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Saint Agnes Catholic Church Arlington, Virginia
No servant can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.”
T w e n t y - f i f t h S u n d a y i n O r d i n a r y T i m e
P a r i s h I n f o r m a t i o n
Parish Clergy Pastor: Rev. Frederick H. Edlefsen
Parochial Vicar: Rev. Scott Sina
In residence: Rev. Cedric M. Wilson, O.S.A.
In residence: Rev. Thomas Nguyen
Parish Office 1910 N. Randolph Street • Arlington, VA 22207-3046
Office Hours: M-F 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Phone: 703-525-1166 • Fax: 703-243-2840
Website: www.saintagnes.org
Parish Office Personnel
Inquiries: [email protected]
Business Manager: Meg McKnight ([email protected])
Director of Outreach and Communications: Suzanne Rogers
Facilities Manager: Katie Howell ([email protected])
Program Coordinator, Protection of Children: Joan Biehler
Coordinator of Adoration, Security & Logistics: Michael Sirotniak
Accounting: Lucy Estrada ([email protected])
Administrative Assistant: Ligia Santos ([email protected])
Ministry and Communications Assistant: Loree Lopez
Faith Formation Office Director (DFF): Marie Macnamara ([email protected])
Phone: 703-527-1129
Youth and Young Adult Ministry Youth and Young Adults Coordinator: Mackenzie Jardell
([email protected]) Phone: 703-527-1129
Liturgical Music Director of Music: Katrina Keat ([email protected])
Director, Saint Agnes Ensemble: Richard Lolich
School 2024 N. Randolph Street • Arlington, VA 22207-3031
Phone: 703-527-5423 • Fax 703-525-4689
Principal: Jennifer Kuzdzal ([email protected])
Assistant Principal: Ann Reid ([email protected])
Liturgy at Saint Agnes
Sunday Mass Saturday: 5:00 pm (Vigil)
Sunday: 7:30 am, 9:00 am, 10:30 am (High Mass), 12:00 pm
Holy Days As Announced
Weekday Mass Monday – Friday: 6:30 am, 9:00 am (Rosary after 9:00 am Mass)
Saturday: 7:30 am, 9:00 am (Rosary after 9:00 am Mass)
Monday: 7:00 pm (in Spanish)
Sacrament of Penance
Saturday: 8:00 am-9:00 am; 3:00 pm–4:00 pm or by appointment
This Week’s Mass Intentions
September Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
M 23 Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest
6:30 am Ursula Shean (The Shean Family)
9:00 am John T. Miller Jr. (Hofer Family)
T 24 Twenty-Fifth Tuesday in OT
6:30 am Souls in Purgatory (Marie Velenzuela)
9:00 am For Priests and Bishops (Marie Velenzuela)
W 25 Twenty-Fifth Wednesday in OT
6:30 am Ruth Gibbons (Rev. Frederick Edlefsen)
9:00 am Edsel B. Martz (Ruthmarie, Shari & Michael Mart)
Th 26 Saints Cosmas and Damian, martyrs
6:30 am Mike De Vito (Cathleen Sheehan-Wilson)
9:00 am Don Baucom, Jr. (Imelda Macorol)
F 27 Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest
6:30 am Mr. & Mrs. S.W. Hauser & Maureen Hauser (Samuel Hauser)
9:00 am Daniel Stadelmann (Christiane West)
Sa 28 Saint Wenceslaus, Martyr; Saint Lawrence
Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs; BVM
7:30 am Georges Choueiri (Giselle Sampang)
9:00 am Maria Martins (Mario Martins)
Vigil Twenty-Sixth Sunday in OT
5:00 pm John T. Miller, Jr. (Barbara Murphy)
Su 29 Twenty-Sixth Sunday in OT
7:30 am Eduard Heger (Herndon Family)
9:00 am Richard Lolich (Carol Mack)
10:30 am Pastor’s Intention: For All Parishioners
12:00 pm John J. Byrnes, IV (Byrnes Family) indicates person is deceased
Sunday Mass Readings:
Twenty-fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
135:7AM 8:4-7; PS 113:1-2, 4-8
1 TM 2:1-8; LK 16:1-13
Friendship and Holiness
Pastor’s Column — Rev. Frederick Edlefsen
As students are now back into the thick of
schoolwork, it may (or may not) come as a
surprise to you that academics is not the most
important thing on their minds. Friendship is
more important. In fact, friendship is the most
formative experience of youth. Therefore, the
subject is worth serious reflection. Learning is
enriched by disciplined reflection on questions
like these: What’s the role of one’s feelings and
affections in healthy friendships, habits of charity
and social behavior? What affections are healthy
and help us to love? Which ones ought not be
obeyed or are hurtful to love? Which ones
incline us to generosity? To selfishness?
