Jan 31, 2024

Greetings,

It is International Festival weekend! Saturday evening will be full of foods from around the world, games and cultural events. This is one of our oldest and biggest events and the proceeds go to keeping our sanctuary well stocked for Masses and other events.

Thank you to our Sanctuary Society and all of our volunteers for putting on this wonderful event! I am looking forward to it and hope to see all of you there!

IN OTHER NEWS:

NEW MUSIC DIRECTOR: As you should be aware, Lynn Steward, our Director of Music, will be retiring aȅer Easter this year. We have been looking for someone who could keep our music programs up to her high standards. There have been numerous interviews, organ recitals and practices with the choir trying to find someone who fill her shoes.

This week we are delighted to announce that David R. Uschold, MM, of Virginia will become our new Director of Music beginning in May. He is currently Director of Music and Organist at Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Fredericksburg. He has been desiring to move back to the area and this gives him the opportunity to do so. Now that his parish has been informed, we are able to announce it here. Please pray for David and Lynn and the parish as we prepare for this transition. Also, thank you to everybody who served on the interview committee.

LIVE STREAMING: We are currently experiencing difficulties with our live-streaming equipment. There is a part of it that will cost between five and ten thousand dollars to replace and we are currently looking at our options. Apologies to our homebound who rely on this service.

SPEAKING OF LIVE STREAMING: Due to some copyright laws, we will have to remove a number of Masses from our live stream platform. I am just giving you the heads up before we start erasing certain Masses from our queue.

FR. GREGORY PINE O.P.: You are invited to the Aquinas Lecture at Borromeo Seminary this coming Saturday, February 10 at 4pm to hear Fr. Gregory Pine give a lecture entitled, “If Your Head Causes You to Sin: Thomistic Wisdom for Negotiating Contemporary Madness.” The lectures are free and open to the public.

Fr. Pine is a Dominican friar of the Province of St. Joseph. He is Assistant Director of the Thomistic Institute and Adjunct Professor of Dogmatic Theology at the Dominican House of Studies. He is more widely known for his work as co-host of the Godsplaining podcast and frequent guest appearances on Matt Fradd’s Pints with Aquinas show. His most recent book is Prudence: Choose Confidently, Live Boldly (2022). LENT: Lent is a week and a half away! Ash Wednesday will be on February 14. It is time to plan what you intend to do special in prayer, fasting and almsgiving, growing in mind, body and spirit!

God bless,

Fr. Valencheck