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The hard work of forgiving

by Fr. George Corrigan OFM | Mar 16, 2021

How do you offer forgiveness? I suspect that the most common offer consists of “I forgive you” or “Don’t worry about it” or “Don’t give it a second thought” or “It’s nothing.” And that all might be true, but sometimes it is only the socially-expected response. It is what we do because we are Christian and we are called to forgive 70 times 7 – or about 490 times…and maybe, just maybe, some of us keep track. But, are we really at peace with our response? This all reminds me of the Parable of the...

St. Francis House – did you know?

by Fr. George Corrigan OFM | Mar 9, 2021

“The generous man is blessed. For he gives of his bread to the poor.”- Proverbs 22:9 St. Francis House is an outreach ministry of the parish located in a townhouse in the Williamstown neighborhood that was established in 1992 to serve the many needs of the low-income, disadvantaged families in the Eastern Prince William County. The ministry is staffed by Francia Salguero and her daughter Angelica Silva. Angelica, now a graduate of George Mason University has been volunteering and working at...

Parish Cleanup Day

by Fr. George Corrigan OFM | Mar 8, 2021

The first Clean Up Day of 2021 was a huge success! Over 35+ bags of litter were removed from around the parish. Please join the Care for Creation Ministry on Saturday, March 27th from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 for our second Adopt-a-Spot Clean Up Day of the year. Please meet in the parish parking lot. Dress for the weather and please wear a mask. Gloves, trash pickers, bags, and reflective vests will be provided. Please contact Scott Deane for more information: [email protected].

The Year of St. Joseph

by Fr. George Corrigan OFM | Mar 2, 2021

Pope Francis has declared his year to be the "Year of St. Joseph." It is a celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the proclamation of St. Joseph a Patron of the Universal Church. There are a number of resources available to celebrate this important moment. We would encourage you to explore the websites of the Diocese of Arlington and the US Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) for their plethora of resources. Diocese of Arlington: You will find the following resources on the diocesan...

Why You Should Go to Confession

by Fr. George Corrigan OFM | Mar 2, 2021

In a previous post, we somewhat whimsically gave reasons not to celebrate the Sacraments of Reconciliation (or Confession). On a more serious note, this post discusses some reasons why you should celebrate the Sacraments, especially during this season of Lent. Reconciliation and the Beauty of God. Through the forgiveness of God and the ministry of the Church, a renewed heart is created in you, the Spirit is again given so that you can live a life reconciled to God, to the community, to family...

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...

12 Reasons not to go to Confession

by Fr. George Corrigan OFM | Feb 16, 2021

Lent and Advent are penitential seasons when we’re encouraged to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation: to go to confession. Some people look forward to doing this – others, not so much! Many just don’t think they need to go – for lots of reasons. Here are a dozen reasons to choose from! A Dozen Reasons Not to Go to Confession: Your natural tendency to love God in all things and to love your neighbor as yourself causes you to walk about an inch off the ground on an invisible cloud of...

Support the Bill Mehr Drop-in Center

by Fr. George Corrigan OFM | Feb 14, 2021

MEALS FOR THE BILL MEHR SHELTER Prince William County As part of putting or faith into action we Franciscans believe that helping our brothers and sisters in need is an essential part of who we are. We have been helping the Prince William County shelters for more than 16 years. Beginning Saturday, April 4th until Saturday, October 31st St. Francis of Assisi will be providing breakfast to the Bill Mehr shelter every Saturday. Due to the Coronavirus we have to change the way we usually provide...

Support St. Francis House

by Fr. George Corrigan OFM | Feb 14, 2021

St. Francis House: An Outreach Program St. Francis of Assisi Parish 2606 Heth Court, Dumfries, VA 22026 703-221-6344 Francia Salguero & Angelica Silva We are here to serve those in need! During this great time of need, St. Francis House is remaining open to provide assistance to our brothers and sisters in need. It never ceases to amaze me how our parishioners come together in these times of stress and despair to provide for their fellow brothers and sisters that have been most affected....