May 2016 Maneline - ST. MARK Catholic Church

Maneline
Maneline
Volume 38 Number 4
May 2016
Volume 38 Number 1
February 2016
S T. M A R K C a t h o l i c C o m m u n i t y
Troop 1978: ST. MARK Scouts Create Social
Network to Encourage Learning, and Leadership
by Ben Weintraub
O
n a cool, dreary Saturday in
November, 20 boys gather
in Western Virginia for their
monthly scout camping trip. As one
of the many activities, the boys—ranging in ages from 11 to 18—will build a
bridge from six beams and a mass of
rope on this campout. With only a little assistance from the adults who help
anchor the beams into the ground, the
rest is up to the boys. The older Scouts
lead and teach the younger ones. After
three hours of hard work, some sweat,
many knots, and laughter, the bridge
is ready to test. Some wood, rope, and
a lot of hard work have turned into a
playground and a source of pride for
the Scouts.
Finding simple moments like these can
be hard in the busy and technologydriven Northern Virginia lifestyle of
today’s teenagers. The Boy Scouts is a
great place where boys, who are turning into young men, can find a safe
place to learn, explore, and develop
leadership in a traditional setting.
ST. MARK Parishioners may have
wondered about the occasional
boyish exuberance manifested by
the Boy Scout Troop hosted by the
Church, Troop 1978. The Troop has
been meeting in the Msgr. Cassidy
Activities Center for the past 32
years, and the 10 years prior in the
original Parish Hall (now Parish
Administrative Offices). The relationship between troop and Church
has been mutually beneficial. The
Scouts need a place to hold weekly
meetings, store camping supplies, and
rally up before and after camp outs. The
Scouts contribute back to the Church
by assisting with the Winter Coat
donation program in the Fall
and spreading mulch around the
grounds in the Spring.
While the 65 boys from Troop
1978 all juggle other activities
outside of school, they dedicate
weekends to community service
projects, camping and hiking,
and earning merit badges in everything from Personal Fitness to
First Aid. This year alone, the
Troop recognized six young men
for attaining the rank of Eagle Scout—
the highest achievement possible within
the Boy Scouts. Outside of the Cassidy
Activities Center, Troop 1978 is on its
fourth plaque for recognizing its Eagle
Scout honorees through the years.
At the center of Boy Scouts remain the
same core values from a century ago-young men who are serving their community and country; helping neighbors
and friends and striving to be trustworthy, honest, courteous, and cheerful.
Scoutmaster Ben Weintraub tells his
Troop, “In the Troop, as in life, you are
challenged to solve your own problems.
I want all of you to try new things to
accomplish good objectives. This is the
place to make mistakes. It’s a safe learning environment.”
From backpacking in the Shenandoah
or rafting on the Potomac to creating
a skit around the campfire or directing a younger Scout, the boy-led Troop
gives these young men a chance to try
new things and grow, both mentally and
emotionally. In a time when teenagers are frequently parked behind
electronic devices and trolling social
networks, these boys have an outlet
to create a real social network of
real friends in the outdoors—leaving the devices at home.
While the Troop is nondenominational, many of the boys are
Parishioners, and the Troop is always willing to add newcomers.
Adults with skills or experience
as merit badge counselors are a
welcome addition to the Troop.
If you are interested in volunteering to
assist with the Scout Troop or have a
boy who is interested in learning more
or attending a meeting, email the Troop
at BSATroop1978@gmail.com.
Unbound Ministry Offers Opportunities to Help Those in Need
by Mary Fisk
U
nbound is an internationwhom the Sponsors select. This conal nonprofit organization
tribution can help an elderly person to
founded 35 years ago by lay
purchase medication, a child to go to
Catholics to help to meet the needs of
school, and a family to have enough to
people around the world. Rev. Martin
eat. The group has more than 260,000
Holler spoke about the program’s goals
Sponsors in the United States. Some
and accomplishments and ongoing
people sponsor more than one individneeds at the weekend Masses on June
ual or family.
