Thursday, December 22, 2022 |
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PASTORAL REFLECTION Msgr Peter J Vaghi |
On this Christmas Day 2022, each one of us is invited at this special time of year to ponder anew the Mystery of Bethlehem in our lives. It is a wonderful time prayerfully to ponder the love of the Word made flesh and how it is that the incarnation of Jesus Christ truly is the pulsating heart of all time and every place. He is the Good News! As Pope Francis wrote in his beautiful Apostolic Letter Evangelii Gaudium, writing about the Good News: "The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ, joy is constantly born anew" (EG 1). And, in a special way, we celebrate His birth every Christmas. |
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| SATURDAY, DEC 24 - CHRISTMAS EVE 4 pm Family Mass with choir 6 pm Mass with cantor, trumpet, and organ 10 pm Mass with choir, organ, and orchestra (Preludes and Carols at 9:30 pm) SUNDAY, DEC 25 - CHRISTMAS DAY 7:30 am Mass 10:30 am Mass with choir, brass, strings, organ (Preludes and Carols at 10:15 am) 12:15 pm Mass with contemporary choir |
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CHRISTMAS MUSIC Traditional Christmas hymns will be sung at Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Masses (except for the 7:30 am Mass.) The 4pm Mass on Christmas Eve will include our Christmas Pageant. We will welcome guest instrumentalists at our 6pm and 10pm Christmas Eve Masses, as well as at the 10:30am and 12:15pm. The 10:00pm Christmas Eve mass will feature a full choir, string quartet, brass, and organ with preludes beginning at 9:30pm. The 10:30am Christmas Day Mass will similarly feature our full choir, organ, and instrumentalist and include a brief prelude beginning 15 minutes before Mass. |
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| SOLEMNITY OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God - 5 pm Vigil SUNDAY, JANUARY 1 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God - Masses at 7:30 am, 9 am, 10:30 am and 12 Noon |
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| LITTLE FLOWER ALUMNUS APPOINTED AUXILIARY BISHOP Pope Francis has appointed Rev. Msgr. Juan Esposito as a new Auxiliary Bishop of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. Many parishioners will remember that Bishop-designate Esposito served at our parish as a seminarian, celebrated his first Mass with us, and was our parochial vicar in 2013. We wish to offer our joyful congratulations, warmest wishes and prayers to Bishop-elect Esposito! |
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| | 2022 ANNUAL APPEAL UPDATE Our parish currently stands at 78% of our 2022 Annual Appeal goal. If you haven't yet made your gift, please prayerfully consider doing so today by clicking below or by picking up a brochure in the vestibule. Not only will you help us reach our parish goal, but more importantly, you will support more than 70 ministries vital to the life of our local Church, including the tuition cost for our many seminarians. Thank you for your continuing support! |
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| PRAYERS FOR THE DECEASED – Please pray for the repose of the souls of Joan Bader, Lawrence Bou, Michael Bradshaw, Bret Brown, Mary Brown, Dr. Robert Dietrich, Cecilia Duke, Don Freeman, Ed and Helen Ann Hanner, Griffin Holland, Kathleen Houlding, Warren P. Howe, Elizabeth Hunton, Hal Hunton, Carlos Jingco, Sargent Caldwell Karch, Dr. Michael Kelly, Mary Lynn Lawler, Gere Lynch, Norbert Max, Richard McBride, Carrie McGreal, Barry Nace, Terry Neves, Joan Pike, Terry Radigan, Richard Skoff, Mark Uhar, Robert Walsh. FOR THE SICK – Please pray for the sick members of our parish and for all who are in need. Keep these and all the intentions of our parish in your prayers. |
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| ONLINE GIVING With the season of Christmas upon us, please consider enrolling in our our convenient and secure electronic giving (eGiving) program. Signing up for Faith Direct only takes a few minutes. You may also make a safe and secure one-time Christmas gift online. Thank you for supporting our parish and God Bless. | |
| | ADW ANNIVERSARY MASS This year Bishop Roy E. Campbell will celebrate the Annual Wedding Anniversary Mass to Celebrate the Vocation of Marriage on Saturday, February 11, 2023, 10:00 am at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. This celebration is to highlight the witness to the Catholic vocation of marriage and the beauty of God's plan for married life. Couples must register with the rectory to attend the Mass and/or receive a certificate from Cardinal Wilton Gregory in honor of their anniversary year by January 20, 2023. |
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There are two ways to donate: - Bring non-perishable items to the rear of the church the first weekend of the month. Our next collection is the weekend of January 7-8.
- Make a secure online donation to purchase Giant gift cards. Please visit lfparish.org/giant-cards.
The donations will be distributed to area food banks, where the need is great. Thank you! |
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| STEWARDSHIP Poor Box – Donations in December will go to St. Ann's Center for Children, Youth and Families. The Center provides safe housing and supportive services to young mothers, children and families who are affected by abuse, neglect, teen pregnancy and homelessness. St. Ann's offers health services, secondary education, parenting classes, life and job skills training and developmental child care. While addressing the immediate needs of the young mothers and children they serve, St. Ann's works with them to build a foundation for future family stability and economic self-sufficiency. Sister Mary Bader, St. Ann's Administrator, is a graduate of Little Flower School. |
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"'And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.' Such powerful words!They express the deepest reality of the greatest event to ever take place in human history." (Saint John Paul II) Saints as Model Stewards – May the saints whom we commemorate next week inspire us to use our own God-given talents and opportunities as He would have us do. Monday, Dec 26 - The first martyr, St. Stephen, was stoned to death because of his effective evangelization and his work with the poor. Luke emphasized the similarity of his execution with that of Jesus. For example, he was accused to the Sanhedrin and false witnesses charged him with blasphemy. His final words were also similar: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" and "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." (Acts 7:60) Tuesday, Dec 27 - St. John At the foot of the cross, this magnificent Christian steward readily agreed to take care of Mary, and faithfully spent the rest of his life helping others to know and love Jesus. "God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him." (Gospel of John) Thursday, Dec 29 - St. Thomas Becket (d. 1170), the Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered - in his own cathedral! - because he vigorously resisted the king's efforts to limit the rights of the Church. Governments continue, to this day, to try to limit the rights of the Church. Saturday, Dec 31 - St. Sylvester (d. 335), the first declared saint who was not a martyr. During his pontificate, the Church rejoiced with its newfound freedom under the Emperor Constantine, and the divinity of Christ was defined as a matter of faith at the Council of Nicea. Jesus, the Ultimate Steward – "This is my Son in whom I am well pleased." (Mt 3:17) Thus did God the Father show his approval of how Jesus performed his mission on Earth. Jesus became man and fulfilled his earthly mission to perfection. Each of us has particular talents and a mission. Although we cannot hope to match Jesus' perfection, we should try to discern what God has as our missions, and how we can fulfill them using our individual God-given talents. If in your heart you make a manger for His birth, Then God will once again, become a child on earth Angelus Silesius (1624-77) taken from "The Enlightened Heart" |
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