Parish Newsletter Summer 2013
Message From Father Ron
Dear Parishioners: As we celebrated our parish feast day of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ on Sunday, June 2nd, it gave us an occasion to reflect on the goodness of the Lord. We realize how good the Lord Jesus has been to us in giving us the gift of Himself in the Eucharist. He truly is the source and summit of our lives. All that we do flows from our union with Him as members of the Body of Christ. The Eucharist is the heart of our lives as Catholics. It is the prime sacrament, the one from which all others come and the one to which all others point. We call this sacrament, “blessed,” a biblical word that means a communication of God’s life to us. “Blessed Sacrament” is an apt name for Holy Communion, especially when we consider some of the blessings or fruits bestowed on us when we receive it. The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist is an intimate union with Christ Jesus as we become one with Him in Holy Communion, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him” (John 6:56).
Over the last couple of months we have seen the Lord’s grace active in the life of our parish. Our young people have received the Sacrament of Confirmation, our second graders have received their First Holy Communion, the members of our RCIA class entered the church at the Easter Vigil, along with the ongoing celebration of baptisms and marriages. In these moments of grace, we realize that Jesus is the center of our lives as we continue our journey with Him. It is in our relationship with Him that we find our gifts, talents, and even our weaknesses. He calls us where we are to “Come and follow Him.” Each one of us as members of His body contributes our gifts and talents to build up His presence in this world. We do this in the “everydayness” of our lives—we do the little things of our lives with great love for others. During this Year of Faith, we are invited to deepen our own faith and to share it with those around us. We know the selfish and selfcentered message of the world around us and the destruction it
brings to the gospel of life that we proclaim. We see how the vulnerable and poor are seen as having no true value in the eyes of the world. However, it is the gift of faith that brings the Lord’s light and truth shining through the shadows and darkness that surround us. The Lord teaches us we each have value and a purpose since we have been created in His image and likeness. Be assured of my daily prayers for you and your families and have a blessed and safe summer. May it be a time of renewal not only for mind and body but also for the soul. Along with attending Mass on the weekend, set some time aside for prayer, spiritual reading, daily Mass, and visits to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament to deepen your relationship with Jesus and reflect on the many blessings He has given to you. Peace,
Father Ron
Teens’ Summer Of Service
The Solemnity Of Corpus Christi
Inside This Issue
Teens’ Summer of Service 2
The Solemnity of Corpus Christi 3
Bread, Book and Brethren Bible Study ... A Personal Experience 4-5
Summer Fun: Art Camp 2013 6
.Org Community Drive Exhibits Christian Values In The Marketplace
By Molly Flores, Student Reporter
By David Gardiner
s the school year came to a close, the teenagers of Blessed Sacrament Parish prepared for a service-filled summer. Most students have the opportunity to complete their school’s required service hours over the summer.
he beautiful liturgy for our patronal feast, celebrated this year on June 2nd, includes an outdoor procession in which the faithful escort the Most Holy Eucharist through the streets of a parish or in the cases in many countries, broad sections of major municipal areas. The texts of prayers and hymns for the feast date back to the thirteenth century and are commonly ascribed to St. Thomas Aquinas. The most well-known hymn “Pange Lingua Gloriosi,” still sung in Latin in most places including our own parish, includes the familiar “Tantum Ergo” as its last two stanzas.
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One service project teenagers had an opportunity to take part in was the fourth annual trip to New Orleans, which took place June 3rd to the 8th with the parish’s youth group. Students helped rebuild houses that were damaged by natural disasters. This was a great opportunity to lend a hand to those less fortunate, and Blessed Sacrament is one of the only parishes in the area that can provide this opportunity. We are truly blessed to be a part of this community and have the chance to host a program like this.
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In English: Down in adoration falling, Lo! the sacred Host we hail, Lo! o’er ancient forms departing Newer rites of grace prevail; Faith for all defects supplying, Where the feeble senses fail.
For information about the program or about service hours, contact Mark McCaffrey:
[email protected].
To the everlasting Father, And the Son Who reigns on high With the Holy Ghost proceeding Forth from Each eternally, Be salvation, honor, blessing, Might and endless majesty. Amen.
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Each one of us as members of His body contributes our gifts and talents to build up His presence in this world. We do this in the “everydayness” of our lives—we do the little things of our lives with great love for others.
While the institution of the Holy Eucharist is annually celebrated on Holy Thursday, that celebration also commemorates the institution of the priesthood and the night watch with Christ during His agony in the garden. For this reason, the Feast of Corpus Christi was established in 1264 to create a feast focused solely on the Holy Eucharist. On our parish’s patronal feast, the parishioners who walked in the procession through our neighborhood may have noticed that Father Potts carried the Blessed Sacrament in a very unusual monstrance— unusual to many Catholics in its design, its origins, and its beauty. Our founding pastor, Monsignor Thomas Gibbons Smyth, commissioned the monstrance, pictured above, as a lasting testament to the dedication of this parish’s patronage of our Eucharistic Lord.