4-5. People who are Sponsors were on
Rev. Holler spoke about his own exhand to share their experiences after
perience as a Sponsor and the child he
the Masses.
helps. “He has been
Unbound, a 301(c)(3)
such a gift to me. He
entity, draws on the This contribution
has opened my eyes.”,
Gospel call to help oth- can help an elderly
he said. Through
ers. It welcomes people
Unbound, “We nurof all faith traditions to person to purchase
ture human connecjoin in the ministry.
tions that uplift us all.”
medication,
a
child
Unbound affirms the
Carlos Lopez
central role of rela- to go to school, and
Unbound’s website
tionships in its minisdescribes how one
try, in keeping with the a family to have
child, Carlos Lopez,
Gospel mandate of ser- enough to eat.
benefited from assisvice and love. Unbound
tance. He was born
operates at the grassin a small rural town
roots level and uses the small-group
in Guatemala, the youngest of 10 chilmodel to stay connected to the people
dren. His parents struggled to raise
who are in need.
their children, and Carlos’s nine older
siblings had to stop their education at
People-Centered Assistance
the end of middle school. Carlos’s parLocal staff members visit the homes of
ents turned to Unbound to see if a way
people and listen to their needs. They
could be found to keep their youngest
work with children to set and meet eduson in school. Unbound identified a
cation goals. They visit the elderly and
Sponsor for him in 1994. The monthlearn how best to serve them. The family contribution helped to buy food, as
lies and individuals decide on the form
well as pay for tuition and educational
of the assistance they want to best meet
expenses. Carlos and his entire family
their needs. Possible benefits include
were helped.
food, health care, tuition assistance,
and assistance finding work. Over time,
Carlos said, “Unbound and my Sponsor
the families and individuals develop the
was like having someone close to me in
ability to increase their own income and
spite of the physical separation. This
rely less on assistance.
feeling kept me unified in a spiritual and
emotional way.”
Unbound works with more than
300,000 children, youth, and elderly
Carlos continued to be Sponsored for
people in 20 countries in Africa, Asia,
10 years and graduated from high school
and Latin America and the Caribbean.
in 2004. In a few years, he became a soMore than 92 percent of the money
cial worker and started law school. In
raised goes to program support. The
2008, he became the coordinator for the
headquarters are in Kansas City.
Unbound program in his hometown. He
graduated from law school in 2012 and
Sponsorships
serves as legal adviser for the program.
The assistance that Unbound proHe said, “I have the chance to give others
vides comes through its Sponsorship
the type of support I got as a child and
Program, and that program is what
young man.”
brought Rev. Holler to ST. MARK.
Sponsors agree to contribute $36 a
For more information about sponsorship,
month to help a family or individual
visit the website at www.Unbound.org.
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“My
first encounter with
Unbound was nearly five years
ago at an 8:00 a.m. Mass at OUR
LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL. I was
expecting it to be like many other Sunday Masses. However, the
priest was from Unbound, which
I knew nothing about.
He provided a heartfelt homily
about this Catholic lay organization and the support it provides
to poor young children, adults,
and elderly people around the
world. After his remarks, I felt
‘someone’ urge me to visit the
Unbound table after Mass. I did,
and as I reviewed the many candidates’ folders, I felt a special bond
to an eight-year-old boy from
the Philippines named Ariel. We
have been ‘together’ since.
We exchange letters periodically,
all facilitated by Unbound. For a
little over $1 a day, Unbound effectively and efficiently provides
the health, education, economic,
and social support to the needy
of this world to help improve
their future. For me, it is an easy
way to put my faith to practice
and be grateful for all God’s
blessings to me, my wife, and
our respective families. Service,
charity, mercy, and love — isn’t
that what it is all about?
If you have a similar interest,
please go to Unbound.org, take
a look for yourself, and seriously
consider signing up. You’ll never feel the same again!
Paul “Korky” Korkemaz
Vienna,Virginia
Exploring Life’s Challenges from Various Religious Perspectives
By Fred Ricci and Kathy Aquilina
W
hat questions come to mind
when you think about people
from other faith traditions?
I recently facilitated a short course on
comparative religions at ST. MARK.
