Inside This Issue • July 22/July 29, 2012 Mass Times

Mass Times ~ Presider Schedule
Saturday, July 21
5:30 p.m. ~ Father O
Saturday, July 28
~ Father Ron
Sunday, July 22
7:30 a.m. ~ Father O
9 a.m.* ~ Father Ron
10:30 a.m. ~ Father Ron (Church)**
12:30 p.m. ~ Father D’Silva
5:30 p.m. ~ Father D’Silva
Sunday, July 29
~ Father Ron
~ Father D’Silva
~ Father D’Silva
~ Father O
~ Father O
*American Sign Language interpreted Mass
**The 10:30 a.m. Gym Mass is not scheduled during the
summer months.
Weekday & Saturday Masses
Monday - Friday: 6:30 a.m., 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 5:30 p.m.
Saturday: 8 a.m., 11 a.m.
Filipino Mass in Tagalog every 4th Sunday at 4 p.m.
Holy Day Masses
Eve of the Feast: 5:30 p.m.
Day of the Feast: 6:30 a.m., 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 5:30 p.m.
Adoration Of The Blessed Sacrament*
Exposition: Monday - Friday, 3 - 5:15 p.m., in the church
Thursday before first Friday of each month: 6 - 10 p.m.,
with Holy Hour 9 - 10 p.m.
*No Adoration on federal holidays.
3630 Quesada Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20015
202.966.6575 • Phone
202.966.9255 • Fax
www.blessedsacramentdc.org
Inside This Issue • July 22/July 29, 2012
School Supply Collection For St. Thomas More School • 3
CYO Soccer Registration Now Open • 3
Save The Date For The CYO 5K Race • 3
‘Surfing For God’ In The Parish Library • 4
Blessed Sacrament School
5841 Chevy Chase Parkway, NW
Washington, D.C. 20015
202.966.6682
www.bsstoday.org
WIN News • 4
Outreach: Remember Those In Need • 4
Pastor’s Column For July 29 • 5
Top Ten Reasons To Be A Catechist Or Teacher Aide • 6
SIxteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time/Seventeenth Sunday In Ordinary Time
Pastoral Staff
Rev. Ronald A. Potts, Pastor
[email protected]
Rev. Msgr. Maurice V. O’Connell, Retired Priest
[email protected]
Rev. Percival L. D’Silva, Retired Priest
[email protected]
Deacon Daniel Thompson
Assistants on Weekends
Rev. Regis Armstrong, OFM Cap, Catholic University
Rev. Michael Witczak, SLD, Catholic University
Duffy Parish Center
Main Office
202.966.6575
(Open Monday - Saturday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.)
In an emergency, 202.966.6575, Ext. 3988, to page priest on duty
Facilities
202.449.4610
Pius X Library 202.449.3974
Ray Manning Adult Center 202.363.4512
Mr. Chris Kelly, Principal of Blessed Sacrament School, 202.966.6682
Ms. Therese Recinella, Director of Religious Education, 202.449.3989
Mrs. Patricia Kavanaugh, Social Concerns Minister, 202.449.3987
(Office Open Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., and by appointment)
Mr. Jay Rader, Director of Liturgy and Music, 202.449.3981
Ms. Kathy Gillespie, Director of Athletics, 202.449.3972
Mr. Mark McCaffrey, Coordinator of Youth Ministry, 202.449.3978
Ms. Emma Voelzke, Special Needs Coordinator, 202.449.3990
Sacraments
Baptism — Baptismal preparation is required of all parents prior to the
celebration of baptism. We recommend that this take place before the
child is born. Contact the Religious Education Office at 202.449.3989
for more information.
Matrimony — Please contact one of the parish priests six months in
advance. All couples who are to be married at Blessed Sacrament
must complete our parish marriage preparation program.
Reconciliation — Friday and Saturday after the 11 a.m. Mass (if no
funeral); Saturday 4 - 5 p.m. and after the 5:30 p.m. Mass, or anytime
by appointment.
Parish Services & Information
Care Of The Sick & Homebound — If you or someone you know is
hospitalized and would like a priest to visit, or if you know of anyone who
is homebound who could benefit from a regular visit, please contact the
parish office at 202.966.6575.
