Parish Newsletter February/March 2013
Message From Father Ron
Dear Parishioners: With our Ash Wednesday celebration, we have begun our Lenten journey. As we recall the time Christ spent in the desert fasting and praying for forty days and nights, we prepare ourselves to celebrate the Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection at Easter. This season reminds us of the value of prayer, solitude, penance, and acts of charity. The discipline of Lent is not meant to last only forty days but to strengthen us throughout our lives as we answer the call to be disciples of Jesus by loving and serving Him and our sisters and brothers. During our Lenten season, I encourage you to attend daily Mass; spend time in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament during the week (Monday through Friday from 3 to 5:15 p.m.); participate in the Stations of the Cross on the Fridays of Lent at the conclusion of the 5:30 p.m. Mass; go
to confession on Wednesday evenings during The Light is ON for You—confessions will be heard from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.; or attend one of our parish retreats. The men’s retreat will take place the weekend of March 1-3 at Loyola Retreat House, Faulkner, MD. Register online at www.blessedsacramentdc. org under Ministries/Worship Commission. The women’s retreat will take place the weekend of March 15-17, also at Loyola Retreat House, Faulkner, MD. Please contact Jessica Walsh at Jessica@ cosmocontracting.com or Rita Killian at r.killian@verizon. net. In addition, I ask you to pray for our catechumens and candidates who are preparing to enter the Church at the Easter Vigil.
2013. In his announcement he stated, “I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.” Although the Holy Father’s announcement caught everyone by surprise, we admire his honesty, courage and humility in doing so. In a very short time, the preparations for the conclave will be completed. In the meantime, let us pray for the Church as the cardinals prepare to gather for the election of a new pope.
On Monday, February 11, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation from the See of Rome effective February 28,
Peace,
Thank you for all you do for our parish. Be assured of my daily prayers for you and your families as we continue our Lenten journey in order to celebrate Easter with our hearts and minds renewed.
Father Ron
Childhood Wisdom Translated By A Psychiatrist
Shared Reflections By Allison Barelli
T
Inside This Issue Shared Reflections
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Childhood Wisdom
By John Dluhy, MD
A
his year during Lent, I celebrate eight years being part of the Catholic faith community. As a fairly new convert to Catholicism, I still find myself in awe of God truly present in the Eucharist. How blessed we are as a unified body of Christ to receive His grace at daily Mass in the Sacrament of Communion.
four-year old once told me, “You know when someone loves you when you hear the person say your name differently. You know your name is safe in that person’s mouth.”
Years ago at the Loyola Retreat House, Father Bob gave me the Eucharist. I was unaware that he knew my name when he said, “This is the Body of Christ, John.” No priest had ever personalized the Eucharist this way for me in this way. By directly linking my name with the Eucharist, I felt a new bond with Jesus who loved me personally, and this stronger bond has drawn me continually closer to Him.
As my love and knowledge has grown for Christ, so too has my understanding of His presence in the Eucharist. There
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Garden Guild Marks Tenth Anniversary
Artwork by Pippa Lenderking Seventh Grade
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Stations and Pizza
floods my heart, washes it clean and makes me new. It is during this time that Christ begins to work in me. I offer my burdens to Him to make room for a loving relationship between us. The Eucharist not only feeds us and allows us to grow spiritually, but it sustains us and leads us to holiness.
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Teen Corner
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Finding Community Studying The Bible
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In our smallness, God has big plans for each of us. Do you believe?
Big Bang For The Food Buck and The Community
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SHARE: Working Together
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Editor: Pat Watson Layout: Delphine Clegg Parish Logo Designs: Ellen Smyth Artwork: Blessed Sacrament School students under the guidance of their art teacher, Yves Clark
Artwork by Emily Orem Sixth Grade
Artwork by Alexa Mancabelli Sixth Grade
Artwork by Adam Weimer Sixth Grade
During my more than fifty years of practicing medicine as an internist and a psychiatrist, I have treated thousands of patients. Many of my patients have suffered from what I understand to be early deprivation. I think of this condition as a result of not enough love from parental figures.
is a difference in saying, “I believe” and actually “believing” that Jesus sits before us in the Tabernacle of the church.