The course provided an opportunity for
some honest and searching conversation, some among ourselves, but most
with representatives of other faiths. As
a retired VT professor, I was stepping
out of my comfort zone. Religion is
not an academic exercise, but since Pope
Francis has encouraged religious people
to participate in spreading Christ’s message and to listen to the beliefs of other
people to foster a more loving world,
we decided to throw out the net. We got
books from the public library to study
and then decided to start an interfaith
discussion at ST. MARK, which took
place on five consecutive Monday nights.
We structured the course to provide a
forum to discuss life’s challenges from
different religious beliefs. Our hope was
that participants would gain an appreciation of how people around the world
think about everyday life and about
God. We invited guests from the Jewish,
Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist faiths to
share some reflections with us.
First Session: Islam
My heart sank when I walked in the first
evening. Twenty people were seated in a
circle, and we were all Catholic, except for
one Methodist. However, each shared interesting snippets of their lives: adult children who were no longer Catholic, some
of whom were in interfaith marriages; and
experiences with coworkers and neighbors. Everyone was curious to know more.
Then in walked Imam Mehet from the
mosque in Fairfax City. He shared his
story as a man of Kurdish background
from Turkey. He talked about Islam’s
belief in one God and the practice of
praying five times a day and fasting for
a month each year, which begins in June
this year. He was able to handle some
difficult questions, like “Why is there so
much fighting in the Middle East? and
“Is religion responsible?” He answered
thoughtfully that fighting is a human
action, always done by humans and for
many reasons, from ignorance, lack of
education, and poverty. He said that
some have used this religion as an ideology for their bad actions, but he emphasized that these actions do not represent
true Islam.
In the closing minutes, we each shared
what we had each learned that evening.
The Imam humorously admitted that he
had assumed that all Christians understood each other, but he realized after
participating in our discussion that this
was not the case!
Second Session: Christianity
The second session focused on Christianity, and it was a lively time! People
at ST. MARK are used to discussion,
some being in the Small Communities of
Faith and others involved in the Justice
and Peace Committee. We clarified the
roots of Christian history; considered
how to balance the need to be organized as Church with actually living the
message of Jesus; reflected on piety and
the role of women in the Church; and
were pleased to hear a Methodist share
his deep appreciation for Pope Francis’s
spirituality. It was very satisfying to have
this conversation with people of faith
and love. There was a lot of listening in
the group, and good points were made.
Third Session: Judaism
A Rabbi joined us for a discussion of
Judaism. She pointed out that Jews, like
Christians, believe in one God and an afterlife. They want to create a world that
reflects these beliefs, so they work for
peace and justice, or what they refer to
as “repairing the world.” They are judged
by how good a life they lead. She also
pointed out that there are many sects of
Jews, including Orthodox, Conservative,
and Reform.
Fourth and Fifth Sessions:
Hinduism and Buddhism
The last two sessions were devoted
to Hinduism and Buddhism. Two
Buddhists joined us. Buddhism comes
from Hinduism. The Buddhists did not
believe in a caste system and broke away
from the Hindus. Both faiths believe
that good works and thinking will make
humans better people. They believe that
people can get better if they follow the
teachings of the Buddha or sages. Both
of these faiths focus on controlling your
own mind through meditation.
The point of this discussion group was
to have participants think about various religions and how the seven billion
people in the world can live together in
a more harmonious environment. It is
very clear that we all are trying to understand God, discern our purpose in the
world, and how we can live our faith.
God’s Ocean of Mercy
Mercy
The Divine Heart is an ocean full of all good things,
wherein poor souls can cast all their needs;
it is an ocean full of joy to drown all our sadness,
an ocean of humility to drown our folly,
an ocean of mercy to those in distress,
an ocean of love in which to submerge our poverty.
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
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Congratulations to the ST. MARK School Graduates!
T
he graduation ceremony for the
Eighth Grade Students of ST. MARK
School was held on Friday, June 10. The
day began at the Parish Mass at 9:15 a.m.,
with Students, Faculty, and parents sharing in the Eucharistic celebration and the
Baccalaureate Ceremony. At 7:00p.m.,
the Graduation Ceremony was held in the
Christian Formation Center Gymnasium.