New Parishioners — Welcome to Blessed Sacrament! Please register
for parish membership by stopping in at the Duffy Parish Center and
filling out a registration form. Forms also available in the pamphlet rack
inside the Quesada Street entrance to the church and on the parish
Web site.
Bulletin Announcements — Please send all announcements to
[email protected]. Deadline: Mondays @ 10 a.m.
Newsletter Content — Please send articles, photos and other content
to [email protected].
Web Site Postings — Please send requests for postings for the
Blessed Sacrament Parish Web site to website@blessedsacramentdc.
org.
2
Pastor’s Column • July 22
In today’s reading from the Prophet Jeremiah, the Lord
declares, “Woe to shepherds who mislead and scatter the
flock of my pasture.” The Lord had entrusted His people to
the kings to guide and care for His flock. The kings were
guilty of negligence for the “sheep” were starving and had
been scattered. The Lord will take action against these
shepherds, “I will take care to punish your evil deeds.” The
Lord personally intercedes to rescue His sheep from the
bad situation into which the bad shepherds have placed
the flock, “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock.” The
Lord will choose and send shepherds charged in His name
with leading the sheep on the road to life where they have
nothing to fear following the way marked out by the Lord,
their only Master. The fulfillment of this promise is realized
when the Father sends Jesus to be the Messiah. Jesus
is the “righteous shoot” sprung from David—“the Lord our
justice.”
In St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, he expresses the
division of those who believe in God through the Mosaic
Law and all others—pagans who believed in many gods.
From these two factions, Jesus, who “is our peace . . . made
both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through
his flesh, abolishing the law with its commandments and
legal claims,” which in fact closed the access of salvation to
the pagans. Jesus did not abolish the Law; on the contrary,
He brought it to fulfillment. God, did not send His Son to
promulgate new juridical prescriptions. But in Him, He
created “one new person,” the firstborn of a new humanity.
By His cross, Christ has reconciled human beings with
God—He has personally become our reconciliation. In Him,
all human beings form “one body” and “have access in one
Spirit to the Father.” To build walls of division and hatred
between human beings is to rise up against God, blaspheme
Christ, and seek to oppose the Spirit. As Christians, we
cannot in anyway cooperate in such undertakings. We have
a strict duty to work at abolishing, in and around ourselves,
everything conducive to divisions—our faith demands this
of us.
In today’s Gospel passage from Mark, the apostles have
returned from their mission. They “reported all they had
done and taught” by proclaiming repentance and expelling
demons, and curing the sick. They have done all that Christ
commanded them to do and must give an account of their
service. Jesus invites them, “Come away by yourselves
to a deserted place and rest a while.” This thoughtfulness
of Jesus toward the Twelve enables Jesus to teach them
about balance in their lives between time generously given
to others and solitude. As they arrive at their destination, the
people are already waiting for them and the heart of Jesus
is moved with pity. This pity is not condescension but a deep
feeling of benevolence that impels one to do everything
possible to relieve the sufferers by a total commitment of
self. It is this “pity” that stirs within the heart of Jesus, the
Good Shepherd, to “teach them many things.”
www.blessedsacramentdc.org
Shrine Of The Most Blessed Sacrament
Bulletin Schedule
Summer 2012
Youth Corner
Deadline
July 30
August 13
August 27
Publication Date
August 5
August 19
September 2
July 22/July 29, 2012
Poor Box Donations in July will benefit the Father McKenna
Center, which provides services for homeless men through
a daytime drop-in center, a year-round transitional living
program for five men, and a winter shelter and meal program
for up to 25 men. The center also provides emergency food,
rental, and utility assistance, and offers assistance and referral
services for those struggling with HIV/AIDS.
School Supply Collection For St. Thomas More School —
The next time you see a sale ad for school supplies, please
consider purchasing school items for a child in need at St.
