St. Philip Catholic Church News & Updates

Save the Dates for the these Future Events

St. Philip is happy to share the dates for our festive, community events. Look for more details about event event as we draw closer to them. This summer we will again have the Children's Carnival hosted by the Knights of Columbus and the St. Philip Yard Sale, followed by our Food Festival at the end of September, and finally the "Silent Night, Silent Auction" begins they day after Thanksgiving.

Pilgrimage to Lourdes and Spain

Join Fr. Briggs from October 13th-24th, 2024, on a pilgrimage to Spain and Southern France. This pilgrimage is offered through ProRome Tours, and will travel in the footsteps of St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Bernadette, and St. Teresa of Avila. Space is limited to 45 pilgrims, and is open to all. Visit the ProRome Website or scan the document below to register. 

Eat, Drink & Be Catholic RCIA Reunion

The next "Eat, Drink & Be Catholic" potluck dinner will be May 19 - Honoring Our HS Graduates. We have having one week earlier, so that families can celebrate the Memorial Day weekend.

Contact the rectory or Suzanne Webb at suzannedwebb@hotmail.com for more details.

Feast of St. Philip

Last Friday was the Feast Day of our patron, St. Philip and had a little celebration after the 7 pm Mass. Here are some photos of the event. More photos are posted on: https://www.facebook.com/StPhilipCatholicChurch

Mary Crowning, Sunday May 12

May is the month of Mary, and May 12 is Mother’s Day, so this coming May 12 St. Philip Parish will have our annual May procession and crowning of Mary. The English crowning will take place after the 9 am Mass, and the Spanish crowning will take place after the 1 pm. Since May 12 is Mother’s Day, and you may be making special plans to honor Mom after Mass, please note that the May crowning should last about 40 minutes. Once you have honored your heavenly Mother, you will be all set to honor your earthly mother.

St. Philip Seniors Meeting: "Seeing What the Past Frees Us to See"

May 15 from 1 to 3 pm

St. Philip seniors will have a meeting on Wednesday, May 15 with a presentation by Andrew Zwememan, President of the Cana Academy.

This presentation consists of a set of beautiful slides of historical events, persons, and places, combined with a running narrative. The presentation is built around a singular question: How does history help us see and love the life we have together? 



Contact the rectory or Suzanne Webb at suzannedwebb@hotmail.com for more details.

A Chronological Study of the Gospel: Every Tuesday through June 25

St. Philip parishioners can partake in a chronological journey of the Gospels. Based on a study by Father John Riley, retreat master and spiritual director at the diocesan San Damiano Retreat Center, participants will be provided with daily readings from all four Gospels in the order they occurred.

An introductory Meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 9 after the 7 pm Mass in Room 4. The study will run through June 25 with discussion meetings held every Tuesday night.



Contact the rectory or Suzanne Webb at suzannedwebb@hotmail.com for more details.

Baby Bottle Drive Update From Father Donahue:

On this Mothers’ Day I am proud to report that this past March our Baby Bottle Drive raised $7,973.23 for A Best Choice Mobile Ultra-sound. Thanks to your support, many mothers and fathers will realize their pregnancy means they are parents, which in turn means they can then begin taking steps to assure the wellbeing of their children. May God bless you for your generosity to these Moms and Dads and their babies

Pray for our Priests

The Seven Sisters Apostolate is a call to strengthen the Church by ensuring that a Holy Hour is prayed each day of the week for the sole intention of a specific priest for his deeper conformity to Christ. Interested? We are looking for women to fill outgoing open spots (one hour one specific day per week) and for subs for the upcoming year for groups praying for Fr. Donahue, Fr. Briggs, and Fr. Steven Walker (a Priest of the Diocese of Arlington currently serving in the Archdiocese of Military Services). Giving the gift of prayer is a great blessing! Our commitment year starts annually on or around the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, this year on June 7, 2024.

For more information on the Seven Sisters Apostolate, see sevensistersapostolate.org

Questions or to volunteer (in English) contact Dorothy at praystphilipfc@stphilipfc.org, or contact the Rectory (English or en Español) 703-573-3808

Food Pantry

Don’t forget the Food Pantry when doing your grocery shopping. There is always “need.”

Currently, we especially need Jelly, Rice, Oil, Hearty Soups, and Drinks. For more information, please email eac2427@gmail.com.

• Make sure you don’t donate expired food items.
• We cannot accept dogfood or any kind of petfood.

Celebrate at the Diocese's Jubilee Fest

Bishop Burbidge invites you to the Diocesan Jubilee Fest at Warren County Fairgrounds in Front Royal, Virginia on Saturday, June 8, 2024!