What I discovered many years ago was that I, given my limited resources, could not heal the holes in their hearts in my office. I believe these people are, as Jesus told us, the Poor in Spirit. Instead of a surfeit of love when they needed it as children, they got only enough from adults both in their families and the outside world to survive.
Recently I attended a Women’s Night of Reflection and Adoration. This time of quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament has proven to be essential in my religious formation. When I began my Catholic journey there were many things I did not understand. But through the surrender of my will, God began to open my heart. My “unbelief” transformed to “belief”, and a fire was ignited inside me—one I had never known. When I kneel before Jesus, something so profound takes place. The Holy Spirit
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Artwork by Lauren Barclay Sixth Grade
So these patients may end up with me trying to help them, and maybe I can provide some insights, but the real healing of their wounded hearts comes better from their bond with faith and its prescriptions, from linking their name with the Eucharist. I am convinced that if we open our hearts with all their wounds to Christ, He not only will heal us as we live our earthly existence, but also will stay with us as a loving companion throughout our death and resurrection. Artwork by Burke Jarrett Second Grade Find us on Facebook
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And so my thoughts return to the words of the wise four-year-old who both understood the bond between those who love and the evidence of that relationship. May we listen as Christ calls us personally.
February/March 2013
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Garden Guild Marks Ten Years Upgrading Parish Grounds...Or
Doing the “Dirty Work” of the Parish
By Cleo Tavani, Head Gardener Emerita
The first hard frost finally came to the parish grounds in late January, marking the end of the growing season. The only signs of the deep purple clematis growing next to the parish center parking lot entrance were the few short stems sticking out of the ground. Even the hardy “Knock Out” roses no longer showed their colors in front of the rectory or at the Fatima shrine. While the rosemary in the Biblical Herb Garden planter stood as sturdy as ever there was no sign of the nearby lilies deep in their winter sleep. The pansies which had been planted around the front entrance to the church in the fall finally drooped into dormancy for a few months ready to spring back into bright citrus colors for the celebration of Easter. The earth is ready for the next annual manifestation of God’s creative power.
blue spruce in front of the church. Father Duffy described our goal of making the entrance to the church more welcoming as “The Approaches Project.” Making the grounds of the church clean and attractive manifests the hospitality within the church edifice and is the beginning of evangelization. The next step was to plant fulsome beds of annuals on either side of the front entrance. The parish has no in-ground irrigation system, meaning twice a week watering is needed for all the flower beds at the church and rectory.
Church Is First Priority
windows of the church, their juicy crop of fruit was falling on the walkway creating a slipping hazard. If you ever saw red stains on your carpets after Sunday Mass and had walked in front of the Shrine, the plum trees were the likely cause. Six “Heavenly Bamboo” Nandina plants —three at each corner of the Shrine area—replaced the plums. At full growth, these plants are not usually taller than eight feet. They are an easily managed bush with three-season color. Volunteer Lisa Burke, with the help of her two little sons, gave special attention to the lavender plants at the Fatima Shrine and also planted an assortment of herbs mentioned in the Bible in the “Biblical Garden” concrete planter near the Sacristy entrance.
Rectory Grounds Renovated From Front To Back
Founding Of The Guild Of Parish Gardeners With the blessing of then Pastor Thomas Duffy, I organized the Guild of Parish Gardeners about ten years ago to continue the work of dedicated garden volunteers like Ellen Ozga and Ned Van Doren. They had planted flowers and other enhancements around the church and school for many years. As the Guild evolved, we took on a broader planning approach encompassing all the parish campus. We sorted out the roles of parish staff, volunteers and contractors. For the last several years, Ruppert Nurseries has provided landscape maintenance—mowing grass, trimming trees and bushes and weekly cleaning of plant debris and trash during the growing season. The contractor also takes on special projects through separate contracts. The Guild assisted with determining an appropriate space for the Parish Community Garden next to the rectory garage. We laud the efforts of their volunteers to grow produce for the poor.