The day closed with a reception in the
Msgr. Cassidy Activities Center.
We wish the Graduates and their families
many continued blessings and successes,
and we thank the teachers and volunteers
who have prepared them so well for the
next steps of their journey.
Join the Discussion
of Spiritual Classics!
Parish Celebrated 40
Hours Devotion in May
Faith Workshops for
New College Freshmen
F
S
T
r. Paul Grankaushas will lead a
discussion of a different spiritual
classic work on the second Sunday of
each month. The group will meet in
the Chapel. The discussion will follow
Benediction at 5:00 p.m.
The first session was held on Sunday,
June 13. The selected work was The Song
of Bernadette by Franz Werfel, the story
of the Blessed Virgin’s appearances
to Bernadette Soubirous at Lourdes,
France, from February through July
1858.
Franz Werfel, who was Jewish, was a
well-known author and critic of the
Nazi regime. He was forced to flee his
home in Vienna, and he hid for a time
in Lourdes. His subsequent novel about
the apparitions was the fulfillment of a
promise he made to God to tell the inspiring story that he learned during his
time there.
T. MARK celebrated the annual observance of the 40 Hours Devotion
honoring the Body of Christ — the
Solemnity of Corpus Christi — in May.
The Solemnity dates back at least to the
early 1500s. It is a time of continuous
prayer and adoration of Christ in the
EUCHARIST. It is an opportunity to
do what Jesus asked of his disciples in
the Garden, to watch with him for an
hour.
The Devotion opened after the 9:15
a.m. Mass on Wednesday, May 25, and
Thursday, May 26, and Friday, May
27, and continued
throughout each day
and evening, closing for the hours of
that day at 10:00
p.m. The 40 Hours
Devotion ended on
Saturday, May 28, with
Benediction following
the 8:00 a.m. Mass.
Throughout Scripture,
the number 40 has sacred associations
and transitions. In the time of Noah,
the rains that brought the flood lasted
for 40 days and nights. Moses spent 40
years in the desert before he led his people out of Egypt. The Hebrews wandered in the desert for 40 years before
they reached the Promised Land. Jesus
fasted and prayed for 40 days before He
began to preach.
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he Associates of ST. JOHN BOSCO
are conducting three workshops
to help high school graduates continue to grow in their faith as they make
the transition to the college environment. Catholic Student Representatives
from George Mason University, the
University of Maryland, the University
of Virginia, the University of Mary
Washington, Benedictine College, and
other schools will
share their experiences and offer
advice and support to the incoming freshmen.
n The first workshop will be on
Thursday, June 23, at 7:00 p.m., at
ST. MARK in the Msgr. Cassidy
Activities Center.
n The second workshop will be on
Wednesday, July 20, at 7:00 p.m., at
the ST. MARY Lyceum in Alexandria.
n The third workshop will be on
Wednesday, July 27, at 7:00 p.m., at
ST. MARY of the IMMACULATE
CONCEPTION Parish Hall in
Fredericksburg.
For m o r e i n for mation, visit
w w w. a s j b . o r g .
Registration for
each session is limited to 50 students.
Parish Celebrates the Sacrament of CONFIRMATION
S
T. MARK youth received the Sacrament of CONFIRMATION on May
6. The youth prepared for two years for the Sacrament through Religious
Education or School classes, through Spirit-Team service projects,
through weekend retreats, and through their own prayer and spiritual growth.
