Welcome

All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2) is this weekend.

Because this Holy Day falls on a weekend, the number of Masses for All Saint's Day are reduced. The 5:30 Mass on November 1 is an "All Soul's Day" celebration.

Candlelit Masses for All Souls' Days begins with the 5:30 Vigil on Saturday, continuing through all Masses on Sunday. All night adoration starts at 6:30 on Saturday.

In November 2022, Bishop Burbidge presented 23 strategic initiatives to the People of God in the Diocese of Arlington. Among those 23 initiatives was one exploring the interest of a Catholic-based Vocational Program in the diocese. Recently, the diocese completed a first survey, and in that survey over 92% of respondents enthusiastically supported such a program. 

This overwhelming response prompts the effort to advance to the next step: to survey for preferences on the model (or kind) of school and the location of that school. This is a momentous idea, and I respectfully ask each of you take the survey out of personal interest or for the good of the diocese. The survey is available in English and Spanish.

The survey will be available from Oct 23 – November 23

The Diocese of Arlington invites you to take part in a powerful witness of our faith from November 8 - 16 for the first Diocesan Week of Service, a time dedicated to putting Love in Action through Service in Community. 

St. Philip Parish will participate by hosting a week-long food drive to benefit our Food Pantry, and by caring for our common home with a tree rescue project on Saturday, November 8.

We invite all parishioners to bring much-needed items: oil, peanut butter, cereal, jelly, canned vegetables, canned meats, canned soup, and drinks (juice, coffee, tea, etc.)

As you prepare yourself to vote, please review this document on the Four Principle of Catholic Social Teaching that provide a framework for decisions in public life.

• Four Principles of Catholic Social Teaching printout ( English | Spanish )

Constitutional Amendment Proposals Flyer ( English | Spanish )

Candidate Comparison Charts for:

• the Governor’s Race ( English | Spanish )
• the Lt. Governor’s Race ( English | Spanish )
• the Attorney General’s Race ( English | Spanish )

Dear Friends in Christ,

This weekend we celebrate the great feasts of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. These two great celebrations for our Church help us to see the great gift that God has given to us in all those who have gone before us in death. This weekend, we are also concluding our discussion of the Principles of Catholic Social Teaching by discussing the topic of solidarity, which is coincidental with the Feasts that we are celebrating.

First, we need to understand what solidarity means in the Church’s social teachings. When we look at the Catechism, we find that the principle of solidarity is discussed soon after the discussion on human dignity, a topic we discovered in our previous letter from three weeks ago. Solidarity is the social principle that promotes the good of the community through the bonds of brotherhood and Christian charity (CCC #1939). To put it in another way, solidarity allows us to be united to others in pursuing the common good, both for ourselves and for the community.

We see examples of the principle of solidarity in our daily lives when we see groups of individuals uniting themselves to others who may be struggling to secure material goods for themselves. For example, when it becomes difficult for an elderly person to take care of their needs, such as buying groceries or driving, we can act in solidarity with them when we reach out to assist them in their need. Or similarly, when an impoverished person is in need, we can pursue their good by sharing our goods, such as food, clothing, or money, thereby acting in solidarity with them. The Church insists that socio-economic problems can only be resolved when individuals unite in solidarity with others in order to promote the Common Good (CCC #1941).

In addition, the principle of solidarity extends to secure spiritual goods for those who are most in need. In our daily lives, we see that there are many people who are in need of spiritual goods, such as friendship, compassion, and the consolation that faith in Jesus gives in times of desperate need. In our culture, we are seeing the rise of the effects of loneliness, isolation, and suicide, all of which make us feel like our good is unimportant in society. When we do our best to share spiritual goods with others and spread the good news of Jesus to them, we can help them secure the goods that their hearts desire that material goods cannot give them. As Jesus tells us in the Gospels, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well” (Mt. 6:33).

This week at St. Philip’s, and throughout the rest of the month of November, we have the opportunity to grow in solidarity with one another. As Fr. Donahue has shared with us in his letter this weekend, our parish budget has seen a $40K drop in “Offertory Income,” which has prompted us to ask all our parishioners to consider increasing their regular giving to the Parish. The parish is not sustained by the support of one individual, but by the support of what all of us can give by sharing our time, talent, and treasure. When we are united in our commitment to support the Parish with our monetary donations, we are able to act in solidarity with one another to spread the Kingdom of God here at St. Philip Parish.   

May Christ’s Peace be with you,

Fr. Donahue