Here’s another issue to consider: You can be
friends with only a few. But you must love
everyone. How are friendship and charity
related, even though they are different? A
healthy friendship grows out of itself into charity.
On the flip side, unhealthy friendship “turns in
on itself.” It becomes possessive or exclusive.
When this happens, a bit of “getting away from
one another” could be an uncomfortable but life-
giving experience. Healthy friendship is always
honest, chaste and freeing. It can bring out the
grace of Baptism.
I recently read some brief articles (see below)
entitled “Saints Who Were Friends” in an e-
newsletter I received from the Fellowship of
Catholic University Students, also known as
FOCUS (see focus.org). I’ll share them with you.
I’ve also added a sermon by a 4th century Church
Father, St. Gregory of Nazianzen, on his
friendship with St. Basil the Great. I also
recommend reading the classic medieval book
“Spiritual Friendship” by Aelred of Rievaulx
(12th century). For a contemporary take, I
recommend Dr. John Cuddeback’s book “True
Friendship: Where Virtue Becomes Happiness”
and C. S. Lewis’ “The Four Loves.” Jesus said, “I
have called you friends” (John 15:15). Happy
reading.
Saints Who Were Friends We need good friends. Contrary to popular belief,
a true friend won’t agree with everything we say
or approve of everything we do. A faithful friend
won’t stand on the sidelines as we sin because
they see in us the saints we’re supposed to
be. “True friendship and virtue are inseparable;
you cannot have one without the other,” writes
Dr. John Cuddeback, author of “True Friendship:
Where Virtue Becomes Happiness.” The most
authentic friends lovingly challenge us to reach
new heights, they rejoice in our successes and
encourage us after failures. They help us keep
true to a moral life and inspire us to do better
when we act in ways less than noble. “A faithful
friend is an elixir of life,” according to Sirach 6:16.
Earlier this month, the nation celebrated
Friendship Day by posting photos with friends
on social media. The following three pairs of
saints may not have posted their stories to
Facebook — however, due to the incredible
heights of friendship they obtained, their stories
have been memorialized in history.
St. Francis and St. Clare
Dr. Cuddeback writes, “It is with friends that you
form habits and develop your character.”
Apparently this was so for St. Clare, who was
often called Alter Franciscus, or “Other Francis.”
Her friendship with St. Francis started during
Lent, when St. Francis was preaching a homily.
St. Clare was so moved by the love of God that
she sought St. Francis’ guidance on how to live a
holy life. He encouraged her to join a Benedictine
order, where she and a group of women vowed
to live simply, wearing no shoes and eating no
meat. This order became known as the Poor
Ladies of San Damiano. Throughout their
vocations, St. Francis and St. Clare encouraged
each other to maintain this poor way of life and
counseled each other on matters of faith. St. Clare
cared for St. Francis in his old age. The fruits of
their friendship, rooted in love of Christ, live on
in the vows taken by men and women religious
who have devoted their lives to the Franciscan
rule.
St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas Aquinas
The legacy of the Franciscans left quite an impact
on St. Bonaventure, who is said to have been
blessed by St. Francis as a baby and eventually
became a Franciscan and friend with St. Thomas
Aquinas. The two met at the University of Paris
while studying for their doctorates. St. Thomas
Aquinas was so impressed with St.
Bonaventure’s understanding of philosophy and
theology that he went to Bonaventure and asked
him from which books he learned. St.
Bonaventure replied, “I only study Christ
crucified.” Pointing to a crucifix, he added, “This
is the source of all my knowledge.” St.