A
Nicholas Adelberg
Beyonce Andrades
B
Elliott Baeza
WilliamBeahn
Isabella Grace Bollini
Anne Boniface
Ana Victoria Borges
Evan Bremser
Mark Brown
Coleman Bunn
C
Alessandra Campo
Kalli Carol Cannistraro
Tatum Chenen
Mia Cilluffo
Gabriella Cordelli
WilliamCovey
Michael Frederick Crespy
Elizabeth Crishock
Dolan Patrick Cromley
Patrick Cunningham
D
SpencerDarling
John Ryan Day
Chad D’Crus
Riley Delacy
Andrea De La Torre
Lucas Diehl
Ethan Dolin
Stephanie Renee Dollard
Brian Christopher Donohue
Luke Driscoll
MichaelDuncan
John Dwyer
E
Allison Claire Embroski
Erin Lynn Embroski
Halle Evola
Madison Evola
F
Thomas Flood
Charles Freitas
Nicole Fritsch
G
Elena Galindo
Camille Gaston
Paul Daley Glenchur
Kiran Tomas Gowda
Sarah Elizabeth Gurley
Joshua Gutenson
H
Shanna Harrington
Brandon Hellmer
Meghan Hermes
Leah Hopp
Nicholas Hovis
Charles Huang
J
Kiran James
K
Anna Keating
Daniel Koester
Cameron Rose Kolat
L
Maya Landeros
Alexander Lanier
Julia Elizabeth Lattanzio
Domenic Francis Linza
Paul Stephen Linza
Calvin Andrew Lucido
M
Dawn Mabirizi
Emma Machi
Chase Edward Maillett
Thomas Malisko
Julia Mancusi
Kayla Markley
Ansley McGuire
Valencia McIntosh
Emily Grace McNulty
Caroline Marguerite Mead
Regan Meana
Gabriela Miralao
Amina Noelle Mitchell
Eleanor Monnig
Sarah Moore
Caroline Mukerjee
N
Ryan Khanh Nguyen
Katherine Noel
Mia Norton
O
Meghan O’Brien
John Orr
Kimberly Pavlik
Thomas James Policicchio
Wesley Porterfield
5
R
Isabella Clare Racinez
Karina Reilly
Jane Ilona Ressa
Sophia Revaz
Angel Rodriguez
Mateo Ronderos
Pablo Ronderos
Nicholas Rooks
Jacob Daniel Roth
Megan Rourke
Colleen Ryan
S
Kyra Ann Sanders
Jay Schraml
Danielle Sciuto
Alexandra Diane Sechser
Tatum Shepard
Corey Lee Shumway
James Robert Shumway
Brennan Sinclair
David Steffens
T
Lauren Teuschl
Jacqueline Thacher
John Thomas
Emma Thompson
Nikolas Tolpegin
Anna Cecilia Torres
Davis Trax
Katherine Turner
V
Philip Van Dalen
Devan Michael Viani
Anna Viscovich
William Vu
W
Gregory Thomas Wall
Daniel Weir
Owen Wetterhan
Aidan Wiktorowicz
Carly Williams
Sean Banzon Williams
Ryan Wilson
ST. MARK Baby Shower
T
he Annual Baby Shower to help
crisis pregnancy centers was held
after the Masses on June 4 and 5.
Parishioners responded generously to
the call and brought their donations to
the Msgr. Cassidy Activities Center.
The Shawl Ministry provided beautiful
handmade blankets and clothing. Each
item had this prayer fastened to it with
a ribbon:
Barbara Johnson
Jody Allen and Martha PIescik
The other donated items included diapers,
baby wipes, bottles and formula, toiletries,
clothes up to size 24 months, pacifiers,
umbrella strollers, car seats, and travel beds.
The gifts have been given to two pregnancy support centers: HOPE of Northern
Virginia and A Woman’s Choice, both in
Falls Church.
The M&Ms enjoyed a visit to the Winery at
Bull Run and lunch at Sweetwater Tavern in
Centreville on Wednesday, May 25.
“Dear Baby,
This blanket was made with prayers
woven into stitches by the ST.
MARK Prayer Shawl Ministry.
When this is wrapped around you,
know that you are surrounded by
their prayers, support, and
understanding.
May this blanket be a safe haven, a
sacred place of security and well-being.
Our prayer for you is that you will
be cradled in hope, kept in joy,
graced with peace, and wrapped in
God’s never ending love.
God bless you.”
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Young Artists Share Talents
at Sunday Concert
S
T. MARK showcased the talents
of its exceptional young artists
at a concert on Sunday, June 12, at
3:00 p.m. The concert was free of
charge and open to the public.
