September 11, 2017 Volume 1 Issue 28
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Dear Friends,
On the 16th anniversary of September 11, may we reflect on the prayer below by the Holy Father, Pope Francis for peace and protection from violence and from terrorism.
We are still in need of Catechists for the 2017 - 2018 school year. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Lynn Jones, Director of Religious Education at 703-528-1300.
Don't forget to mark your calendar for the Parish picnic in two weeks on September 23, 2017. The picnic will begin at 6:00 p.m. Hope you can join us!
In Christ,
Rev. Robert J. Rippy
Rector
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Prayer for peace and protection from violence and from terrorism
O almighty and merciful God, Lord of the universe and of history. All that You have created is good and your compassion for the mistakes of mankind knows no limits. We come to You today to ask You to keep in peace the world and its people, to keep far away from it the devastating wave of terrorism, to restore friendship and instill in the hearts of your creatures the gift of trust and of readiness to forgive.
O Giver of life, we pray to You also for all those who have died as victims of brutal terrorist attacks. Grant them their eternal reward. May they intercede for the world that is torn apart by conflicts and disagreements.
O Jesus, Prince of Peace, we pray to You for the ones who have been wounded in these acts of inhuman violence: children and young people, old people and innocent people accidentally involved in evil. Heal their bodies and hearts; console them with Your strength and, at the same time, take away any hatred and a desire for revenge.
Holy Spirit Consoler, visit the families of the victims of terrorism, families that suffer through no fault of their own. Wrap them in the mantle of Your divine mercy. Make them find again in You and in themselves the strength and courage to continue to be brothers and sisters for others, above all for immigrants, giving witness to Your love by their lives.
Touch the hearts of terrorists so that they may recognize the evil of their actions and may turn to the way of peace and goodness, of respect for the life and for the dignity of every human being, regardless of religion, origin, wealth or poverty.
O God, Eternal Father, in Your mercy hear our prayer which we raise up to You amidst the deafening noise and desperation of the world. We turn to You with great hope, full of trust in Your infinite Mercy. Made strong by the examples of the blessed martyrs of Perú, Zbigniew and Michael, who have rendered courageous testimony to the Gospel, to the point of offering their blood, we entrust ourselves to the intercession of Your Most Holy Mother. We ask for the gift of peace and of the elimination from our midst of the sore of terrorism.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Please be advised that we may be at risk of not being able to hold some of our scheduled Religious Education classes. We are in urgent need of catechists and aides! Please contact Lynn Jones at (703)525-1300 or stm-dre@cathedralstm.org.
CCD Registrations have now closed. Classes begin on September 20 from 6:45-8:00 pm for all grades.
SPECIAL CONFIRMATION 2017 Meeting for students being Confirmed this fall is on Wednesday, Sept 13 from 6:45-8pm in Burke Hall.
Wed, Sept 13: Special Confirmation 2017 Meeting, Burke Hall, 6:45- 8:00pm
Wed, Sept 20: FIRST DAY OF CCD CLASSES, 6:45-8PM, School Cafeteria
Wed, Sept 27: CCD Classes, 6:45-8pm, School Cafeteria
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Add Your Voice As We Sing And Make Music To The Lord!
The SAINT THOMAS MORE CATHEDRAL CHOIR has limited openings for singers, especially tenors and basses. Choral experience, music reading ability, and the willingness to make a commitment are necessary requirements. Rehearsals begin on Thursday, September 14. For information call the Music Office at
(703) 524-2815
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Parish Picnic!
Oktoberfest is back! Please come and enjoy delicious food and great music…all for free! This is a wonderful parish event that draws crowds year after year, so come and join the party! When and where? Saturday, September 23
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from 6-9 in the church parking lot.
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Thank you for your generous contributions to last week’s special second collection for The Catholic University of America! Your support enables Catholic University to provide an education based in the Catholic intellectual tradition to the next generation of leadership for our Church and nation. You can learn more about your impact, and the University, at: collection.cua.edu.