Thomas More, Blessed Sacrament’s “Sister School/ Parish” in
Southeast DC. The school children need construction
paper, scissors, glue sticks, binders, notebooks, pens,
pencils, crayons, colored markers and highlighters. This
annual school supply collection is scheduled for the weekend
of September 8 - 9. Volunteers will be on hand outside of
church entrances before and after the Masses to collect the
school supply donations. If you are a student in need of service
hours, contact Pat Kavanaugh in the Social Concerns Office
([email protected] or 202.449.3987) to
volunteer to collect supplies at one or more of the Masses.
Question For The Week — Jesus was moved with
pity for the people who were gathered. Who are the people
you are moved with pity for? What can you do to help them?
(July 22)
Generosity is key to today’s Gospel. What do you have
that you should be sharing with others? Think of your
possessions, your talents, and your time. How can you use
these for the good of others? (July 29)
(Source: www.osvcurriculum.com/lifelong_catechesis)
CYO Soccer — Registration is now open for CYO soccer
for the 2012 fall season. All boys and girls in the parish in
the fourth through eighth grades are eligible to participate.
Registration information may be found on the Blessed
Sacrament Web site (www.blessedsacramentdc.org) under
the “Youth” tab (click on “CYO Athletics”). Please follow the
instructions on the registration link to complete registration
for each child who wishes to play. Registration must be
completed by August 10. Where necessary, tryouts will
be held in late August and notification of the exact times
and dates will be provided via email to all those who have
registered. If you have any questions or if you would like
to volunteer to coach or manage one of our teams, contact
Kathy Gillespie at [email protected].
Newly Baptized
John Augustine Brown
Sophia Vanessa Clarke
Joseph Berhane Ghirmai
Katherine Barley Rushing
Rest In Peace
Salome W. Bayly
Mary Elizabeth Blume
Joan Guest
Martha Kappel
Catherine Viehmann Trossevin
Please include our sick in your prayers that they
may experience healing and comfort
Sara Baron
John Burgoyne
Natalia Dombo
Mary Dougherty
Arthur Gowran
George Fleming
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Steven King
Peter Kiss
Peter Ross
Margaret Winkle
Jimi Yui
Save The Date: Saturday, August 25, 2012
The archdiocesan Office of Youth Ministry/Catholic Youth
Organization is excited to announce it’s inaugural 5K Race,
1K Walk, and 1K Youth Fun Run at Our Lady of Mattaponi
Youth Retreat and Conference Center.
It is the CYO 6K (5K Run, 1K Walk, 1K Youth Fun Run)....and
on the 7thK He rested......Bring your family, friends, children,
youth....Register a team or register as an individual.
To register or for more information, contact the Office of
Youth Ministry at 202.281.2462 or [email protected].
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Sixteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time/Seventeenth Sunday In Ordinary Time
Visit Your Parish Library
What are the magazines saying?
‘The Evolving American Experiment’ by Joseph A. Varacalli,
Catalyst: Journal of the Catholic League for Religious and
Civil Rights, June, 2012, 8-9.
The author is State University of New York Distinguished
Service Professor and has written a long review of ‘The
Transformation of the American Democratic Republic,’ by
Stephen M. Krason, who argues that American civilization
has been radically altered from the outlines laid out by the
Founding Fathers over two hundred years ago. Professor
Krason traces this transformation through eight historical
periods; at each stage he asks ‘to what degree are the
principles of the Founding Fathers either maintained or
changed?’ and ‘to what degree does the surrounding culture
either support or oppose the original vision?’ The careful
analysis has some unexpected twists and is of interest to all.
‘Surfing for God’ by Kathy M. Alford, St. Anthony Messenger,
July, 2012, 28-33.
Visitors to the beaches in New Smyrna, Florida, may see a
twelve foot cross in the sand. It’s placed there by George
Alford (husband of the author), who never dreamed his hobby,
surfing, would turn into a Christian witness and ministry to
surfers, especially to fallen-away Catholics. This wonderful
article describes how George Alford encourages people he
meets on the beach, who wonder why he displays the huge
cross, to talk about their religious background. From this
simple beginning he has founded a national organization,
‘Catholics Surfing for Jesus’ ([email protected]).
‘Changing lives: that’s the power of the cross!’ he says.
‘Theology Behind Bars’ by Kerry Weber, America, July 2-9,
2012, 13-16.
