September 2022 Parish Newsletter

September 2022

St. John Neumann Catholic Community

Staffed by Oblates of St. Francis de Sales

Current Mass Times

Saturday: 5:00pm

Sunday:

7:30am, 9:30am, 11:30am, 2:00pm (español), 5:00pm

Monday-Friday: 9:00am

Monday, Wednesday, Friday 12:10pm

(Starting Wednesday, September 7)

Watch a livestreamed or recorded Mass

Confession

Saturday: 10:00am-10:30am (English)

Sunday: 3:00pm- 4:00pm (español)

Visit our website

Pastor's Perspective

August is a Great Time to Clean

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

This September, I have given over the space for my Pastor’s letter to the Care for Our Common Home Ministry to describe a special time set aside by the Church to reflect upon our relationship with God’s great gift of creation.

Live Jesus,

Father Joe

Hello Fellow Parishioners,

This month we enter the Season of Creation, a time when the Catholic Church joins with Christians worldwide to celebrate and protect the Earth, our common home. The Season begins on September 1 with the ecumenical World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. It concludes on October 4 with the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Ecology. To help prepare us for this time, Pope Francis has released a message exhorting us to “Listen to the Voice of Creation,” which is the theme and invitation of this year’s Season of Creation.

Pope Francis writes, “The sweet song of creation invites us to practice an ‘ecological spirituality’ (Laudato Si’, 216), attentive to God’s presence in the natural world. It is a summons to base our spirituality on the ‘loving awareness that we are not disconnected from the rest of creatures but joined in a splendid universal communion’ (ibid., 220). For the followers of Christ, in particular, this luminous experience reinforces our awareness that ‘all things came into being through him, and without him, not one thing came into being’ (Jn 1:3).”

“From its very first pages,” Pope Francis reminds us, “the Gospel calls us to ‘repent because the kingdom of heaven has come near’ (Mt 3:2); it summons us to a new relationship with God and also entails a different relationship with others and with creation. Our common home’s present state of decay merits the same attention as other global challenges such as grave health crises and wars. ‘Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience’ (Laudato Si’, 217).”

The Pope urges us to convert “models of consumption and production, as well as lifestyles, in a way more respectful of creation and the integral human development of all peoples, present and future, a development grounded in responsibility, prudence/precaution, solidarity, concern for the poor and future generations.”

As people committed to defending human life and dignity, it is imperative that we, as Catholics, commit ourselves to the protection of the environment on which all life depends. During the five weeks of the Season of Creation, please be attentive to the parish bulletin where the Care for Our Common Home Ministry will present opportunities for prayer, sustainability practices, and advocacy to act in accordance with the teachings of our faith and in response to listening to the voice of creation.

We look forward to celebrating the Season of Creation with you.

Care for Our Common Home Ministry at SJN

The SJN Care for Our Common Home Ministry promotes the vision of

Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si' in our parish and beyond.

Website: http://cfoch.weebly.com

Email: saintjn.cch@gmail.com

Catechetical Corner

Always We Begin Again

By Jean Lupinacci

“Always We Begin Again.” St. Benedict

We have had two major life changes recently – My husband and I both started new jobs and moved out of our house after 30 years. We raised our four children and ran a business out of that house, but it was time to downsize and move closer to our now adult children in Loudoun County. We were able to give away or throw away many of our belongings in the process of moving, which was such a relief! And now, the kids will not have to go through that process when we are gone.

I was a full-time staff member at St. Mark in Vienna for 12 years and an active volunteer and founding member there since 1965! Another major difference was that St. Mark has a Catholic School – so many changes! Beginning ministry at a new parish has also been a major transition as I get to know this faith community and the other staff and clergy.

My husband and I have taken this opportunity to begin again in our marriage, vocations, and, most importantly, our spiritual lives. We have strived to do this by sitting quietly and listening to God. We have set aside time in the morning and evening for prayer. We often sit on our deck together in silence, watching and listening to God’s creation in our beautiful backyard (with just the birds, flowers, and our Mary and St. Francis statues for company). Sometimes we pray the rosary or other prayers together in bed at night. And it’s been easier since we have not yet connected our Roku to the TV! And luckily there is no room in our small bedroom for a TV. We have also intentionally turned off our phones during meals and during prayer time.

September is a good time for us all to begin again! School may have started for you or your children, weekly meetings resume, and schedules start filling up as the lazy days of summer end. As we calendar all our activities, why not schedule weekly Mass, faith formation, and downtime? This could be dedicated prayer time, Eucharistic adoration, family time, quiet meditation, walks, listening to music, or reading.

St. Benedict was a monastic who intentionally lived a life of solitude free from vices and distractions. Benedictine spirituality can teach us how to be monks in the world by choosing to step away from our busy lives to get closer to God. When our children were in elementary school, we made Monday through Friday no TV days. Now it’s different with so many electronic devices, but as adults, we can decide what is appropriate in our homes. I try to practice a digital sabbath weekly (but not usually a whole day once a week!) Learn more about that here: https://digitalsabbath.io/.

I learned about Benedictine spirituality from Christine Valters-Paintner through her virtual monastery and global community: Home | Abbey of the Arts. She has many resources, including free morning and evening prayer cycles. She has also written over a dozen books on the subject, and many have online self-study components. May you always begin again!

Parishioner Spotlight

Celeste Jaramillo

How Long Have You Been a Parishioner, and What Groups Do You Belong To Here at SJN?

"I have been a parishioner since February 2020, joining the parish about three weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic began. We had just moved here from Princeton, New Jersey, where my husband worked for eight years as a technology consultant. The first person I met was Maria Claudia, who invited me to come to coffee after the 9:00am Mass. After that, I met Jo-Ann Duggan and got involved with the ARISE Program, Little Rock Scripture Study, Salesian Spirituality Classes, and the Kairos Prison Ministry. I am also a member of the Parish Council and am very involved with the SJN Hispanic community."

What Did You Do Before Coming to SJN?

"Before coming to SJN, I worked for IBM for over 25 years in my home country of Ecuador, managing multiple projects throughout South America. After I left IBM, I returned to school to get a degree in Social Services, which led to a three-year job with the Archdiocese of Quito, Ecuador, as its Director of Diocesan Services. I left that position when my husband was offered another technology consulting position here in Northern Virginia." She continued: "I also raised seven children, two of whom live here in the United States; one is an architect, the other is in business administration. I am also a grandmother to 11 grandchildren!"

Can You Tell Us About Your Work with the Hispanic Community?

"I love the culture of openness in this program and how people come together. I am always mindful of Fr. Joe's focus on 'creating one community out of many cultures.' My goal is his goal, "to continue to help the SJN Community become one, not divided between English speaking and Spanish speaking individuals, but a united community where all can live the message of the current Synod on Synodality, which is a 'united church.'"

Who is Your favorite Saint, and Why?

"St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Many people do not know how to care for the sick and the old. But God commands us to love and care for them, and she showed us how to do that. Mother Teresa reminds us that we must care for others; if we do not, who will? If God cares, we need to care!"

Thank you, Celeste, for spending time with the Spotlight Column this week, and a big thanks for all you do for the SJN Community!

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