Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

Dear Folks,

A Blessed Thanksgiving to you! On thanksgiving day, there will only be one Mass, and it will be at 10:00 a.m. in the Church. So let me say that I am thankful for:

1. St. Mary’s Generosity and Discipleship—too many examples to list!

2. Our Parish Staff: we have so many hard working, generous, and kind staff.

3. Spiritual Fatherhood: it is a great joy to see souls enkindled with the fire of Divine Love.

4. My Family: thanks Mom & Dad for helping to light the fire in number 3.

5. My Vocation to the Priesthood – to quote St. Augustine, “with you I am a Christian, for you I am a priest.”

6. Brown Rice, Turkey, Apple Pie, Sesame Chicken, Ribeye Steaks, Chocolate Muffins – this list could go on and on!

7. Military Families – so many sacrifices to keep us safe and free.

8. Simple words of support and Kindness – You never know when your gratitude will lift someone’s soul.

9. Jesus: He is everything and without Him there are no number 1 to number 9.

10. The wisdom to end this list that could go on all year.

Candlelight Masses 7:01pm Sundays in Advent:

Just for fun, and because I love candles, and to carry on a tradition that I began several years ago, the 7:01pm Mass each of the 4 Sundays of Advent will be by  candlelight only. I have occasionally celebrated candlelight Masses before, and had folks say, “I wish we could do that more often.” Given the emphasis in Advent on “the people in darkness have seen a great light,” I figured why not give it a go. Candlelight Mass means that the lights will be off in the Church, and illumination will be mostly from the candles on the altar. These Sunday evening Candlelight Masses will only be during advent, and the 7:01pm Mass will get the lights back on after Christmas. Please check it out if you wish for a fresh and especially contemplative take on the Sacrifice of the Mass! This will begin next week!!

Pax,

Fr. Mosimann

Dear Folks,

I have recently had the occasion to have some deep conversations with folks about the purpose of funerals. And I have been impressed by the answers that have arisen. What does the Church propose as the real purpose?

First: Yes, it is obvious, but the purpose of a funeral perspective is to give sacred context and meaning to the most basic of works of mercy: burying the dead. It is a  event filled with pain and grief, but with expectant hope in the resurrection. In the words of Psalm 126, “Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy.”

Second: Praying for the Dead. Listen to the prayers of the funeral liturgy. They are all directed to this purpose. If we fail to pray for the soul of the faithful departed,  then we have failed as badly as if we don’t accomplish the first purpose. It is a sin of omission to fail to do for the deceased what we can truly accomplish for them with our prayers. Hence you will never find me claiming to be the Pope and pronouncing someone to be in heaven.

Third: Consoling the living. Yes a legitimate purpose. But not the only, and not the primary purpose. In fact, in the funeral liturgy it takes a distant third place in terms of attention given to this explicitly. Our consolation comes from union with Christ, and finding strength in his redemptive mission and message. Thus I’d like to exhort and remind you of the importance of praying for our friends and relatives who have passed away. The whole month of November takes on a aspect of this character from the beginning feasts of All Saints and All Souls. In the church we have set up a book for you to write down the names of your deceased friends and family. This book will be here for the entire month of November, so that we can keep before our minds this great work of praying for the souls of the deceased. I will often stop and check the book and say a prayer for the repose of these souls. At the end of the month, a Mass will be offered for all of them as well.

Praying for the dead is one of the most basic acts of charity that we can possibly do. Often when we miss somebody, we grieve for them, and we feel sharply the pain of their loss. But that pain can have a purpose in God’s salvific plan. When we give it back to Jesus, offering it up to Him for the benefit of our loved ones, then it becomes meritorious. It becomes for us a share in Christ’s own sufferings, and hence is able to assist those whom we love by our freely embracing this cross. Jesus said that the greatest act of love is to “lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Indeed we do this when we pray for the repose of the souls of those who have passed away, and for the consolation of those who love them.

Pax,

Fr. Mosimann

Dear Folks,

There is an election? Who knew? …and yes that is sarcasm with a smile. Voting is a serious civic duty. This duty requires we have well formed consciences on the social and political issues of the day. To that end, we are making available a number or resources in the bulletin beginning with a letter from our Bishop. Additionally, we are rerunning the novena prayer that we began praying last week. Also the Virginia Catholic Conference is the public policy advocacy organization representing Virginia’s two Catholic Bishops. The VCC website has a wealth of information which can help you be informed. Finally, we remind you of Bishop Loverde’s series on “Forming your Conscience” which can be found online at CatholicHerald.com. May the Lord have mercy on our beloved country.

CELIAC? GLUTEN TOLERANCE ISSUES?

Folks, I am interested in knowing how manyfolks we have in the parish whose bodies are gluten intolerant and therefore unable to consume a eucharistic host. While  transubstantiated host is no longer bread, but the Body of Christ, it still retains the chemical properties of bread and therefore gluten. I recently spoke with a family  whose sensitivity is so significant that they can’t even consume the ‘low-gluten’ hosts because of the possible ‘contamination’ of crumbs from the hands of the priest who have immediately prior handled full-gluten hosts. Similarly, some are unable to consume from a chalice after someone who has consumed a host for the same  reason. Even the smallest of crumbs can cause serious physical distress.

If you are affected by this, would you please email me (frmosimann@stmaryfred. org)? That would be of great assistance so that I might discuss with the priests how we can accommodate your needs and then communicate to you the decided upon process.

Pax,

Fr. Mosimann

Dear Folks,

This is a busy Church week. We have the holy day of obligation on Tuesday (All Saints) and the great feast of All Souls on Wednesday. Why are there any holy days? Why is the feast of All Saints such a big holy day? What does the obligation mean?

Holy Days: I often say that my life is ruled by Google Calendar, telling me what to do and when to do it. Our Calendars really shape and give direction to our lives. What direction is your life headed? Holy days are reminders that the ebb and flow of our lives is directed to heaven. Who has set the biggest days on your calendar this week, God or the world?

All Saints: Imagine that your grandmother were to be canonized a saint by Pope Francis. Your friends would all congratulate you, and you would joyfully make arrangements to go to Rome for the Mass and party. We have a feast to celebrate all of the uncanonized saints in heaven (All Saints) and one to pray for all those on the final step there (All Souls). This is the church celebrating your friends and relatives who have gone to God forever. We don’t have to go to Rome for the canonization, but can all gather in our parishes to celebrate our loved ones’ union with God.

Why obligatory? It flows from the nature of the feast, not from some imperial decree. If we don’t celebrate our loved ones, who will? This is a sign of our gratitude to those we love, and our hope for reunion with them one day. It is our love that compels us to attend Mass and worship God for his great work in our families.

Pax,

Fr. Mosimann