George Williams, S.J., the Catholic chaplain at San Quentin
State Prison in California, decided to create college-level
courses for San Quentin inmates after hearing that a Baptist
seminary in the area had done this with success. It’s part of
a rehabilitative program at the prison and includes topics
such as ‘Introduction to Church Teaching,’ ‘Philosophy as
an introduction to Theology’ and ‘Introduction to Jesuit
Spirituality.’ ‘I think there is something about being in this
environment that brings the Scriptures alive in a ways
you don’t get in a parish’ Father Williams says. The article
describes several of the men who are part of this program;
many of them are serving long sentences for violent crime.
This program encourages them to ‘realize their inherent selfworth.’
The journals cited are just some of many subscriptions found
in the library. Call 202.449.3974 for more information.
Learn, Live, Love Your Faith — Reminder: The religious CDs
and pamphlets that have been offered at the front entrance to
the church for the last few months will be taking a vacation over
the summer but will return in September.
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The Adult Center
All parishioners, 39 and holding, are invited to gather in Apt. 1 in the
Chevy Chase apartment building next to the church for fellowship
after the 11 a.m. weekday Mass. Bring a sandwich (beverages
and desserts provided) and join the activities. For more info or for
transportation, call Rita Killian at 202.363.5069.
Summer Schedule
(Regular Schedule Resumes September 17)
Monday
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
Friday
Closed
Renew and the Word
Art Class with Dick Swartz
Bridge for Bridge Lovers
Closed
Outreach
Canned Food Donations — The Social Concerns Office is
in need of canned food donations for the summer months.
There are large wooden containers at the main and at the front
Quesada Street entrances to the church where supplies may be
donated. There are also baskets on the altar if you wish to donate
the cans for the offertory. The most frequently requested items
are: tuna fish, chicken soup, brown beans, cereal, Chef Boyardee
beefaroni, and peanut butter and jelly. Donations may also be
brought directly to the Social Concerns Office.
Calling All Gardeners & Stewards Of The Earth — The
Blessed Sacrament Community Garden, which purpose is to
offer fresh produce to the less fortunate in our community, is
underway for 2012. There are many ways in which to participate
in this project: grow vegetables in your garden and donate
them to the Social Concerns Office, or volunteer to help in the
Community Garden located at the rectory. To volunteer to work in
the Community Garden, contact Lisa Greenberg, eogreenberg@
gmail.com or 301.657.3457. On Sundays, there is a basket for
produce donations at the main entrance to the church; all other
times there is a container located outside of the Social Concerns
Office. Questions? Contact Pat Kavanaugh: pkavanaugh@
blessedsacramentdc.org or 202.449.3987.
WIN News: Our City/Our Responsibility — More than 90 leaders
from 26 institutions gathered at Masjid Muhammad on July 12
for WIN’s first citywide action team meeting at a mosque. Those
who lead the meeting spoke from Muslim, Jewish, Methodist,
Presbyterian, Lutheran, Catholic, Humanist, and non-religious
perspectives and from all wards of the city. Together we agreed
that in times of political instability we will not let ourselves to
become discouraged or to withdraw from the civic and political
life of the District. Leaders pledged instead to find hope in the
residents of the District. We pledged to do our part to create a
new political culture in DC, one that does not fall on the hubris
or misdeeds of the few, but rises on the aspirations, hard work,
and leadership of tens of thousands of DC residents. To rise
to the occasion leaders agreed to sign up 6200 voters, and to
embark upon 275 door-knocking voter walks, knocking on 5500 in
the coming weeks. We will meet our neighbors and share WIN’s
agenda of affordable housing, youth, and jobs, including the
introduction to the new VOTEWINDC Website: http://votewindc.
nationbuilder.com. Contact: Margaret Ahmann, mahmann@
mindspring.com.
www.blessedsacramentdc.org
Shrine Of The Most Blessed Sacrament
Pastor’s Column • July 29
In our reading from the second Book of Kings, we find
Elisha at the center of our passage. He played an
important role in the northern kingdom and was known
for many miraculous incidents. In today’s passage there
is a great famine in the land. A man brings twenty barley
loaves to Elisha. He instructs his servant to distribute
the bread to all one hundred people. The small number
of loaves is enough to feed everyone and there are
leftovers. The Lord remains faithful to His people, “They
shall eat and there shall be some left over.” Once again,
we are reminded that in the Scriptures bread is God’s gift
to strengthen His people.
