The last few days have been difficult. I had to go to the emergency room. I was diagnosed with acute bronchitis. The doctor prescribed antibiotics and asked me to rest for a few days. It was very hard for me to rest. I missed celebrating the Mass with you and I look forward to seeing you all in church this weekend. But resting was also helpful. It gave me more time to reflect and be with God in silence. I am grateful to God that He has given me good health. The only time I was very sick was...

This coming Sunday January 22nd, we will begin the Salesian Family's Novena to St John Bosco, to end on Monday January 30th, the eve of St. John Bosco Feast Day (January 31st). We will pray the Novena at the end of each daily Mass: Novena to St. John Bosco Day 1 Love for Christ in the Blessed Sacrament St. John Bosco, who loved Christ in the Blessed Sacrament so deeply and spread that love to so many, help me to understand this mystery of God’s love for us that I too may find, in frequent attendance at Mass and Holy Communion and visits to the Blessed Sacrament comfort and strength throughout my life and at the hour of my death....

We have just completed a beautiful Christmas Season. Our hearts were filled with the LOVE OF JESUS. The Nativity Scene, the poinsettias, the Christmas trees, and the decorations are gone. But the JOY of CHRISTMAS continues in our hearts. MAY OUR JOY BE COMPLETE NOW AND FOREVER! Last Thursday, Pope Francis presided over the Funeral Mass of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. It was an extraordinary event: the funeral of a retired Pope being presided by a reigning Pope! The Church's tradition is that a Pope is buried before the College of Cardinals elects a successor. Pope Benedict XVI resigned 10 years ago, the first Pope to do so in 600 years (see last week's column REMEMBERING POPE BENEDICT XVI). When Pope John Paul II died in 2005, his long-time associate Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger presided over his funeral at St Peter's Square. I watched this amazing funeral Mass which gathered the largest-ever crowd. I will never forget...

He lived like a frail, old monk in silence and isolation from the world for the last 10 years of his life. His own little monastery was within the Vatican. He chose this prayerful and humble life following a resignation that shocked the world: the first pope to resign in 600 years! The entire Church, including our own parish, is now praying for the repose of his soul. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died last Saturday, on the last day of 2022. He was 95 years old. Did Pope Benedict affect your own life? For me personally, ...

Entering the NEW YEAR 2023, we are GRATEFUL to GOD for all the blessings HE had poured upon our parish and parishioners in the last 12 months.. I will remember 2022 as the beginning of our YEAR OF ST JOHN BOSCO, inspired by Cardinal Gregory's dedi- cation of our NEW ALTAR including relics of ST JOHN BOSCO and ST MARIA MAZZARELLO on January 23, 2022. St JOHN BOSCO is the Patron Saint of Youth and the greatest promoter of the Devotion to Our Lady Help of Christians. Bishop Dorsonville also blessed the new working Sacristy, the St JOHN BOSCO Room, last October when we celebrated the 11th Anniversary of our Hispanic Ministry. I will remember 2022 as...

WESOLYCH SWIAT! FELIZ NATAL! EZI EKERESIMESI! JOYEUX NOEL! MALIGAYANG PASKO! FELIZ NAVIDAD! MERRY CHRISTMAS! “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you GOOD NEWS of GREAT JOY that will be FOR ALL THE PEOPLE. For TODAY in the city of David, a SAVIOR HAS BEEN BORN FOR YOU WHO IS CHRIST AND LORD." (Luke 2:10-11). This message of the angel to the shepherds is given to us EVERY CHRISTMAS! Like the humble shepherds in Bethlehem, we can hear the multitude of angels and archangels singing: “GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST AND ON EARTH PEACE TO PEOPLE OF GOOD WILL". Like the shepherds we...

