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11th Sunday in Ordinary Time
June 16, 2024
“ ... he knows not how.'" (Mk 4:27)
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In this edition:
First Mass & Reception Sunday
Know God by unknowing
Summer break in Sunday livestreaming
Farewell Messages
Openings in the Schola
Online registration for Children's Faith Formation
Sign up by June 26 for July Weekend Retreat
& more
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Masses
Saturday, June 15 at 5:30pm
Sunday, June 16 at 7am, 9am, 11am (Bilingual First Mass of Thanksgiving,
Fr. Isaac Sagastume), 1pm (en español) & 5:30pm
Online Offertory: PayPal | Faith Direct
See Livestreams webpage for links.
Enjoy a blessing of fathers at all Masses. Happy Father's Day weekend!
First Mass & Reception
Deacon Isaac Sagastume will be ordained a priest by Cardinal Gregory, along with 15 other deacons of the Archdiocese of Washington, this Saturday, June 15 at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. On Sunday, June 16, all are welcome as Fr. Isaac celebrates his First Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Matthew's – a bilingual Mass at 11am, with the Schola Cantorum accompanying, followed by a reception in the Great Hall. Let's pray in thanksgiving for Deacon Isaac and his intentions as he approaches his ordination!
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Let us pray:
—for the sick, especially Anne Mitchell, Catherine Parello, Luis Miguel Silva, Maria da Silva, Francisca Granados Flores, Soila Manchame, Margaret Judy, Sofía Valero, Dorianne Alvarado, Donald Klawiter, Simona, Halina Mielnik, Camilia Juber Carmona, John Guerriero, Elsa Henderson, Yvette Romero, Enmanuel Del Valle, Patricia Castro, Michael Harrill, Eileen Elvin, Geralda Masi, Katie Roland, Peter Tan, Mary & Carl Milewski, Therese Fergo, Maria Gianino, Yolanda Mendez Acevedo, Anne Rader, Robyn Nishimi, Paul Gruber, Sick of Mufide Rende Family, and Blanca Rose Juarez; and
—for the recently deceased, especially Paul Fry, founder and early leader of our Monday Morning Ministry
To add a name to the prayer list of the sick or recently deceased, email Msgr. Jameson. If asking for prayers for a person who is sick, please first get their permission.
Mystical Word
L.J. Milone writes that Sunday's Gospel reading from Mark is "a story about unknowing, which is crucial, oddly, to knowing and loving God. The Christian mystics put unknowing at the very center of the spiritual life." READ THE RELFECTION
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July & August Suspension of Livestreams
Our Sunday 11am (English) and 1pm (Spanish) Masses livestreams on the Cathedral YouTube channel will be suspended in July and August 2024, with the possibility of resuming in September. Check back in late August for updates.
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Blood Drive
C†YA hosts a Blood Drive Sunday, July 14 in the North Conference Room. Save the date to donate blood after Mass, and sign up now!
Sunday Night with C†YA
Join us Sunday nights at 6:30pm, following the 5:30pm Mass, in the North Conference Room. Meet other Catholics, talk about the faith, and build friendships!
Tuesday Happy Hour
Come for a C†YA Happy Hour at 6:30pm on Tuesday, June 25 at Aslin Beer Company on 14th Street on Logan Circle.
Let's Stay Connected
C†YA uses a WhatsApp Community to plan future events, post updates, and stay in touch! Join using this link. You can also follow C†YA on Instagram and Facebook for events and news from our community.
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Last week we shared Msgr. Jameson's farewell message to Fr. John - if you missed it, read it now on the website. This week Fr. John shares his own farewell reflection.
Newly-ordained priests for the Archdiocese of Washington, at the end of the ordination mass, return to the sacristy and receive from our archbishop an envelope containing our first assignment. Then we emerge, wide-eyed with elation and terror, into a churning throng of congratulatory clergy, searching the crowd for our new pastor like a lost child in a supermarket. I wasn’t sure why God was sending me to the Cathedral, what exactly He had in mind.
Five years later I can say that I couldn’t have wished for or imagined a better first assignment than St. Matthew’s.
