spooner with any questions at [email protected].
St. Agnes Sodality of Celebrations invites you to
Saint Joseph’s Table Today - Sunday, March 18, 2018
Following the Noon Mass from 1-4 PM In the Parish Hall
The Noon Mass will be followed by a procession
to the Parish Hall. The feast day celebration
will continue as we enjoy a potluck lunch
at Saint Joseph’s Table. There will be live music,
as well as a woodworking shop and piñata for
children. Join us! All are welcome.
Food donations may be dropped off the morning of March 18th, beginning at 9 AM,
in the Parish Hall.
5th Annual St. Agnes Fish Fry
Friday, March 23, 2018
5:30 - 7 PM
In the St. Agnes Parish Hall
Join us for the best fish in Arlington,
homemade sides, plus wine and beer!
Please RSVP by this Tuesday, March 20th to [email protected].
For more information, call the Parish Office at 703-525-1166.
St. Agnes Catholic Church is located at 1910 N. Randolph St., Arlington, VA 22207
PA
RIS
H L
IFE
Have you visited FORMED.org? It’s
essentially Netflix for Catholics!
Parishioners register at FORMED.org
and enter our parish’s code:
f1a3f2. Then sit back and enjoy! Also,
check out our weekly FORMED blog at
saintagnes.org under FORMED.
St. Agnes is on Facebook! Share the love, and Like us on
Facebook www.facebook.com/
saintagneschurch/.
MyParishApp 4 You When’s the last time your kid
took your phone to play games or look
at videos. Let them—with no concern.
Just text App to 88202 to download our
parish app, then tap the Brother Francis
icon—they’ll love it. See Catholic Moms
devotions, stay up to date on events,
Mass times and more.
Sign up for our monthly
eNewsletter:
The Saint Agnes Signal Get it all in one place! Sign up at
saintagnes.org before our next issue on
Tuesday, April 3rd! Be the first to find
out all of our current activities, news
and articles from the pastor, service
opportunities, highlights from March,
what’s on the horizon and new ways to
get involved.
Additional
Resources for Lent Pray As You Go is a beautiful app
from British Jesuits. Beginning with
sacred music, the 11-12 minute daily
reflection is a great way to spend time
with God. During Lent, they have
additional reflections as well as
Stations of the Cross set to Bach's
St. Matthew's Passion. Sign up
at saintagnes.org under “Additional
Resources” or locate it in the app store
at Pray As You Go (it will have a big G).
New Parishioner Welcome Dinner
Saturday, March 24th, 6:30 PM New to the parish or just want to connect with folks
over a casual dinner?! Join us for a Welcome Dinner
Saturday, March 24th at 6:30 PM in our Convent
located at 2026 N Randolph, door #15. Contact Katie
Lundstrom of the Welcome Team at 703-627-0123 with
any questions, or RSVP on our website,
saintagnes.org, under upcoming events.
2018 Bishop’s Lenten Appeal
“Living in Faith~Giving in Gratitude” Thank you to those who have already pledged
support to this year’s BLA. St. Agnes parishioners
have pledged $358,354, about 72% of our goal. That
is with 19% of households participating. Fr. Edlefsen
has asked for 100% participation at whatever level you
are able. The BLA supports services and ministries
that help those in need and further the Gospel
mission. Please pick up a commitment envelope in the
church vestibule. Please Note: BLA pledge payments
should NOT be made through Faith Direct. You may
set up a recurring monthly payment for the BLA at www.arlingtondiocese.org/Bihshops-Lenten-Appeal-2018/
Next St. Agnes Nursery, April 15th The St. Agnes Nursery is available for 1—5 year olds
during the 9 AM Mass the first and third Sundays of
every month. Please note, there will be no nursery on
April 1st due to the Easter holiday. Please contact
Lindsay O’Connell at [email protected] if
you’d like to participate or ask about volunteering.
The Light is On For You Additional Lenten Confession times are Wednesday,
March 21st, from 6:30-8 PM and Friday, March 23rd
beginning at 7 PM until the line runs out. Confession
will be available Good Friday, March 30th, from 1-2
PM and Holy Saturday, March 31st, from 3-4 PM.
Regular Confession times continue on Saturdays from
8-9 AM and 3-4 PM, and by appointment. Resources
to help prepare for the Sacrament of Confession are
available in the vestibule or at thelightison.org.
Quo Vadis Days and FIAT Camps Check out summer camps for high school students to
explore their vocation and deepen their faith.
Registration is open through March 31st. For camp
dates, location, lottery registration and more visit
arlingtondiocese.org/Vocations/Camp-Registration-Info.
Weekly Prayer Intentions:
For those who are sick in our midst: Maria Vindel, Pat Lyons, Michael Ross, and the
residents of Cherrydale Health and Rehabilitation.
To add a name, or if a name may be removed because
the person is no longer ill (Deo gratias!), please contact the
Parish Office at 703-525-1166. Names of the sick are listed for
approximately four weeks unless we are notified otherwise.
Adoration Chapel “Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest" (MT 11: 28).
Jesus Christ waits for you in the most Holy Eucharist.