In this fourth and last Sunday of Advent, JOSEPH SAYS YES TO GOD: narrative of his encounter with the Angel of the Lord prior to Jesus' birth. We hear this Gospel once every three years (YEAR A Matthew). This is JOSEPH's courageous obedience to God. He had initially decided to divorce Mary quietly when she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. But he is listening to the Angel of the Lord. HE says YES. He accepts to take Mary in his home. His courageous YES will change the world, bringing salvation to all of us. The Angel of the Lord says:

We just learned today that the PAPAL NUNCIO ARCHBISHOP PIERRE will join us at the 7 pm Mass next SUNDAY DECEMBER 18. He will be the main celebrant and homilist. His homily will be both in English and Spanish. He will also join the Reception in the Father Martin Hall right after Mass. Everyone is invited. The Sunday 7 pm Mass is part of the nine consecutive 7 pm Masses before Christmas. We had invited the Papal Nuncio to participate in CELEBRATING our 10th ANNUAL CHRISTMAS NOVENA MASSES. This is a great honor for all our parishioners that he has accepted to be with us. As papal nuncio with residence in Washington DC, he represents the Pope in the United States. He has done so...

Every morning can be a struggle. The alarm clock is ring- ing. Do I have to get up now? I can press the SNOOZE button...I do not have to get up right away...I need more rest. There are so many things that I need to do today. When I was younger, I used to jump out of bed as soon as I heard the ringing of the alarm clock. What a Joy. I could go jogging and refill my lungs with fresh air. As I am getting older, ...

‘PARDON AND PEACE’ is our theme this Advent at OLHOC. At the end of 5 pm Mass a few weeks ago, I was greeting an entire family when one young child filled with JOY told me that he had gone to CONFESSION just before the Mass and he had felt “so good“, so happy when leaving the Confessional. This child had received the fullness of GRACE that God pours upon us through the SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION, preparing us to receive the BODY OF CHRIST at Communion in a STATE OF GRACE. First, we are FORGIVEN and then we are FED, BECOMING ONE IN CHRIST: we are totally at Peace with Christ ... until we sin again and separate ourselves from God. We all seek...

I love to celebrate the weekly Mass for the students at St Peter’s School. I do so once a month. This week (November 16) we had one powerful first reading from the Book of Revelation 4:1-11, where St John has a VISION OF AN OPEN DOOR TO HEAVEN! I asked the students to raise their hands if they wanted to go to Heaven. All hands went up...Then, I asked: “WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHEN YOU ARE IN HEAVEN? To find the answer, I told the children to...

Last Wednesday evening, we entered the church in DARKNESS. It was a SOLEMN AND MOVING PROCESSION. For many participants, it was a reminder of the last time they participated in an Easter Vigil: entering the House of God in darkness following the newly blessed Paschal Candle and holding their own lit candles. THE LIGHT OF CHRIST lifts us up from our Baptism throughout our entire life on earth. This time, the HOLY SPIRIT had guided us to pray for the souls of our RECENTLY DECEASED parishioners in a new way. It is hard for a single individual to resist the Movements of the Holy Spirit. It is nearly impossible for a "family of families" mourning the loss of loved ones to resist the invitation of the Holy Spirit to come and pray together in a totally NEW WAY. The Holy Spirit had allowed us plenty of time to plan...

THE WAY OF THE CROSS IS THE WAY TO HEAVEN. JESUS asks all of us: "TAKE UP YOUR CROSS DAILY AND FOLLOW ME." (Luke 9:23). Accepting our daily sufferings, we can walk with Jesus. He is the one helping us to carry our daily crosses. Earlier this week, as part of the annual celebrations of All Saints and All Souls, we have reflected on our own journey from Earth to Heaven. Since our baptism, we are all CALLED TO BE HOLY, we are all called to keep WALKING ON THE WAY TO HEAVEN. God has created each one of us “to Love and to be Loved". GOD IS LOVE. He Loves each of us immensely and wants us to be always with Him, now on earth and then in Heaven forever and ever. Reflecting on the lives of my favorite saints (St John Vianney, St Agustin, St Therese of Lisieux, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and last, but not least...St John Bosco), I can see my own littleness and unworthiness to be in Heaven with such giants of the Christian Faith. What we have in common with the earthly life of Saints is our daily sufferings and the frequent attacks of the devil. I BELIEVE THAT...