The 2012 growing season has been busy for the Guild of Parish Gardeners and its annual crop of parish volunteers. The new parish-wide drive for volunteers produced almost a dozen willing adults eager to beautify the parish grounds. This past year, Lisa Burke, Kemba and Matt Walden, John MacDonald and Joan Havens were the watering and weeding team for spring pansies and summer begonias in front of the church and all the plants around the Fatima Shrine. They also took care of a new dogwood tree donated by the Home and School Association in memory of Father Ron’s mother. Look for the red flowers of the “Cherokee Brave” dogwood in the Spring behind the stone sign at the corner of Western Avenue and Quesada Street.
Several years ago, we worked out a redesign of all the landscaping in front of the rectory and at the Marian shrine in the front yard. The statue of the Blessed Mother looked like it was sinking into a sea of overgrown boxwood. I started by taking out a few plants in the front. Then along came Father Ben Garrett encouraging me to keep cutting back the misshapen bushes. And then came David Gardiner, our own parish liturgical designer, with his plan to rehabilitate the statue for the Sodality. At the end, we replaced all the bushes with slower growing plants including lavender, Japanese hollies, and lilies recycled from Easter church duty. We now had a much more open vista, so we replaced the glaring flood light on the statue with four small spot lights carefully installed by a professional lighting designer.
Three red “Knock Out” rose plants were installed in a bed at the front corner of the rectory on Quesada Street this past summer, along with some red geraniums. Weekly maintenance of the new roses and other flowering plants in the front of the church and at the Shrine of St. Francis in the backyard was conducted by volunteers, Emilie Marvil, Emily Donahue and Margaret Fagan. The backyard was a special challenge with its overgrown bramble of honeysuckle, forsythia, ivy, weeds and trash. It was an eyesore to our next door neighbor on Western Avenue. We had Ruppert remove most of the bramble, leaving about six or seven forsythia bushes—the pastor’s early spring favorite. They are spaced out so they can grow to their natural fan shape and natural dimensions of about eight or nine feet tall and wide, resulting in less maintenance and additional screening for our neighbor. Because there is a slope at the end of the parish property, a “green screen” was placed at the top of the rise, as can be seen in the adjacent photo. Even though the line of Steeds hollies and Nandina bushes is just a few feet tall now, they already provide some screening of the rectory heat pump. Nandina bushes were chosen here, as they have been throughout the parish campus, because their natural mature height and width is usually no more than eight feet. They still need some regular pruning
We also coordinated the recent rehabilitation of the front entrance of the rectory building. The attractive front door with its rounded top was seriously deteriorated. Master craftsman and parishioner Mike Hotka replaced several panels of the main door and
Around the other corner at the Fatima Shrine, The first major project of the Guild was to replace
painted it along with the side front entrance door.
the two overgrown flowering plum trees had to
the overgrown outer ring of ilex bushes encircling
The tile and stone front stoop and the concrete
be removed. Not only were they preventing light
the inner ring of stately boxwood and the imposing
door surround were completely rehabilitated by
from coming through the adjacent stained glass
PCM Services, Inc. A new light fixture, selected with
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the assistance of architect and parishioner Milton Grenfell, was installed over the side front door.
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February/March 2013
continued on next page...
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Stations And Pizza Combo Celebrates Eighth Season
Big Trees Can Be A Big Challenge In a systematic, multi-year program of evaluating all the large parish trees for safety and appearance by arborists, the very tall oak tree on Patterson Street adjacent to the Monsignor Enzler playing field was trimmed of its dead branches and vines a few months ago. The tree was on the property when the parish acquired it for the playing field, but it was never pruned. There are now lightning protection cables on the tulip poplar embracing the church bell tower and on a tulip poplar and a white oak in the rectory backyard. This past season, the large cedar tree in the front yard of the rectory was removed. It had dead branches, but also had developed an oversized leader branch at the top which could have caused a whip lash effect and hazard in high winds. Three nice and safe Nandina bushes were planted in its place along Western Avenue. In front of the church, the tall blue spruce is regularly checked by arborists and is considered a very healthy tree. During the Christmas season, its beauty is enhanced by sparkling white lights. The smaller blue spruce next to the stairs to the parking lot has not fared as well because it could not get enough ground water in its location. That tree was removed and only grass has been planted in its place, pending the much- needed replacement of all the walkways leading to and around the church. The three holly trees on either side of the church front door are now outsized for their location despite frequent trimming. The fate of those trees is also awaiting new walkways and the rehabilitation of the front steps and doors.