What makes this such a special place is not just the history, the papal visits, the cardinals’ hats hanging from the ceiling and episcopal emblems on the wall, the Kennedy funeral, the Red Mass for Supreme Court justices… all that is very cool.
But what makes St. Matthew’s so special is the people here. A Cathedral rector whose warm affection for every person that crosses the threshold is plainly the glue that binds this parish family together; who was so patient with me when I forgot to communicate things, or messed up his summer vacation plans pretty much every summer, or had crazy ideas like building a baptismal pool. A retired priest in residence who takes genuine interest and finds some connection with everyone he meets, keeping up correspondence with more people than I can fathom. A business manager who keeps the ship afloat, and also brings in baked goods just out of pure generous goodness. A Spanish ministry coordinator who after a long day claims she is leaving the office to go home, then spends hours visiting the sick and homebound. A pastoral associate for liturgy and music whose graceful compliments never fail to lift someone’s spirit. An organist whose musical prowess is surpassed by his humility and kindness, charming each and every one of our thousands of wedding couples. A prolific rector’s assistant whose writing and design communicate parish news through an array of channels. The list goes on and on. So many wonderful staff members, and hundreds of saintly volunteers cheerfully giving their time and talent in the parish.
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The youth here at the Cathedral are the best. They amaze me. How resilient they are. How they got through the pandemic, and adapted, and thrived. The ideas, the questions I never would think of. The retreats we did in Pennsylvania, snow tubing, the house in Virginia that was totally not haunted, Six Flags, laser tag, the movies we watched then tried to make up a catechesis to justify why we watched them… those are some of my favorite memories here.
I think God sent me to St. Matthew’s not just to make use of every talent he gave me in order to serve his people, but more than that, to teach me that my limitations and my weaknesses, the ones that push me to ask for help and rely on others, those are really what best serve the glory of God and the good of his people. I am grateful for some of my successes, and even more grateful for some of my failures, and for the patient people that stuck with me through those failures.
I regret every time I gave the impression I was too busy for someone, didn’t have time for them. Jesus was never too busy for anyone. And neither are we. It’s just sometimes I get insecure and anxious about what I think I’m supposed to be doing, and forget there is nothing more important than the person right in front of me. You have all taught me that on many occasions.
In last Sunday's Gospel, Jesus looked around and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.” I am blessed to have so many mothers and brothers and sisters here at St. Matthew’s. Thank you. Pray for me.
VEA EN ESPANOL
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Save the date for Fr. John's farewell celebration after the 9am, 11am, 1pm and 5:30pm Masses on June 23 - the date of his last Sunday Mass here as Parochial Vicar! More to come, including news of Fr. John's successor at St. Matthew's.
Reserve la fecha para la celebración de despedida del P. John después de las misas de las 9am, 11am, 1pm y 5:30pm el 23 de junio, la fecha de su última misa dominical aquí como Vicario Parroquial. Más por venir, incluyendo noticias del sucesor del P. John en St. Matthew's.
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The Parish Council hosted a farewell dinner for Fr. John Benson and Maureen Hurley in early June - a fun evening! | |
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From the Rector
My dear parishioners and friends,
This letter is much harder to write than any other I have written in the past 18 years.
From the start my assistant, Maureen Hurley, would take my rough drafts and produce a written product that fit the occasion or need beautifully. As she grew to know me she incorporated that knowledge into whatever she would write or edit from the Rector’s Office. She is the best editor – no one is any better. You can imagine my apprehension as she prepares to leave her position at St. Matthew’s, though she will stay for a few weeks to orient her successor – who will join the staff as Director of Communications – on our various communications platforms.
While Maureen initially focused on my correspondence and scheduling, I also gave her responsibility for Cathedral communications, which she has steadily built up. In this role she has stayed up to date on activities and events across our ministries and organizations, creatively promoting these, and using tools to "get the message out" on behalf of our pastoral leaders, e.g., Choral Highlights debuted on the website in 2016 (running through early pandemic days), a Social Justice blog in 2020, and the Mystical Word reflections in 2022.
