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Sunday, March 7, 2010
THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS

MONDAY, MARCH 8, ST. JOHN OF GOD, RELIGIOUS

TUESDAY, MARCH 9, ST. FRANCES OF ROME, RELIGIOUS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, LENTEN WEEKDAY

THURSDAY, MARCH 11, LENTEN WEEKDAY

FRIDAY, MARCH 12, LENTEN WEEKDAY

SATURDAY, MARCH 13, LENTEN WEEKDAY

SUNDAY, MARCH 14, FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Love of Jesus Crucified — Another good way to keep the spirit of Lent which is the spirit of Christ Crucified, is to pray the Stations of the Cross daily, and to encourage others to do the same.

THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS…

…in Saint Rita Parish are prayed each Friday of Lent at 1:30 PM (with the school children), 7:30 PM (English), and 8:30 PM (Spanish). The one exception will be Friday, March 19^th, the Feast of Saint Joseph. (See this week’s bulletin flyer & ad for details.)

Observing Lent: Feeding the Hungry — Increased demand has reduced the Catholic Charities food pantry at Christ House. They need our help! Please bring non-perishable food items to St. Rita Church on the weekend of March 13–14. Vans will be parked outside of church before and after all Masses to receive your donations. Grocery store gift cards are also welcome and will help purchase formula, milk, and other perishable items.

2010 Bishop’s Lenten Appeal: As of March 2^nd , Saint Rita Parish has reached 37% of its goal of $103,000, with 7% of our households pledging (76 pledges). It’s never too late to pledge; additional pledge cards can be found in the Russell Road vestibule. Place your completed envelope in the collection basket, or drop off at the rectory office. May God reward you!

PARISH SOUP SUPPER HONORING SAINT JOSEPH As we continue our Lenten journey of prayer, fasting, and spiritual renewal in preparation for Easter, let us gather together as a parish family for a meal of soup, bread, and a special dessert in honor of Saint Joseph, the Foster Father of our Redeemer and the Universal Patron of the Catholic Church. We will meet for supper in the Parish Center on Friday, March 19th, beginning at 6:00 PM, followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the church at 7:30 PM. Prayers in honor of Saint Joseph will be prayed at that time. Please join us for this special Lenten event!

PARISH HAPPENINGS

Ask A Priest Night is scheduled for this Sunday, March 7^th at 7:00 PM in the School Hall. This is an adults only evening with wine and cheese being served. NEW format will allow for more questions this year! Don’t miss this very popular annual event.

Saint Rita School warmly invites you to their Open House scheduled for Monday, March 15^th, beginning promptly at 10:00 AM with a presentation by school Principal, Mrs. Mary Pat Schlickenmaier. A tour of the school will follow. School application packets are available at the school information table in the Russell Road vestibule of the church. For a list of required documents and to download an application form, please visit their website at www.saintrita-school.org — or call Josephine Cunningham at 703-548-1888, ext. 32 for information.

YOUTH GROUP! It’s Party Time! Join us on Saturday, March 20^th from 6–9:30 PM in the School Hall for all your favorites — food, games, and prizes! What could be better? E-mail Christy at rich.kristina@gmail.com to RSVP, and with any questions.

The Respect Life Mass for March is scheduled for Saturday, March 27^th at 8:00 AM. The Rosary will follow at approx. 8:45 AM at the Duke Street abortion facility. Our Respect Life intention for March is for all fathers and fathers-to-be, that through the intercession of Saint Joseph, Foster Father of our Redeemer, they may gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of their decisive role in the family.

Father Horkan’s Bible Study Series will resume on Sunday, April 11^th with the study of Jacob and His Sons, Genesis, chapters 29–30, 34–37. The Bible Study Series meets in the Parish Center Conference Room at 7:30 PM.

Our CCD Program has gratefully found a Pre-Confirmation teacher, but there is a need for other teachers as well. If you can help, please call Parish DRE, Betsy Nunn at 703-836-1356.

The Vocation Crucifix Sign-up Book can be found in the Russell Road vestibule. You can also sign-up for the week of your choice by contacting Kelly and Nancy McKeague, mckeague6@cox.net or by calling 703-768-1474. Note bulletin board ad in each side vestibule.

The Light is ON for You.

Look for the blue and gold pamphlets entitled Reconciliation — A Short Guide located in each of the vestibules. They include the following: How to Make a Good Confession, an Examination of Conscience, and the Rite of Reconciliation (what happens in the confessional itself). The Act of Contrition is also included.

Saint Rita Parish confession times:

Saturday at 8:30 AM (after the 8:00 Mass)
Saturday from 3:30–4:30 PM — and from 7:00–8:00 PM
Monday at 8:15 PM (after the 7:30 Mass)

Additional Confession times will be available as
we draw closer to Holy Week.