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There have been regular contacts with the District of Columbia regarding trees planted in the public spaces adjacent to parish property. Hornbeams were planted in 2012 along our Western Avenue frontage. Parish volunteer Brian Bishop took care of their needed weekly watering. (Brian also became an expert at removing invasive English ivy.) Maples, redbuds and cherry trees have been planted on both the rectory and church Quesada Street frontages at our request. Some of the trees have died and replacements have been requested by parish staff.
T
he
Lenten
Friday
night
by the father of our former pastor,
combination of Stations of the
Monsignor John Enzler. Celebrants
Cross followed by pizza in the Duffy
move to individual stations around
Parish Center enters its eighth
the church as participants pray
season on Friday, February 16th.
and sing. Afterwards, everyone
This Blessed Sacrament activity
moves to the upper level of the
has become a tradition for many
Duffy Parish Center to enjoy pizza,
to celebrate the feeding of both
refreshments, and conviviality.
soul and body at the end of the
On A Personal Note
school and work week.
If you are one of the “regulars,” welcome
conducted using the prayers written
back.
If
you
haven’t
attended before, try it. You’ll be
The Stations of the Cross are St. James the Less, by Jimmy Bailey Eighth Grade
back too! See you there!
A The “Emerita” after my name as author of this report is a fancy way of saying I have ended my ten years of doing the parish “dirty work” as this growing season ended. The vicissitudes of old age make clear that I should stay out of the sun and out of the dirt, especially when it makes for unsteady footing. I look forward to continuing to plan and be an advocate for safer and more hospitable approaches and entrances to the church for all who come to worship but especially for persons with disabilities. I want to thank all the volunteers—the adults and the youngsters in need of community service hours. I want to thank the staff and the contractors. I want to thank the pastors who have allowed me to be so blessed with this ministry. I want to thank everyone who picks up trash on the parish grounds and on God’s good earth everywhere. Finally, I would like to transfer my garden trowel and pruning shears to someone who will take over the coordination of gardening at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Have you recently retired and always wanted to do a little more gardening now that you have more free time? I will be happy to train and be a resource for my successor. Please give me a call at 301.656.7131. Find us on Facebook
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Teen Corner
in relation to their site, but they are slow growing and very attuned to the Washington growing zone. However, as new plants are established, they do need extra watering. Longtime “parish tree advocate” Judge John Bayly has placed this new planting on his watering schedule, along with the special care he has long given to the venerable dogwood trees in the backyard.
Artwork by Natalie Arndt Seventh Grade
February/March 2013
s winter is coming to a close, the teenagers of Blessed Sacrament parish are enjoying their season of CYO basketball. Many of them they have been playing since fifth grade, and now they are resuming basketball, along with their high school careers. Jill Ford, a sophomore at Georgetown Visitation High School, enjoys playing with her old classmates because she says “It’s fun to play with your friends.” Blessed Sacrament, along with some other archdiocese parishes, is fortunate to have enough participation and competition from high school students to continue with the CYO basketball program after middle school. Even though the sophomore girls’ high school team didn’t make it to the championships, the girls are enjoying getting the chance to play with one another and to have fun, according to St. John’s College High School sophomore, Cat Giese. The boys’ upperclassman team had a very good season and are headed for the playoffs this year. Jack Mullally, a junior at Gonzaga, had always enjoyed playing basketball and thinks getting the chance to play again in high school is a great opportunity. Even though this season may almost be over, the high school boys and girls will have lifetime memories of playing basketball with their friends. —Molly Flores, Teen Reporter 7
An Informed, Intelligent Community Gives Added Meaning To The Bible By Roberta Williams, Member of the Bread, Book and Brethren Bible Study Group
A
cradle Catholic and the child of a Catholic
That was until the divorce. As a single working
discussions. I liked these women: they were not
meetings to knit for the Christ Child Society in the
Ecuadorian socialite and a Protestant American
parent of three challenging children, one with ADHD
catty; they were not snobbish; they believed in
parish library.
