Dear Brothers and Sisters of St. Andrew the Apostle,
This Sunday we celebrate the official blessing of our new pipe organ. I've written about it in the past few newsletters, so I'll simply remind you of the details. We will have a special 5:00 PM Sunday Mass for the dedication of the organ. Fr. Barkett, who is the pastor of St. Mary of Sorrows and the dean of our region of the diocese, will be the celebrant. If you are able, please join us to celebrate this wonderful occasion. If you are not able, the Mass will be live-streamed on our parish YouTube channel.
One of the sacred duties of a Bishop is to teach the faith to those under his care. In that regard, Bishop Burbidge wrote a pastoral letter on spreading the Gospel in these days when the divine message of truth, charity, and hope needs to be heard. Bishop Burbidge's letter, "In Tongues All Can Hear - Communicating the Hope of Christ in Times of Trial," can be found here on the Diocese of Arlington's website. Let us pray for Bishop Burbidge and all our Bishops, that their ministry may bring the light of Christ in this time of darkness to show the way to truth and salvation for all.
Since my arrival, some of you may have received a text or email from someone impersonating me, usually asking that you reply to him or her so that they can ask for a favor. In 2020, this scam has been pulled over five separate times here at St. Andrew's. The scammer usually targets parish employees and ministry leaders since their emails and phone numbers are listed in our bulletin or on our website. Because it is so prevalent here and in parishes throughout the diocese, I want everyone to be aware. Be confident that Fr. Bresnahan and I will never approach you by text or email to ask for money or gift cards or anything else like that. If you do have a concern about a request that you receive from someone claiming to be Fr. Bresnahan or me, please contact the parish office for clarification. It's a shame that thieves would prey on the generosity of parishioners. Let us pray for our protection against such fraud and for the conversion of those who perpetrate such crimes.
Finally, in the coming week, Fr. Bresnahan will be going on a retreat from Monday through Friday. Each priest is required to attend a five-day retreat once a year for the sake of his spiritual health. I was blessed to go at the start of February before the COVID crisis hit and many retreat houses were shut down. Let us pray for Fr. Bresnahan that his time of prayer will be refreshing and transforming. Be assured of his prayers for us at this time as well.
May the Holy Spirit continue to pour out his gifts upon us that we may boldly live as witnesses to the faith, hope, and charity that we receive in Baptism.
In Christ,
Fr. Wagner
