Dear Good People of St. Philip,

What for some (including myself) might be considered the most beautiful time of year has arrived. Cooler temperatures, changing colors and plenty of good football games!! The fall season and the month of October are always busy times for many of us and this year seems to be no exception so I would like to draw your attention to two important things happening during the month of October.

First, in connection with the, Catholics Vote No campaign Bishop Burbidge has invited us all to Pray and Fast for this upcoming election. In particular he has requested that all Catholics in Virginia this October pray the Stations of the Cross on Fridays and a Rosary on Sundays leading up to elections along with fasting on Friday’s (that is eating one full meal) and to fast from Social Media on Sundays (at least for a portion of the day). Please do your best observe these practices trusting that even what may seem small and insignificant are important. We see for instance in the book of Ester that fasting was vital to Ester’s courage to go before King Ahasuerus and intercede for the Jewish people (whom she ultimately saved from persecution). As well in Christian times of Prayer and Fasting have often implored in a time of great need, during wars and sickness. Even American Presidents, such as Abraham Lincoln and Franklyn Roosevelt, implored days of prayer and fasting as a way of humbling ourselves before God and entrusting ourselves to his care in times of need. I hope you can participate in this important effort.

The second important thing I would like to bring to your attention for the month of October is that we dedicate this month to the Rosary. For some of you this may be a beloved prayer that you pray everyday, but for others this may be a forgotten or even unknown practice in your family and life. My friends, I encourage all of you who have never prayed the Rosary or pray it infrequently to give it another chance. The Rosary is a beautiful prayer whereby the intercession of Mary we are guided to meditate on the life of Jesus and know him in a more profound way. The exact origins of the Rosary are not all together known but it seems that as early as the Desert Father (the first century or two of Christianity) there were repetitive prayers said on beads in order to count and help focus on a certain prayer. Some these monks would do this because they could not read but it has also been well attested by many people who can read that these kinds of slow repetitive prayers can often lead a person to a meditative prayer in order to contemplate the deeper things of God.

The Rosary in it’s current form was made popular by St. Dominic in the Middle Ages and was thought of as a kind of “layman’s Psalter” since you prayed a 150 Hail Mary’s just as the Priests and Religious would pray 150 psalms (the whole Psalter) throughout the week. By now some of you are probably saying but wait there are now 20 mysteries (which would be 200 Hail Marys) and you are correct, the most current form of the Rosary was modified by St. Pope John Paul II in October of 2002 by adding the Luminous Mysteries (when you are a Saint and a Pope you can do these kind of things!). All of this is helpful to know so that we can see that the Rosary is not some left over prayer from the past but still a very living prayer that can help many of us today. I hope you will join me during the rest of this month of October in praying the Rosary and Fasting for life and marriage.

Blessings,

Fr. Jeb