There is another round of scam emails and texts going around asking for gifts and money and pretending to be parishioners. Once again, Father will never randomly text out of the blue and ask for money or gift cards. Please be vigilant.
As many of you heard at Sunday Mass, the Bishop announced priest transfers last week, and sadly our own Father Michael Kelly is being transferred to St John the Apostle in Leesburg, with part-time studies at Divine Mercy University in Sterling.
As sad as we are to lose Father Kelly, who has served the people of St Mary tirelessly and with compassion and grace for the past 5 years, we are excited to welcome Father Phillip Cozzi from St John the Baptist in Front Royal.
More information on Father Kelly’s goodbye will be announced in the coming weeks. Please keep Father Kelly and Father Cozzi in your prayers!
Please see the link HERE for the full list of clergy transfers in the diocese.
Dear Folks,
Here in the Easter Season it struck me as a good time to address a question that I often receive about cremation. Is it permissible? In a simple word yes, with a caveat that it must not be chosen as a sign of denial of the Resurrection. The recent history of cremation is that in the 1917 code of canon law, it was expressly forbidden. However, as interest in cremation grew in the western world, a concession was granted in 1963 which was incorporated into the 1983 (and still current) code of canon law. [Canon Law = Catholic Church law]. Canon 1176 reads:
“The Church earnestly recommends that the pious custom of burying the bodies of the deceased be observed; nevertheless, the Church does not prohibit cremation unless it was chosen for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine.”
Because we firmly believe that our bodies will one day share in the resurrection of Our Lord, we must treat them with respect, reverence, and due care. Yes, at the final resurrection, God will resurrect the bodies of everyone who has ever lived and died, whether they were cremated or not, whether any mortal remains still exist or even if every trace of their remains has disappeared.
One very important element is that cremated remains deserve the same respect, reverence, and due care as bodies which are not cremated. This includes the use of a worthy vessel to contain the ashes, the manner
in which they are carried, appropriate placement and transport, and given final disposition in a earthen tomb, mausoleum, columbarium or common grave in a cemetery. It is important to bury such a vessel as soon as possible, no longer than a year after death,
in order to complete the Corporal Work of Mercy, of burying our loved ones. “The practice of scattering cremated remains on the sea, from the air, or on
the ground, or in keeping cremated remains in the home of a friend or relative of the deceased are not the reverent disposition that the Church requires.” (Liturgical Norms on Cremation, 417).
The Church does express a strong preference for the burial of the body rather than cremation. It most clearly brings to mind the life and death of the beloved one, and clearly expresses the loss experienced by every friend, relative, and loved one of the deceased. While Holy Mother Church expresses this strong preference she also wishes to assist her children who chose the option of cremation for a variety of reasons.
Hence the insistence on reverent treatment and burialof cremated remains. All of the faithful benefit from the witness to our faith in the resurrection and the beautiful ability to visit the graves of our loved ones.
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in King George and St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church in Colonial Beach have created a Catholic section within the existing Historyland Memorial Park in King George. The Catholic section will include an altar facing east with a large wrought iron gate bearing the Latin inscription “Coemeterium Sanctae Elisabeth et Sancti Antonii” (Cemetery of St. Elizabeth &
St. Anthony). Plots are being sold now. If you are interested in this option or have questions, contact Shelley Buckles at stanthony@va.metrocast.net or 540-848-4785.
May each of us, immersed in the Paschal mystery of the death and resurrection of the Lord, take great hope that this too is our future!
Pax,
Fr. Mosimann
Dear Folks,
Happy Mother’s Day! We owe such a debt of gratitude and prayer to our mothers! May the Lord protect them and keep them always in His loving heart!
Which reminds me: we need to thank our heavenly mother! So May Crowning next Sunday… remember this from prior to the pandemic?
This year we will try something different: at the end of each Mass, all (in church and PLC too) will be invited to process out to the outdoor statue where we can place a flower offering and sing a song in honor of Our Lady.
At its heart, a may crowning is a simple act of love for our heavenly mother. Today we are honoring our mothers with flowers or breakfast in bed or even doing the dishes without complaining! Does any mother refuse such acts of tenderness? Once I gave my mother eight very small flowers that I brought back from a pilgrimage to a Marian Shrine. One flower for each of her eight children. Mom treasured this gift.
But imagine if you gave mom flowers by just tossing them at her feet and then going about business as if it were just another day. An external act, if it is not also internalized, is meaningless. So much of our Catholic way of liturgy finds itself at this nexus. The external is not itself the meaning, but it gives expression to and forms the internal. Show me how you pray, and I will show you how you believe.
So next weekend all (but especially the young) are invited to bring a flower for Our Lady. And If you forget to bring one, don’t panic… we will have some extras for you. May the flowers at the feet of Our Lady, be an external manifestation of the many more acts of Love we place in her hands for her to give to Jesus.
pax,
fr mosimann