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When you have to correct somebody - when they have done something against you, the Church, the world, etc., - you should first pray for them. Make sure you aren't correcting them out of your own faults. Then, do some sort of mortification for them. Finally, ask for the courage to go and bring up with them what it is they can do to be a better person and become a saint. And remember to be open if they do the same for you.
Fr. James Searby, Chaplain, George Mason University
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The Cathedral is inviting all of us to take another look at our Catholic Faith. If you are interested in re-discovering the truths of our Faith or if you are just curious to know a little more, you are invited to attend our classes for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, RCIA. The first class will be on tonight, September 11 at 7:30pm in the Cathedral. Please see the website for more details or contact Fr. Christensen at (703)525-1300.
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Two members of our parish, Michele Bueno and Sarah Reidy, are participating in Race for Seminarians, a fundraiser for the Diocese of Arlington Office of Vocations. They are asking for sponsorship as they prepare to run the Marine Corps 10k on October 22. Your donations to the Race for Seminarians contribute toward the costs of seminarian education as well as seminarian expenses not normally covered by the Diocese. To make a donation, please click on the following
link
. You can find Michele and Sarah in the drop down menu so that your contribution will be counted towards their fundraising targets.
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I'm excited to announce that Cathedral Youth Ministry is offering a pilgrimage to Rome for Easter 2018. This is a wonderful opportunity for youth and parents to experience the beauty of Rome and of our Catholic faith. The flyer is attached, but here are the basics:
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April 1-9, 2018 (we depart on the afternoon of Easter Sunday)
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Youth 6th grade and up are invited, must be accompanied by parent(s)
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Cost: $1800/person, includes airfare: $500 non-refundable deposit to reserve a spot is due by November 30. Space is limited: max group size is 24.
The trip will include a day trip to Assisi, general audience with Pope Francis, tours of many sites in Rome, and a lot more.
Please feel free to call or email if you have any questions. God bless all of you as you begin the new school year!
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Pancake Breakfasts are Back – Starting September 17.
The Knights of Columbus are hosting a Pancake Breakfast following 8:00, 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. Masses in Burke Hall on Sunday, September 17.
Please join your fellow parishioners for a great breakfast of Pancakes, Eggs, Sausage and Rolls.
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PRO-LIFE NEWS & NOTES
40 Days for Life is right around the corner, starting officially on Wednesday, September 27 but there will be a Prayer Vigil on Tuesday, September 26 at 7pm to kick-off the campaign. All events will take place at Falls Church Healthcare (FCHC), 900 S. Washington Street, Falls Church. STM will be covering hours on Mondays (October 2, 9,16, 23 and 30) for this campaign. Also, we have been asked to try to cover a
2 hour window, 2-4pm, on Tuesdays (October 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31), as well. Abortions happen on Tuesday afternoons at FCHC. It is well known that a strong pro-life presence in front of the abortion center discourages some women from going in the center and encourages others to rethink their decision to kill their baby. Either day, or both days or any day you can, you are invited to pray at FCHC.
COMING SOON! There will be a new way to register your time at FCHC during this 40 Days and it will be available on the Cathedral Connection under
"Pro-Life News and Notes". It's called SignUp Genius. More about that later.
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Introducing Walking with Purpose
Women’s Catholic Bible Study
Do you desire to grow in your Catholic faith? Do you seek connection with other women in our parish community? Are you searching for something more in your life? We invite you to consider joining Walking with Purpose this fall at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More. Weekly group sessions are
starting on Tuesday, 17 October.
Opening Your Heart
, our foundational study, is designed for women new to Walking with Purpose whether or not you have any Bible study experience; you are welcome as you are to learn how the Scriptures apply to our everyday lives.
Walking with Purpose is a women’s Catholic Bible study that aims to bring women to a closer relationship with Christ. Personal study and small group discussions at WWP each week link our everyday challenges with the solutions given to us through the teachings of Christ and the Catholic Church.
