From Our Pastor

From Our Pastor

Dear Folks,

Great news! This past Tuesday, the Fredericksburg City Council voted 6-1 to approve our Special Use Permit allowing us to use the houses we own for meetings, and small groups. This has been 2.5 years of hard work for Chris Lanzarone, our facilities manager; so if he looks like the weight of the world has been lifted from his shoulders, you will know why!

A great thanks to the many parishioners who wrote to city council, and packed the council chamber as a sign of support. I absolutely believe that your presence had an impact on the vote for approval!!

The next step is to get the proper ‘certificate of occupancy’ for the homes which can then be used
as needed. Work is underway to see that all code requirements are met, and once that is done, we will be able to move some meetings, bible studies, and such to the new spaces. We agreed to some limits on the time we could have public assembly in those spaces, in order to lessen the impact on our neighbors.

Once the new spaces are in use and we meet our Capital Campaign goals, we will then be able to begin work on our adoration chapel! This will be of great benefit to the spiritual life of the parish!

One of the principles of how we are trying to organize the uses on our campus, is to move lower impact meetings to the properties on the Northwestern side of our campus (the ‘homes’ facing Stafford, Royston, and Augustine streets). Thus, we will keep our Masses and higher volume uses, like the pre-school and adoration chapel on the interior / Williams Street side of campus, and in doing so, will alleviate the impact on private residences bordering our parish.

There is still much work to be done, and we must still be vigilant in being good neighbors. Please use our parking lot as much as possible. Recognize that when we park on public streets, we are impacting our neighbors, and do not ever block driveways. Please, remember, our church is located in a community

of homes and we must always obey the speed limit, crosswalks etc., keeping our neighbors safe. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

This scripture pertains even to our parking and relations with neighbors when we come to any Mass, bible study, or any event at St. Mary’s:

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-4)

pax,

Father John Mosimann

October 1, 2023
New Altar Server Training

New Altar Server Training

Interested in becoming an altar server?  Training for new altar servers is open to any children of the parish who are in 4th grade or higher

The training schedule is below.  All of these meetings take place in the church.

Session 1 – Tue, 11/7 from 4-7pm

Session 2 – Tue, 11/14 from 4-7pm

Session 3 (choose one of these dates; we meet in smaller groups this   week): Mon, 11/20 from 4-7pm, Tue, 11/21 from 4-7pm,                or Friday, 11/24 from 1-4pm.

Session 4 – Tue, 11/28 from 4-7pm

All sessions are necessary to attend and will be held in the Church.

RSVP to Lori Mattson at stmaryfxbg@gmail.com.  Please let us know the name of your child and what grade they are currently in school.

Statement from Bishop Burbidge on Respect Life Month

Statement from Bishop Burbidge on Respect Life Month

Statement from Bishop Michael F. Burbidge on Respect Life Month

( en español )

For more than half a century, the Catholic Church in the United States has paused at the start of October to celebrate Respect Life Month. During this month, we give special thanks to God for the gift of every human life, made in his image and likeness. We also acknowledge the dignity of every human life from conception until natural death.

This year’s Respect Life Month theme calls Catholics to embrace “radical solidarity” with pregnant mothers and their children. We live out that solidarity as we walk with vulnerable mothers through Catholic Charities and parish-based ministries like Gabriel Project, both of which surround expectant families with the practical, material and spiritual resources they need to choose life. As Catholics, we are committed to never abandoning mothers in need. With the generous support of clergy, donors and volunteers, we offer spiritual, financial and emotional help to mothers and families across our region through these ministries.

We live out radical solidarity through Project Rachel, a program which invites those hurting from their participation in abortion to experience the healing mercy of Christ and embraces them with compassion. We also show radical solidarity through our adoption ministries, which support birth mothers who choose to place their children in adoptive homes and provide resources to couples who welcome these children into their families.

Finally, we demonstrate radical solidarity when we advocate for policies and laws that enhance family life and protect the vulnerable, particularly the child in the womb.

Sadly, despite the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, abortion remains legal during all nine months of pregnancy in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The government has many responsibilities, but the defense of life is its most fundamental. Defending life requires us to entrust the reins of government only to those who will protect the most vulnerable among us. This is an obligation we must take seriously and carry out prayerfully.

Next month, Virginia will be holding a critical election, as every seat in the General Assembly is on the ballot. I encourage the faithful and all people of goodwill to join in radical solidarity with the unborn, their mothers and other vulnerable persons by voting for candidates who defend life at every stage.

May Mary our Mother intercede for us as we strive to build a future for Virginia in which every life is cherished and protected in law.

For more information on the upcoming election, please see the pastoral letter issued recently by Bishop Burbidge and Bishop Knestout through the Virginia Catholic Conference

St Mary Special Use Permit

St Mary Special Use Permit

A very special thank you to all our parishioners who wrote or showed up or spoke at the city council meeting!  St Mary’s application for a special use permit was approved 6-1!  We are now working with the city to get the occupancy license and hopefully we will be able to use the properties in the very near future!  Please always be mindful of our impact on our neighbors, and as the space becomes available, we will try and restrict access to the houses from the church parking lot, and not from the street.