Welcome

October 13 to 24 with Fr. Briggs

Join Fr. Briggs from October 13th-24th, 2024, on a pilgrimage to Spain and Southern France. This pilgrimage is offered through ProRome Tours, and will travel in the footsteps of St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Bernadette, and St. Teresa of Avila. Space is limited to 45 pilgrims, and is open to all. Visit the ProRome Website or scan the document below to register. 

Tuesdays through June 25

St. Philip parishioners can partake in a chronological journey of the Gospels. Based on a study by Father John Riley, retreat master and spiritual director at the diocesan San Damiano Retreat Center, participants will be provided with daily readings from all four Gospels in the order they occurred.

The study will run through June 25 with discussion meetings held every Tuesday night, after the 7 pm Mass in Room 4. You need not come to every meeting, its is not too late to join.

Contact the rectory or Suzanne Webb at suzannedwebb@hotmail.com for more details.

Bishop Burbidge invites you to the Diocesan Jubilee Fest at Warren County Fairgrounds in Front Royal, Virginia on Saturday, June 8, 2024! Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Diocese of Arlington with your parish family and thousands of faithful from across Northern Virginia.

Kick off the festival by giving thanks to God with the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, celebrated by Bishop Burbidge. Following Mass, enjoy live music by headliner Celtic rock band, Scythian. The event is free, but registration is required for free food. More details and registration details can be found here.

Dear Friends in Christ,

What a special day we celebrate today! Not only do we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven, but in this Sunday, we also celebrate Mother’s Day, a day in which we celebrate all our mothers, especially Mother Mary. On this day, we especially pray for all mothers: our biological mothers, our godmothers, our spiritual mothers, our grandmothers, and especially mothers who have lost their children in childbirth. We all owe a debt of gratitude for these women who have helped us to grow into sons and daughters of God, all while pursuing a life of holiness.

In this week, I invite us to continue our journey through our exploration of Marian Apparitions from around the world by focusing our attention on Our Lady of Fatima. This apparition is incredibly important for us, especially since it occurred relatively recently, only one hundred and seven years ago. In this apparition, Mary beseeches all to a continued life of prayer, penance, and reparation for the sins committed against Jesus and his Most Sacred Heart.

On May 13th, 1917, Mary appeared to three small children named Jacinta, Francisco, and Lucia Santos, who all lived near the town of Fatima, Portugal. She appeared to them, standing upon a tree, dressed all in white and emitting a supernatural light. Our Blessed Mother exhorted them to pray the rosary every day for the sake of sinners, and requested that they return to the same place on the 13th day of each month for six months.

In these visitations from Our Lady to these children, our Blessed Mother revealed to them her desire for three concrete devotions: 1) daily prayer of the rosary; 2) the practice of performing acts of penance for sinners; 3) acts of reparation for offences committed against God.

By praying the rosary every day, and by encouraging others to do the same, the Blessed Mother revealed to these children the need to pray for peace throughout the world, especially in Russia. The world was in the middle of World War I in 1917, and the Blessed Mother related to the children that an even greater war would come about if the world did not begin to pray the rosary daily. Unfortunately, we know that many years later, the world would be in the middle of another World War in the 1930s and 40s.

Additionally, the Blessed Mother called the children to perform acts of penance for sinners. In one of the apparitions, the children were given a vision of hell, and the many, many souls that were falling into that terrible place. In order to help sinners turn back to God, Mary urged the children to make small acts of penance, such as giving up a certain food or comfort, for the sake of souls.   

Lastly, the Blessed Mother appealed to the children to offer their sufferings in reparation for the offenses made against God. When we sin, not only do we damage our souls, but there is damage done to all of creation. The entire cosmos suffers from evil. By offering up our sufferings to God, Mary invites us to bring consolation to the Heart of her Son, Jesus, who bore the weight of the world’s sins. By following these words of our Blessed Mother, we can better conform our lives to God, and allow him to bring us, one day, to the peace our hearts desire. 

May Christ’s Peace be with you,

Fr. Briggs