Dear Parishioners,

We hear in today’s gospel the parable of the sower and the seed. Jesus gives us that parable as an example of who we are to allow the seed, that is the Word of God to grow within us. For those of you who have been to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, you will notice the words etched on the pulpit, “The seed is the Word of God”. Each time we reflect upon Sacred Scripture, that seed continues to resonate and grow within our very selves. During these summer months, we are invited to spend more time with Scripture. How much time do we take reading the Bible? How much time do we pray with the Scriptures? These next few weeks could be the opportunity for all of us to grow closer to God through his most holy word. St. Paul tells us in today’s second reading that we are awaiting for the Glory of God’s revelation. Our God reveals himself in Word and Sacrament. We wait in joyful hope for the Lord’s second coming.

Sunday Mass Resumes Next Weekend!

Next weekend, July 18/19 we will resume the celebration of Sunday Mass. It has been 4 months since we have been able to gather at the table of the Lord for the celebration of Sunday Eucharist. We continue to thank God for the gift of our faith and we especially remember those who have been effected by the coronavirus. The Sunday Mass schedule will remain the same: Saturday evening vigil Mass at 5:00PM at St. Peter Claver Church. Sunday 7:30AM and 10:15AM at Our Lady of Victory Church and 9:00AM at Holy Rosary Church. We are allowed only 25% of the capacity of the Churches, which means 150 people at Our Lady of Victory and 75 people at both Holy Rosary and St. Peter Claver churches. You will notice that pews have been sectioned off for social distancing. Everyone is required to wear a facemask! If you do not have a facemask, you will be given one by an usher. If you refuse to wear a facemask, you will not be allowed in the church. We ask that you follow the directions of the ushers when it comes time for Holy Communion. Weekday Masses have gone extremely well! I thank all of you for following the guidelines and keeping to the 6 feet of social distancing. As always, I will continue to keep all of you updated as we begin to move to the next phase of the reopening process.

Parish Calendar

As we begin this process of reopening our churches, the activities planned throughout the year will begin to be put on the parish calendar. Ordinarily, we would have had a parish calendar meeting in early June, but due to the pandemic, everything was put on hold. We will be contacting the heads of each ministry within the next few weeks to ask for activities and dated to be placed on the parish 2020-2021 calendar. There will be some activities that may not be able to take place once we begin this “new normal”.

Summer Priests

As you can imagine, because of this national pandemic, we are unable to have our summer priests with us. Both Father Joel from the Philippines and Father Yaro from Nigeria are safe and healthy. Both hope to be with us next summer!

Wishing all of you a joyful and peaceful week,

Father Alonzo Q. Cox