Happy Friday!

Summer officially started June 20, and the weather took no time reminding us how hot and steamy it gets in the region. In the United States and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, the first day of the summer season is when the Sun is farthest north — known as the Summer Solstice.

This Sunday we celebrate the man who prepared the way for the Son of God. On the basis of the account in St. Luke’s Gospel,  the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist is June 24, six months before the birth of Christ. Be sure to check out Youth Apostle Father Jack Peterson’s reflection on the feast day in this week’s online-only Gospel Commentary.

If the warm weather has given you the gardening or house-redecorating bug, stop by the yard sale at Holy Spirit Church in Annandale tonight to grab some new-to-you items to help. The yard sale will run from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Contact Gil Donahue at 703/764-5997 or baitang@gmail.com for more info.

Before you hit up the yard sale, consider joining Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde Saturday at 8:30 a.m. for the annual respect life Mass and rosary procession at St. James Church in Falls Church. Email stjameslife@gmail.com for more info.

Another way to honor life this weekend, if you are healthy and able, is to donate blood Sunday between 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the St. Francis Council Knights of Columbus blood drive at St. Francis de Sales Church in Purcellville. For more info call Rachel Brill at 540/338-6313.

If you are in the Warrenton area this Sunday, there will be a eucharistic Holy Hour sponsored by the World Apostolate of Fatima at St. John the Evangelist Church from 3 to 4 p.m.

Think you have your Church history down?  “The True Story of the Inquisition," a lecture presented Sunday by the Institute of Catholic Culture, will expand that knowledge as Christopher Check, executive vice president of the Rockford Institute, speaks at Blessed Sacrament Church in Alexandria. The lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. Call 540/635-7155 or email director@instituteofcatholicculture.org to learn more.

It’s been a bit quiet this week around the Catholic Herald newsroom, as Managing Editor Ann M. Augherton, Advertising Manager Carlos Salinas, Senior Staff Writer Gretchen R. Crowe and Staff Writer Dave Borowski are in Indianapolis at the 2012 Catholic Media Convention. They are learning about new media, religious liberty, video editing, and Hispanics and the Church in the 21st century, among other topics. Follow along on Twitter by searching for #CMC12.

Have a wonderful weekend and blessings to you and your family!