—Father Ron
Unlike the Baroque sunburst-styled monstrance used for daily adoration, this particular monstrance, more properly called an ostensorium, is entirely hand-made of sterling silver, is French Gothic in design following the style of the church, and actually bears an ivory miniature of the statue of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament found in the south transept of the church. The miniature stands in the center section of the spire above the lunette where the Sacred Host is placed.
Editor: Pat Watson Layout: Delphine Clegg Parish Logo Designs: Ellen Smyth Artwork: Blessed Sacrament School students under the guidance of their art teacher, Judy Kearns
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Artwork by Corrine Lynette First Grade
Editor’s Note: The publication of this past year’s newsletter issues was made possible because of generous contributions from many of our parishioners. Thank you to those who contributed their time and talent in the form of regular columns, individual articles, artwork, and photographs. Find us on Facebook
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The ostensorium was made sometime in the late 1920s by renowned goldsmith Heinrich Oidtmann III (1888-1929), a doctor and engineer, respectively, who both published prolifically in scientific texts and worked chiefly on stained glass. Dr. Oidtmann worked mostly in Linnich, Germany, but kept a studio in suite #4715 in the Chrysler Building in New York where this particular piece was painstakingly created. And so as we celebrated this great feast in early June, we were reminded by our parish patrimony that as Roman Catholics we should render to God the very best, in noble and decent materials, for it is the Lord Jesus Himself who dwells upon our altars and in our tabernacles.
Summer 2013
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Bread, Book and Brethren Bible Study
... A Personal Experience
By Nery Mangosing
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retired a few years ago with a lot of expectations on how I would spend the rest of my life. I would relax more, spend more time with my family, beautify our home and garden, keep an active social life, become a more active parishioner and attend better to the spiritual aspects of my life. To my great consternation, I found that retirement was not the easy life all the books and articles on retirement had made it to be. I also have a teenage son who has been diagnosed with development delays. When I was working, I could compartmentalize my life and get a break from problems at home in the office, I now had to deal with these problems on a 24-hour basis. I was not only busier, but I felt like I was not getting much done. In the meantime, my husband was busy taking care of his aging mother, and my intention of spending more quality time with him did not quite materialize as I expected. Consequently, I was more stressed, more anxious, and definitely less relaxed. I was also concerned about my son’s continued spiritual development, especially because my husband is not Catholic. Since my son’s Confirmation, he had stopped going to CCD classes. He was too old for the youth group in the parish and too young for the young adults’ group of the archdiocese. Ideally, I would have wanted him to go to some Bible study class, but I was not sure whether this would be way above his head. The only way to find out was to take Bible study classes myself. With the approach of Lent, I decided to join the BBB group in the parish. Although I was brought up a Catholic from birth in the Philippines and went to Catholic schools most of my life, I could not claim to be well versed in the Scriptures. Fortunately for me the course of study of the Bread, Book and
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Brethren (BBB) Bible study group at that time was Israel’s Story, which was probably the part of the Bible with which I was least familiar. Shortly after I joined BBB, my office called me to work again as a consultant. Luckily for me, I was able to negotiate and keep my Wednesdays free for Bible class.
Claus did not really exist. I was disconcerted to know that many Bible stories I knew were not in fact historical, and this sudden realization tested my faith in no small measure. I worried about how I would communicate this to my son whose comprehension was challenged.
I started attending the BBB group in the fall of 2009. It was a bigger group than I expected (there were at least 40 regular members at that time). I tried
I enjoyed listening to the erudite speakers who were invited to share their many profound insights, especially those who were not Catholic, such as
and coming earlier in the morning—a real challenge for me. Mornings at home were usually hectic, and I am not an early morning person. After a few months I was approached by a member of the coordinating committee to become a facilitator. Although this intrigued me, it meant going to another meeting in order to meet with other facilitators. I begged off, promised I would think about it when I finally quit work, and agreed to write a newsletter article about Ed McCormick’s talk about the history of Bible study in the Catholic Church. This year is my fourth year in Bible study. After Israel’s Story, we studied the Gospel of St. John, the Wisdom books, and currently the Parables of the Kingdom. I have often found answers to some thorny questions of faith and have resolved many a daily Christian challenge by looking back at the words of the scripture. I endeavored with the other members of the group to find that personal meaning for me about how I was living out my Christian life. I came to accept my struggles as a parent to a developmental delayed son as my vocation in life. I started working as a facilitator last year and found to my relief that I did not have to do it every week. I also learned a lot more during the preparation meetings with Nan Levine and the other facilitators.