On Tuesday afternoon, we celebrated our second monthly Mass at a new Independent/Assisted Living Community in Waldorf (Harmony House). We had a mix of Catholics and non-Catholics attending. I began my homily with a simple statement:" IF YOU WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN, RAISE YOUR HAND!" There was not a single hesitation. Immediately, Catholics and non-Catholics all raised their hands! We all want to go to Heaven. We all want to be saved. But the key questions remain: who will be saved? HOW CAN WE BE SAVED? JESUS says to Zacchaeus the chief tax collector in Jericho and all of us repentant sinners: “TODAY SALVATION HAS COME TO THIS HOUSE...THE SON OF MAN HAS COME TO SEEK AND TO SAVE WHAT WAS LOST." (Luke 19:1-10, this Sunday's Gospel). The instant conversion of the repentant Zacchaeus, a great sinner, gives all of us great HOPE. In last week's Gospel (Luke 18: 9-14), it was also a tax collector who was praying in the temple: "LORD, BE MERCIFUL TO ME A SINNER" and went home "justified". JESUS IS OUR SAVIOR. HE CAME ON EARTH to seek the lost souls, like Zacchaeus and all of us, and to bring us back to God the Father: HE CAME TO SAVE US. Last week...

Several weeks ago, I was called to visit someone dying. Nothing extraordinary. Every week, Fr. Jan and I receive such calls from families, nursing homes, hospitals, or hospice...This was a home visit far away from our church. The family had no connection at all with our parish. To maintain total confidentiality, I will call the dying person Gertrude (not the real name). Gertrude had not gone to any church for many many years. During her illness, she had rejected the visit of any priest. But God had a plan. In her youth, Gertrude had received all the sacraments. Then she got married in the Catholic Church and had all her children baptized and confirmed. But as the children grew up into adults, she stopped going to church. When I met her, she was...

WE LIVE IN A TROUBLED WORLD: FIRST. The War between Russia and Ukraine is escalating. It began 8 months ago. When is it going to end? Russia's aggression is threatening the entire world: a nuclear attack on Ukraine could lead to a Third World War. Would a nuclear conflict lead to the END OF THE WORLD? or would the threat of a nuclear attack lead to PEACE? Will the leaders of the most powerful nations find the way to a lasting PEACE? Or once again, will War keep leading to more and more HATRED, and more future Wars? ONLY GOD CAN PROVIDE REAL PEACE: PEACE IN OUR HEARTS! SECOND. Beyond the battle of armed forces, another battle continues to rage: THE BATTLE...

Today I give some further reflection on my encounter with the "Little Prince" of our neighborhood and his young friends while "Walking in Waldorf" (see my column of last week). FIRST, several of you have commented on the refreshing "innocence" and "humility" of these young children. Yes! We live in a world where innocence and humility are being lost. Jesus constantly reminds us that we need to be "like little children" to enter Heaven. How can we be child-like? By being truly HUMBLE as a little child in presence of God OUR FATHER and Mary OUR MOTHER) and by TRUSTING totally IN GOD (as a little child trusting in his parents). In answer to...

I love to walk in our neighborhood. It is good to relax, enjoy the beauty of nature, reflect in silence, pray, or sometimes engage in a con- versation with a neighbor, but always pre- pared to be "surprised" ...like a child. Earlier this week, I passed by a large number of young children (six or seven) playing in the street. I had never seen them before, probably new neighbors. I simply said "Hello". One of the boys responded:...

BISHOP DORSONVILLE is coming to our parish in two weeks: Sunday October 9. You are all invited to join! Come to the FEAST! Come to the FIESTA! We are celebrating the 11th Anniversary of our Hispanic Community. Happy Birthday! God has blessed us with one of the most diverse communities in the Washington area. As a mid-size parish, we remain a family of families, welcoming everyone. Welcoming everyone has been part of our parish culture from the very beginning 42 years ago! We are grateful to our "pioneers". We welcome...

"In five hours I will see Jesus! May the will of God be done in all things! I have confidence in the love of Jesus. I know that He will order his angels to bear me in their hands." These are the amazing words JACQUES FESCH wrote five hours before his death. Unlike all of us, Jacques knew the specific hour and day of his death. His lawyer had told him that his public execution (beheading by the guillotine) would take place at 4 am the next day. Jacques had...