In 2017 Maureen introduced digital versions of the Rector’s letters and parish updates and added Instagram to our social media. During the pandemic this Weekly Update became our critical link with YOU and remains our main channel for sharing the latest parish news and events.
Most recently she managed the design and creation of our Cathedral parish website, working with Jason Cho of Lattice Group, Inc. and collaborating with Fr. Benson on key elements. Fr. John’s livestreaming project, which included the launch of our YouTube channel, has a dedicated webpage on the new website. From there you can navigate to all our livestreamed liturgies and our Saints with Fr. Hurley video series. The Cathedral Virtual Tour whose creation Maureen oversaw, courtesy of videographer Bob Bryer, also has a home on our new site.
On parish social media Maureen has kept us abreast of news and activities at the archdiocese, in the community, and at the Vatican, as well as in the parish. Managing these accounts has meant working during off hours, on weekends or holidays, but she has always gotten the news out.
I could stop there and you would say Wow!, but she also has produced our Advent and Lenten brochures and other print media, taken the lead in our Advent and Lenten Penance Service planning, and coordinated our vocations efforts.
How on earth could Maureen do what she has done and do it so well? I have an answer: her faith, her love of the Lord, her love of the Church, and her deep love for St. Matthew’s. I am so grateful for all she has done to get us where we are. I hear from pastors in this archdiocese and others, Who do you have working on your website and social media? They are simply amazed.
We have been so blessed. We know she wants to spend more time with her family. I hope they will know how blest they are to have such a wife, mom, and grandmother. Maureen, thank you so much from all of us. We have become closer to the Lord and to one another because of you. God bless!
Gratefully,
Msgr. Jameson
VEA EN ESPANOL
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Juneteenth Holiday
Masses are celebrated at 7:30am and 12:10pm with no Confessions or Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on Wednesday, June 19, Juneteenth, Freedom Day. The Cathedral opens at 7am and closes after the 12:10pm Mass. The rectory office is closed.
Cardinal Gregory celebrates a Mass in Commemoration of Juneteenth this Sunday, June 16 at 11am at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Landover Hills, MD. SEE THE FLIER
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Domingo XI del Tiempo Ordinario en español
16 de junio
Primera Misa de Acción de Gracias (bilingüe) a la 11am, Padre Sagastume
Misa en español a la 1pm
Vea nuestra página web de transmisiones en vivo para obtener enlaces.
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Primera Misa y Recepción
El diácono Isaac Sagastume será ordenado sacerdote por el cardenal Gregory, junto con otros 15 diáconos de la Arquidiócesis de Washington, el sábado 15 de junio en el Santuario Nacional de la Inmaculada Concepción. El domingo 16 de junio, todos son bienvenidos mientras el P. Isaac celebra su Primera Misa de Acción de Gracias en San Mateo, una Misa bilingüe a las 11am seguida de una recepción. Oremos en acción de gracias por el diácono Isaac y por sus intenciones, mientras se prepara para la ordenación.
Suspensión de las transmisiones en vivo de las misas dominicales
Nuestras transmisiones en vivo de las misas de los domingos a las 11am (inglés) y 1pm (español) en el canal de YouTube de la Catedral se suspenderán en julio y agosto de 2024, con la posibilidad de reanudarse en septiembre. Vuelva a consultar a finales de agosto para ver las actualizaciones.
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Eventos
- Grupo de oración en español – los martes 18 y 25 de junio a las 7pm en el salón de conferencias del oeste
- Primera Misa de Acción de Gracias del P. Isaac Sagastume – domingo 16 de junio, Misa bilingüe a las 11am seguida de una recepción
- Clase de Bautismo en español – domingo 23 de junio a las 11am, salón de conferencias del este; para inscribirse, envíe un email a Fatima Aybar
- Recepciones de despedida para el P. John Benson – domingo 23 de junio después de las misas de las 9am, 11am, 1pm y 5:30pm. El P. John celebra su última Misa dominical como Vicario Parroquial a la 1pm (en español).
