Bulletins

August 3, 2014

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It is difficult to say what was the most impressive part of the Mission Trip to Bánica in the Dominican Republic. The natural beauty of the surrounding hills? The crucifix that used to adorn St. John in McLean now hanging over the main altar of the Mission Church in Pedro Santana? The resilience of your young fellow parishioners in the face of back-breaking labor? Their stunning victory in soccer against a Dominican team that had been undefeated against Americans? The faith of the young local seminarians and missionaries? The dignity and gratitude of the villagers in whose homes we installed cement floors? The baptisms of the six babies in the same village at the end of the week? The dedication of the Arlington priests who have given up everything to help the least of our brethren survive a harsh life so as to be able to enjoy eternity in heaven? All of the above. Thank you, Kevin Corcoran, for organizing a very successful mission. I thank all of you for your help, your financial assistance and your prayerful accompaniment! The Bánica Mission is almost all booked up next year for school groups. But I could bring a group of adults outside the usual school vacation timeframe. Who wants to go? I also will book another Mission Trip for students in the summer of 2016.

In the meantime, it seems as though everything in the world went from bad to worse. Ebola, Hamas, the 4th Circuit, Malaysia Flight 17, TransAsia Flight 222, Air Algerie Flight 5017, unaccompanied children immigrants, and the list goes on. Most tragic is the story behind the picture here, showing how homes of Christians in Mosul, Iraq, have been marked by ISIS so as to warn them to convert to Islam or pay a tax or be killed. Inside the red circle is the letter “N”, which indicates in this case “Nazarene” of Christian. There are no more Christians in Mosul, where the Holy Mass had been celebrated every week for the last 1600 years. The 25 churches there are empty.

May God have mercy on us and reward our martyrs.

Fr. Christopher J. Pollard

P.S. Last November 1st I made the implicit commitment that every Holy Day needs to occasion a parish party since these unique Feasts ought to become more than just days when we get to Mass in addition to everything else we were going to do. So, on Friday the 15th of August, the Holy Day of Obligation for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, plan on coming to a parish picnic between the 4:30 Mass and the 7:30 Mass. The parish will provide the grill and the meat and some beverages. Please bring a side and a dessert… and a lawn chair.