Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

Dear Folks,

Let me share with you a story that came to me recently. A priest had a family come to him because their son was experiencing some troubled times. The young six year old had never been baptized, and the family did not attend church, yet they turned to the priest in this difficulty. On entering the Church, the boy was transfixed and walked up to the front where he knelt down and stared ahead. When they asked him what he was looking at, he said, “He is in there…. He is in the box.” “Who?” “The good guy. He comes to me when I am in trouble.” Priest, family, and boy were all amazed as he stared at the tabernacle.

That story gave me a little chill. How much God loves each of us that he does not sit by and wait, but searches us out to draw us to the heart of His love, the fountain of His mercy. “May Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored and loved, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even until the end of time.” I love that prayer.

And I think that we way underestimate the power of prayer. I believe that if we could see the effects of our prayers rippling through the centuries as love builds up love, then we would do nothing else but pray. Ok, that may be hyperbole, but I am confident that in eternity we will not regret a single moment we have spent in prayer, and we will wish we had prayed more!

pax et bonum,

Fr. Mosimann

Thank you for supporting the 2019 Bishop’s Lenten Appeal (BLA). Please be aware that BLA pledge payments should NOT be made through our parish’s Faith Direct Electronic Giving Program. Gifts given in this way will be delayed in being sent to the Diocese for processing & posting to your record. You may set up a recurring monthly payment for a BLA pledge at arlingtondiocese.org. Thank you!

Monday of Holy Week (April 15): 6:30am, 9am, 12pm Mass/ 6:30pm Confessions

Tuesday of Holy Week (April 16): 6:30am and 9am Mass/ 6:30pm Confessions

Wednesday of Holy Week (April 17): 6:30am, 9am, 12pm Mass/ 6:30pm Confessions

Holy Thursday (April 18): 8am Morning Prayer/ 7:30pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper/ 9pm Adoration in the PLC/ 11:45 Night Prayer

Good Friday (April 19): 8am Morning Prayer/ 12pm Tre Ore, the Seven Last Words of Jesus/ 3pm The Passion and Veneration of the Holy Cross/ 7pm Stations of the Cross/ 7:30pm El Via Crucis

Holy Saturday (April 20): 8am Morning Prayer/11am Blessing of Easter Food/ 8:30pm The Easter Vigil

Easter Sunday (April 21): ALL MASSES AT FREDERICKSBURG EXPO CENTER 8am, 10:15am, 12:30pm

Dear Folks,

As you some of you may have heard by now, last Friday I announced to Holy Cross staff and families that the Oblate Sisters will not be returning to Holy Cross Academy next year. I held off announcing it to the parish at large to give school families some time to tell their children, but for 21 years the Oblate Sisters have been a member of our parish family and I know this will come as difficult news for many of you.

I wish the very best of the Oblate Sisters, and I’m grateful for their ministry the past 21 years to our parish and our school. There’s been a lot of sadness and confusion about my decision not to renew their contracts at the school for next year, and I’d like to assure you that my reasons have nothing to do with anything scandalous. The simple fact is that priests and sisters have to move on as part of their ministry, and someone has to be the person to decide when that happens. In this case, as pastor, that falls to me. I know many of you have questions or would simply like to express your opinion to me. There’s not much more I’m able to say on personnel decisions, but please know I’m here for you, and am happy to listen.

Moving forward, everyone in the parish is invited to a meeting with me on Monday, March 25, at 7pm in the church about the steps moving forward at Holy Cross. Holy Cross is our parish school and the many blessings and graces that flow out of HCA are a huge benefit to the parish family at large, and I want to involve all of you in the next steps. So far, a lot of the feedback has understandably been asking if another religious order will be taking over HCA or, if not, what steps will be made to maintain the strong Catholic identity and high standard of education. My answer is that I’m currently doing everything in my power to make sure a religious order serves you at Holy Cross Academy. That’s my main priority, but because of the nature of the process I cannot guarantee it. But what I can guarantee is that Holy Cross will remain a school where the children of our parish are given a solid, faithful Catholic education of the highest quality. I hope to see many of you on Monday.

pax et bonum,

Fr. John Mosimann