News from St. John Fisher Ordinariate Community

Dear Friends of the local Ordinariate community,

Greetings on this Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham!

Just a note to let you know about two upcoming events of particular interest:

Sunday, Sept. 29, 7:30pm, Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Annandale, VA - The Institute for Catholic Culture (ICC) presents Alice von Hildebrand on Mulieris Dignitatem: Radical Feminism & the Restoration of the Dignity and Vocation of Women

See the flyer (attached below) for more information, or visit the ICC website: http://www.instituteofcatholicculture.org/mulieris-dignitatem-radical-feminism-the-restoration-of-the-dignity-and-vocation-of-women/

Remember, you can also access this and other ICC presentations live online or after-the-fact through their Media Library: http://www.instituteofcatholicculture.org/library/

Monday, Sept. 30, 6:30pm, The Catholic Information Center (CIC) - The British Isles & Christianity: From the Past to the Present

From the CIC website:

"The Christian Heritage Centre, located in Lancashire, England, documents the history of Christianity in Britain through an extensive, one-of-a-kind collection of Christian artifacts, relics, and documents. The Centre’s royal patron, Lord Nicholas Windsor, Centre curator, Jan Graffius, and its chairman, Professor Lord Alton will discuss the Centre and explore the role of Christianity in Britain historically and in the contemporary world. They will additionally relate this to religious freedom in the 21st century, both in the United States and Britain."

For more information & directions, see the CIC website: http://cicdc.org/sites/cicdc/th_event/british-christianity/

Blessings to you,
Heide Seward
Secretary
St. John Fisher Catholic Ordinariate Community,

a mission of St. Luke's Catholic Church, Bladensburg, MD

hwseward@verizon.net

... And I earnestly pray for this whole company, with a hope against hope, that all of us, who once were so united, and so happy in our union, may even now be brought at length, by the Power of the Divine Will, into One Fold and under One Shepherd.
- Blessed John Henry, Cardinal Newman
 Apologia pro vita sua

Visit our website (Under Construction): http://stjohnfisherva.org/

"Like" us on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/StLukesCommunityNOVA?ref=hl

News from St. John Fisher Catholic Ordinariate Community

Dear Friends of the St. John Fisher Catholic Ordinariate Community,

Happy Feast of St. Augustine of Hippo.

Thank you for your patience.  Even the relatively slow month of August has been a busy one behind the scenes.  We have a list of several Ordinariate-related events to share with you this time.

Revised schedule:

Due to scheduling (and other) factors, we are planning a service of Anglican Use Evening Prayer on Sept. 8 at 5:00pm at Holy Spirit Catholic Parish.  We had hoped to begin a regular Mass at St. Mary of Sorrows Historic Church on that date, but scheduling conflict has sent us "back to the drawing board" on that front.  We hope to have more news on this in fairly short order.  In addition, we have learned recently that the revised Ordinariate Mass is to be introduced this fall, so we are weighing the relative merits of spending perhaps less than two months with the existing Book of Divine Worship and then switching to a different version in October or November.

***Note that the weekly Anglican Use Mass at Our Lady of Hope (5:00pm) will continue during this time, in any case.***

Fr. Sly on EWTN Radio tomorrow:

Fr. Randolph Sly, our chaplain, is scheduled to appear on the "At Home with Jim & Joy Pinto" radio show at 2:00pm tomorrow, August, 29.  To listen online or find your local station, see the website:  https://www.ewtn.com/radio/other/athomewithjimandjoy.asp

"Devil's Advocate" debate series:

The Office for Family Life of the Diocese of Arlington will sponsor a series of three "debates" on successive Tuesdays in September - Sept. 10, 17 & 24, 7-9pm at the Bishop Ireton High School auditorium.  Flyer is attached below.  The Sept. 17 debate ("Protestant Critiques of Catholicism") will feature our own Vaughn Treco.  Map: http://mapq.st/16LJV6J

Fr. Bergman to speak at Institute of Catholic Culture (ICC) event:

On Sunday, Sept. 22 at St. Michael Catholic Church in Annandale, VA, Fr. Eric Bergman, pastor of St. Thomas More Catholic Church, the Ordinariate parish in Scranton, PA, will speak at the second of two presentations, "Catholic for A Reason: Stories of the Conversion to the True Faith."  The Institute of Catholic Culture (website: http://www.instituteofcatholicculture.org/) will be familiar to readers of our email newsletters.  The first presentation in the series (Sept. 15) will feature Msgr. Stuart Swetland of Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD.

