Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

On Friday, November 8, 2019 at 8:00 p.m., as the church remembers all the faithful departed during the month of November, Concerts at Saint Mary will present the Saint Mary Festival Choir as it performs Requiem, K. 626, for Choir, soloists and orchestra, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Commissioned by Count Franz von Walsegg for a Requiem service to commemorate the anniversary of his wife’s death, Mozart composed part of his setting of the Requiem Mass in Vienna during the latter part of 1791.  His work was left unfinished at the point of his death on December 5 of that same year.  Following Mozart’s death, Franz Xaver Süssmayr, a pupil of Mozart’s, completed the work in 1792 at the request of Mozart’s wife, Constanze, and was first performed as a public benefit in Constanze’s honor.  Due to the fragmented state of Mozart’s manuscript, in addition to the Süssmayr version, a number of alternative completions have been developed by musicologists in the 20^th century.

Joining the Saint Mary Festival Choir, Concerts at Saint Mary welcomes back guest soloists Aani Bourassa, Veronica Tschirhart, Allan Palacios Chan and Emmett Potts, as well as an orchestra comprised of musicians from the greater Fredericksburg area, all under the direction of Saint Mary’s Director of Music and Organist, David Uschold.  Following the concert there will be a reception in the Parish Life Center where there will be an opportunity to greet the performers and share fellowship.

 

Our Annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner will be held tonight at 6pm at Holy Cross Academy.  See you there!

 

Come Visit Holy Cross Academy for an Open House!

A National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence offering a strong academic program,  Holy Cross Academy features daily religious instruction, character formation, numerous extracurricular opportunities, a variety of music and art programs, and much more.  Come discover what a blessing Holy Cross Academy can be for your family!

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~ Q & A with Administrators and Students ~

 

Holy Cross Academy ⧫ 250 Stafford Lakes Parkway ⧫ Fredericksburg, VA 22406 ⧫ 540-286-1600

Dear Folks,

You may notice that I always sign my bulletin note or emails with ‘Pax’ at the end. It is a little odd and it little humbling to see other folks pick up and use this greeting in emails as has happened in parishes where I have served. It comes from the Latin phrase “Pax et Bonum” which is also the header above this bulletin note. So where does it come from?

The phrase “Pax et Bonum!” was used by St. Francis of Assisi as his common greeting to those he met during the course of the day. It can be translated as “Peace and Goodness.” This is a rich theological phrase, whose depths are not just reduced to ‘peace, bro.’ The ‘Bonum’ goodness spoken of is most specifically God because he is the supreme good. Or in the words of Our Lord, “No one is good but God alone” (Mk 10:18). All goodness is a small share in the infinite goodness of God. Thus the greeting is really wishing abundant blessings upon the person encountered.

The depths of this phrase struck me in 2000 when I was leading a group of pilgrims to World Youth day in Rome. I had never had a devotion to St. Francis prior to this trip. St. Francis that was presented to me growing up in the 70’s seemed to be a wimpy projection of a number secular values of that era. However, when I walked in same cobbled streets where St. Francis walked in Assisi, heard his words, and prayed at his tomb, I encountered a very different saint. This Man Loved God with his whole heart mind and soul holding nothing back. Because he had forsaken riches to serve the Lord, he was able wondrously recognize the providence of God in all of his created works. Hence we know him as the lover of animals.

So when I sign my email with “Pax,” I do this as an abbreviated nod of the head to St. Francis. Sometimes I will use other language variants of the Latin (Pax) like: French (Paix), Italian (Pace), Spanish (Pax), Hebrew (Shalom). But all with the same intent.

 

Pax (et Bonum!),

Fr. John Mosimann