» From the Pastor

Evening Prayer in Our Deanery

by Fr. John O'Connor OFM | Nov 15, 2021

The Arlington Diocese is divided up into seven regions called deaneries. Deanery V includes the parishes of Prince William County and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park and Fauquier County. Bishop Burbidge has asked that each Deanery celebrate Solemn Evening Prayer (in Latin, Vespers) at a parish in the deanery to mark the beginning of Preparation Year I for the diocesan Jubilee Year in 2024. Preparation Year I begins with the First Sunday of Advent. Parishioners from throughout...

Thanksgiving Blessings

by Fr. John O'Connor OFM | Nov 14, 2021

On behalf of the Friars and staff here at St. Francis I wish all of you a blessed Thanksgiving. The feast of Thanksgiving reminds all of us of the importance of moments of gratitude; the value of seeing what is good and right in our world. Let our Thanksgiving be a celebration where we view our world not just in terms of the material things that we have been gifted, but also in the good and meaningful actions that we can do for others, and that have been done for us. May we be aware of God’s...

Elections 2021 – A Message from Fr. John

by VOICE | Oct 11, 2021

A Message from Fr. John Dear parishioners, Very recently we published a message called Faithful Citizenship: Pro-Life. Please take a moment to read this important message as it forms the background to this message. It contains excerpts from the US Bishops document on Faithful Citizenship which goes into more detail as to what issues determine if a person is truly pro-life. As the bishops stated , “ We strongly encourage you to know the candidates and their positions on abortion, Euthanasia....

COVID Vaccine

by Fr. John O'Connor OFM | Aug 17, 2021

I received a number of positive comments on my recent article in the weekly parish newsletter, challenging the thinking of those who refuse to receive a COVID vaccine, based on the argument that “the government cannot tell me what to do with my body”. I also received a response from a parishioner who said he heard that it was wrong (a sin) for a Catholic to receive a COVID vaccine, because the vaccines were tested using cells obtained from aborted fetuses. This is not true and is based on...

Vaccines and Being Pro-Life

by Fr. John O'Connor OFM | Aug 9, 2021

One of the curious arguments for not receiving the COVID vaccine is that no government should tell a person what they can or cannot do with their body. In fact, there are a range of things for which the government and the common good, do just exactly that. Think of the regulations regarding seat belts, smoking in public places, drug usage, and others. Directly and indirectly, for each of these a governmental body tells a person what they can or cannot do with their bodies. In the arena of...

Out of an abundance of Caution….

by Fr. John O'Connor OFM | Jul 26, 2021

After some discussion, at the recent meeting of the Parish Council, it was decided that we would not do the Labor day Picnic or Francis Fest this year. Because of the recent spike in cases of COVID (Delta Variant), the Council felt that there could be some risk in gathering parishioners for these two events. When it is deemed safe to do so, we will plan an alternative social gathering for the parish. It is very unfortunate that at a time when we have an incredibly effective vaccine against the...

A sense from you, the Parishioners

by Fr. George Corrigan OFM | May 16, 2021

Thank you to the almost 600 households who responded to our parish-wide survey about a potential return to the celebration of Mass without masks, tickets, and all the necessary precautions of the past 18 months. Your responses were insightful and we want to share some of the "big picture" results with you. The survey provided places in which more detailed responses could be given. In reviewing the hundreds of comments, here are some of the recurring themes that are also supported by the survey...

Pastoral Guidance from Fr. John

by Fr. John O'Connor OFM | Mar 16, 2021

Over the last several weeks there has arisen several topics which have caused concern or raised questions in the minds of the faithful. Our pastor, Fr. John, has been diligent in providing sound pastoral guidance. In this post we offer three recent articles from Fr. John: Covid-19 Vaccinations Blessing of Gay Couple Civil Marriage The Moral Dimensions of Cancel Culture On the Moral Act of Receiving a Covid-19 Vaccination Recently the news reported that certain Bishops of the Catholic Church...

The Tau Cross

by Fr. John O'Connor OFM | Feb 23, 2021

Catholics worldwide are used to seeing the Latin cross inside and atop our churches. It is one of the most recognizable and best known symbols of Christianity. But did you know that there are other “crosses” that have long provenance in Christianity? In addition to our familiar symbol, there are also the Greek, Maltese, Papal, Patriarchal, and St. Andrews crosses. Perhaps the oldest pattern of the cross is called the “tau” cross – the cross that is associated with the Franciscan order. But did...

The Commonwealth of Virginia and the Death Penalty

by Fr. John O'Connor OFM | Feb 23, 2021

As you are probably aware, the General Assembly of the State of Virginia recently passed legislation abolishing the Death Penalty in the Commonwealth. In light of this new legislation some have asked me “What is the Churches teaching on the Death Penalty?” On August 2, 2018, the Vatican announced that it had formally changed the official Catechism of the Catholic Church on the death penalty calling capital punishment “an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person “ and deeming it...