Bonaventure and St. Thomas had marks that tied
them at the top of their class, but each insisted
the other deserved the rank of first place. Not
only did the two die the same year, their statues
face each other on opposite sides of St. Peter’s
Square. In the words of Pope Benedict the XVI,
together they “renewed the entire Church of the
13th century.”
St. King Louis IX and St. Isabelle of France
Among those who also promoted the renewal of
the Church in the 13th century were siblings St.
Louis IX and St. Isabelle of France. While both
shared a deep love for the Church, they were
Twenty-fifth Sunday in
Ordinary Time
Pastor’s Column
Continued
called to vastly different vocations. Under the
direction of his mother, St. Louis IX was made
king at the age of 13 after his father died. Seven
years later, he married a woman of faith and had
11 children. St. Isabelle, determined to live the
simple life of the Franciscans, broke off her
engagement to a count and also refused marriage
to the son of a German emperor. They both
delighted in the friendship of St. Bonaventure,
who wrote devotional pieces for St. King Louis IX
and assisted St. Isabelle in writing the Rule for an
order she started. With the help of her brother, St.
Isabelle was able to build the Monastery of the
Humility of the Blessed Virgin. Fixed on the love
of Christ, these siblings were able to employ their
nobility for the growth of the Church in France.
Do your friendships resemble those of the saints?
How do we find friends like this in today’s world
of frivolousness? The rest of Sirach 6:16 gives us
the simple answer: “Those who fear the Lord will
find [a faithful friend].” Living a life of virtue
rooted in reverence and wonder for God’s ways
is sure to attract others striving to live the same
way. Together, with good friends, we can enrich
the Church and hopefully become saints along
the way.
Saint Gregory Nazianzen on his friendship
with Saint Basil
Basil and I were both in Athens. We had come,
like streams of a river, from the same source in
our native land, had separated from each other in
pursuit of learning, and were now united again
as if by plan, for God so arranged it. I was not
alone at that time in my regard for my friend, the
great Basil. I knew his irreproachable conduct,
and the maturity and wisdom of his
conversation. I sought to persuade others, to
whom he was less well known, to have the same
regard for him. Many fell immediately under his
spell, for they had already heard of him by
reputation and hearsay. What was the outcome?
Almost alone of those who had come to Athens
to study he was exempted from the customary
ceremonies of initiation for he was held in higher
honor that his status as a first-year student
seemed to warrant.
Such was the prelude to our friendship, the
kindling of that flame that was to bind us
together. In this way we began to feel affection
for each other. When, in the course of time, we
acknowledged our friendship and recognized
that our ambition was a life of true wisdom, we
became everything to each other: we shared the
same lodging, the same table, the same desires,
the same goal. Our love for each other grew
daily warmer and deeper.
The same hope inspired us: the pursuit of
learning. This is an ambition especially subject to
envy. Yet between us there was no envy. On the
contrary, we made capital out of our rivalry. Our
rivalry consisted, not in seeking the first place for
oneself but in yielding it to the other, for we each
looked on the other’s success as his own.
We seemed to be two bodies with a single spirit.
Though we cannot believe those who claim that
“everything is contained in everything,” yet you
must believe that in our case each of us was in
the other and with the other. Our single object
and ambition was virtue, and a life of hope in the
blessings that are to come; we wanted to
withdraw from this world before we departed
from it. With this end in view we ordered our
lives and all our actions. We followed the
guidance of God’s law and spurred each other on
to virtue. If it is not too boastful to say, we found
in each other a standard and rule for discerning
right from wrong. Different men have different
names, which they owe to their parents or to
themselves, that is, to their own pursuits and
achievements. But our great pursuit, the great
name we wanted, was to be Christians, to be
called Christians.
