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Sunday, February 21, 2010
FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
PASSION OF CHRIST, STRENGTHEN US!

THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, THE CHAIR OF ST. PETER

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, ST. POLYCARP, BISHOP & MARTYR

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, LENTEN WEEKDAY

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, LENTEN WEEKDAY

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, LENTEN WEEKDAY

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, LENTEN WEEKDAY

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT

THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS are prayed each Friday during Lent at 1:30 PM (with the school children), 7:30 PM (English), and 8:30 PM (Spanish)

The Stations of the Cross is a highly indulgenced devotion. Many of the Saints prayed the Stations each day of the year and encouraged others to do the same. — Our Lord told Saint Maria Faustina (of the Divine Mercy devotion) the meditating on His Passion for one hour was of more profit to the soul than a whole year of the most severe penance that drew blood! (Emphasis ours)

The light is ON for You — Celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation: Please look for the blue & gold pamphlets entitled: RECONCILIATION — A Short Guide. They are available in each vestibule, compliments of the Diocese of Arlington.

Charity is Faith in Action

2010 Bishop’s Lenten Appeal: Special THANKS! to all those who made a donation or pledge during last week’s Commitment Sunday. It’s never too late to do so! Additional pledge envelopes are available in the parish office during business hours, Monday–Friday from 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM. Pledge envelopes can also be found in the Russell Road vestibule: Look for the over-sized blue basket!

As of February 11^th, we’ve reached 16% of our goal of $103,000, with 3% of our households participating (34 pledges). It will be some time yet before our Commitment Sunday totals will be included in the Diocesan Summary Reports.

✞ In June 2004, Bishop Loverde began a series of diocesan-sponsored Masses to pray for healing for victims/survivors of sexual abuse. “We so desire that you will experience healing and a new beginning.” Bishop Loverde said. “We carry you in our prayers to the Lord and ask Him to heal you as He alone can.” These Masses are an opportunity for the community of faith to come together to pray for victim/survivors of abuse, their families and the entire Catholic community. — A Bilingual Mass for these intentions will be held at St. Rita Parish on Wednesday, March 10^th at 7:30 PM, with Bishop Loverde as celebrant.

Father Horkan’s Bible Study Series will continue its present study this Sunday, February 21^st, and next Sunday, February 28^th at 7:30 PM in the Parish Center: Jacob and Esau — Conflict and Reconciliation, Genesis, chapters 26–33. — The next series will begin on April 11^th : Jacob and His Sons, Genesis, chapters 29–30, 34–37.

(This is a change from the original schedule.)

Our monthly SING-A-LONG at Envoy Nursing Home, located at 900 Virginia Avenue in Alexandria, is scheduled for this Thursday, February 25^th, starting at 3:00 PM. Our elderly neighbors could certainly use the warmth of your company and song during these cold winter days! God bless you.

** FINANCIAL UPDATES WILL BE POSTED IN NEXT WEEK’S BULLETIN! Offertory Pledge cards are available in each vestibule, or call Joanne at 703-836-1640, ext. 10 for assistance..

Respect Life News

Special Respect Life Event PLEASE JOIN US! 40 Days for Life — Feb. 17–March 28

40 Days for Life is an extraordinary opportunity to stand up for the culture of life. Join us by praying the Holy Rosary, respectfully, at the Duke Street abortion facility (same location as our 4^th Saturday Rosary). It only takes an hour, or as much or as little time as you can devote. Saint Rita will sponsor one day, February 27^th — the same day as our Respect Life Mass and Rosary. Be sure to sign-up for this date. The hours are from 7:00 AM until 10:00 PM. For more information, go to www.40daysforlife.com/alexandria — To sign-up, go to www.vigilcalendar.com/alexandria — If you have any questions or concerns, contact Heide Seward at 703-323-0181, 703-673-8758 or hwseward@verizon.net.

ASK A PRIEST NIGHT
You’ve got questions?
We’ve got more answers!!

Ask a Priest Night will be held on Sunday, March 7^th at 7:00 PM in the School Hall. We have a brand new format this year allowing for more questions, with our very own answer-men, Fr. Donahue, Fr. Horkan and Fr. Perez accepting the challenge! Please join us for a lively, informative, and candid discussion about the Catholic Faith during this adults only evening. Wine and cheese will be served!