In St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, he exhorts them
to “preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of
peace.” Paul is stressing the unity of all members found
in the Body of Christ. Christ has suffered, died, and risen
to reconcile us to the Father and to each other. By our very
baptism, “our call,” we are given the grace to overcome
the selfish tendencies of the flesh. We grow in humility,
gentleness, and patience through the Lord’s grace so that
we are able to bear with “one another through love.” These
gifts enable us to break down the walls of selfishness that
are the result of the problems and difficulties we face in
our lives. Finally, Paul reminds us that aggressive and
selfish behavior is not acceptable in our lives because we
are the children of the same Father.
We find the miraculous multiplication of the loaves and
fishes in the Gospel of John. The crowd has followed
Jesus and His disciples because of the miracles they
have witnessed. As they follow Him to the mountain, their
messianic expectations are strong for the “mountain” has
always been a symbol of an encounter with God. The
crowd is so great and the people are hungry—it is an
impossible situation. A boy with five barley loaves and two
fish is the only food that is available. He commands the
apostles to have the people be seated, “five thousand in
number.” “Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and
distributed them to those who were reclining, and also
as much of the fish as they wanted.” The people eat until
they are filled. The apostles gather up twelve baskets of
fragments reminding us of the abundance of the bread
multiplied by Jesus. The abundance of this miracle points
to the Eucharist that Jesus will give the Church the night
before His death. The Eucharist is the Bread of Life that
has and will sustain the Church until the Lord returns.
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July 22/July 29, 2012
Chimes Chatter
Who remembers the
signature
National
Broadcasting
Company’s
(NBC)
radio
network
chimes? And how
are they associated
with our bell tower
chimes? If you sound
out “G-E-C” (middle Century-old, former Deagan Factory as it stands today.
C) in that succession, Photo by Joe Bozik
you may easily recognize the NBC “chimes logo” from
vintage radio days or from early television times as “outcues” for station breaks. First broadcast in the G-E-C
sequence over NBC’s networks on November 29, 1929,
stations were required by Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) to “sign-on” by identifying themselves
by call-letters and by city name (also on an hourly basis).
As the radio industry mushroomed nationally in the 1920’s,
a method was needed over “air-waves” to gesture, in a
synchronized fashion, affiliated radio stations to “pause for
station identification” required by FCC. The G-E-C chimes
sequence was hence devised to be struck manually by
an announcer at a program’s conclusion, pleasing to
the listening public, yet analogous to an “audio” traffic
signal, cleverly letting the affiliated stations’ engineers and
technicians to identify themselves. Yes, our own chimes’
manufacturer, John C. Deagan Company, fabricated the
chimes manually struck by the NBC technicians. To be
continued…
Who Knew?: NBC applied in November 1947 to U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office registering the G-E-C chimes as an
identification “trademark” for broadcasting purposes. The
filing was approved on April 4, 1950 becoming history’s
first such “audible” trademark. Missed a previous Chimes
Chatter column? Past articles are easily found by viewing
Sunday bulletins online at www.BlessedSacramentDC.
org.
Questions about “your” chimes? Call 202.244.4833.
Did You Know??
That the School of Religious Education at Blessed
Sacrament welcomes children with special needs and
offers a variety of accommodations for all students.
For more information about how Blessed Sacrament is
becoming a more inclusive community, contact Emma
Voelzke at [email protected] or
202.449.3990.
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Sixteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time/Seventeenth Sunday In Ordinary Time
Faith Formation
RCIA — Are you interested in the Catholic Faith? Blessed
Sacrament will soon begin a new journey of faith to share the
richness of the Catholic Church and our parish family. We
invite you to learn what the Church teaches, and be introduced
to some of our parish members. These sessions are also
opportunities for you, and others that you may wish to invite, to
ask those perplexing and difficult questions you may have about
the Church. These gatherings are for inquirers and are open to
people who are unbaptized, as well as those who are baptized
Christians from Protestant or Evangelical backgrounds. For
more information, contact Therese at 202.449.3989.