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Diocese of Arlington with your parish family and thousands of faithful from across northern Virginia. Kick off the festival giving thanks to God with the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the

Mass, celebrated by Bishop Burbidge. Following Mass, enjoy live music by headliner Celtic rock band, Scythian. Head to arlingtondiocese.org/jubilee-fest to register.

Join the Diocese at the National Eucharistic Congress

You are invited to join the Diocese of Arlington for the historic 10th National Eucharistic Congress to be held at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, July 17-21, 2024. Tour packages including accommodations and a ticket to the Congress are available through Corporate Travel Services.

For pricing and more information, check out our website at https://www.arlingtondiocese.org/national-eucharistic-revival/

Contact Sister Marie Benedict Elliott, F.S.E. for more information on St. Philip Youth Ministry.

Fellowship Fridays: Faith, Food, & Fun, 3-5 pm

Join students in grades 6, 7, and 8 for prayer, games, and refreshments to support one another in our journey of faith. Feel free to bring a friend!

Anima Christi High School Group: Sundays, 6-8 pm

We will not meet on May 5, May 12 (happy Mother’s Day!), or May 26 (Memorial Day

weekend). Please join us at the "Eat, Drink & Be Catholic" event on May 19.

"Come and have breakfast" (Jesus: Jn. 21:12),

Thursdays, 7:15-7:45 am

High school students are welcome to Room 4 for prayer and breakfast on Thursdays and fellowship on Sunday evenings.

Young Sacristans

Our meetings have concluded for the spring. We will resume our work and gatherings in the Fall. See you at other events in the meantime!

Read the Bulletin Online Every Friday

Get a jump on the week's news and read the St. Philip Parish Bulletin online every Friday here.

Are You Registered at St. Philip?

It is important that you are registered with the Parish of Saint Philip so we may adequately respond to your spiritual needs. Please note that you must be registered to receive a Sponsor letter or enroll your child in any of sacramental programs. If you are over the age of 21, you are asked to register independently of your parents. Registration forms are available in the Parish Office or online here.

Dear Friends in Christ,

What a special day we celebrate today! Not only do we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven, but in this Sunday, we also celebrate Mother’s Day, a day in which we celebrate all our mothers, especially Mother Mary. On this day, we especially pray for all mothers: our biological mothers, our godmothers, our spiritual mothers, our grandmothers, and especially mothers who have lost their children in childbirth. We all owe a debt of gratitude for these women who have helped us to grow into sons and daughters of God, all while pursuing a life of holiness.

In this week, I invite us to continue our journey through our exploration of Marian Apparitions from around the world by focusing our attention on Our Lady of Fatima. This apparition is incredibly important for us, especially since it occurred relatively recently, only one hundred and seven years ago. In this apparition, Mary beseeches all to a continued life of prayer, penance, and reparation for the sins committed against Jesus and his Most Sacred Heart.

On May 13th, 1917, Mary appeared to three small children named Jacinta, Francisco, and Lucia Santos, who all lived near the town of Fatima, Portugal. She appeared to them, standing upon a tree, dressed all in white and emitting a supernatural light. Our Blessed Mother exhorted them to pray the rosary every day for the sake of sinners, and requested that they return to the same place on the 13th day of each month for six months.

In these visitations from Our Lady to these children, our Blessed Mother revealed to them her desire for three concrete devotions: 1) daily prayer of the rosary; 2) the practice of performing acts of penance for sinners; 3) acts of reparation for offences committed against God.

By praying the rosary every day, and by encouraging others to do the same, the Blessed Mother revealed to these children the need to pray for peace throughout the world, especially in Russia. The world was in the middle of World War I in 1917, and the Blessed Mother related to the children that an even greater war would come about if the world did not begin to pray the rosary daily. Unfortunately, we know that many years later, the world would be in the middle of another World War in the 1930s and 40s.

Additionally, the Blessed Mother called the children to perform acts of penance for sinners. In one of the apparitions, the children were given a vision of hell, and the many, many souls that were falling into that terrible place. In order to help sinners turn back to God, Mary urged the children to make small acts of penance, such as giving up a certain food or comfort, for the sake of souls.   

Lastly, the Blessed Mother appealed to the children to offer their sufferings in reparation for the offenses made against God. When we sin, not only do we damage our souls, but there is damage done to all of creation. The entire cosmos suffers from evil. By offering up our sufferings to God, Mary invites us to bring consolation to the Heart of her Son, Jesus, who bore the weight of the world’s sins. By following these words of our Blessed Mother, we can better conform our lives to God, and allow him to bring us, one day, to the peace our hearts desire. 



May Christ’s peace be with you!

Fr. Briggs

May 25-26: Arlington Camino walk/event

Jun 8: Diocesan Jubilee Festival in Front Royal

Jun 23: 2nd Annual KoC Childern's Carnival

Jul 17-21: 10th Annual National Eucharistic Congress

Jul 27: St. Philip Yard Sale