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Proverbs 24 Community: Witness. Pray. Serve.

Rescue those being led away to death; intervene on behalf of those staggering toward slaughter.
Proverbs 24:11

The Proverbs 24 Community is a collaborative effort of several Catholic parishes in Washington, D.C. and was created in response to the opening of a new Planed Parenthood abortion facility in our neighborhood. We invite you to join us in quiet prayer and witness. On designated Saturdays, you will be able to serve in one of three ways:

Walk—as one who witnesses by quietly praying in front of the facility. We will not be protesting but simply praying. Our public
witness will be on targeted days, so as not to overwhelm the participants with interminable vigils.

Pray— as one who prays in a Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament at a local Catholic Church while the sidewalk witness is going on; or

Serve—as one who helps prepare a lite meal for a fellowship lunch upon our return to a local Catholic Church.

Let us not as a Church remain silent to the presence of this Planned Parenthood facility. We must speak out, and we must pray and support those who publically witness against abortion and seek to save lives by this witness. If you have not participated in something like this before or have been hesitant to do so, now is the time to stand up with the Church united in our prayers. Please consider standing and praying with us in this effort to save lives.

Upcoming Witness Dates:

December 15, 2018 (meet at St. Dominic’s Catholic Church at 630 E Street, SW and carpool over to the clinic)

NOTE: Let us know if you want to join us or volunteer to help with food or pray during the Holy Hour. Let us know if you need transportation.

Never done something like this before, or are you maybe a bit hesitant? Please prayerfully consider joining us! You are welcome to come and pray or help with the meal as a way to learn more about this community. We are not confrontational to anyone going in or out of the clinic. There are also professionally trained “Sidewalk Counselors” present who will speak with anyone entering or exiting the clinic and provide positive and helpful resources to those who need it.

Please email P24community@gmail.com or call HCSC Rectory at 202-546-1885 with any questions.

First Friday Holy Hour

December 4, 2018 By admin

Every Friday, our parish will hold a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration in the Church.

This is a devotional tradition of spending an hour in Eucharistic adoration in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Adoration is a sign of devotion to and worship of Jesus Christ, who we believe to be present Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, under the appearance of the consecrated host. As a devotion, Eucharistic adoration and meditation are more than merely looking at the Blessed Host, but are believed to be a continuation of what was celebrated in the Eucharist.

The inspiration for the Holy Hour is Matthew 26:40. In the Gospel of Matthew, during the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before his crucifixion, Jesus spoke to his disciples, saying “My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me.” (Matthew 26:38) Returning to the disciples after prayer, he found them asleep and in Matthew 26:40 he asked Peter:

“So, could you men not keep watch with me for an hour?”.

All are welcome to come and spend time with the Lord in prayer. Bring your bible or other devotional prayers if you like.

125th Anniversary of Saint Cyprian Parish

September 19, 2018 By admin

The parish known as Holy Comforter-Saint Cprian Roman Catholic Church can trace its beginnings to two distinct churches–Saint Cyprian which was established in 1893 and Holy Comforter which was established in 1904. Both parishes were merged in 1966 and continues to exist as one parish community serving the Capitol Hill community for over 125 years.

Saint Cyprian Parish was established in 1893 and this year (2018-2019) marks the 125th anniversary of its founding. There are current parishiones who were members of the Saint Cyprian parish before the merger in 1966 and are in attendance at the current merged parish. Their steadfast and enduring faith is one of the motivational factors behind the continual commemoration of the founding of Saint Cyprian.

Saint Cyprian Parish was formed by a group of African-American Catholics who had been meeting at the hall at Saint Peter’s Catholic Church on Capitol Hill and desired to establish and build a church where black Catholics could worship as a community during a time of racial discrimination and segregation. The pioneering members who used to worship in the hall at Saint Peter’s Church had the courage and vision to eastablish and build the parish of Saint Cyprian which grew into a thriving and extremely active worship community on Capitol HIll. The Saint Cyprian school traces its origins to a time before the founding of the parish back to 1892. The school became a part of the Saint Cyprian Church community in 1894. More on the detailed history of the parish can be found at http://hcscchurch.org/about-2/history-of-parish/.

Throughout the next 12 months, Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian parish will commemorate the 125th Anniversary of the establishment of Saint Cyprian Catholic Church with a variety of activites, seminars and events. Please stay tuned for a calendar of events and activities.

MAJOR EVENTS COMMEMORATING THE 125h ANNIVERSARY of the FOUNDING OF SAINT CYPRIAN CHURCH

HCSC Annual Parish Picnic – Sat., Sept. 15th – 12noon – Join our parish family for a fun-filled fellowship with food, music, games and fun (click her for flyer and details)
HCSC Feast Day of Saint Cyprian Celebration – Sun., Sept. 16th – ONE Mass at 10:00am – followed by a lite reception out on the plaza in front of the Church. Join us for Mass celebrating the Feast Day of Saint Cyprian of Carthage along with a special recognition of the 25th Anniversary of the Ordination to the Diaconate for our very own Deacon Ralph Cyrus. Mass is followed by a lite reception. For more information on the life of St. Cyprian of Carthage, visit http://hcscchurch.org/about-2/history-of-parish/

African American History Month Presentation & Luncheon – February 10, 2019 – 1:30pm – featuring Dr. John McGreevy, author of Parish Boundaries which chronicles the history of Catholic parishes in major cities and meld their unique place in the urban landscape to the course of twentieth century American race relations. Stay tuned for details.
Dedication of Memorial Plaque to St. Cyprian’s Founding Pastor Rev. James Matthews – February 2019 – exact date and time to be determined at a later date. Plaque will be installed in th vestibule of Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Church.
May Procession from Our Church to the original St. Cyprian Church site – Sun., May 5, 2019 – 10:00am – Join us as we gather at Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian in celebration of the Annual May Queen Crowning and process through the neighborhood to the original site where St. Cyprian Church was located.
125th Anniversary of the first Mass at St. Cyprian Church – Sun., May 27, 2019 – 10:00am – followed by a parishwide luncheon. Location to be determined.

RESOURCES AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES ON SAINT CYPRIAN PARISH

Did You Know? Historical Facts Series:
⇒ Click here for Historical Facts Flyer #1

Pilgrimage to Greece 2019

September 18, 2018 By admin

Join the Parish of Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Roman Catholic Church and Msgr. Charles Pope on an 11-day Pilgrimage to Greece and the Greek Isles from November 5-15, 2019.

Click here for brochure on the Pilgrimage!

Young Adult Bible Study Mondays at 8pm

July 30, 2016 By admin Leave a Comment

Join our Young Adult bible study — which meets every Monday evening at 8:00pm in the rectory building (located to the right of the main Church). The age ranges from 21 years to mid-30’s. The bible study is facilitated by the Rev. Msgr. Charles Pope (Pastor). On holidays, please contactl the rectory office at 202-546-1885 or hcscstaff@hcscchurch.org to make sure the bible study will be held.