St JOHN BOSCO had many prophetic dreams and performed many miracles (including healing) through his beloved MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS. In 1862, he had a remarkable, mystical dream, a vision of the future of the Church. I will provide here my own summary of this dream, focusing only on a few points. The church is represented by a fleet of ships which are under attack by the ENEMY. In the midst of a fierce naval battle and a major storm, TWO COLUMNS of great height appear. They are very close to one another. On top of one, there is a STATUE OF THE VIRGIN MARY, with the inscription in Latin AUXILIUM CHRISTIANORUM (HELP OF CHRISTIANS in English); on the other, stands a LARGE HOST (EUCHARIST) with the words: SALUS CREDENTIUM (SALVATION OF THE FAITHFUL). After a long battle, the main ship of the Church (with the Pope on board as leader) is finally anchored to the two large columns, and the Church fleet becomes victorious miraculously. The enemy ships disappear under the waves ...and the sea is calm again...

Cardinal Gregory is coming to OLHOC next Sunday, January 23rd. You are all INVITED to join him at the 11:30 am Mass when he will dedicate our new altar. I wrote about his visit extensively last week (January 9 weekly bulletin) and emphasized that THE ALTAR IS CENTRAL to the CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST. At every Mass, the altar represents the two aspects of the same Paschal mystery: the ALTAR OF THE SACRIFICE OF THE CROSS (Jesus, as Victim, dying on the Cross for the forgiveness of our sins) and the TABLE OF THE LORD (Jesus' Last Supper Institution of the Eucharist). The liturgy of the Mass expresses this unity of sacrifice and communion in many prayers. While the priest at Mass represents Jesus, the High Priest, St Ambrose said eloquently: "The Altar represents the Body of Christ (sacrificed victim) and the Body of Christ (after the consecration and before Communion) is on the altar.” Several of you asked questions about...

Cardinal Gregory is coming to dedicate a new altar at the 11:30 am Mass on Sunday January 23rd. It is a great honor for our parish and all our parishioners. This will be his second visit in less than two years. I hope that many of you will be able to join us and welcome him as you did on the occasion of our 40th anniversary in September 2020. We are grateful to God for the generosity of the two pa- rishioners who have funded this latest OLHOC project for a new altar and have chosen to remain anonymous. We are also grateful to the members of our Parish Council who unanimously recommended...

Have you already made your New Year's "Predictions and Resolutions"? What is going to happen in your own lives in 2022? What is going to happen in the lives of your own families and beloved ones in 2022? Do you anticipate any major changes? What changes if any do you DESIRE the most? It is a good time to look back on the events of 2021 and reflect on the purpose of our lives. It is also a good time to...

This year is very special: the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord and the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph are celebrated just one day apart as Christmas falls on a Saturday. I have already written to you about the Joy of Christmas last week. We have been blessed with the well-attended Christmas Novena Masses this year and I would like to invite all of you to...

Which is your most memorable CHRISTMAS? This is a question often asked when family and friends gather around a traditional meal on Christmas Day. It is a wonderful ice-breaker when there are "new" family guests. It is also a way for many of us to SHARE with others the JOY OF CHRISTMAS in the time of Advent! I will never forget my first Christmas as a priest...

“REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS...REJOICE! THE LORD IS NEAR. Have no anxiety at all.. make your requests known to GOD. Then, the PEACE OF GOD will guard your hearts and minds in CHRIST JESUS. "(St Paul Letter to Philippians 4:4-7). What a beautiful message to proclaim and meditate as we have just passed the middle point of our ADVENT season, and celebrate GAUDETE Sunday, when we all REJOICE. I shall say it again: REJOICE! THE LORD IS NEAR! BE JOYFUL AND PRAISE THE LORD! We all face anxieties, preoccupations, worries. Whenever things do not go well, we may be drowned in a downward spiral of depression, especially in this time of Advent/ Christmas that reminds us of many joys of past years with our beloved parents, siblings, husbands, or wives. To cheer up those of you that may be depressed in this joyful time, I would like to share a very personal story....

