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A Mass for Mental Health Workers will be celebrated by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More, 3901 Cathedral Lane, Arlington, Aug. 22, at 9 a.m.
The Knights of Columbus Our Lady of the Rosary Council 12982 donated $11,500 to the House of Mercy Food Bank in Manassas last month, the largest donation the council has made since its existence. The funds will go toward purchasing commercial grade, walk-in refrigeration for the food pantry, which has seen a growing need since the pandemic began and now feeds more than 350 families monthly. The Knights raised the majority of the funds by selling Christmas trees last December.
span style="font-size: 12px;">Nick Kenna may be a little biased, but he thinks lobsters have a certain appeal, an “it” factor about them. Lobster is what you serve on Valentine’s Day or when out-of-town relatives visit or on Christmas Eve. “If you say, ‘We’re serving lobster,’ that’s always impressive,” he said. “That’s not an ordinary dinner.” /span>
Marthe Tarishi was so excited to become a citizen. After eight years in the United States, the 76-year-old Congolese woman had submitted all the paperwork and passed the citizenship interview and test. But then the pandemic hit, and the official ceremony had to be postponed. After months of waiting, Tarishi, a parishioner of Queen of Apostles Church in Alexandria, became a U.S. citizen July 23.
Seniors participated in a socially distanced exercise class available over Zoom at St. Martin de Porres Senior Center in Alexandria last month. The center opened up on two consecutive Fridays to allow seniors to visit and have their phones and tablets set up with email and Zoom by staff, as well as to join an exercise class led by an online instructor.
The principal looked around the familiar hallways of her school with a pair of fresh eyes. They definitely needed to replace the water fountains, perhaps with a touchless water bottle filling station? Hand sanitizer should be outside every classroom door. Could desks be pushed farther apart? Could they be outfitted with plexiglass barriers? And if all these changes and more were made, would they be able to safely have in-person instruction in the fall?
In communities around the world, the social isolation that keeps elders safe from the coronavirus but precludes going to church is proving extremely difficult for many. In some remote areas, younger generations are helping their elders.
Father James R. Shelton, who served as a full-time priest in residence at Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville for seven years, died July 29 in Manassas.
In this last month of summer, I pray that, sustained by God’s grace, you will be renewed through prayer, rest and time with family. Yet, we cannot deny that loneliness, anxiety, uncertainty and even despair have arisen out of the coronavirus pandemic, and anger over acts of racial violence. The unique challenges that each of us faces are stark reminders that we are “pilgrims in a strange land, tracing in trial and in oppression the paths that (our Savior) trod” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium,” 7). During this difficult time, we look forward with renewed hope to the upcoming solemnity of our loving Mother.
Taking the first step
Have you ever tried to walk on water? It’s slightly more difficult than our imagination lets on. Of course, there’s the obvious problem of not sinking. But let’s suppose you had that covered, by pontoon shoes or the grace of God. You’d still have to work out the problems of balance and standing up straight. The water, after all, is not a level surface: It comes in waves and is likely to be a bit squishy under your feet. At any moment your level ground may become a hill, a slope, a peak, and then rolls past, leaving you on the other side.