April 2022
St. John Neumann Catholic Community
Staffed by Oblates of St. Francis de Sales
Current Mass Times
Saturday: 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: 7:30am, 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m. (español), 5:00pm
Monday-Friday: 9:00 a.m.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 12:10pm (Most Weeks - Check Bulletin)

Confession
Saturday: 10:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. (English)
Wednesdays (During Lent) 6:30pm-8:00pm
Sunday: 3:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. (español)
Pastor's Perspective
April
Dear Friends,
 
As I write this month’s column, it feels more like the middle of winter than the first few days of spring. So goes Old Man Winter. Looking back over the years, the month of March tends to be unpredictable weather-wise and other ways. The Cherry Blossoms have already fully blossomed and are beginning to fade away. 
 
March Madness, the pinnacle of college basketball for men and women, is coming to a finale this weekend after many big upsets and exciting buzzer games. Whoever thought of St Peter’s as a powerhouse in basketball, much less making it all the way to the “final eight?” So much for predictability.
 
How is your Lent going as we approach the final stretch? I know for myself that what began as good intentions of certain practices that I would strive for this Lent fell a bit to the wayside, and perhaps I was not as diligent in my effort as I thought I would be. However, not all is lost. There is still time. Even if it is to reflect on what I did or didn’t do that attributed to not staying faithful to my Lenten intentions, often, we can learn from our failings. 
 
No matter where you might be on your Lenten journey, and for that matter, in your faith life, there is a great opportunity afforded to all of us as we approach Palm Sunday and Holy Week. Perhaps leading up to this special week in the life of the Church, each of us can take time to examine our relationship with Christ, for which this season should be the focus. Doing this should invite us to examine our relationship with the Church and with those in our lives. Are there relationships where I might need to seek reconciliation? Do I need to see myself in a new light; where might I need to change?
 
It is my hope that we are open to the power and beauty of Holy Week. It is a time to be transformed in some way by the light of Christ. For me, a key factor in focusing on this transformation in the light of Christ is my openness to the Holy Spirit at work in my life. This is the area in which I need to pay closer attention. Where do I need to be more authentic in my own life so that I can be open to the Holy Spirit’s guidance in all my relationships, especially my relationship to self? I urge you to take some quiet time in the days ahead and simply bask in the unconditional love and mercy that our God through his Son wants all of us to experience.
 
 I hope you will embrace this upcoming Holy Week with fellow parishioners and especially the Easter Triduum and be open to the graces and transformation that this time offers.
 
Live Jesus,
Fr. Joe 
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month
April is National Child Abuse Prevention month so this month you’ll see our Pinwheels for Prevention gardens on the church grounds. The pinwheels represent childlike whimsy and lightheartedness and our vision for a world where all children grow up happy, healthy. The pinwheels are a reminder that we all play a role in children’s lives and we each have a responsibility to help prevent child abuse.

Child abuse and neglect affects over 1 million children every year. According to Virginia.gov, a child dies from abuse every fourteen days in the Commonwealth. Abuse can occur in many forms: neglect (the most common form), physical abuse and sexual abuse immediately come to mind but psychological and emotional abuse is also all too common. The latter two don’t show the typical outward scars, but are often comparably damaging. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) increases the odds of developing later health problems, poor work performance, substance abuse, death by suicide, and the carrying on of a tradition of abuse to the next generation. Primary prevention includes raising awareness, providing education and offering programs that support parents and families. These prevention measures are especially important during a pandemic.

This month ACTION and the Health Ministry will be focusing on these issues to bring awareness and provide support.

To report child abuse or find support, call 703-324-7400.
To learn more about the ACTION Committee’s initiatives, visit saintjn.org/action/ or email Dennis at SJNAction@gmail.com

Catechetical Corner
Half-Day Retreat
"Learning to Walk in the Rain"

By Mickie Abatemarco

On Saturday, May 7, from 9:00am to 1:00pm, Tom Kendzia and ValLimar Jansen will offer a morning retreat in our de Sales’ Chapel, “Learning to Walk in the Rain.” The hosts will help us learn how to thrive in difficult times. The registration fee is $20. If you are interested in attending, please register with Mickie Abatemarco, our Director of Faith Formation, at mabatemarco@saintjn.org or at 703-390-2340.
 
The Triduum
"Three Days to Save"
On Sunday, April 10, we will celebrate Palm Sunday of the Passion of our Lord, the official start to Holy Week. Then, on April 14, at the Mass of the Lord's Supper, we will enter into the holy and solemn days of the Sacred Paschal Triduum - the three days which celebrate Jesus' passion, death, and resurrection.

