Welcome

We hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe holiday.

• The office will be closed in July 4.
• There will only be the 8:00 am Mass. No 7:00 pm Mass
• First Friday Adoration will take place on July 11/12.

St. Philip will hold its Annual Yard Sale July 26.

Early Entry for those who cannot wait will be Friday, July 25 from 7:30-9:30pm for $5 per family. Saturday is a free event.

• Donations of selected items, listed in the flyer, can be dropped at the shed behind the convent through Jul 23.
• We are accepting Furniture donations and a pickup can be scheduled for the week of July 20.
• If you are available to volunteer in preparation for this event, or would like to schedule a furniture pickup please contact at rosiefrimpong@gmail.com or (571) 259-0832.

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

During the 2025 Virginia General Assembly session, your state senator and delegate cast key votes on critical issues impacting human life, dignity, and the common good.

The Virginia Catholic Conference, which represents our Commonwealth’s bishops at our state capitol in Richmond, has prepared "Vote Reports" that show how the legislators who represent the St. Philip parish area voted on some highly consequential issues earlier this year.

One key vote was the ongoing attempt to add an extreme so-called “right to abortion” amendment to the Virginia Constitution – a matter you will continue to hear much more about. Many people took an active part in these debates. Knowing the outcomes and how your legislators voted is a critical part of staying informed and engaged. Please review the vote report and join the Virginia Catholic Conference email network at vacatholic.org/action.

Dear Friends in Christ,

As we move through these long days of Summer over the next number of weeks, I wish to share with you a series of letters on the recent pilgrimage I took in March to Fatima and Spain. This pilgrimage included many members of the Christendom College community (the college where I received my undergraduate degree, and in which Fr. Donahue spent three semesters of study), as well as a few members of our own parish, St. Philip’s. My parents were also among the members of the group, which was an incredible blessing for me since I had not traveled with them abroad before. I hope these letters will give you a small glimpse into the many holy sites that we encountered in the nine days we spent during our time in Spain and Portugal.

We began our pilgrimage in Lisbon, Portugal. Many of us traveled on the same flight from Washington DC together, but a few arrived on a separate flight. When we arrived, we met the leader of our tour, a man named José Gonzalez, who would guide us throughout the whole pilgrimage, and boarded our bus that took us through a city tour of Lisbon. After being confined in close quarters in the airplane and navigating through airports, it was a relief to rest on the bus to take in the sights of the city.

At one point, we stopped at the Jerónimos Monastery, a monastery that was dedicated in 1495 as a home for the Order of St. Jerome. This monastery was designed in the Portuguese Gothic style, and is mostly made up of lioz stone, a type of limestone that is famous in Portugal, and is known for its ability to be carved in ornate ways. Unfortunately, we were unable to enter into the monastery, but we had the chance to walk around it to take in its architectural beauty.

I look forward to sharing with you more about this trip in the coming weeks.

May Christ’s Peace be with you,

Fr. Donahue