For directions and more information about these events: http://www.instituteofcatholicculture.org/catholic-for-a-reason-stories-of-conversion-to-the-true-faith/

Remember, this and many other ICC events can be viewed live online and are available after-the-fact via video or audio through their extensive Media Library: http://www.instituteofcatholicculture.org/library/

40 Days for Life begins Sept. 25:

The Fall 2013 40 Days for Life Campaign, a focused pro-life campaign with a vision to access God's power through prayer, fasting, and peaceful vigil to end abortion, will take place from Wed., Sept. 25 through Sunday, Nov. 3.  To learn more about campaigns in the local area, including Alexandria, Falls Church and Manassas, visit their websites -

Alexandria:  http://40daysforlife.com/alexandria.html

Falls Church:  http://40daysforlife.com/fallschurch.html

Manassas:  http://40daysforlife.com/manassas.html

Updated form to request membership in U.S. Ordinariate:

The form requesting membership in the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter has been updated recently.  Those of you who have not yet submitted a form will want to use the updated version.  Those of you who have already submitted a form would do well to re-submit your request using the new form, which is attached below the "Devil's Advocate" flyer below.

Contribute to the work of the St. John Fisher Ordinariate Community:

We invite you to contribute to the work of the St. John Fisher Ordinariate Community. Your financial help will assist us in our growth and development.  (We also welcome volunteer help with the numerous other tasks necessary to do a weekly Mass.)

Please make checks out to St. Luke's Catholic Church and add "St. John Fisher Ordinariate Community" on the "For" Line.   Checks may be mailed  to:

SJFOC

C/O Bernard L. Seward, Jr.

8308 Fox Harrow Lane

Annandale, VA  22003

In Christ,

Heide Seward
Secretary
St. John Fisher Catholic Ordinariate Community,

a mission of St. Luke's Catholic Church, Bladensburg, MD

Newsletter from St. John Fisher Ordinariate Community (northern Virginia)

Dear Friends of the St. John Fisher Ordinariate Community,

The April newsletter is a few days later than usual, thanks to the Easter festivities.  Happy Eastertide to everyone!

Last time I sent an email to you was upon learning of the election of our new Holy Father, Pope Francis.  That was March 13, less than a month ago.  Wow!  This has been an eventful month for the Universal Church.  In case you haven't seen it, here is a link to the statement by our Ordinary, Msgr. Steenson, on the subject:

http://usordinariate.org/pope_francis.html

In other news, members of the first Governing Council called for in the Complementary Norms for Anglicanorum coetibus (http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20091104_norme-anglicanorum-coetibus_en.html) have been appointed.  They include two Ordinariate clergy from nearby congregations in MD, Fr. Ed Meeks and Fr. Mark Lewis: http://usordinariate.org/governing_council.html

I would like to draw your attention to one upcoming event in particular, the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on May 9, 2013.  I mentioned this in our March newsletter, and several of you have expressed interest in reserving a table.  Tickets are $65 each/10 people per table.  Msgr. Steenson may be there, though I have not yet confirmed that.  Please let me know ASAP if you are interested (and those who have expressed an interest, please confirm) so that I can reserve a table or tables by the end of this week.

The weekly Anglican Use Mass at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church continues - each Sunday at 5:00pm.  From here on out we will have a social hour following Mass on the 4th Sunday--April 28th this month.  Please join us if you can....

... And stay tuned for more about a regular Mass at St. Mary of Sorrows Historic Church in Fairfax, where we held the Mass for the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter in February.  We will let you know once we have the details nailed down.  We are excited about this opportunity, since St. Mary's is in a much more central location and is, in addition, a lovely 19th century building.  (Photo attached below.)

I look forward to hearing from you about the Prayer Breakfast on May 9.

Heide Seward
Secretary
St. John Fisher Ordinariate Community,

a mission of St. Luke's Catholic Church, Bladensburg, MD
703-323-0181 (H)
703-673-8758 (cell)

hwseward@verizon.net

... And I earnestly pray for this whole company, with a hope against hope, that all of us, who once were so united, and so happy in our union, may even now be brought at length, by the Power of the Divine Will, into One Fold and under One Shepherd.
- Blessed John Henry, Cardinal Newman
 Apologia pro vita sua

Ordinariate to Welcome Four Members in Northern Virginia

CONTACT: Fr. Randy Sly
703-433-6770 / frsly@slynet.org


Potomac Falls, VA, January 15, 2013—The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter will receive four new members into full communion with the Catholic Church at a Mass this Sunday, January 20, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church in Potomac Falls, Virginia.

The St. John Fisher Ordinariate Community (SJFOC) is the Northern Virginia mission of St. Luke’s Catholic Parish, Bladensburg, which is affiliated with the new U.S. Ordinariate established by Pope Benedict XVI as a home for Episcopalians and other Anglicans who desire to join the Catholic Church but retain elements of their heritage. Stephen Smith, Judith Smith and Anne Marie Whittaker from Alexandria, VA will be received into full communion at the Mass.

