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Author: St Mary Fred

Lenten Study Course with Sr. Susan Louise!

Lenten Study Course with Sr. Susan Louise!

Please join Sr. Susan Louise for this 4-week Lenten series. You will explore the teachings of St. Francis de Sales on personal holiness. St. Francis de Sales was dedicated to leading all people into a life of union with God. Explore ways to grow in your relationship with Our Lord this Lent. Please email Sr. Susan Louise, principal@holycrossweb.com, so that materials can be prepared. There is no cost for the course.

Letter from Fr. Mosimann

Letter from Fr. Mosimann

Dear Folks,

Over the last 2 weeks, I have been consulting a number of parishioners about the possibility of suspending communion from the Chalice, and the Sign of Peace.  At the last staff meeting, we had an discussion of this topic, and I have been in email conversations with Parish Council.
Significant concerns on the chalice extend beyond the “you don’t have to partake” level because there are several people who do have to partake:  the extraordinary ministers of holy communion consume the remains after every parishioner, and the priest who consumes when he purifies the chalices.  Since people can be contagious before they are showing symptoms, we could potentially be putting others at risk.  With regards to the Sign of Peace, we have the same concerns for your health, but also: “what is our anxiety over the possible contagion doing to our ability to pray?”  Some folks reported that as the sign of peace neared, they found their anxiety increasing over who might try to insist on exchanging a handshake, or what others might think if they do not offer the customary gesture.  Communion is a time of union with God and one another, and ultimately I have come to the conclusion that our anxiety over the flu is affecting our disposition to receive with attention and reverence.
Therefore, beginning immediately, we will offer communion only under the form of the consecrated host, and we will temporarily omit the optional exchange of a Sign of Peace.  Communion from the chalice will be available only to those with gluten sensitivities.  I urge them to contact me so that we can find a solution that meets their needs.  I expect these measures to be temporary, and will continue to examine them on a regular basis.  Thank you for your understanding, and concern for the safety of your parish family.
pax,
fr mosimann
Aani Bourassa Concert This Friday!

Aani Bourassa Concert This Friday!

On Friday, February 9, 2018 at 8:00 p.m., Concerts at St. Mary will present soprano Aani Bourassa in a concert of repertoire for soprano, orchestra and organ.  Ms. Bourassa will be joined by some Fredericksburg’s finest instrumentalist and Baltimore based organist Alec Davis, all under the direction of St. Mary’s Director of Music and Organist David Uschold.

Praised for her “brilliant, yet sparkling high notes” (Burlington Hawkeye), American soprano Aani Bourassa is indeed a versatile actress of emotional depth whose repertoire encompasses Johann Sebastian Bach, Handel, Mozart, opera, French art song, lieder and oratorio.  Some notable roles include Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Juliette in Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette and Lydia in Second Nature by Matthew Aucoin.  Ms. Bourassa is also equally prevalent in the concert and sacred music scenes.  She has performed solos in works such as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Bach’s Magnificat and So-drumming by Steve Reich.  This summer, Bourassa will return for her fourth season as Artist in Residence at the Ad Astra Music Festival in Kansas.  While in residence, she will perform the part of Peitho in the festival’s production of Here Be Sirens by Kate Soper and one of the soprano parts in an exciting one-on-a-part performance of Matthäus-Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach.  Ms. Bourassa performs regularly with Songs by Heart, a foundation that seeks to enhance the life of the memory impaired through music therapy.  Aani Bourassa is a champion of new and undiscovered music, and is currently involved in a collaborative project with pianist Samuel Gingher to rediscover and record the vocal works of composer Carl Czerny.  In addition to her busy performance career, Ms. Bourassa hold the position of producer and project manager for the recording label Acis Productions.

The Friday evening’s program, which is themed in the anticipation of Lent, will include performances of Purcell’s An Evening Hymn, aria How Beautiful Are Thy Feet from Handel’s Messiah and two works of Johann Sebastian Bach:  Fantasia and Fugue in c minor, S. 537, performed by organist David Uschold, and Cantata 199: Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut for soprano, orchestra and organ.  Admission to the concert is free and a free-will offering will be taken to support future Concerts at St. Mary productions.  Following the concert there will be a reception in the church’s Parish Life Center where there will be an opportunity to meet the performers and share fellowship with others.