Permanent and substitute adorers are needed daily
between Midnight and 4:00 AM to restore perpetual
adoration in the Adoration Chapel at St. Agnes. To
make a commitment, please e-mail Michael Sirotniak
Saint Agnes Essentials:
Infant/Child Baptism:
Register for a class, held the first Monday of each
month at 7:00 PM. Plan to attend before Baptism.
Baptisms are celebrated bi-weekly, after the Noon
Sunday Mass.
Marriage Preparation:
Call the Parish Office for Pre-Cana at least 7
months prior to your wedding.
Anointing of the Sick:
Call the Parish Office to request Anointing of the
Sick. Anyone with a serious illness should
request this sacrament before being admitted to
the hospital.
Homebound Visitation:
Contact [email protected] or call the
Parish Office at 703-525-1166.
How to Become Catholic:
Interested in joining the Catholic Church or want
to learn more? Contact Bernadette Michael in the
Religious Education office at 703-527-1129 or a
priest for more information. Rite of Christian
Initiation of Adults (RCIA) classes are held on
Mondays at 7:30 PM.
Holy Orders/Consecrated Life:
Is the Lord calling you? For information about
priesthood, the permanent diaconate, or the
consecrated life, contact a priest or the Diocesan
Vocations Office at 703-841-2514.
Registration/Change of Address:
Registration cards are in the racks at main
entrances of the church, the Parish Office, or on
our website. Return them to the Parish Office, or
email them to [email protected].
Youth Ministry
Events
Our next Monthly Brunch is Sunday, May 6th
after the Noon Mass in the Saint Agnes Convent
(Door #15).
For more info contact Fr. Miserendino at
For more information contact the school office at 703-527-5423.
Thank you to everyone (especially the auction
chairs and committee) for making this year’s auction
such a success. It was a fun and amazing time! Our
school community is simply the BEST!
Lenten Service Projects During the Lenten season many service projects will be going
on at the school. The school and parish will once again participate in
Catholic Relief Services’ Operation Rice Bowl during Lent. Students
in 2nd and 5th grades will create healthy meal packs for Christ
House. Easter baskets will also be made for Christ House.
Registration for 2018-2019 School Year Many grades have wait lists for the 2018-2019 school year already! If
you have a child you would like to enroll or want to learn more about our
Blue Ribbon School, please call the front office at 703-527-5423.
Activities
Small Group Bible Study continues on
Tuesday Nights at 7:30 PM in the Convent.
For more information contact:
Young Adults
Saint Agnes School
Stewardship: Parish Support - 11- 011 Sunday Collection (in pew & via mail) $ 17,170
Faith Direct (electronic collection) $ 10,075
Total Offertory for Week $ 27,245
Catholic Relief Services (in pew & via mail) $ 3,414
Catholic Relief Services (electronic collection) $ 2,959
Total $ 6,373
Bishop’s Lenten Appeal (72% of goal pledged) $ 358,354
Poor Box $ 629
Offertory Budget (FY 17-18) $ 1,677,000
Offertory Budget (through 3/11/18) $ 1,185,830
Offertory Actual (through 3/11/18) $ 1,217,897
Brother Dennis The Society of the Divine Word (SVD) was founded in
1875 by St. Arnold Janssen. It is a worldwide
missionary organization numbering 6,000 priests and
brothers. Their main work is to teach the Word of God
as revealed in the Bible and serve the poor. The
Stewardship Report Chicago Province is the largest in the western
hemisphere with 250 men. The Chicago Province
educates missionaries to serve in Canada, the
Caribbean, various eastern, northern, and midwestern
states including, locally, the District of Columbia.
Throughout their history the Divine Word
Missionaries (SVD) have made numerous cultural and
scientific contributions. Of special note, as we recently
commemorated February’s Black History Month, is
SVD’s own contribution to African American history.
In the 1920s SVD established the first African
American Seminary to educate priests and brothers.
Father Harold Perry, a graduate, was chosen as the
first African American bishop during the 20th Century.
Brother Dennis is delighted to present this week’s
contribution of $1,800 to The Society of the Divine
Word. You can get more information at their website
www.divineword.org.
Rev. Paul Scalia
My God, My GodThe Temptation in the Desert & The Cross of Christ
Know the Faith. Love the Faith. Live the faith.
All Institute of Catholic Culture programs are approved for catechetical credit in the Catholic Diocese of Arlington. For more information, please visit www.InstituteofCatholicCulture.org or call 540.635.7155
”My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?”
— Psalms 22:1
”My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou
The Institute of Catholic Culture is an adult catechetical organization, faithful to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, and dedicated to the Church’s call for a new evangelization. The Institute seeks to fulfi ll its mission by offering educational programs structured upon the classical liberal arts, and by offering opportunities in which authentic Catholic culture is experienced and lived.For more information, please visit our web site at www.InstituteofCatholicCulture.org, or call our offi ce at 540-635-7155.
Fr. Paul Scalia received his M.A. from the Pontifi cal University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome and was ordained a priest in 1996. He is the Delegate for Priests in the Diocese of Arlington, and has published articles in various periodicals including This Rock, First Things, and Human Life Review.
Sunday, March 25 6:00 p.m. ET
Dinner Included. Lecture to begin at 7pm
Free Admission | No reservation required
St. Agnes Church Hall1910 N Randolph St, Arlington, VA 22207
& via live broadcast at: www.InstituteofCatholicCulture.org
