Click here for the entire Lent Event Schedule.

The Rt. Rev. Joseph Francavilla, pastor of Holy Transfiguration Melkite Greek-Catholic Church, and Chef Sandy Greeley will be leading the event.

Free admission!  No reservations!  Bring your Bible!

Mark your calendar now for Sunday, February 26 at 6:00pm in the Parish Hall.

Click here to see full event details!

We need more people to sign up to spend an hour with our Lord in adoration!  Please prayerfully consider scheduling one hour a week with our Lord.  So many graces can result from this time with Jesus!  Sign-up sheets are on the Adoration Table in the narthex (entryway) of the Church or you can email Maryann at gruber506@verizon.net.

At total 158 boxes of pancake mix, 131 bottles of pancake syrup, 165 cans of corn and 60 boxes of sugar were donated! A very special thank you to the catechist, Mrs. Viviane Castaneda, and classroom aide, Alexis Gruehn, and all the students and parents who generously gave of their time  to organize and promote this outreach.

…Small things with great love. - Bl. Mother Teresa

Come Aboard the Vatican Express with St. Jerome! 

All rising first graders through rising fifth graders are welcome – stay tuned for details!

Tuesday, February 28th, 5:30-9:30

Come Join Your Fellow Parishioners & Support Our Teens
BRING YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!

Kids eat free with Adult entrée!!
10% of all dinner purchases will be donated to the OLOH Work Camp

(excluding alcohol)

The Greene Turtle
21035 Dulles Town Circle
Sterling, VA
703-421-0676
www.thegreeneturtle.com

Here is the statement from Bishop Loverde in its entirety:

“On Friday, President Obama stated that his Administration will implement a Health and Human Services policy that “accommodates religious liberty while protecting the health of women” (cf. www.whitehouse.gov). At present, the rule in its revised written form has yet to be seen. This revised rule, as explained by the president, will still force nearly all employers, including Catholic institutions, to pay for birth control, abortion-inducing drugs and sterilizations. Make no mistake: this “accommodation,” as described, is no accommodation at all, but rather remains a direct violation to our right to religious liberty, a right which is protected in the Constitution.

The president’s new plan purports to transfer the burden from religious employers to their insurers. This is a distinction without a practical difference; the funds still come from the employer and the employees. Moreover, it fails to address the situation of self-insured health care plans such as those offered together by the Catholic Diocese of Arlington and Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington. Under a self-insured plan, the employer is the insurance provider—there is no distinction between the two.

Up to now, we have been free to provide health care coverage that is consistent with our religious and moral principles. This freedom is being taken away. Under the proposed revision, our diocese, as well as other objecting individuals and employers, would be mandated to pay not only for birth control and sterilization, but also for abortion-inducing drugs—such as Ella—which end the life of the human person in the womb. This mandate must be rescinded or overturned.

It is not only Catholics who are being threatened. This mandate is a dangerous precedent for all those who seek to act according to their consciences. Therefore, I call on all Catholics and all people of good will to continue to stand up for our rights as free citizens by contacting members of Congress, urging them to support the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act (H.R. 1179 and S. 1467), which protects Americans’ “right to provide, purchase, or enroll in health coverage that is consistent with their religious beliefs.”

We must not allow anyone or anything to divide us. Rather, we must be united in our prayer and penance as well as in our unwavering defense of this fundamental right.”

ARLINGTON, VA (February 13, 2012) – The Most Reverend Paul S. Loverde, Bishop of Arlington and spiritual leader of Northern Virginia’s nearly half million Catholics, commented on the decision by the Obama Administration to mandate sterilization and contraceptive coverage, including abortifacients, in health insurance plans offered by religious institutions, such as colleges and hospitals. He released the statement above, which can also be found on the Arlington Diocese website.