Local

Mass reminds homeschoolers ‘the church is there for you’

Zoey Maraist | Catholic Herald Staff Writer

Marisol Portobanco (center), and her children Lucas (left), 8, Nicolas, 7 months, Cecilia, 5, and Lucy, 10, sing during the Mass for Home-school Families at Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville Oct. 22. ZOEY MARAIST | CATHOLIC HERALD

Homeschool-Mass-2021_ZM-11_CR.jpg

Fr. Jamie Workman (center), vicar general, is joined on the altar by (from left) Deacon Don Libera of St. John the Evangelist Church in Warrenton, Fr. Thomas P. Vander Woude, pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville, Fr. Juan A. Puigbo, parochial vicar of Christ the Redeemer Church in Sterling, and Fr. Mark E. Moretti, parochial vicar of Christ the Redeemer.

Homeschool-Mass-2021_ZM-24_CR.jpg

A boy prays during the Mass for Home-school Families at Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville Oct. 22. ZOEY MARAIST | CATHOLIC HERALD

Homeschool-Mass-2021_ZM-30_CR.jpg

Families eat and chat outside after the Mass for Home-school Families at Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville Oct. 22. ZOEY MARAIST | CATHOLIC HERALD

Homeschool-Mass-2021_ZM-62_CR.jpg

Children watch the puppet show after the Mass for Home-school Families at Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville Oct. 22. ZOEY MARAIST | CATHOLIC HERALD

Homeschool-Mass-2021_ZM-81_CR.jpg

Hundreds of homeschoolers gathered at Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville for the Mass for Homeschool Families Oct. 22. Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, who was away at a funeral, was represented at the Mass by Father Jamie R. Workman, vicar general. On the feast of St. John Paul II, Father Workman reminded the attendees of the pope’s great love of education and of the family, and of his frequent refrain, “Be not afraid.” After Mass, the families enjoyed sweets and cider, moon bounces and a puppet show. 

Alicia Meng, a parishioner of St. Francis de Sales Church in Purcellville who attended the Mass with her six children, enjoys the camaraderie she finds at the event. “We appreciate that we can come together for Mass and receive the Eucharist with other families who are homeschooling,” she said. “It’s just a reminder that God is there for you and the church is there for you and you have a community behind you.”

Molly Poullath, a parishioner of Holy Trinity, came with four of her five children to the Mass and reception. She enjoys the way homeschooling makes her such an active participant in her children’s education. “I just love being able to truly live out being the ones responsible for our children’s education,” she said. “Being able to really dive deeply into that, preparing them intellectually and spiritually.”

Marisol Portobanco, a parishioner of St. Timothy Church in Chantilly, is grateful for the fellowship her family found once they joined the homeschooling co-op at Holy Trinity. “We’ve been homeschooling for five years and after being eclectic and doing everything solo for many years, I noticed my kids really needed not just Christian friends, but true Catholic community, and we’ve found that here,” she said. Her favorite part of homeschooling is learning alongside her children. “It’s like seeing the world for the first time all over again.” 

 

Related Articles