LISTEN TO THE VOICE CRYING OUT: PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD: COME DECEMBER 13! Once again we have entered the ADVENT Season: awaiting the First COMING OF CHRIST. Once again we can hear the VOICE of JOHN THE BAPTIST shouting in our ears: "PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL SHALL BE MADE LOW. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, AND ALL FLESH SHALL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD." Can you hear ...

As we enter the four weeks of ADVENT, may we all focus on JESUS, may we all KEEP OUR EYES ON JESUS. Our parish THEME this Advent is: RECONCILIATION-EUCHARIST- ADORATION. We are invited to reconcile with JESUS (OLHOC Advent Penance Service 7 pm Monday, December 13), to be totally with HIM (HIS Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity) at every Mass, every EUCHARIST (the greatest miracle on earth) and to ADORE HIM in silence, keeping our...

"JESUS CHRIST is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and RULER OF THE KINGS OF THE EARTH...Behold, HE is coming amid the clouds, and EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIM, even those who pierced HIM." We have just reached the end of the Liturgical Year. We celebrate CHRIST THE KING and can meditate on the above beginning of the last Book of the Bible: Revelation (1:5-8). I was touched by those five words: "EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIM !" Every eye, everyone without exception will see Him even those who have pierced His Heart with major sins. HE IS THE KING OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE. HE is the Ruler and the King of everyone! Last week...

You may have noticed that over the last few weeks we have begun to display different color pictures on the cover of the printed version of the Weekly Bulletin. Last week, many of you had no problems recognizing on our cover picture one of the two "young" saints surrounding Sister Rosario at the end of the All-Saints Mass: Mother Teresa is so easily recognized with the blue/white colors of her sari. The other Saint was the Blessed Virgin Mary, the greatest of all the saints. Looking at all the children " Saints" before they processed in the church, I had to ask some of them: SAINT WHO? You may be familiar with...

My great JOY on ALL SAINTS DAY was that our church was packed with children and their parents! I had nothing to do with this little miracle...This was due to the initiative of Sister Rosario, our Coordinator of Religious Education, with the support of all our CCD teachers and aides. Instead of CCD classes last Monday evening, the entire focus was for CHILDREN, Youth, and their parents to participate in the ALL SAINTS MASS and have a procession with many children dressed as their favorite SAINT. We felt the presence of the Saints in our church: they are an integral part of the Church, and we worship with them at every Mass. Another little miracle was that...

When was the last time you talked to a blind person? You may have "seen" blind people begging for help at the entrance of a metro station or crossing a busy intersection alone with the help of a white cane or a specially trained dog. But you may not have had the opportunity to become one of their friends. At OLHOC, many of us have been blessed to know two amazing blind persons: Velma and Peter. Both have attended daily and Sunday Masses regularly. Both have become friends for many of us worshipping at Our Lady. Velma passed away several years ago, and many still remember her as a RCIA teacher. She taught for many years. She did so always with great passion and great love of Christ. Her greatest desire was...

"Judith (Judy) Tomasky, 73, of Waldorf Maryland unexpectedly began her eternal rest the week of October 3, 2021. Judy was a devout Catholic and a member of Our Lady Help of Christians for 41 years. She was a lifelong accomplished artist, pianist, and photographer, and a loving family member. Time dedicated to her Catholic Faith brought her great pleasure, as she committed many hours each week worshipping and walking the Christian path at Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church in Charles County” (extracts from obituary). Many of us were shocked to hear...