Place your questions in the box provided in the Russell Road vestibule, or bring them with you on March 7^th. Don’t miss this very popular annual event. Your invited guests are most welcome!

Men (18+) interested in the 2010 Men’s Conference sponsored by the Diocese of Arlington, and scheduled for Saturday, March 13^th at St. Joseph’s Hall in Herndon — can find detailed information on our web page in the February 14^th bulletin … or look for the flyer found on each side vestibule bulletin board.

What are you doing for Lent? On-line seminar from Catholic Distance University: The Last Words of Christ, March 8–29. The Passion of our Lord culminates with His suffering and death on the Cross. This three–week, online seminar from Catholic Distance University will focus on the Seven Last Words of Christ, as recorded in the Gospels. These short sentences offer a glimpse into our Lord’s heart and capture the torment, mercy, physical suffering, and isolation He endured during His final hours on earth. — CDU is recognized as the online partner with the Diocese of Arlington for catechists’ formation. Bishop Loverde serves as Chairman on the CDU Board. Learn more at www.cdu.edu or contact CDU at 1-888-254-4238, ext. 700.

CDU and EWTN — Tune in Sunday nights at 9:00 PM for the EWTN Radio’s new show, CDU Presents. Father Bevil Bramwell will present a series of weekly broadcasts that look at Church teachings on several current topics. Listeners can earn undergraduate and graduate credits for these radio seminars. Shows are also available in the EWTN audio libraries. Visit www.cdu.edu for details, to enroll, and for links to the EWTN library.

LITURGICAL COLORS

The last two articles have described the Church seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and Ordinary Time, and some different types of days during the years. This article and the next will describe the liturgical colors of those days and seasons. The liturgical color for a day or season is used for the priest’s vestments and often for Church decorations, and related adornments. In the Latin rite that we are used to, there are four primary liturgical colors, violet, white (or gold), red and green, and two secondary colors, rose and black.

Violet is the color for Advent, Lent, other occasions of penance such as Reconciliation. Thus, the priests started wearing violet vestments last Wednesday (Ash Wednesday) when Lent began. For Lent, the color represents penance and morning, as it is often the sky’s color when the sun is just below the horizon. It reflects the desire to share with Jesus His suffering and to be cleansed of sins through repentance. For Advent, there is also a notion of penance and longing, but also combined with violet as the ancient symbol of royalty, which kings and queens used to wear. For in Advent, we reflect upon the ancient Jews’ longing for the promised Messiah and our longing for Jesus and King of heaven and earth. The two seemingly very different meanings are joined in Jesus as He suffered and so won a kingdom, both for His own human nature and for us. Likewise, it is precisely by repenting of sins and joining in the suffering of Christ that we share in His kingdom. Violet may also be used at funerals and other Masses for the dead, symbolizing the mourning at death, and the confidence that through penance we can assist the dead in arriving in His everlasting kingdom.

The color white reflects glory, joy, holiness and purity. It is thus the color for the Christmas season, when we celebrate the birth of Christ and His early life, and of the Easter season, a time of rejoicing at His Resurrection and presence with us. It is also the color of glorious days such as the solemnities of Corpus Christi (the Eucharist) and Trinity and is used for the days of angels and of saints who did not die as martyrs; as such, it symbolizes their heroic sanctity and glory now in heaven. As the symbol of joy, white is also the usual color for such festive occasions as weddings, baptisms, ordinations, graduations, and the blessing of a church. Because Mary is the queen of heaven and earth, white is the color for Marian days and devotions, such as the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption, usually with the addition of blue for her in particular. White can also be the color for funerals, reflecting hope in the resurrection. For particularly high days or events, such as Christmas and Easter, gold can be combined with white to show even greater glory.

Red is the color for the Holy Spirit and for martyrs, those who died for the faith. Red symbolizes the spiritual fire of the Holy Spirit and is thus the color for Confirmations, including that of our parishioners last Monday, and for Pentecost, when Christ sent the Holy Spirit upon His people ten days after the Ascension. For martyrs, red symbolizes their courage and the blood they shed for the faith, which consecrated their lives and their lands for Christ. For both the celebration of the Holy Spirit and the martyrs, red also represents the fire of charity that should inspire all Christians.

For most of the year, we use the color green heavily; and for some particular occasions, we employ rose or black. Next week’s article will describe those colors, along with some comments on the idea of penance during Lent.

— Father Horkan