Fr. Randolph Sly, who is assigned as an Associate Priest for St. Luke’s, serves Chaplain of the SJFOC. A former Anglican priest archbishop who was ordained a Catholic priest in June of 2012, he celebrates a weekly Anglican Use Mass at 5pm on Sunday at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church. He and the St. John Fisher Community are also planning other special monthly events, such as Choral Evensong and seminars, to be held at centralized locations in Northern Virginia. They extend an invitation to Episcopalians, Anglicans and other non-Catholic Christians who are interested in Catholic faith and Anglican liturgy to attend and or all of these services.

Fr. Sly explained, “With our vision of establishing an Ordinariate parish in Northern Virginia, we are very blessed to welcome three former Episcopalians to the Catholic faith. As a former Anglican myself, I am confident that there are many more Anglicans and non-Catholic Christians on a similar journey.”

Fr. Mark Lewis, the Priest Administrator of St. Luke’s Parish, Bladensburg, MD, who brought 80 of his former Episcopal Church parishioners to the Catholic faith, will also be a concelebrant.

The members of SJFOC will host a gala reception after the Mass, and all are welcomed.

In addition, Fr. Scott Hurd, who currently serves as the Deputy to the Bishop to aid in the administration of the diocese, will be on hand after the Mass to sign his book, Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach; copies will be available for sale for $9.95.

Where: Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church
46639 Algonkian Parkway
Potomac Falls, VA 20165
Tele: 703-433-6770
Web: ourladyofhope.net
When: Sunday, January 20, 2013, 5:00 PM
Contact: Fr. Randolph Sly, Chaplain
Saint John Fisher Ordinariate Community
Tele: 703-433-6770
Email: frsly@slynet.com
Web: www.stjohnfisherva.org

###

The formation of the new Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter on January 1, 2012, has accelerated interest in Pope Benedict’s Anglicanorum coetibus, which allows Anglicans and Episcopalians to join the Roman Catholic Church while retaining key elements of their liturgy, music and fellowship. The “first wave” of ordinations to the Catholic priesthood began in the spring of 2012 and the second class of prospective Ordinariate priests is currently in formation.

Members of St. Edmund of Canterbury in Fredericksburg, VA received into full communion

Fr. Scott Hurd reports about yesterday's reception on Facebook:

Five wonderful people from the former Saint Edmund of Canterbury Anglican mission in Fredericksburg, VA, were confirmed or received into the Ordinariate at St. Luke's, Bladensburg.

The St. Edmund's web site is not working this morning, perhaps in the middle of an update. I'll share any information I receive on this as it comes in.

Regular Anglican Use Mass to be celebrated in Potomac Falls, Virginia

Beginning September 16th, Fr. Randolph Sly will offer an Anglican Use Mass at Our Lady of Hope Church in Potomac Falls, Virginia at 5:00 pm each Sunday. All Catholics are invited to attend (and yes, this Mass will fulfill your Sunday obligation!).
Mark your calendars now! More details about this Mass and about the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter will be available soon. The web site for Our Lady of Hope is http://ourladyofhope.net.

Evensong for Laetare Sunday in Alexandria, Virginia

Episcopal Abandonment

January 11, 2012
By Charlotte Hays

I am sorry to say that I can’t share my friend Phil Terzian’s pleasure that a court in Virginia has ruled that the Episcopal Church can reclaim property from a so-called breakaway Anglican group.

Phil says: “If people want to abandon the Episcopal Church, they are free to do so; but they cannot take historic Church property with them, or deprive Episcopalians of their parish homes.”

But who has abandoned the Episcopal Church? I would argue that the real abandoners of the Episcopal Church more rightly include those who have kept the miters and want to keep the property but have ditched all semblance of doctrine...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I must admit that I suffered greatly when I had to give up the old Book of Common Prayer (the ’28 version!) upon swimming the Tiber. But now Pope Benedict XVI has given it back to us with his invitation for groups for former Episcopalians to bring our beautiful patrimony into the Catholic Church.

Speaking of which, may I invite you to join the St. Thomas of Canterbury Anglican Use Society in a festive Evensong to celebrate the erection of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter for former Anglicans and Episcopalians and the appointment of the new ordinary, Father Jeffrey Steenson?

Evensong is one of the most beautiful and characteristically Anglican of liturgies. Ours will be at St. Anselm’s Abbey, January 21, at 4 p.m. I can promise splendid music and reverent language, and, being former Episcopalians, we will lay on something more exciting than coffee at the coffee hour immediately following the service.

Read Charlotte's full article at National Review Online