In the amazing encounter of JESUS with the RICH YOUNG MAN (Mark 10: 17-30), the word "Look" is mentioned three times. First, JESUS is LOOKING AT the young man. Then, HE LOOKS AROUND and talks to HIS disciples and finally, HE LOOKS AT THEM. QUESTION: Right now, as you are reading this column, IS JESUS LOOKING AT YOU? The answer is YES! JESUS IS GOD. And as God, He is present everywhere, He has all powers. He knows everything about each one of us: our past, present, and future. He can certainly look at us at all times. I recall a retreat for priests given by Father George Ashenbrenner (Jesuit Spiritual Director) several years ago. He told us that every morning, as he wakes up he can hear Jesus say:

We can all give THANKS TO GOD for CELEBRATING THE EUCHARISTIC MIRACLE with Bishop Dorsonville last Sunday! OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST had invited all of us to COME AND CELEBRATE on a beautiful, sunny and long Sunday afternoon going into a refreshing evening. Many of us responded to the invitation with much enthusiasm. One could sense the presence of the HOLY SPIRIT and of OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST in our church and throughout the outdoor PROCESSION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. We can all give THANKS TO GOD for the GIFT of the large number of VOLUNTEERS who made this Celebration, this FIESTA a REALITY. It was truly an effort of the entire parish, including: the Hispanic Community, the Youth Group, the Music Ministry, the Marian Group, the Ushers/Greeters, the Altar Guild, the Altar Servers, the Knights of Columbus, the Men's Group, the Couples for Christ, our entire staff and clergy. Everything that had been planned did take place with...

This is a follow-up to last week's column announcing the OCTOBER 3rd CELEBRATION. Yes, YOU ARE ALL INVITED: COME AT 5 PM this Sunday! COME and CELEBRATE with Bishop Dorsonville. Our Lord Jesus is inviting you! You can't reject HIS invitation! There is much to celebrate: 10 Years of Hispanic Ministry, Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (anticipation of October 7), Dedication of our renovated Chapel to Our Lady of Guadalupe (Patron Saint of the Americas , Protectress of the Unborn, and Queen of Evangelization), Blessing of the new, inspirational painting of Divine Mercy (last painting by Orlando Lagman), Outdoor Procession of the Blessed Sacrament , Praying for Unity in the EUCHARIST (Paschal Mystery and Holy Communion), unveiling of the EUCHARISTIC DISPLAY to be one of the focus of our YEAR OF EUCHARISTIC RENEWAL, and FIESTA in the Father Martin Hall (food and music). Come and dress in your best attire, including

Bishop Dorsonville is coming SUNDAY OCTOBER 3rd, as we CELEBRATE 10 years of Hispanic ministry at OLHOC. On this occasion, he will also bless the recently renovated daily Mass Chapel and dedicate it to “Our Lady of Guadalupe". At the turn of the 21st century (1999), Pope John Paul II proclaimed Our Lady of Guadalupe the "Patron Saint of the Americas" (including our own country USA) and the "Protectress of Unborn Children". It is fitting that this dedication takes place at the beginning of October, which is the RESPECT LIFE MONTH, and also the month of Our Lady of the Rosary. Bishop Dorsonville is not only overseeing the large and growing Hispanic Ministry of the Archdiocese of Washington. He is also...

We had an AWESOME 40-HOUR ADORATION preceding our 41st birthday OUTDOOR MASS and annual picnic. WE THANK GOD for our staff, ourclergy and all the volunteers who made these three events possible, including the Altar Guild, Marian Group, the Knights of Columbus, the Couples for Christ and our own Parish Council. God has kept pouring so many blessings on our children, youth, parents, teachers at the beginning of a new School Year! THE 40-HOUR ANNIVERSARY ADORATION has become MORE and MORE BEAUTIFUL over the last three years. In addition, this year we experienced NEW SIGNS FROM GOD, which could be interpreted as "little” miracles. The first SIGN from GOD happened...

We are entering our fifth decade! We are no longer a baby. HAPPY 41st OLHOC!!!We are getting up in age. But we remain one of the youngest parishes of the Archdiocese. MAY GOD CONTINUE BLESSING our parish and all our parishioners! May we keep the pioneering spirit of our founders! When Cardinal Hickey established our parish, he put us under the "double" protection of OUR BLESSED MOTHER. First, he chose her as our patron saint. Our name will always remain "OUR LADY HELP OF CHRISTIANS”. Second, he also chose the Feast Day of OUR LADY OF SORROWS, SEPTEMBER 15, to be the day of our birth. I will never forget my first day...