Performing were 14 of our own
talented youth, ages 10 to 17 years.
They presented classical and liturgical music on the organ, piano, guitar, violin, and cello, as well as voice
and percussion.
Nancy Novelly, Director of Music
and Worship, said, “All these children (with the exception of my student Theresa Reese, who is from ST.
VERONICA’S) have been playing/
singing at our liturgies: Friday 9:15
a.m. Mass with the School, 8:15
a.m. Choir, once-a-month Youth
Choir, and Christmas and Easter
special liturgies. They are indeed
the future of our Church! I feel it
is very important to support them
in their musical endeavors, as well
as to encourage them to take part
more and more in the music at
Mass here at ST. MARK.”
Performers:
n Theresa Reese on the organ,
piano, and guitar
n Matthew, Mark, and Elizabeth
Brown on the organ, piano,
and voice
n Pablo and Mateo Ronderos on
the violin and cello
n Andriko and Peter Bilaniuk on
the violin and guitar
n Dylan Scanlon on the guitar
n Callie Cooper, soprano
n Owen Wetterhan, percussion
n Antoni, Tomek, and Evelina
Kleczek, piano prodigies.
Maneline is the publication of ST MARK Catholic Community, 9970 Vale Road,
Vienna, VA 22181. It is published nine times a year, with a December/January
issue, a June/July issue, and an August/September issue. Individuals wishing to
submit articles should contact a member of the editorial team.
Milestones
BAPTISM
We welcome the following new Christians
into the community of the Church:
Carolina Rose Aguayo
Vivian Appleby Beck
Adam James Berry
Andrew Cho
Courtnie Cho
Joshua Cho
William Cho
Elizabeth Renee Colyar
Patrick William Colyar
Emma Maureen Doud
Mason Bechara Fulk
Bryce Daniel Glenn
Holly Elizabeth Gonzalez
Katherine Elizabeth Gurzo
Bryce Michael Hardy
Clara Betty Hoffman
Sylvia Joyce Hoffman
William Walter Lancman
Caleb Paul Lavery
Hailee Susan McKie
Carson Anthony Salvatore
New Parishioners
ST. MARK welcomes the following new
Parishioners to our Parish family:
Carlos and Chiara Aguayo
Victor Banzon
Andrew and Rachel Beck
Lorenzo and Cynthia Bertolini
Erinn Burakow
David and Courtnie Cho
Won and Jamie Choi
Thomas and Darrleen Harris
Frank and Kim Hill
Stephen and Sarah Kunk
Joshua and Lindsey Long
Danny and Lauren Marti
Paul and Sara Moloney
Garrick Muench
Thomas Pell
Eilleen Pender
Jeffrey and Erin Philippart
Norm and Julie Printer
Douglas and Trang Sabel
Brittany Smolka and David Ziegler
Charles and Garrilyn Sprague
Michael and Gale Whitehead
Benjamin Wolferman and Irene Choi
Matrimony
Kathryne Atkisson and Richard Echevarria
Deaths
The following Parishioners
entered into eternal life:
Editors:
Mary Fisk: maryfisk2@gmail.com
Ann Ramish: ramishteam@outlook.com
Artist: Susan Scanlon: TSMosaics@hotmail.com
Robert McCabe, Sr.
Carol Palmucci
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Mark Your Calendar
July
July
July 1
First Friday Adoration
10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
August 51st Anniversary Founding of
ST. MARK Parish
July 4 Independence Day
August 15 Solemnity of Assumption of Mary
July 6-8
Junior High Work Camp
August 24-25
Parish Staff Retreat
July 11-15
Vacation Bible School
August 26
ST. MARK School Families Picnic
July 15-17
Steubenville Youth Conference
July 18-30
World Youth Day Pilgrimage
August 29 ST. MARK School
1st Day of School 2016-2017
Address Service Requested
Non-profit Organization
U. S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 15
Vienna, Va.
ST. MARK Catholic Church
9970 Vale Road
Vienna, VA 22181
Maneline
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