pilot, I was born in Maine, after Mother made the
and ODB, I was stressed beyond belief. That is how
healthy eating; they were diverse; they included a
lengthy trip by ship and train from Quito. My mother
God works. A neighbor invited me to a Baptist Bible
number of South American women with diplomatic
and father made this agreement before he died, to
Study group where I was re-introduced to Jesus,
experience; there were artists; but above all, these
ensure I was American by birth. When I was three
the son of God, and my friend. But I was not at
people were thinkers, and they valued service.
months old, Mother and I returned to Quito.
home in the Baptist Church; I tried to find God in
I could feel proud to be a part of this group. The
the Unitarian Church and the Episcopal Church,
Little Rock source books were valuable, but the true
Mother remarried another Protestant American
but Jesus and I were at home again in the Catholic
treasure was the small group sharing.
Army Officer, and our family began the frequent
Church, thanks to Vatican Council II. I became a born again Catholic!
global moving characteristic of military life.
For twenty years, Jesus helped me manage
schools and ensuring we went
my
unruly
household
and work. My children fulfilled
to Mass (we often went without Mother). Mother took me out of
my
one Catholic school because she
attend
feared the school would “make
became a physician, one son,
a nun out of me.”
a computer programmer, and
one
request, college.
that
My
they
daughter
the heartbreak-kid graduated For
my
requested
twelfth a
birthday
Bible,
but
as a teacher. Thank you Jesus!
I
Jesus
my
teen
questioning
in logic demolished my faith in reason, and began my search for truth, but led
through
Thank you Lord! Then when work
stretched
beyond college years, when a course
me
children all married in 2006!
it was not allowed by the Church. My
brought
my mastectomy, just fine. The
grandfather said that at the time
Saint Roderick By Dodie Catuche Eighth Grade
became complicated and I discovered it was no longer a good fit, I retired. Praise be to God!
Catholic Community. It is not just the studying and learning, but the applying and feeling a part of the community that is so vital. The Bread Book and Brethren Bible Study group at Blessed Sacrament provides that community, where groups are led by informed, intelligent people who have lived productive lives of service and continue
gathers first and breaks into smaller
to serve their community by providing
groups of seven to ten men and
a means to a deeper understanding
women. Participants bring their experiences
and
thoughts
of God’s Word. Enriched by the
to
guidance of Washington, DC area
bear on structured questions.
Biblical scholars, as well as the
In the group the context of the
parish priests, this group has
Bible passages is applied to the
prospered
lives of each of the members
twenty years.
of the group, and the group
Center, for having taken me by
the large group to hear a speaker
the hand and leading me to this
or video-taped lesson, and we ask
marvelous group of Catholic men Saint Damien By TJ Gletner Eighth Grade
in serving alongside them to support this group as we share duties; I maintain the
directory for the group. Also, it is my special
by the hands of men, but inspired by our Creator.
privilege to facilitate small group discussions.
Now, what on earth would I do? I had been a good
(because I felt the Church did not want me), I met
daughter and a good wife, I had served my country
a man whom I loved and converted to his Jewish
as a civil servant, and in retirement I resolved
faith, a religion that embodied my general ethical
to serve God. Then LizBeth showed me how—
And I have expanded my interests. I now receive
values at the time. I bore three children whom we
by inviting me to the Bread, Book and Brethren
daily readings by email and am tackling the
raised as Jews, practicing the faith in the home and
(BBB) Bible study group. There I met other women
Catechism of the Catholic Church in a Year. I also
taking them to Temple Saturday school, where I
whose children had shared school with mine, who
translate Presentation Ministries’ emails into Spanish
also studied Hebrew. We were a Jewish family!
