Welcome

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.)

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today is a very special Feast Day of the Church, the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. As I mentioned in one of my letters last year, this basilica is the Mother-Church of all parish churches throughout the world, and acts as the Cathedral for the reigning Pope. This year, since this feast day occurs on a Sunday, this is one of the rare occurrences when the normal Sunday of Ordinary Time is superseded by a Feast of the Lord, just as we experienced two months ago with the Feast of the Exultation of the Cross. By celebrating this Feast, we affirm our connection with the Pope in Rome and our unwavering support for the successor of St. Peter.

In this week’s letter, I wish to begin a short series on the lives of some of the Saints we will be celebrating over the next few weeks. I think the timing of this series is fitting since we just recently celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints at the beginning of November. This week, I invite us to learn about the live of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, whom we will be celebrating this week on November 13th.

Frances Cabrini, also known as Mother Cabrini, was born in the year 1850 in Lombardy, then part of the Austrian Empire that is now part of northern Italy. She was born two months prematurely to a father and mother who were farmers. From a young age, she suffered many health complications, but had a zealous heart to become a missionary in Asia, following in the footsteps of St. Francis Xavier, the great Jesuit missionary of the 16th century. After being rejected by a number of religious communities, she eventually began her own religious community called the “Salesian Missionaries Sisters of the Sacred Heart.” With this new order, and at the urging of Pope Leo XIII, Mother Cabrini traveled to the United States on March 31st, 1889.

Upon arriving in the United States, Mother Cabrini quickly began ministering to Italian immigrants who received ill-treatment because of their nationality, and she eventually founded her first orphanage in the United States after purchasing property from the Jesuits in West Park, New York. From this first establishment in New York, her reputation as a foundress began to grow, and she traveled internationally to Nicaragua, Chile, and Brazil. Ultimately, she became a pillar of Catholic care for immigrants and the poor.

Mother Cabrini illustrates to us what we can accomplish when we place our complete trust in God’s providence, while at the same time working with determination to support and care for the kingdom of God here on Earth. Not all of us are called to live a radical life of poverty and ministry as Mother Cabrini, but we are called to support those who do care for the Church. Here at St. Philip’s, we are inviting all of us to reflect on how we are supporting the financial mission of the parish, and we encourage all to consider making a small increase of our weekly offering. My Mother Cabrini inspire us to be generous in our support of St. Philip.

May Christ’s Peace be with you,

Fr. Briggs