Dear Brothers and Sisters of St. Andrew the Apostle,

Our 40 Hours Eucharistic Adoration and Closing Mass for the Feast of our patron St. Andrew's was wonderful, and I cannot wait to see the spiritual gifts awaiting our parish as a result. When we spend time in Adoration before our Lord, we cannot help but be transformed. Thanks to Fr. Hathaway for preaching at our closing Mass, to Bill Miller and the choir for leading us in song, to our Called By Name committee for a wonderful reception, and the parish office staff for providing the liturgical programs! Special thanks to Fr. Smith for spearheading the 40 Hours celebration and carrying it out so well, and to Mark Sobczynski, our sacristan, who oversaw all of the details that made our liturgies so beautiful. We're blessed to have so many people sharing their talents to give glory to God and foster communion here at St. Andrew's. My prayer is that this continues to grow and that we become more alive in the faith and as a community of believers supporting and encouraging each other to be great saints!

Our annual Advent Penance Service will be this Sunday, December 5, at 7:00 PM. We will have a few visiting priests in attendance to help us out for those who would rather avoid Fr. Smith and me. This is a great opportunity for the coming of Christmas and the end of the year: to examine our conscience, confess our sins, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in the ways of truth.

This weekend Bob Mueller, the CFO of the Diocese of Arlington, will be speaking after all of the Masses about the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington collection which will take place next weekend (December 11-12). The CCDA provides a great variety of ministries throughout the Diocese, and I encourage you to give. We are a very generous parish, which is evident in our Western Fairfax Christian Ministry donations, participation in our Advent Giving Tree drive, and so many other ways. This is a sign of a healthy faith - that we are generous in supporting the mission of our parish and generous in supporting those who are in need.

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is December 8. It is a Holy Day of Obligation. We will have a vigil Mass on Tuesday, December 7, at 7:00 PM. on Wednesday, December 8, we will have Masses at 6:30 AM, 9:00 AM (which is our school Mass), 12:00 noon, and 7:00 PM.

December 8 also ends the Year of St. Joseph proclaimed by Pope Francis last year. Please read his apostolic letter, Patris Corde, which speaks of the sanctity and heroic virtues of St. Joseph, the patron of the Church. One of the most poignant truths of St. Joseph is that there is so little recorded of him after the infancy of Christ - he only appears when Christ is twelve years old and lost in the Temple. None of the words of this great saint are recorded in the Gospels. He is a quiet, almost hidden man in history, but we know that it was he whom God chose to protect and care for the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ, his Son. In a culture where we seek to be heard, seen, and remembered, it is fruitful to ponder this holy man of God who carried out his sacred mission as a husband and father with little fanfare, serving Jesus and Mary with humility and selflessness.

During the Year of St. Joseph, we moved his statue from the table below Mary to a place of honor on the left side of the sanctuary. For the Masses of the Immaculate Conception and the end of the Year of St. Joseph, we will add decorations to add beauty and symmetry to the whole sanctuary.

Many other events are happening in the coming weeks - more than I can include here (and still have room to provide an update on the Ravens). Please click the link for the bulletin below and our parish website - which includes a link to our Advent & Christmas Calendar - to see what is happening, including an Advent Holy Hour this coming Thursday at 7:00 PM hosted by our Women's Sodality.

Finally, the Ravens. Last week they played a horrible-looking game in which their quarterback, Lamar Jackson, threw four interceptions and they only scored one touchdown. Despite this, they beat the Cleveland Browns 16-10. There always seems to be a miraculous element of their win, and this time it was that they were the first team since 2013 to win a game in which their quarterback threw four interceptions. Since that time, teams had been 0-42 in such games until the Ravens won that game last Sunday.

I continue to be impressed with the social media department for including religious content in their videos. After the victory, they posted the locker room speech that included the team kneeling and praying the Lord's Prayer. It makes a fan proud. In other somewhat wholesome news, head coach John Harbaugh announced that he watches Hallmark Channel movies. "It makes me feel good about the world. It's either that or the news. It's an easy choice." While I don't watch Hallmark movies (yet), I appreciate his wisdom!

Be sure to make time this Advent Season to prepare your hearts for Christ. God bless you all and be assured of my prayers!

In Christ,
Fr. Wagner

PS - The purple background in the newsletter this week is for Advent, not the Ravens. Unless you're a Steelers fan; then it's definitely for the Ravens.