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Inscripción para Catecismo 2024 – 2025 para niños, adolescentes y adultos – domingo 30 de junio, 10am – 12pm en el salón de conferencias del norte
- Santo Rosario por teléfono en español – todos los días a las 3pm (347-378-0694, PIN 283 201 937#)
Para más información envíe un email a Fátima Aybar o Padre John Benson o llame a la oficina de la rectoría al 202-347-3215.
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Cathedral Parish Choirs
St. Matthew's Schola Cantorum, Contemporary Choir, and Spanish Choir are on hiatus, returning Sunday, September 22 for the Feast of St. Matthew, with the exception that the Schola sings at the First Mass of Thanksgiving of Isaac Sagastume this Sunday, June 16 at 11am.
Auditions for the Schola's Fall Season
The Schola Cantorum has openings for experienced singers in all voice parts. Contact Tom Stehle for more information or to arrange an audition. Click the image below to hear the Schola in December 2019 in an Advent rehearsal singing Ad te levavi animam meam (Palestrina). READ ABOUT OUR CHOIRS
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Online Registration for Children's Faith Formation
Registration is open for St. Matthew's 2024 - 2025 Children's Faith Formation program. Find more information, including the link to a new online registration form.
Call for Catechists
For the 2024 - 2025 year we need two catechists. If you are interested in serving as a catechist, please email L.J. Milone, Director of Faith Formation, or call him at 202-347-3215 x 530.
A catechist is a person of faith who hands on the living experience of the Gospel, which is the mystery of God’s love for us. A catechist, most importantly, prays. The catechist also studies the Gospel, spiritual texts, and theology, develops appropriate teaching skills and nurtures his or her spiritual life and personal faith formation. Could this be you?
Tuesday Night Series on the Mystics
L.J. Milone leads a Tuesday evening series of classes in which we reflect on the path of pure love as the way to realize oneness with God. Meetings are 7 to 8:30pm in the East Conference Room on June 18 and 25 (click below for the flier in PDF).
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Register by June 26 for Weekend Retreat at Loyola on the Potomac
Join us July 26 – July 28 for "Light of Christ," a weekend retreat for St. Matthew's parishioners and friends at Loyola Retreat House in Faulkner, MD (click below for the flier in PDF).
FIND MORE INFO / REGISTER ONLINE
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Looking ahead to July Book Club Selection
Let's get reading the July selection, "Flannery O'Connor: Spiritual Writings," edited by Robert Ellsberg. Fr. Hurley leads this Cathedral Book Club discussion on Thursday, July 18, 7 - 8pm in the West Conference Room.
Christian Meditation
Drop in for a meditation session offered by L.J. Milone twice a week on Zoom (Sunday afternoons at 1:30pm and Wednesday evenings at 8pm).
Eckhart on Unity with God
Available on demand on our website
Access on demand videos recorded in 2023 by L.J. Milone on German mystic Meister Eckhart and his teachings on "gelassenheit" or releasement (meaning letting go/letting be) as the key to unity with God. L.J. is the author of "Nothing but God: The Everyday Mysticism of Meister Eckhart."
FIND TOPICS & LINKS TO VIDEO AND POWERPOINTS
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Summer has not yet begun, but St. Matthew's Social Justice staff and committee are busy laying plans for fall activities! Our Back-to-School Drive is scheduled for the first two weekends of August, and registration for the Fall semester of English classes begins September 5. Stay tuned for announcements or check the website: Back-to-School Drive info / Fall Semester of ESL info | |
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Rosary for Life
You are invited to join the Respect Life Ministry for a Rosary for Life and litanies to Our Lady and Saint Joseph at 12:45pm, following the 12:10pm Mass, on Saturday, June 22 and on the fourth Saturday of each month.
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Monday Morning Ministry
Interested in supporting our outreach to the homeless and those in need? Make a monetary donation, or purchase needed items from our Amazon Wishlist for shipping directly to St. Matthew's. You also may sign up to—
- donate breakfast food or bagged lunches
- donate clothing
- volunteer to serve, set up, or clean up
To volunteer, contact Ricardo Tobar. Thank you for your support!
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See you 'round the Cathedral! | | | | |
