For information about all of the news and events at the parish, please read the bulletin or our parish website. Here's a glimpse of what's coming up:

Today, March 25, is the Solemnity of the Annunciation, when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Blessed Virgin Mary to announce that she would be the mother of the Savior. We rejoice that Mary cooperated with God's plan, generously offering to God her whole life, and we ask that through her powerful intercession, we may follow her example of humility and generosity and bring Christ to the world through our words and actions!

Today is also our annual retreat for children preparing for Confirmation this spring. It will include the 9:00 AM Mass, followed by talks, Eucharistic Adoration, and Confession. Please pray for them and those of us who are preparing them for this glorious sacrament. Offer special prayers for Patty Laing and her staff who work so hard to prepare our children for the sacraments. May those who will be sealed with the Holy Spirit this May be vessels for the Holy Spirit to live through freely, courageously, and joyfully!

I thank Fr. James Searby for his excellent sermons during our parish mission last week. He deepened our understanding of the spiritual life and gave us a greater longing to be closer to God through prayer, especially contemplative prayer. It was truly a blessing for the parish. For those who were not able to attend, you can find a recording of his talks on his podcast, "Holiness for the Working Day."

On Tuesday morning we discovered that someone vandalized our Schoenstatt Shrine, smashing most of the painted cement blocks that make up the beads for the Rosary Walk. We are filing a report with Fairfax County Police. The image of the Blessed Mother in the shrine was not touched, thanks be to God. Please pray for those who vandalized this sacred place, for Karen Pichocki, the caretaker of the shrine, and for Sam Mauk and her family, whose work beautifying the shrine last year was destroyed by this senseless act.

We call the Blessed Mother "Our Lady of Sorrow." She can handle this. We pay for her intercession so that we can respond with charity and mercy, and spread devotion to her for our good and the good of all the world.

When you enter the church for Mass this weekend, you will notice that we have covered the statues - or at least most of them. We have plans to cover the main crucifix and the statues located in the niches of our sanctuary, but my choice is to wait until we make fitted coverings for all of our statues in the Lenten color of violet. That will take quite an effort because we have a lot of statues. If you would like to be a part of making this happen next year, Deacon Mark Sobczynski will be organizing the effort.

We cover our statues on the 5th Sunday of Lent, a week before Palm Sunday (or Passion Sunday). Last Sunday we wore rose vestments to mark the joy for which we prepare this Lent. This Sunday we set our eyes on Christ's passion and death. The covered statues remind us that the glory to come is still veiled from our eyes, for we live in the world of sin and sorrow where our incarnate Lord was tortured and hung on a cross to die. In the coming weeks, we will walk with Christ as He takes on the darkness of sin and death and offers us salvation through His Passion, death, and Resurrection. May we walk with Him to Calvary with eyes fixed on the Cross, repentant in our sins and ready to offer them to our crucified Lord so that we may be washed by his Precious Blood and united with Him who conquers sin and death.

As we near the most sacred time of the year, be assured of my prayers for you. Please pray for me and for each other.