I may be more excited about the new chapel at Holy Cross Academy than anyone—especially when I walk by and see students in there praying! Sooooooo worth all the work! This week, the statues of St. Helena and St. Francis arrived, so they will be in place soon—maybe even by the time you read this!
And so: let’s offer Mass in the new HCA chapel!
Summertime Mass – Mondays at 4pm in the St. Helena Chapel at Holy Cross Academy.
We will offer Mass each Monday this summer, beginning tomorrow and continuing through August 11th. This allows us to wrap it up when school restarts in August. And by celebrating Mass at 4:00 PM, we should avoid conflicts with the construction crews who will be busy finishing the final touches on the building!
The Mass is open to all parishioners, and the chapel holds about 80 people. I hope you can join us for one of the Masses and see the beautiful new chapel!
Welcome, Summer Seminarian!
Tomorrow we also welcome Tyler Boreani to the parish, as he is the seminarian the bishop has assigned to serve with us this summer! I know you will welcome him with joy. He will be with us through August 10th. Welcome, Tyler!
There is an ongoing feasibility study for the potential creation of a diocesan vocational technical school. Please consider completing the survey, even if you would not enroll your own children. There is a separate survey for students. The surveys are open until June 8th.
“The Diocese of Arlington’s Catholic career and technical education (CTE) program will integrate Catholic values with career, technical, and vocational training, preparing students for meaningful careers while deepening their faith. This program will emphasize the dignity of work, ethical leadership, and service-oriented professionalism. Need-based financial aid would be consistent with the diocese. Through apprenticeships, business partnerships, and parish involvement, students will gain hands-on experience while fostering a Christ-centered approach to their vocation. This initiative is being considered strategically, with this survey serving as an important tool to assess community interest, ensuring accessibility and alignment with diocesan priorities. At this stage of the study, no official timeline for beginning the program has been determined.”
We will add a 4pm Mass on Mondays at Holy Cross Academy starting on June 9. These Masses will be in the St Helena Chapel and will run through August 11.
Next Sunday, June 8th, at the 10:30am Mass, we will have a special blessing for Harris (Aristides) Lucas, who has served you as the Director of Religious Education for the past 15 years. He has served the parish faithfully during that time and has been a great support for catechists and families alike! He will be assisting in the office through this summer, but with the end of the school year, I wanted to take this time to thank him before many families turn on their ‘summer brains.’
Harris will be returning to Belize with his wife Jean and is looking forward to returning to his roots. Catechists were able to thank him at an appreciation dinner this past week, and many spoke lovingly of his kindness, calm demeanor, and exemplary holiness of life! Thank you, Harris!
Parishioners are also invited to a small thank-you gathering in the PLC after the 10:30 Mass, in conjunction with our post-Mass donuts and coffee.
May the Lord bless Harris and keep him always under the shelter of His wing.
Also: next Saturday, June 7th, the ordination to the priesthood will take place at the newly renovated Cathedral in Arlington! This is always a feast of great joy—even more so this year with the ordination of twelve men!
Among the twelve, of special note are: “soon-to-be Father” Tim Banach, who served us over the last year as a deacon; and “soon-to-be Father” Joseph Connor, who will serve us here as his first assignment.
If you are thinking of going, the Mass is open the public, but a couple of points of advice:
• With 12 men being ordained, this Mass is likely to be crazy full (which we understand here)!
• Be ready to struggle with parking and seating—and that’s after you brave the summer crowds on I-95
North!
• Be ready for Mass to begin earlier than the posted 11:00 am. Bishop Burbidge likes to reverence the
altar on time, which means the procession will start 15 to 20 minutes before the scheduled start of Mass.
Sometimes that means Mass starts early!
• Be ready to be inspired by the beautiful celebration of the gift of the priesthood!
But of course, keep the priests in your prayers, even if you don’t brave the crowds!
Fr. Tim Banach will celebrate two Masses of Thanksgiving here, at St. Mary’s on Tuesday, June 10th at 9am &m12pm. We will have light refreshments afterwards in the PLC so that you can congratulate him and receive a blessing!