were ecumenical in outlook and informed in their
and join many BBB members after the Wednesday
Blessed Sacrament DC
and women. I take pleasure and pride
appreciate the inspired nature of the Bible created
the Church. Excommunicated, and non practicing
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than
from National Naval Medical
member. Then, we gather as
discussion or from the readings. What a
more
my friend and former colleague
of the passage studied for each
questions that arose in the group
for
I am truly grateful to LizBeth,
consensus informs the meaning
treasure! It is in BBB that I have come to
me down paths divergent from the way of
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of the Bible within an enlightened and informed
At the weekly meetings, the large group
Mother raised her children Catholic, enrolling us at times in Catholic
BBB has introduced me to a contextual interpretation
We prepare the day before, at a session led by
February/March 2013
Nan Levine, whose experience leading this group adds a wealth of knowledge and context to the passages under review. It is here that I have finally understood what community means, and have learned to value the companionship of these extraordinary women and men.
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Big Bang For The Food Buck And The Community
Working Together To Ensure Program’s Success
F
Volunteers (left to right) Margaret Comstock, Ella Barton, Molly Flores, and Frank McManus sort and package a variety of nutritious food items as part of the monthly distribution program. Volunteers from a range of ages make up the SHARE @ Blessed Sacrament volunteer team—from students earning community service hours to a cadre of adults who drive, sort and re-package food, deliver to home-bound recipients, and execute the administrative chores.
The SHARE @ Blessed Sacrament budget-stretching program is available to parishioners and other members of the community; there are no minimum purchases or other requirements. As one volunteer says, “If you eat, you can use SHARE @ Blessed Sacrament.” As the chart at right indicates, SHARE @ Blessed Sacrament has grown in popularity and in its ability to donate food to those in need, accounting for 84 percent of the food distributed last year. This leap in food assistance is directly attributable to two factors: 1) a widespread and increasing need; and 2) the willingness of parishioners to help others struggling to make ends meet. Relying on donations from parishioners, SHARE @ Blessed Sacrament now donates monthly food packages to more than half of its “customer base.”
Our parish was designated Host Site of the Month in January in recognition of the spectacular growth in serving parishioners and members of the community since SHARE @ Blessed Sacrament started four years ago. A lot of the credit goes to the supportive and cooperative staff at SHARE DC. Each month the 60 or more orders are ready to be picked up by SHARE @ Blessed Sacrament team members such as Preston Taylor (left) and John Scorah.
Volunteers Margaret Lawless and Ed Wright check the contents of the boxes and handy bags donated by Whole Foods to Blessed Sacrament. Donations by parishioners and community businesses and organizations allow the program to extend its outreach to seniors and others who need assistance with food.
On behalf of everyone connected with the program—donors, customers, recipients and volunteers—please accept our deep appreciation for Blessed Sacrament Parish’s continued support for SHARE @ Blessed Sacrament. Contributions have an immediate and significant impact within the parish and throughout the greater community. If you can volunteer three or four hours a month, or otherwise help, please contact Tim Gorman at
[email protected] or 301.657.3222. Contributions can be made at www.blessedsacramentdc.org/parish-organizations/share.
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S h a r e @ Blessed Sacrament
S h a r e @ Blessed Sacrament
aced with rising taxes and household operating costs, a growing number of parishioners and other community members are taking advantage of SHARE @ Blessed Sacrament, the food co-op which provides brand-name quality and nutritious groceries at half the price paid in grocery stores. Started in this parish four years ago, the program offers affordable grocery packages on a monthly basis—comparably priced at $43 in local supermarkets—for just $20. It also offers monthly specials of selected items (meat, chicken, seafood, holiday hams and turkeys, etc.). In February, SHARE introduced a “Cooking for Two” special for $16, which contains smaller portions designed for individuals to share. Monthly menus and order forms are on the parish Web site; payments can be made with cash, check or credit card.
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Artwork by Bronwyn Missar Seventh Grade
February/March 2013
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3630 Quesada Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20015 202.966.6575 www.blessedsacramentdc.org