Father Jason Weber, 33, has felt pulled to serve as a
missionary for a long time. He will fulfill this call next
month, as Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde has assigned him
to serve as parochial vicar of two diocesan mission parishes
in the Dominican Republic.
Father Weber, who has been assigned to the Cathedral of St.
Thomas More in Arlington since his ordination in 2010, will
head to the Diocese of San Juan de la Maguana in the
Dominican Republic in mid-July. He said his special
assignment at San Francisco de Asís Church in
Bánica and San José Church in Pedro Santana
will last at least three years.
Since 1991, Arlington’s Dominican Mission has served more
than 70 communities in the area. Father Keith O’Hare, pastor
of the two parishes, has been the only priest serving at the
mission since the departure of Father Christopher Murphy in
2011.
As part of his work with Father O’Hare, Father Weber will
care for the people in some of the villages in the area and
tend to the spiritual needs of the diocesan parishioners who
come to Bánica on mission trips.
Father Weber said he felt called to be a missionary while
reading the letters St. Saint Thérèse of
Lisieux, one of the patron saints of missions.
“I was reading some of her letters between her and Maurice,
who was going to be a missionary in Africa, and my soul
stirred,” Father Weber said.
Shortly after, he saw an email about the diocesan mission.
Encouraged by this, he talked to Father Paul D. Scalia, the
bishop’s delegate for clergy, and he arranged for Father
Weber to go on a mission trip to Bánica with a group
of adults from St. Veronica Church in Chantilly.
The trip helped his discernment and served as a trial run to
see if he would be a good fit for the mission. He talked to
parishioners, and celebrated baptisms and Masses.
“I met very nice people. And I realized that one of the most
important thing we have given the mission is the presence of
these 23 years,” he said in Spanish. “That presence allows
the faith to grow.”
Katie Lyons, a St. Veronica parishioner who went to the
mission with Father Weber, was happy to hear that he will
serve the mission.
“He is a wonderful priest, and on top of that is gifted with
a great sense of humor, a spirit of adventure and a really
likable personality,” she said. “He will be a great addition
to the Bánica Mission.”
The two parishes that form the mission also minister to 74
smaller chapels in the mountainous region along the Eastern
border of Haiti. Father Weber said that the diocese has
helped the locals with material and spiritual needs.
“One of the greatest needs is to continue preaching the
Gospel and helping the missionary youths there,” he said.
The people Father Weber met in Bánica promised to pray
for Bishop Loverde to send him back. Once he heard about his
assignment, he had a feeling of “confirmation” that it was
where he is supposed to be.
He will go to the Dominican Republic in mid-July, after
visiting his family.
Father Weber said he wished he had more time to prepare, but
his time ministering to the faithful at the cathedral –
including the Hispanic community – has showed him that before
forming expectations about a ministry, he needs to know the
community.
“I have to get to know the people first,” he said.
Father Weber looks forward to a greater simplicity of life
and being in a different culture, which could lead to “a
better perspective of how our culture affects us and the way
we see Christianity.”
“We are surrounded by materialism and things like that. And
sometimes we have assumptions that are formed by a culture
even if we have not realized it,” he said. “Being able to see
the faith in the light of a different country would be a
purifying thing.”
After returning from his retreat, Father Weber will celebrate
the 11 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral June 29, which will be
followed by a reception.
“It’s hard to say goodbye to family and friends, but we are
always united in the Eucharist,” he said. “We continue to
meet in Christ.”
The Bánica mission is funded by the Bishop’s
Lenten Appeal.
Negro can be reached at [email protected] or on
Twitter @MNegroACH.
Lea más
To read this article in Spanish, go to
“El Padre Weber se va de misionero a la República
Dominicana”.