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If you would like to make an altar flower donation in memory of a loved one, or as a donation to the church for a Sunday or holy day, please call Barbara Ilacqua, 703-598-6210.
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Altar Server Schedule*
This Week
September 16
5:30 pm
Blue Mass with
Bishop Burbidge
Conor O’Connor
(C)
Bart Whelan (S)
Finnbarr O’Reilly (S)
Sean Menacho (V)
Leonardo Ochoa (V)
September 17
8:00 am
Salvador Perez
Thomas Howard
Derek Novello
9:30 am
Luciano Mateo
James Pohl
Joe Young
11:00 am
John McCreery
Creighton Quaadman
Danny Rogers
5:00 pm
Jack St. Pierre
Patrick Darnell
Peter Darnell
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Celebrating A Silver or Golden Wedding Anniversary This Year? Were you married in 1967 or 1992? Then join Bishop Michael F. Burbidge for the 2017 Marriage Jubilee Mass to be celebrated on Sunday, October 15th at 2:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church in Potomac Falls, Va.
Contact the parish office to register no later than September 22nd. For more info, visit www.arlingtondiocese.org/MJM.
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Volunteers are Needed to Teach English on Sunday afternoon. Come join a team of energetic, creative, and happy people in teaching English to our Spanish members. Have fun, be blessed, and learn some Spanish along the way. If you enjoy working with people and changing their life this is an opportunity to serve our Lord. You will be trained how to teach a foreign language to adults. Volunteers are needed on Sunday afternoons from 2pm to 4pm, and/or on Tuesday from 7pm to 9pm. A minimum commitment of one year is needed. Please call Nanda at 703-524-9827 from 7pm to 9pm or email nanda@tjpa.com
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Please support the St. Thomas More Cathedral School by collecting “Box Tops for Education”! It’s easy to do – Just clip out the brightpink, rectangle “Box Tops” logos found on many packages of common household and food items, and then bring them to the Cathedral. Each logo is worth 10 cents, and they quickly add up. Last school year, parishioners and school families raised over $1,300 for the school from this program. You can drop off logos in the collection basket or in the specially marked box in Burke Hall. For a list of participating products or other details on clipping logos, visit www.boxtops4education.com. Thank you for supporting this effort!
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Post-Abortion Healing Retreat for Women
An Entering Canaan Day of Prayer & Healing for women who have experienced abortion will be held on Saturday, September 30, 2017. Come begin your healing journey and experience God's hope and mercy. You are not alone. There is hope. There is healing. For further information and confidential registration, please contact Project Rachel at 888-456-HOPE (4673) or info@helpafterabortion.org.
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Future with Hope Women's Conference
Catholic women over 40:
Register now for the Future with Hope women’s conference October 20-21, 2017, at the Falls Church Marriott Fairview Park! Speakers include Arlington Catholic Herald columnist Mary Beth Bonacci; Pat Gohn, author of All In: Why Belonging to the Catholic Church Matters and Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious: Celebrating the Gift of Catholic Womanhood, and Mary Lenaburg, Blessed Is She blogger. Learn more at www.futurewithhopewomen.com or email info@futurewithhopewomen.com.
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Save the Date! Diocesan Pilgrimage 2017
Join Bishop Burbidge for the 2017 Diocesan Pilgrimage to the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, on Saturday, October 14.
Our Diocesan Pilgrimage falls during the 100th anniversary of the apparitions in Fatima, when Our Lady called for worldwide prayers for peace. The theme for this year is “Totus Tuus; We are totally yours, Mary.”
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Cathedral Connection Submissions
Items for the Cathedral Connection
must be submitted to stmparishoffice@cathedralstm.org by noon each Friday in order to be included in the following week's edition. Items received after this deadline will be held until the following issue.
Thank you for your cooperation.
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"I do not care very much what men say of me, provided that God approves of me."
- St. Thomas More
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