Schedule:
• Session 1: September 22, 2019• Session 2: October 6, 2019• Session 3: October 20, 2019• Session 4: November 3, 2019• Session 5: November 17, 2019• Session 6: December 8, 2019
Candidates will receive the sacraments at the Easter Vigil at
St. Agnes on April 11, 2020
• Session 7: January 5, 2020• Session 8: January 26, 2020• Session 9: February 9, 2020• Session 10: February 23, 2020• Session 11: March 1, 2020• Session 12: March 15, 2020• Session 13: March 29, 2020
All sessions will be held in Conference Room B
in the Parish Center, 4:00-5:30pm
“The grace of the Sacraments nourishes in us a strong and joyful faith, a faith that knows how to stand in wonder before the ‘marvels’ of God and how to
resist the idols of the world. That is why it is important to take Communion, it is important that children be baptized early, that they be confirmed, because the Sacraments are the presence of Jesus Christ in us, a presence that helps us.” | Pope Francis |
Spark is a Sacrament preparation program for 9th – 12th graders who have not yet received one or more of the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation). The program will consist of thirteen sessions to prepare the candidates to receive their remaining Sacraments of Initiation.
SparkSacrament Prep
For questions or to enroll, please email Kathryn Brown at: [email protected]
ST. AGNES NURSERY
The nursery will resume next Sunday, September 29th.
We welcome your 1 - 5 year olds to the
St. Agnes Nursery, available the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month during the 9:00 a.m.
Mass, in the Lower Church.
Volunteers Needed!
All volunteers must be or become Child Protection compliant.
Contact Lindsay O’Connell to volunteer or for more
information, [email protected] or 703-999-6507.
Walking with
Purpose Do you desire to grow in
your Catholic faith? Would you like to connect with
other women in our parish community? Are you
searching for something more in your life? We invite
you to consider joining Walking with Purpose, a
women’s Catholic Bible study, this fall at St. Agnes.
Weekly group sessions are starting either Tuesday
evenings on October 1 at 7:30 p.m. or Thursday
mornings on October 3 at 9:45 a.m.
Contact Kelly Van Niman at [email protected]
for more information. Register online at https://
membership.faithdirect.net/events/details/3558. Visit
www.walkingwithpurpose.com for more information
and to order your study guide. We hope to see you!
Join the Challenge Club
for Girls
Challenge Club: grades 5-8
Junior Challenge Club: grades 2-4
• Join other girls to grow in faith and friendship
with Jesus.
• Enjoy fellowship, crafts, service projects.
• Led by high schooler mentors.
• Have fun while making a difference in the world
around you!
Second Fridays, starting October 11, 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.,
dinner included. Contact Kathryn Foley for more
information: [email protected]
St. Agnes Picnic—Thank You Thank you to all who volunteered their time either
preparing for or helping at the parish picnic. It was a
beautiful day and great to see so many parishioners
there!
Mass for Jubilarians
Celebrating a Silver or Golden Wedding Anniversary
this Year? Then join Bishop Burbidge for the 2019
Mass for Jubilarians on Sunday, October 13th, at 2:30
p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More. Contact the
parish office to register no later than September 30th.
For more info, visit: www.arlingtondiocese.org/MJM
PA
RIS
H L
IFE
Free FORMED Subscription
Check out FORMED.org! Parishioners
register with our parish code: f1a3f2.
St. Agnes is on
Facebook! Share the love: Like us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/saintagneschurch/.
MyParishApp Text App to 88202 to download
our free parish app.
Monthly eNewsletter Get it all in one place! Sign up at
saintagnes.org before our next issue.
Be the first to find out all of our current
activities, news and articles from the
pastor, and service opportunities.
Second Collection Next weekend, September 28-29, there
will be a second collection for Catholic
Relief Services (CRS) aid to the Bahamas.
The diocese will send 100% of the funds
collected to CRS, which will then
provide those funds to Catholic Charities
agencies serving communities affected
by this disaster. Thank you for your
generosity to those in need.
Vocations “No servant can serve two
masters.” Are you discerning a vocation
to serve the Lord as a priest, deacon,
sister or brother? Contact Fr. Michael
Isenberg at the Diocese of Arlington:
Weekly Prayer Intentions:
For those who are sick in our midst:
Sr. Annemarie Miller, Samantha Brown, Olivia
Egge, Katylee McInerney, Steve Ponticello,
Rosemary Shimer, George Baker, and the
residents of Cherrydale Health and
Rehabilitation.
To add a name, or if a name may be removed because
the person is no longer ill (Deo gratias!), please contact the
Parish Office at 703-525-1166. Names of the sick are listed for
approximately four weeks unless we are notified otherwise.