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd — Sundays, 8:45-10 a.m.
Registration for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is now
open. This Sunday morning, Montessori-style catechesis is
available to children three to four years of age. Any child who
participated last year and is less than six years old is also invited
to return. Blessed Sacrament parishioners will have priority.
Class size is limited so register early! To register, contact
Rosalie Days: [email protected].
School of Religion — Early registration for 2012-13 is now
open. Visit: www.blessedsacramentdc.org to register online.
For more information or for questions about registration, contact
Rosalie Days at [email protected].
Wanted: Catechists & Teacher Aides for Religious
Education in 2012-13 — Share your belief in God and the joy
of knowing Jesus by becoming a catechist or teacher aide! We
teach in teams of two, and catechists and teacher aides can
design their own teaching pattern. Some choose to teach every
other week; others choose to divide each lesson into two parts.
The choice is yours! A catechist is like the chef in a kitchen. S/
he is responsible for gathering the ingredients that go into the
lesson plan and fostering a wholesome learning environment.
Sometimes we have to try things a few times to get the right
flavoring, but it’s all in a person’s commitment, confidence and,
most important, their love for the faith. A teacher aide assists the
catechist in creating these great “recipes”! Teacher aides support
the effort of the catechists by their presence in the classroom and
have flexibility as to what extent they will be involved in the weekly
teaching, lesson planning, and classroom management. Contact
Therese @ 202.449.3989 if interested.
Sunday Session: 8:45 - 10 a.m.
1st Grade: 2 Aides
3rd Grade: 1 Aide
4th Grade:
1 Catechist; 1 Aide
5th Grade: 2 Aides
6th Grade: 1 Catechist; 2 Aides
7th Grade:
1 Catechist; 1 Aide
8th Grade: 2 Aides
Tuesday Session: 4:10 - 5:25 p.m.
Kindergarten: 1 Catechist; 1 Aide
5th Grade: 1 Catechist; 1 Aide
6th Grade: 1 Catechist; 1 Aide
7th Grade: 1 Aide
Sacramental Preparation: 1 Catechist. This class meets five
times in the fall and five times in the winter for First Reconciliation
and First Communion preparation for older children.
6
Top Ten Reasons To Be A Catechist
Or Teacher Aide
10.
9.
Grow in your faith. When you teach, you will
deepen your relationship with the Lord and better
learn the teachings of the Church.
If not you, then who? Our children need you!
Were it not for the generosity of so many dedicated
volunteers that come forward each year, our
program would literally cease to exist.
8. Serve as a good role model. Our young people
need good adult role models, in addition to their
parents and family members.
7. You can make a difference. As a catechist, you
have a unique opportunity to touch the lives of your
students for all eternity. Even if you bring only one
student to Christ, it will have all been worthwhile.
6. We’ll train you! All catechists and teacher aides
participate in an orientation training session and
will have opportunities for ongoing growth and
support throughout the year.
5. Meet new people. As a catechist, you are part of a
vibrant faith community here at Blessed
Sacrament. You’ll meet people who are equally
passionate about living their faith and passing it on
to the next generation.
4. Improve your health. Studies have shown that
volunteering can boost a sense of well-being,
improve the body’s immune system, and act as an
antidote to stress, chronic pain, and even insomnia.
Giving to others contributes a healthier
psychological and physical life.
3. You have gifts to share. Each catechist’s
uniqueness is a special gift to the young people
they serve. God has not short changed you!
Realize that you have something unique and
special to offer these young people.
2. Put your faith into action. Christianity is not a
spectator sport. Our faith takes on new life and
meaning when we share it with other people.
1. Because of the Great Commission. Jesus tell us:
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I commanded you.”
Matthew 28:19-20
Sponsor Of The Week
We would like to thank Robert A. Pumphrey Funeral Homes
for sponsoring an ad in our weekly bulletin.
www.blessedsacramentdc.org