St. John Neumann Catholic Community
Staffed by Oblates of St. Francis de Sales
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Temporary Mass Times:
Saturday: 5:00pm
Sunday: 9:00am, 11:00am, 2:00pm (Spanish)
Tuesday & Thursday: 9:00am
Sign up is required to attend all Masses. Sat 5:00pm & Sun 2:00pm Masses are live-streamed to our
Facebook page
and
Website
Confessions:
Saturday: 10:00-10:30am (English)
Sunday: 3:00pm-4:00pm (Spanish)
The office staff will be working from home until further notice and responding to voice mails and e-mails.
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Dear Friends,
Happy Fourth of July!
We are half way through 2020 and what a year it has been so far. These past six months have certainly presented our country and our world with significant challenges. Yet I believe these days also present us with positive opportunities. As I reflect on the significance of Independence Day and all that this day has come to represent while grappling with Covid-19 and the issue of Racism, I come to realize that with the gift of our freedom comes responsibility. As a parish community, I believe we are responding responsibly to Covid-19. I hope with open and honest hearts we are also reflecting on the sin of racism. As a parish that embraces the motto, All Are Welcome, may we communally and individually reflect on how we do this well but also how we can improve. Where might we be called to have a change of heart?
I am amazed and grateful for all the different ways that our St. John Neumann community has come together especially in responding to the needs of others during this Covid-19 crisis. A number of examples are featured in this issue. On behalf of the entire parish thank you to all who in some way helped another person or brightened someone’s day by your generosity of sharing your time, talent, and treasure. I have been reflecting on how this parish has truly been the Body of Christ to each other as well as to the least among us in the community. As someone reminded me in an email, the Church is not the building, it is the people that make up the Body of Christ! This was so evident by our youth in the parish who gathered for three days in late June for the 2020 WorkCamp Re-Boot here at SJN. The presence of Christ was evident in how they worked and interacted with each other and exhibited Salesian optimism.
On June 8, SJN held a Prayer Service for Peace and Healing. Parishioner, Angela Howard Baker in her reflection challenged us by asking the questions, “How can each of us be our best selves towards one another? How can we live love?” Toward the end of her reflection, she suggests that when we listen to others we become one with each other. This is where God lives.
A number of our families with young children came and participated in Chalk The Walk on June 24-26. This was an opportunity to leave positive messages in support of our Black brothers and sisters. Again, another way of expressing our motto, All Are Welcome!
Many of the activities that have been going on in the life of our parish and beyond in the last several months have responded to the needs of others especially in this pandemic. The June 8 Prayer Service, Chalk the Walk activity and the monthly Vigil for Peace, Life and Justice have raised an awareness to the sin of racism and the need for real social change. May these activities and prayer services give us hope as it also challenges us to want to be better humans and Christians.
May all of us take some time on these warm summer days to give thanks for the many ways we are blessed and to prayerfully challenge ourselves to be agents of change for an even better world.
Peace and as always Live Jesus,
Fr. Joe
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The Arlington Diocese WorkCamp looked a little different this year due to Covid-19. Instead of the normal Diocese-wide gathering, teens of our parish came together (6 ft apart) to serve the SJN community onsite June 22-24. Thanks to all the volunteers who made this year's WorkCamp possible, and to all the teens who came to serve and worship together!
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Rooted Program: Feeding the Hungry
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It was with great regret that the Rooted program (6th-8th Grade Faith Formation at SJN) had to cancel their closing retreat towards the end of March, due to Covid 19 and the related health concerns. This wasn't just a disappointment for the Rooted youth and volunteers involved, but also to the communities waiting to receive nutritional support from Cross Catholic Outreach. The Rooted program has been in partnership with Cross Catholic Outreach to provide food for youth and families in these communities (mostly in Haiti and Guatemala). Last year, the Rooted participants worked together at the closing retreat to pack 40,000 meals for these communities and also worked hard before the retreat to raise the funding needed for such a large project. This year, Rooted was planning to repeat this act of service, love, and prayer for our fellow members of the Body of Christ.
According to Tessie O’Dea, Relationship Development Manager for Cross Catholic Outreach, many of these meals end up at schools and homes run by Catholic organizations who heavily depend on this assistance. “In the schools, the food provided by these efforts is often the only meal a child receives throughout their day,” explained Ms. O’Dea. Rooted’s food packing was one of many similar events that had to be canceled this Spring, resulting in over 400,000 meals that were being counted on, never getting packed. Ms. O’Dea, who has personally visited many of these locations, reported that “many of these communities are left with great food insecurities, the meal requests we receive have quadrupled in size since before the Pandemic. Many parents are left with the fear of not being able to feed their children...In Guatemala, families who are unable to feed their children are placing white [flags] in front of their shacks, indicating desperate need for food.”
Even though Rooted’s food packing efforts and the bulk of their fund raising efforts had to be canceled, St. John Neumann was still able to make a difference. Thanks to the amazing parishioner support,
Rooted was able to fund raise enough before the shut-down to send Cross Catholic Outreach a donation of $5,000
. This will directly provide 20,000 meals that are so greatly needed during this challenging time.
Rooted plans to pick back up where they left off with fund raising this year so that they can continue the tradition of supporting our brothers and sisters in this way and pack another 40,000 meals at this coming year’s closing retreat.
