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Sunday, January 31, 2010
FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
— CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK

THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, WEEKDAY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, ST. BLAISE, BISHOP AND MARTYR and ST. ANSGAR, BISHOP

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, WEEKDAY

FIRST FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, ST. AGATHA, VIRGIN & MARTYR

FIRST SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, ST. PAUL MIKI, MARTYR, AND HIS COMPANIONS

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

PARISH FINANCIAL UPDATES

Regular collection for January 2–3 … $14,479
Monthly R&R — Repairs & Replacements … $4,853
Solemnity of Mary (New Year) … $3,579

Mailing Updates: Year-end tax statements will be mailed the same week they are received. Requests must be in writing; please use the green half sheets found in each vestibule and follow the instructions for their return to the parish office. Thank you!

The remaining PLEDGE 2010 acknowledgment letters should arrive soon. More pledges equals more letters. Thanks for your patience.

Looking ahead — Daily meditation booklets for Lent will be available in the parish pamphlet racks the weekend of February 13–14. — Our Divine Mercy supplies have arrived! These items will be available in our parish pamphlet racks during the last weeks of Lent. Divine Mercy Sunday is April 11^th.

Jesus, I trust in You!

Charity is Faith in Action

2010 Bishop’s Lenten Appeal: During the weekend of February 6–7, every parishioner will have the opportunity to support the 2010 Bishop’s Lenten Appeal (BLA).

The BLA helps to support the diocesan offices and ministries that serve tens of thousands of people each year. From school scholarships, to support of seminarians, to the training of our catechists, to helping our youth grow in their faith, to teaching respect for the sanctity of life, your support of the BLA impacts the lives of many people that reach beyond the scope of the individual parish.

As you reflect on your blessings this year, we ask you to consider making a sacrificial pledge to help sustain the ministries and programs that are funded by the BLA. By making a pledge, your gift becomes intentional, representing a promise to give not from your leftovers, but from your first fruits. From all that we have received, let us make a proper return to God, Our Heavenly Father, the source of our life and all blessings.

Words of Wisdom from Saintly Priests: St. Ambrose of Milan

When we speak about wisdom, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about virtue, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about justice, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about peace, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about truth and life and redemption, we are speaking of Christ.

The Nocturnal Adoration Society is hosting Eucharistic Adoration on First Friday, February 5^th from 9:00 PM until Midnight at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, 6222 Franconia Road, Alexandria. Saint Mary Church in Old Towne is in the midst of sanctuary restoration and so unable to hold Eucharistic Adoration in February, and possibly March as well. — Our parish adoration hour is from 9–10 PM, but you’re free to come by whenever you can. Call St. Lawrence Parish for more information, 703-971-4378.

Our February Pre-Baptism class will be held on Thursday, February 4^th at 7:30 PM in the Parish Center. Both parish and class registration are required in order to attend this class, and one class is required if you plan to have your child baptized at St. Rita. Call Joanne at 703-836-1640, ext. 10 for more information and to register.

Mark your calendar for a special pre-Lenten event: Our parish senior group, the STARS warmly invites all interested seniors (50+) to join them on Thursday, February 11^th at 7:00 PM in the Parish Center as our Pastor, Father Donahue will help us prepare for Lent. February 11^th is a Pot-Luck Dinner; call Jane at 703-549-2561.

CHRISTENDOM COLLEGE: JUNIOR VISIT DAYS

High School Juniors and their families are cordially invited to visit Christendom College on Monday, February 15^th or Monday, April 12^th. These special Visit Days will include the opportunity to sit in on classes, a campus tour, a luncheon with faculty members, a presentation about the Junior Semester in Rome Program, and much more. For more information and to register, please visit www.christendom.edu/juniorvisit or contact Mr. Michael Schmitt at: mschmitt@christendom.edu or call 800-877-5456, ext. 1293.

Mt. Calvary is the academy of love.
— Saint Francis de Sales

Catholic Schools Week is celebrated
January 31^st through February 5^th!

• Saint Rita School’s Calendar of Events is posted
on each side vestibule bulletin board, or click here for your own courtesy copy.

• THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT OF OUR SCHOOL’S TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM THROUGH THE ENVELOPES PROVIDED

Our Respect Life Mass for February is scheduled for Saturday, February 27^th at 8:00 AM. The Rosary will follow at approx. 8:45 at the Duke Street abortion facility. The Respect Life intention for February is for orphaned children throughout the world, especially those who are abused or neglected. We remember in a special way those children orphaned in Haiti as a result of the recent earthquake. May our Lord have mercy on them!

