Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

Dear Good People of Saint Mary,

I’ve written a number of spiritual columns lately and I’ve fallen behind on a lot of subjects. I’d like to catch up on a lot of practical matters today, with your patience.

1. TODAY we begin a new, beautiful tradition  at Saint Mary, one which has actually been the general practice of most parishes throughout  the world for years. We will fill our Sunday Masses throughout the Easter Season—when  we celebrate the presence of the risen Jesus— with our children receiving First Holy Communion with their families in the context of the community. The custom of having a special liturgy on Saturday has become so detached from the general life of the parish, and had  become so unlike our customary Sunday parish experience of the Mass that I decided we would seek a more reverent, more family-based celebration of the sacrament. So when you come to Mass and see a family with a child dressed for First Communion, be sure to affirm them, welcome them and tell them they are in your prayers. None of us receives sacraments for ourselves; it is the way that God builds up the Body of Christ, the Church, who we are.

2. Some have taken offense for being asked to wait in the vestibule at Mass after arriving after the First Reading has already begun. We ask our ushers to graciously ask all to wait until the end of the Gospel proclamation, at which time all are invited to come into the church to find seating. The reason for this is very simple: once people are seated and concentrating on listening to the Word of God, it is a major
disruption to be seeking a seat, often having to climb over people to get into the center of the pews. Neither the person climbing, nor the person being climbed over, is hearing anything of the Word of God. We put in a really good speaker in the vestibule, and we ask that everyone wait there until the proclamation is complete. We don’t intend to offend, or cause anyone to feel unwelcome; we just place that
high a priority on attention to the power of the Holy Spirit in the Word of God. At that moment there is nothing more important.

3. For our members who may be elderly or challenged physically where all this standing and kneeling is involved, please know that you  are still welcome to come to Mass and just sit. No one will judge, it is much better that you are here with us! I’ve heard lately from people who said they have stayed away for this reason. When we say, “please stand,” please know that “as you are able” is implied. Kneeling is
good, but God knows about that knee replacement that you are waiting on, or the pain you  have in your back, and would rather you be here with him than deal with hardship alone.

4. About kneeling, another subject is our  confessionals. All confessionals are equipped with both a kneeler and a chair/bench. Either  will do! Please don’t apologize about sitting. That is why you paid for seating in there. And while we are on the subject, please consider opening the little window so you can celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation face-to-face. I promise it is better. But there is only one
handle on the little sliding window and it is on your side. Please know that you are welcome to open it, in fact, I encourage it.

5. Finally, if you need pastoral care please don’t assume that we will hear about it from the hospital, or any of the rehabilitation or care facilities in the area. Most institutions today have a policy that church pastoral care is only allowed when directly requested by the patient. Even then, it is often difficult to get a current listing of all the Catholics who have self-identified as Catholics when they are admitted. If you desire a visit, or if you are in need of anointing or Holy Communion, please call the office and let us know. We have priests, deacons and very dedicated lay people who bring Communion every day to
people who need it. Also please be aware that parishes are responsible for the facilities that are within their boundaries. At Saint Mary we cover Mary Washington Hospital, Woodmont, Heartfields, Hughes, Golden Living, Greenfields, Falls Run and The Crossings with regular monthly Mass and weekly visits from Eucharistic Ministers. We come when requested to other locations. But you must ask! And we kindly ask that you give us reasonable time to respond, if possible. Thanks.

God bless you.

Dear Good People of Saint Mary,

Happy Easter, today. I hope that the joy of Easter and our many beautiful celebrations remain with you, with us, well into the coming year. There are so many people to thank… all artists, decorators, musicians, liturgical ministers, priests, deacons, our Sisters and staff, our seminarian Joseph, our volunteers. The Expo Center effort is, every year, a project that involves workers and volunteers for several days leading up to Easter, as well as packing up and moving everything back to the church on Easter Sunday afternoon. I am always so grateful for all of you who stay with us to the end!
We also decorate the altar at school for Masses there, and of course our church, too.

This year was one of the most powerful and remarkable experiences of faith that I have had in my life, and I am grateful that you were here to celebrate it with. Such lively participation, I get the sense we are doing something right! We are an amazing parish family. I can only imagine how pleased God is, with children like you. May the Cross be our faith and Risen Life be our hope as we live in the love of God’s family. Please pray for one another.

I got a beautiful email during Holy Week this year and wanted to share it with you. (You see, we get really good emails, too—actually, many more good than bad!). Here is the text, I have removed her name to respect her privacy:

Hello Father Rooney,

I hope this email finds you well. No doubt, you’re extremely busy with Easter just around the corner. I hope I do not take too much of your time. A little over a year ago I was living in Fredericksburg. Things were not turning out the way I planned during my time there. During last year’s Lenten season, I was at the lowest point of my life and felt completely alone. One Saturday, for an unknown reason, I decided to attend 5:00 o’clock mass at your parish. When I walked in I was stunned to see the church so packed! I just figured everyone in the South was Baptist and Catholics were few and far between. I certainly was wrong when I saw everyone at St. Mary’s! I began searching for a seat and wasn’t having much luck. Just when I was about to give up and stand in back by myself, I heard one of your parishioners, a woman, say to me “There is a seat here for you.”

Father Rooney, this woman and her act of kindness she extended to me while I was in your church completely changed my life. In that moment, I finally felt at peace and felt hope for the future for the first time in months. Shortly after this experience, I made the decision to move home to Chicago and to join RCIA at my local parish. I am so pleased to inform you that I am about to fulfill my sacraments this Saturday at my church’s Easter Vigil. I am so thrilled to be taking this next step in what I know will be my lifelong faith journey.

Because of this woman whose name I will never know and because of your church, I am becoming Catholic. Because of your church and your parishioner, my life and soul have been changed forever.

Thank you and may God bless you, the entire St. Mary parish and all those you hold dear.

Happy Easter!

Look at what is happening—often we may not even be aware of what impact we are having on the lives of others. An act of kindness, a kind word, a simple prayer for another has an unlimited echo that carries into the lives of others.

There is a different, stronger light in the sky, a new fragrance, a gentle, sustaining spirit to our world because Jesus is risen. There are so many things that don’t make sense to our limited sight that can be confusing and frustrating, but the new life of Jesus helps us to see that there is always more than only what we can see or touch. In his name we can offer that new life to one another and change the world.

God bless you.