If you would like to learn more about the Triduum, what each day recognizes, and how we celebrate it, please take a moment to enjoy this wonderfully informative short work entitled "Three Days to Save." You can find it here.

We hope that your observance and celebration of the days of the Triduum fully prepare you to joyfully proclaim that Christ is Risen, Alleluia!
Staff Spotlight
Amelia Gil-Figueroa
What do you do here at SJN and how does your skillset help our parish?

I am the Music and Liturgy “Program Specialist,” but basically, I’m an administrator for the Music and Liturgy office, helping Tricia and CJ with everything. I make seasonal worship aids, produce the scripts that the priests and lectors use at Mass, distribute music to the choir, and do other things in-between to make the liturgy more beautiful and meaningful for the SJN community!"

As a younger person, what influences have most developed your faith life and what advice would you have for your peers who may be looking to strengthen their faith lives?

"I would say community and my mom! Growing up, my mom was supportive of us diving deeper and exploring on our own how to best live out the Gospel. I was heavily involved in a faith community throughout high school, college, and graduate school. Being part of a faith community helped keep me grounded while learning about the many beautiful aspects of our faith, learning how to share that love with young people, and finding what most drew me to in my worship - adoration, confession, and the Divine Mercy Chaplet particularly. To my peers, I would say, "find your people." Being Catholic, there are a lot of us out in the world – but finding those people with whom you can share the daily/weekly moments and around whom you can be authentically and fully yourself can make a living and be "Church" in the world that much easier."

We have heard you are a highly trained opera singer. What has been your most memorable/favorite role and why?

"Haha! Umm… I haven’t gotten the chance to perform that many roles, but I think my favorite so far has been Donna Elvira from Mozart’s Don Giovanni. She’s just kind of all over the place and bounces around from detesting the title character to loving him, back to hating him, then just wanting him to save his soul. She has some hilarious moments and some beautiful vocal lines; she’s challenging vocally and complex emotionally. She is one of the top 10 female opera roles for me!"

When not working, what do you do to pass time? Favorite Hobbies?

So I sing, obviously, and have a weekend church gig. I’m a holiday crocheter, an occasional baker, and am learning Korean slowly and painstakingly. I also like reading and love watching fútbol with my dad and older brother – Go Spurs!

Who is your favorite Saint and why?

I have a whole litany of favorite saints, so that's a tough question! One of my current top five is Blessed Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Santiago. He's the only Puerto-Rican Blessed, and I'm half Puerto-Rican, so he's near and dear to my Boricua heart. He was sickly by nature, so he couldn't become a priest as he wanted but spent most of his life as a lay minister teaching the people about the liturgy. Pre Vatican II, he would translate church documents and the Mass into Spanish for his parish and taught people the importance and, more significantly, a love of the liturgy. He also led a group of young adults and passed on his love for the liturgy to young people. His favorite day was the Easter Vigil, saying that as Catholics, "Vivimos para esa noche!", "We live for this night!"

Holy Week, the Triduum, and Easter
at St. John Neumann

Sunday, April 10
Palm Sunday/Domingo de Ramos
Palms Distributed at all Masses
Distribución de palmas en todas las misas 

Thursday, April 14
Holy Thursday of the Lord's Supper

Mass of the Lord's Supper
Misa de la Cena del Señor/Jueves Santo
7:30pm

Altar of Repose and Adoration
altar de reposo y adoración
de Sales Chapel Capilla de Sales
8:45pm—Midnight

Friday, April 15
Good Friday of our Lord's Passion
Viernes Santo de la Pasión del Señor

Morning Prayer
Oración de la mañana
9:00am

Cursillo Seven Last Words of Christ
Cursillo Siete últimas palabras de Cristo
de Sales Chapel Capilla de Sales
Noon

Good Friday of the Lord's Passion
3:00pm

Teen Stations of the Cross and Reflections
6:00pm

Viernes Santo de la Pasión del Señor
7:00pm

Saturday, April 16
Holy Saturday
Sábado Santo

Morning Prayer and Blessing of Food
Oración de la mañana y bendición de los alimento
9:00pm

The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night
8:00pm

Sunday, April 17
Easter Sunday/Domingo de Pascua
Masses/Misas
7:30am, 9:30am (Church and Chapel),
11:30am (Church and Chapel), 2:00pm (en Español)
You can find the electronic SJN weekly bulletin on our website, both on the homepage and on the bulletin webpage. Or, sign up to have it delivered directly to your email inbox. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram @sjnreston or on Twitter at @RestonSt
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.”
John 15:1-2