Saint Agnes Essentials:
Infant/Child Baptism:
Baptisms are celebrated the first and third
Sundays of each month, after the Noon Mass.
Contact the Parish Office to register at 703-525-
1166 or [email protected].
Marriage Preparation:
Call the Parish Office for Pre-Cana at least seven
months prior to your wedding.
Anointing of the Sick:
Call the Parish Office to request Anointing of the
Sick. Anyone with a serious illness should
request this sacrament before being admitted to
the hospital.
Homebound Visitation:
Contact [email protected] or call the
Parish Office at 703-525-1166.
How to become Catholic:
Interested in joining the Catholic Church or want
to learn more? Contact Marie Macnamara in the
Faith Formation office at 703-527-1129 or a priest
for more information. Rite of Christian Initiation
of Adults (RCIA) classes are held on Mondays at
7:30 p.m.
Holy Orders/Consecrated Life:
Is the Lord calling you? For information about
priesthood, the permanent diaconate, or the
consecrated life, contact a priest or the Diocesan
Vocations Office at 703-841-2514.
Registration/Change of Address:
Registration cards are in the racks at main
entrances of the church, the Parish Office, or on
our website. Return them to the Parish Office, or
email them to [email protected].
Adoration Chapel “Come to Me, all you who labor and are
burdened, and I will give you rest" (MT 11: 28).
Jesus Christ waits for you in the most Holy
Eucharist. Permanent and substitute adorers are
needed daily between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. to restore
perpetual adoration in the Adoration Chapel at
St. Agnes. To make a commitment, please e-mail
Michael Sirotniak at [email protected].
Events
RSVP to Mackenzie at [email protected].
A few openings are available in the PreK3s.
For more information, contact the school office at 703-527-5423.
Saint Agnes School
Youth Ministry (9th - 12th Grades)
Young Adults (Ages 21-35)
St. Agnes School is a Catholic
community centered on the teachings
of Jesus Christ and strengthened by the
partnership between parents, who are the
primary educators of our students, and
our dedicated teaching staff.
We believe in the mission to educate
our students so that they become loving
Christians, inspired learners, outstanding
achievers, natural communicators, and
strong servants of God.
Picture (above): 6th and 7th grades visit InnerQuest at Camp Crowell for Team Building.
YOUTH GROUP this Sunday, Sept. 22, from 6-8
p.m. in the St. Agnes gym. Who do you say Jesus
is? Come to the first truth Sunday of the year!
There will be games, good food, and sharing the
faith with one another!
The first girls' group will start on Oct. 1, from
7:30-9 p.m. in the convent! Look for more events
to come in the fall: such as the first youth group
Hike to Old Rag!
For more information, contact Mackenzie Jardell
Stewardship Report Stewardship: Parish Support - 5 - 015
Sunday Collection (in pew & via mail) $ 13,740
Faith Direct (electronic collection) estimated $ 8,691
Total Offertory for Week $ 22,431
Catholic University (in pew and mail) $ 1,716
Catholic University (electronic collection) $ 966
Total $ 2,682
Poor Box $ 229
Offertory Budget (FY 19-20) $ 1,680,000
Offertory Budget (through 9/15/19) $ 340,495
Offertory Actual (through 9/15/19) $ 302,497
Brother Dennis and Associates Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples:
Brother Dennis is donating $1,800 to the
Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples,
located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. In 1991, the
Bishop of the Diocese of Edmonton designated
Sacred Heart Church, a mission church to the
indigenous peoples of Alberta.
Alberta has the third largest population of
indigenous people, half of whom live in Edmonton.
Also, many of the rural population go to Edmonton
for medical and social service care.
Sacred Heart is located in the heart of the “inner
city” and close to homeless shelters, soup kitchens
and a large urban hospital. The church provides
support for the vulnerable among their
parishioners by providing counseling, a food bank
which provides not just food but also clothing, a
health clinic and a meeting place for small groups
offering social services, such as Alcoholics
Anonymous and the Boys and Girls clubs.
The priests at Sacred Heart function as hospital
chaplains to any indigenous person who needs
hospitalization. They also work closely with
hospital social workers to help provide referrals for
necessary medical and/or social services.
For more information about this mission church, go
to www.sacredpeoples.com
