Thursday, January 12, 2023 |
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PASTORAL REFLECTION Fr Tom Robertson |
As we return to the season of Ordinary Time this Sunday, our Lord and our Church encourages us to not be ordinary ourselves, but to continue to celebrate the extraordinary. This coming week in particular, our local church here in the Archdiocese of Washington, calls us to consider the extraordinary meaning of human life, and to join in prayer and peaceful action around the protection and respect of life at all stages. Our Church teaches us that, "Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being" (CCC. 2304). Therefore, I would like to invite each of you to consider the following two opportunities. First, to join in prayer, all are welcome next Thursday to the Little Flower Vigil Mass for Life at 7:00pm. Second, to join in peaceful action, all are welcome to ride on the bus with us next Friday to the National March for Life. More information for both of these events can be found below or in the bulletin. Many thanks for your prayerful consideration. |
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Little Flower Respect Life Committee invites you to join us: Little Flower Mass for Life Vigil Thursday, January 19, 2023 at 7:00pm in the Church Join us in prayer for the legal protection of unborn children and to give thanks to God for the gift of human life. National March for Life Friday, January 20, 2023 Join our respect life committee, parishioners, and Fr. Tom on the bus! There is no cost to join us, but space is limited, so we ask that you do register with us by January 18th. Bus will depart the Church at 11:30am and will return to the Church by 3:00pm. This is a great, no hassle, option for parishioners, parents, and families that would like to travel directly to and from this year's National March for Life. To register and for more information: email: Kathleen Paravano, kathleenparavano@gmail.com Or call Fr. Tom at the parish office: 301-320-4538 x 125 Looking for even more ways to respect life? The Gabriel Project Cluster of Montgomery County, at www.gpmoco.org, an all-volunteer nonprofit in Maryland, provides needy, pregnant mothers with essential resources and spiritual support. Please consider joining a group of over 70 women Angel Friend volunteers who stay in touch with their client moms during their pregnancies. Bi-lingual volunteers are especially needed. Questions: Please contact Little Flower Respect Life member, Elissa DiCarlo at eadicarlo@gmail.com |
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| MOTHER & SON NIGHT OF FUN FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2023 6:30 pm - 8:15 pm in Little Flower Hall This event is open to boys all ages of the school and parish. Boys may be escorted by their mother, grandmother, aunt or other special person. There will be games, prizes, disc jockey, food, and other surprises. Raffle tickets will be sold for five dollars apiece. $20 for adult and $10 per child. Boys and their escorts can dress in their favorite sports team gear! |
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| FIRST THURSDAY TALK Please join us for Msgr. Vaghi's lecture series, entitled "The Seven Sacraments Revisited" The next talk will be Thursday, February 2 in the Church. 7:15am Talk | 7:45am Confessions | 8:15am Mass The February talk title is: "Sacrament of the Sick: Its Real Meaning" All are welcome! |
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| 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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The ladies of the Mystical Rose Guild, those responsible for the altar flowers all year and at Christmas and Easter, wish to express our heartfelt gratitude for your very generous donations for our Christmas flowers. Your appreciation of our work is very special to all of us. |
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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 February 4-5.
- 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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| Annual Day of Recollection - Saturday, January 21, 2023 Sponsored by Mother Teresa Vocation Society 9:00am - 2:00pm Church of the Annunciation,Washington, DC - "Mother Teresa of Calcutta's Secrets for a Happy Life and Peaceful Death" Keynote Presentation by Jim Towey
- "Spending Time with God: How to Pray Before the Eucharist" A Reflection by Father Mark Ivany
The day will also include Mass, Adoration, Confession in the morning, and lunch and keynote speaker in the afternoon. Stay for all or part as suits your schedule! Register at: dcpriest.org/2023-day-of-recollection |
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| 2022 ANNUAL APPEAL UPDATE Our parish currently stands at 85% 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 new year 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. |
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| | STEWARDSHIP Poor Box – The parish traditionally sends its Poor Box donations to life-affirming crisis pregnancy centers with which individual parishioners have volunteered their services continuously for about 30 years. This month's contributions will be donated to Centro Tepeyac and the Shady Grove Pregnancy Center. |
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Saints as Model Stewards – May the saints whom we honor this week inspire us to use our own unique God-given talents and opportunities as He would have us do. Tuesday - St. Anthony of Egypt (d. 356 at age 105!), who is regarded as the founder of Christian monasticism. One morning at Mass he heard the Gospel words, "Go and sell what you have and give money to the poor." He thereupon sold off his sizeable inheritance and moved to the desert to live a life of mortification and prayer. Despite this life, one biographer wrote, "Strangers knew him by the joy on his face" May his example inspire us to re-order our priorities and put God first in our lives. Friday - St. Fabian (d.250), pope, was martyred during the persecution of Christians. St. Cyprian speaks of his death as "an example of faith and courage." Also on Friday – St. Sebastian, who served in Emperor Diocletian's military, was sentenced in 288 to be executed for his faith and for aiding Christians. Although he was pierced by archers and left to die, according to legend, a Christian widow nursed him back to health. Enraged, the emperor had him beaten to death. May we too stand fast when defending our faith seems difficult. Saturday – St. Agnes (d. 304) was chosen in 1906 as the patroness of the predecessor of our parish, then in Glen Echo. St Agnes was martyred when she was only 12 years old because she rebuffed her would-be suitors, declaring herself a bride of Christ. Holiness is not a matter of age or ability, but of our willingness to remain faithful to Christ – no matter the cost. Stewardship of Spiritual Life – - As a boost to your spiritual life, you might start the new year by subscribing to "Aleteia," a free email started in Rome in 2013 to promote the Church's presence in the media. It is now published in several languages and its readership is growing exponentially. Here's a sample of articles that appeared in one recent issue:
- Pope Francis' 15 tips to be happy (aleteia.org)
- 9 Ways Mary can help you have a fantastic new year (aleteia.org)
- Fr. Mike Schmitz tells Aleteia what we can expect from new podcast 'The Catechism in a Year' This is a follow-on to last year's incredibly popular podcast "The Bible in a Year"
- Another recommended article that appeared in an American publication after the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was 6 Legacies of Benedict XVI - CatholicVote.org
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