Our Lord subjected His might, and they seized Him,
so that through His living death He might give life to Adam.
He gave His hands to be pierced by nails
to make up for the hand which plucked the fruit.
He was struck on His cheek in the judgment room
to make up for the mouth that ate in Eden.
And while Adam’s foot was free, His feet were pierced.
Our Lord was stripped that we might be clothed.
With the gall and vinegar He sweetened
the poison of the serpent which had bitten man.

— St. Ephrem (A Syrian deacon who wrote around 360 A.D.)

Saint Agnes Parish in Arlington has need of more adorers for their Perpetual Adoration Chapel. Current hours of URGENT need include: Tuesday from 11 AM–Noon, and from 3–4 PM; Wednesday from Midnight–1 AM, and from 1–2 AM; and Saturday from 2–3, 3–4, and 4–5 AM (3 hours needed), and also on Saturday from Noon–1 PM. Without a sufficient number of adorers, especially the Saturday Midnight/early am hours, St. Agnes may have to repose the Blessed Sacrament during these times, making the chapel no longer “perpetual.” — Saint Agnes Church is located at 2002 N. Randolph Street in Arlington. They can be reached at 703-243-4793, or e-mail at parishoffice.stagnes@verizon.net.

Men (18+) interested in the 2010 Men’s Conference sponsored by the Diocese of Arlington, and scheduled for Saturday, March 13^th at St. Joe’s Hall in Herndon: Note flyer posted in each side vestibule.

THE LIFE OF SAINT PAUL – PART I

On Sunday night, we will host our annual Ask the Priest night, with all adults welcome to present questions to Fr. Donahue, Fr. Perez and myself. We will try to answer as many questions as possible, but last March we did not get to all of them; and some of the articles from the past year have responded to those questions. We still have three questions on very different topics left from last year’s Ask the Priest night, one about St. Paul, one about the selection of bishops and one about the Freemasons. This article will tackle the first question, and the life of St. Paul generally; and we will try to get to the other two questions at this weekend’s session.

Saint Paul was born around 10 A.D. in Tarsus, which was a prominent international city in the southeast of Asia Minor (roughly modern day Turkey), and a center of trade and culture. He was presumably from a devout and well-educated family; and, being a free-born member of a city favored by Rome, he was a Roman citizen. His family named him Saul, but he probably used the name Paul in dealing with non-Jews even then. (It was common for Jews in the ancient world to have two names, one Hebrew and one Latin or Greek, as with the Apostle named both Levi and Matthew.) He appears to have been a very religious and intelligent youth, studying with Gamaliel, a leading Jewish scholar of the time.

At the time of Christ’s death, Resurrection and Ascension, Saul was already prominent in Jewish leadership and of the Pharisee party, those who kept the Jewish law very strictly and tried to avoid dealings with outsiders. While Jesus criticized Pharisees frequently, He did support their teaching office. See, e.g., Matt. 23:1–2. There were in fact some very devout Pharisees, and the Bible refers favorably to such Pharisees as Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea and Gamaliel himself. See, e.g., Matt. 27:18–30; Mark 15:43; Luke 23:50–53; John 3:1–21; Acts 5:34–35. Not comprehending the truth of Christ, Saul was furious at the early Christians, thinking they were corrupting Judaism. He was involved in the murder of the deacon St. Stephen within the first two years of the Church; and he obtained authority from the leaders in Jerusalem to arrest Christians.

About the year 35 A.D., Saul was traveling from Jerusalem to Damascus, the capital of Syria, to find Christians there, when a flash of light appeared and threw him to the ground. In that light, Jesus appeared and spoke to him, convincing Saul to accept the truth and become Christian. Saul, now temporarily blinded, continued to Damascus to find a Christian leader named Ananias, to whom God had spoken about Saul. Ananias cured Saul’s blindness and explained the gospel of Christ to him. Saul was baptized and soon began making converts in Damascus. He then made a three year retreat during which he grew deeply in prayer and knowledge of the faith. At the end of that time, he returned to Damascus and then Jerusalem to confer with the Apostles. Confirming his understanding and witness of the faith, the Apostles sent him back to Tarsus, but a missionary named Barnabas soon brought him to Antioch, a costal city to the north of Israel, to help evangelize there. After Barnabas and Saul completed a relief mission for the Church, around 44–45 A.D., the Holy Spirit guided the Apostles to lay hands on them (apparently ordaining them bishops) and send them off on their great missions to the nations. At this point, the Acts of the Apostles begins referring to Saul as Paul, possibly because this name was given at the consecration but likely because Paul would now be ministering to Gentile nations and thus used more often his Latin or Greek name. Next week’s article will describe the great missions of Saint Paul.

— Father Horkan