A huge thank you to all the youth, volunteers, and donors who are helping the youth of SJN to live Jesus’ command to feed the hungry.
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Salesian Protection Project
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On April 4th, parishioner John Reichart approached our Parish Nurse with an idea and a donation: start a mask making project in memory of his wife Kathie to help protect parishioners and the local vulnerable community. The results of that brief encounter were awe inspiring.
79 enthusiastic volunteers
under the coordination and guidance of Marianne Stana, Susan Infeld RN, Jo-Ann Duggan and Patty Kwapniewski,
produced an incredible 4,025 masks
, a full thousand more than their initial goal. Volunteers came in all shapes and sizes, young and old; cutting, washing or ironing fabric, sewing masks, folding and inserting prayers into each bag, delivering masks and materials and any other "odd jobs" this undertaking called for.
When the news spread about the "Salesian Protection Project", additional financial donations came in; enough to cover all the costs of making masks. Surplus funds went toward providing emergency rent, utilities and food for families who were ill or lost employment due to COVID 19.
The SJN team donated masks to several non-profits as well: The Centreville Immigration Forum, Catholic Charities-Leesburg, Carpenters Shelter, Cornerstones, Embry Rucker Shelter, LINK, Sanctuary DMV, and The Lamb Center. Leftover material and supplies were donated to The Million Mask Challenge and Masks For Humanity.
Our project coordinators gratitude abounds to all of the volunteers and donors who made this "loaves and fishes" abundance possible. SJN parishioners and the local non-profit community thank the entire "Mask Making Warriors Team" for their heroic efforts to protect us all from COVID 19
.
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Providing Necessities to Our Community
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Meals for Embry Rucker Shelter
At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a request from the Embry Rucker Shelter management for help providing meals. The kitchen staff at the shelter could not work for three months due to health concerns with Covid-19. When this need was publicized, parishioners at SJN jumped at the opportunity to help, making casseroles and purchasing meals from local restaurants.
In order to organize these efforts and
provide meals for the 120 plus shelter residents
, two parishioners organized a sign up where parishioners could make casseroles for residents, and then eventually coordinated with local restaurants, Santini's of Reston and Lucias of Fox Mill, to be able to provide dinners every other week in April, May and June. Parishioners were able to donate online toward these dinners, and the restaurants would deliver the meals to the shelter. "We considered it a win-win-win: for parishioners who financed the meals and could share their treasure during a critical time, for the restaurants who were glad for the business and to have work for their staff and of course for the guests at the shelter who enjoyed a hot, nutritious meal of pasta, salad and bread," one of the organizers said of their efforts.
From March to June, SJN parishioners volunteered a total of
79 hours
and donated a
total of $3,000
to provide these meals. A huge thank you to all who made this big undertaking such a success!
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Shopping for Vulnerable People during Covid-19
When the pandemic began and it became clear that those at risk should not be out and about - including going to grocery stores - at least
40 SJN parishioners
came forward to offer assistance. Although we did not need everyone's help, there were many who were given shopping lists and were happy to purchase the requested items and deliver them to the individuals in need. These included a parishioner who had recently had surgery and needed some medical items to aid in her recovery. It also included delivering face masks made by SJN parishioners to those who could not go the church to pick them up. We are blessed to have so many willing and generous volunteers.
Helping Herndon Cares
Many of our parishioners participated in the Herndon Cares project. Each Tuesday evening, local restaurants provided dinner for
1,200-1,400 people
, most of whom had lost their jobs because of the Covid-19 situation. Volunteers from our parish helped by making financial donations and/or picking up and delivering the meals to those in need.
Generous Donations
During the past few months, we have received many very generous financial donations from our parishioners to aid in the payment of rent, utilities, and other emergency assistance during the pandemic. Because of these extra funds (and there were many) we were able to provide over
$2,000 in grocery cards
, and close to
$19,000 in financial aid
.
Food Donations for Cornerstones
Although we are not attending weekend Mass in large numbers, parishioners have come through and filled the Cornerstones' Van on the last weekend of the months for April, May and June. There is such great need at this time in our community, so making the extra effort to drive over to the church and donate the needed food is very much appreciated!
ch appreciated.
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Parishioners were generous once again with purchasing gifts for the Laurel Learning Center in May, June, and July. Parishioners sent them to Linda Preston, who kindly wrapped and delivered them. Thank you to all who donated!
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June 24-26 parishioners came out to "chalk the walk" with messages of hope, love, and anti-racism.
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Parish Events & Announcements
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- Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 outbreak and ongoing social distancing restrictions, we are unable to offer in-person Vacation Bible School this year. After hearing feedback from SJN families, we will be sending a weekly email each Sunday in July with faith-related resources and fun, easy activities you can do at home with your children. If you are interested in receiving this weekly email, please complete this online form to sign up. We hope you join us for "virtual" fun and faith formation starting this Sunday, July 5th!
- Join us for Children’s Liturgy of the Word on Sunday mornings at 10:00am. We use Zoom to connect our online community. If you are interested please email Mickie Abatemarco at mabatemarco@saintjn.org for further details.
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Scripture verse of the month:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
(Matthew 11: 28-30)
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