Self portrait as a saint. By Hedi Linnartz Kindergarten
to find the time to prepare for the sessions and do my homework. Soon I found myself engrossed in the reading of the first books of the Old Testament and answering the questions in the Study Guide. I enjoyed the small group discussions and found myself actively participating in the discussions. Reading the Old Testament as an adult, however, dispelled many of the literal interpretations of the Bible stories that I had learned since I was young, and I felt like a child after learning that Santa Find us on Facebook
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Created for a BSS art show honoring Pope Francis. By Phillip Beach Sixth Grade
the Jewish rabbi and the Jewish scriptural scholar. I marveled at how well read the participants were in the Bible group. I was impressed at the way the course study was, and I was constantly challenged by the questions and remarks shared during the discussions. I was learning a lot, and I was hooked! I got into the rhythm of the weekly classes, including bringing breakfast a couple of times a year even if this meant preparing or buying the food in advance
Summer 2013
Although I still have trouble remembering everyone’s name, I have enjoyed getting to know better the other members of the BBB group not only during our regular meetings, but also during our spring and fall luncheons and our annual day of recollection. These very interesting men and women have become a part of my life, a support group, fellow travelers in this new phase of my journey that has only just begun. I have not yet found a Bible study group appropriate for my son, but he has started joining the Faith and Light meetings in Kensington.
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.Org Community Drive Exhibits Christian Values In The Marketplace
Summer Fun: Art Camp 2013
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s. Judy Kearns will be offering a number of weekly sessions of summer art camp this summer. No special skill is needed to take part. This camp is a fun way for children and young people to have a great time in their own neighborhood and they will have fun discovering and/or developing their creative abilities! Participants will have an opportunity to make all kinds of cool art, from tie-dye to printmaking. Sculpture, drawing, and painting will be explored, and various artists and techniques discussed during the languid afternoons of summer. New projects will be worked on each week. The art camp is open to all students 4 years old and older. All may enroll in multiple sessions. High school and middle school students who are interested in developing portfolio pieces are encouraged to come and work on independent projects with assistance in techniques.
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or many years DelCor has provided food for the Washington poor by engaging its customers in collecting food and in participating in service projects at the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB). A company focused on technology consulting, network support, and private cloud hosting services, DelCor started a food drive within its business community, and for the first ten years, after its clients and peer companies collected food, DelCor rented trucks, collected the food, and delivered it to the Capital Area Food Bank.
DelCor president David Coriale (front row, far left) and volunteers gathered recently at CAFB to lend a hand. Photo courtesy of DelCor.
In 2010 DelCor augmented food donations with dollar donations, and this year it used its social media savvy to engage for-profit and nonprofit partners and clients to achieve the drive’s goals. A three-week, Internet-based drive this year raised $20,646 (62,000 meals) from 250 individual donors and 27 participating organizations.
Session 1: June 24 - June 28 Session 2: July 1 - July 5 (No class July 4; $180)
In just eleven years the collection of donations increased 25 times, growing from the initial 2,500 meals provided, to this year’s 62,000 already provided.
Session 3: July 8 - 12
We salute DelCor for their innovative, practical, and creative marriage of marketplace success with a willingness to combat dramatically increasing hunger in the Washington area. Faith fundamentally and realistically practiced in the workplace is true imitation of Christ!
Session 4: July 15 - 19
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and DelCor hopes other companies and groups will copy and/or extend its program with new ideas and formats. Contact Molly McGlinchy at www.capitalareafoodbank.org; 202.644.9800. Also, check out DelCor’s Web site for food drive information: www.delcor.com/fooddrive/.
Session 5: July 22 - 26 Artwork by Lauren Conely Third Grade
Editor’s Note: David Coriale and his family are long-time Blessed Sacrament parishioners.
The camp meets from 12:30 to 3:00 p.m.
Some Of Our Local Artists
The cost is $225 per week, which includes supplies and a snack. To enroll a child in this camp, complete the form below and send it with a check made payable to Blessed Sacrament School to: Blessed Sacrament School, Attn: Judy Kearns, Art Department, 5841 Chevy Chase Parkway, NW, Washington, DC 20015-2599. Questions? Contact Judy Kearns: 301.704.2470 or
[email protected].
Summer mmer Summer Summer Fun Summer Summer Fun Summer Summer –Fun Summer Summer Art –Fun Summer Summer Art Fun –Fun Summer Camp Summer Art Fun –Fun Summer Camp Summer –Art Fun –Fun Summer Camp Art –Art Fun 2012 –Fun Summer Camp Art –Art Fun 2012 –Camp Fun Summer Camp Art –Art Fun 2012 –Camp Fun Summer Camp Art –Art Fun 2012 –Camp Camp Art 2012 –Art Fun 2012 –Camp Camp Art 2012 –Art Fun 2012 Camp Camp Art 2012 –Fun 2012 Camp Camp Art 2012 –2012 Camp Art 2012 –2012 Camp Art 2012 2012 Camp 2012 Camp 2012 2012 2012 I would like to enroll my child ______________________________________________ In summer art camp for Session(s) ___________________ Age/Grade_____________ Parent name____________________________________________________________ Home phone ________________________ Cell phone _________________________ Email_________________________________________________________________ Eighth grade girls from Blessed Sacrament School with their Jim Dine-inspired metaphoric dresses.
Allergies_____________________________ Any special needs?___________________
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Summer 2013
Students in an after school art class taught by art teacher Judy Kearns (far right) at Blessed Sacrament School.
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3630 Quesada Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20015 202.966.6575 www.blessedsacramentdc.org
