Welcome

At 9:45 AM, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, announced the death of Pope Francis from the Casa Santa Marta with these words:

"Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God."

The Vatican, the Diocese of Arlington, and the USCCB have prepared many materials to help us celebrate this milestone in the Catholic Church.

The Feast Day of St. Philip (and James the Less) is on Saturday, May 3.

We have a full day planned to celebrate as a parish, starting with a special Mass at 10:00 am and a tour of the renovated Cathedral of St. Thomas More in the afternoon.

10:00 am Mass*

11:00 am Potluck luncheon on the St. Francis lawn in front of the convent

1:00 pm Depart in personal vehicles for the Cathedral of St. Thomas More

1:30 - 3:00 pm Special private tour of the Cathedral for St. Philip parishioners only

If you want to participate in the tour, please call the Rectory or use the link below to sign up online. We need to provide St. Thomas More an estimated count of participants so they can arrange a proper number of tour guides. Parishioners are responsible for their own transportation to the Cathedral.

The Cathedral is located at 3901 Cathedral Lane, Arlington, Virginia 22203

*The 10:00 Feast Day Mass is an additional one for the day. The regular daily 8:00 AM Mass and the 5:30 PM Vigil Mass will still be held as scheduled.

Dear Friends in Christ,

Happy Divine Mercy Sunday! This beautiful celebration of God’s infinite love for us is truly a gift that we do not deserve. In the revelations Jesus gave to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska in 1936, he revealed his desire for the whole world to know of his infinite mercy by dedicating this Sunday, the Second Sunday of Easter, as a special day for all sinners to encounter his merciful love. When we bring our sins to him in the Sacrament of Confession, our sins compared to Jesus’s mercy are like one drop of water compared to the ocean. That is how much God loves you!

Today, as we continue in our discussion of the Seven Virtues, I invite us to focus our attention on the virtue of chastity. Chastity is the virtue that integrates our sexuality within ourselves to bring about unity between our body and our souls (CCC #2337). Since God created us male and female, and has created us for unity, not only between one another but also within ourselves, then it is important for us to have integrity in the way we express ourselves to one another. By cultivating chastity in our lives, we are able to bring about unity in our own hearts as well as unity in the hearts of those whom we love.

Chastity is the virtue that allows us to counteract the vice of lust which seeks to satisfy our sexual desires through inordinate means. A few weeks ago, we discussed how lust damages our souls by twisting our capacity to love others into a warped source of self-gratification and pleasure. Chastity counteracts the vice of lust by helping us to have mastery over our desires and impulses for sexual intimacy. When we have mastery over our desires, this allows us to become truly free to act in a way that has its source from within himself instead of simply reacting to sudden impulses, whether external or internal (CCC #2339). By striving for chastity, we are able to be more free

One distinction that is helpful to remember is the difference between chastity and celibacy. All men and women, including priests, religious brothers and sister, husbands, wives, and single individuals are called to integrate chastity into their lives. Celibacy is the state of life that is professed by those who are called by God to live their lives in service to the Church, whether as a religious brother or sister, or a priest, or a consecrated individual. A celibate person is called to direct their desires completely for God alone, which allows them to taste the life that will come in heaven. Not all men and women are called to celibacy on earth, but all men and women are called to chastity

So how do we practice chastity in our daily lives? Unfortunately, we live in a culture that degrades human sexuality by removing it from the context of a life-giving offering of oneself, and instead, makes human sexuality simply as a source of individual pleasure. We see the human person being exploited through the torments of pornography, human trafficking, and in the sex industry that turns people into items for profit. All of these forms of lust bring division into our lives that can only be healed by striving to live a chaste life.

None of us is perfect, and we are in need of constant renewal. To help us, we look to our Blessed Mother, Mary, who’s protection is strong to help us remain chaste. Since she remained ever-virgin throughout her life, she gives us the ability to live our life in complete freedom of heart. To live a chaste life means to love deeply. 

May Christ’s Peace be with you,

Fr. Briggs