Learn more about our parish’s Respect Life activities by calling Joe Schramm at 202-466-0555 (leave a message), or jschramm@schrammadvertising.com.

Father Horkan’s Bible Study Series will begin a new study this Sunday, January 31^st, beginning at 7:30 PM in the Parish Center. The topic will be Jacob and Esau: Conflict and Reconciliation, Genesis, chapters 26–33, and will continue on February 7^th and 14^th.

The John Paul II Reading Group meets about once a month at the Saint Rita Rectory to discuss classic Catholic writings. The next meeting will be Saturday, February 20th at 6:30 PM and the book for this month is Kristin Lavransdatter, Part II: The Wife by Sigrid Undset, the winner of the 1928 Nobel Prize for Literature. The Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy, written from 1920–1922, is about the fortunes of a Norwegian noblewoman and her family in the 14th century as Christianity is still overcoming the country’s pagan past. For more information about the reading group, please call Father Horkan at 703-836-1640.

Looking for a way to give back? Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington invites retirees, semi-retirees and seniors to donate their time and talent to serve others. The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) helps you match your interests and availability with the needs of the community. For more information, contact Bill Kelly at 703-841-3831, or email wkelly@ccda.net.

TWO PRAYERS — by Andrew Gillies

Last night my little boy confessed to me some childish wrong; and kneeling at my knee, he prayed with tears — “Dear God, make me a man like daddy — wise and strong; I know you can.”

Then while he slept I knelt beside his bed, confessed my sins, and prayed with low-bowed head, “O God, make me a child like my child here — pure, guileless, trusting Thee with faith sincere.”

THE AUTHENTICATION OF MIRACLES

The last two articles described the process the Church uses to canonize saints, which includes the confirmation of miracles performed through the candidate’s intercession after his death. This article will cover the process the Church uses to investigate claims that a miracle was performed through the candidate’s intercession. As described below, it is a thorough and rigorous evaluation, and the Church only confirms a miracle when the evidence is clear.

When people wish for an event, which is usually a healing, to be declared miraculous, they contact the local bishop. If the bishop agrees, he appoints a court of experts, which includes both medical and theological professionals, to open an investigation. This court questions witnesses to see if it can determine exactly what happened. If the relevant facts are clearly established, the court also considers whether the event that could be a miracle both: (1) does not have a natural explanation; and (2) is theologically the sort of event that would be a miracle. One has to have clear facts regarding the event and the prayers for the proposed saint’s intercession, no natural explanation, and theological consistency for there to be an affirmative conclusion. Thus, for example, if the medical records are unclear, or it the connection to prayers with the proposed saint cannot be definitively established, the event could be a miracle, but the court cannot affirm it. Likewise, if a healing was astonishing, but could have occurred naturally, it also may be a miracle, but the court would not advance it as one. On the theological side, the court would not consider a proposed miracle if it involves an event that would not be the subject of divine intervention, such as the winning of a contest or sporting event. But if the court can establish the facts clearly and decides that the event (e.g. a cure or a vision) cannot be explained naturally and is consistent with the idea of a miracle, it would give an affirmative report to the bishop.

The bishop could then forward the report of the claimed miracle, with all of the records, to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in the Vatican. (Often, especially in the case of well known figures such as Pope John Paul II and Blessed Mother Theresa, there are so many reports of miracles that the Congregation only considers the most likely ones.) If the Congregation takes the case, it appoints a relator and two panels to investigate the claimed miracle. One panel is the Medical Consulta, which is composed of five scientific consultants, as well as two experts from the Congregation’s regular staff. The scientific consultants are chosen from a group of sixty outstanding professors, department heads of universities, or medical directors of leading hospitals. That panel meets to determine whether the event could have a natural explanation. If a majority concludes that the event has no natural explanation from modern science, the case then proceeds to the Theological Consulta. The Theological Consulta considers whether the facts can be clearly established, whether there is a clear connection to prayers for the intercession of the proposed saint, and whether the proposed miracle makes theological sense. If the majority of that panel agrees that the event was a miracle (from the proposed saint’s intercession), it then forwards all of the medical and theological findings to the panel of cardinals and bishops that is considering the declaration of a person to be a Blessed or a Saint. If that panel agrees with the findings, it then forwards the request to the Pope for his approval. When the Pope confirms a miracle, the faithful are not absolutely required to believe the event was in fact miraculous, but this process does give very strong evidence in that direction.

— Father Horkan