MESSAGE FROM REV. MSGR. CHARLES POPE, PASTOR

The Archbishop of Washington has indicated that we are NOT to celebrate PUBLIC Mass until further notice due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Thus, ALL weekday and weekend Masses are cancelled until futher notice. ALL meetings, rehearsals and large gatherings are cancelled until futher notice or have been confirmed by the rectory staff.

I will still hear confessions on Wednesdays from 6:30-7:15pm. More hours for confessions will also be made available (see below). Unfortunately, I am unable to distribute Holy Communion to anyone at this time. Please know that I privately celebrate the sacrifice of the Holy Mass every day and will offer that Mass for your intentions during this time.

You are still free to come to the parish to pray (the center doors to the church are unlocked) but please practice safe social distancing efforts (hand sanitizer is provided in the rear of the church) and do not come if you are sick or at risk. I will leave that up to you and your prudential judgements.  

I want you to know that I love you all and will miss seeing you at Mass. Please keep the Archbishop in prayer as I know he had to make a very difficult decision. Please also know that as I get more information I will pass it on.

Please check this website daily for updates and stay in touch via social media (MyParishApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube). Our parish app (MyParishApp) is an easy way to send you quick notifications so please download it to your mobile device and allow notifications. Also, visit our other pandemic information website page at https://hcscchurch.org/parish-communications/ where I have links to videos of the Mass and other pastoral video messages.

Lastly, visit the Archdiocese of Washington website https://adw.org/coronavirus/ for links to a variety of Daily Mass sites, scripture readings and other very important liturgical and Catholic resources.
(Updated 3/25/2020

HCSC RECTORY OFFICE

Until futher notice, please note that our rectory office will be closed on the weekends and we will have limited hours on weekdays depending on the availability of the rectory staff. We do want to consider their health in determining who will be in the office and when we will be available to provide service. Please call the rectory office (202-546-1885) before coming by. Most of the staff will have access to their emails, so you may be able to reach us via this form of communication.

Deaths/Funerals: Please call the office (202-546-1885) and leave a message if no one is available to answer. We will return your calls as soon as possible. You may also send an email to
hcscstaff@hcscchurch.org if there is a death in your family.

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION: Msgr. Pope will be available as long as he is able to hear your confessions in the church. Until further notice, confessions will be heard:
Wednesday: 6:30-7:15pm
Saturdays: 4-4:30pm
Sundays: 7-7:30am, 10-10:30am & 6:30-7pm

TITHING

This is a very difficult time for everyone both spiritually and financially. If you are able to send your tithes, please know that you can submit it electronically and securely through Faith Direct. Visit faith.direct/DC59 or call 1-866-507-8757 to begin eGiving or to make a one-time donation.

If you are unable to use electronic tithing, you are welcome to drop them off at the rectory office (please do not leave in the church if clergy or staff is not present) or mail them to
1357 E. Capitol St., SE, WDC, 20003.
Thank you for your support and generosity.

NOTE: For updated announcements/instructions/prayers/Mass readings. etc. from the Archdiocese of Washington, click here: https://adw.org/coronavirus/

The 2020 Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday, February 26th with Easter Sunday on April 12th.

What are you doing for Lent?

NOTE:  Most scheduled events planned for the Season of Lent are cancelled until further notice. We are leaving this post up so you can utilize the resources that are offered for scripture reading during Lent. 

During Lent, we are asked to devote ourselves to seeking the Lord in prayer, to service by giving alms, and to sacrafice self-control through fasting. Many know of the tradition of abstaining from meat on Friday during Lent, but we are also called to practice self-discipline and fast in other ways throughout the season. Contemplate the meaning and origins of the Lenten fasting tradition in this reflection. In addition, the giving of alms is one way to share God’s gfts–not only through the distribution of monet, but through the sharing of our time and talents. As St. John Chrysostom reminds us: “Not only to enable the poor in our goods is to to steal from them and deprive them of life. The goods we possess are not ours, but theirs.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2446)

During Lent, it is good practice to clebrate the sacrament of reconciliation (Penance) and ask for God’s mercy and grace as you begin your journey. The Light is On for You campaign runs throughout the Lenten season and every parish in the archdiocese participates by opening their doors every Wednesday in the evening to hear confessions. Our parish is open from 6:30-7:15PM every Wednesday during Lent. Just come into the sanctuary. Visit The Light is On for the location and times of other Churches in the archdiocese.

For Lent, the Church gives us almost a slogan—Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving—as the three things we need to work on during the season. We have some activities at our parish that may provide you assistance during this Lenten season:

IT’S A TIME OF PRAYER. Lent is essentially an act of prayer spread out over 40 days. As we pray, we go on a journey, one that hopefully brings us closer to Christ and leaves us changed by the encounter with him. Here are some suggestions:

• Spend some time each day in prayer.  There are resources available for daily reflections at USCCB.org  or EWTN.org. We also have a daily Lenten reflection link on our MyParish app. If you don’t have the parish app, visit the myparishapp.com and download to your mobile device.
• Attend DAILY MASS during Lent. Our parish offered daily weekday mass at 7:00am in the small chapel (to the right of the Church building) and 8:00am on Saturdays.
• Attend a EUCHARISTIC HOLY HOUR offered every Friday from 6-7pm in our Church. Come and spend an hour in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in reflection and prayer.  If you have never done this before, it’s a beautiful opportunity to sit quietly in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament and pray or read the bible or just speak to Jesus in quiet reflection.
• Attend the STATIONS OF THE CROSS offered every Friday beginning at 7pm in our Church. The Stations of the Cross began as the practice of pious pilgrims to Jerusalem who would retrace the final journey of Jesus Christ to Calvary. Later, for the many who wanted to pass along the same route, but could not make the trip to Jerusalem, a practice developed that eventually took the form of the fourteen stations currently found in almost every church. Come and experience the journey with other parishioners.
• Attend our LENTEN SOUP & SCRIPTURE every Wednesday at 6:30PM in the rectory basement. Join other parishioners for a lite meal at 6:30pm with scripture and instruction at 7:00pm. Bring your bible!
• Attend our YOUNG ADULT BIBLE STUDY every Monday at 8:00pm in the rectory building.

IT’S A TIME OF FASTING AND TO WORK ON DISCIPLINE.  With the fasts of Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, meatless Fridays, and our personal disciplines interspersed, Lent is the only time many Catholics these days actually fast. And maybe that’s why it gets all the attention.  Fasting is actually a form of penance, which helps us turn away from sin and toward Christ. For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards.

The 40 days of Lent are also a good time to work on personal discipline in general. Instead of giving something up, it can be doing something positive. “I’m going to exercise more. I’m going to pray more. I’m going to be nicer to my family, friends and coworkers.”  Reflect on how you want to fast or work on discipline.

IT’S A TIME FOR ALMSGIVING.  The foundational call of Christians to charity is a frequent theme of the Gospels.  During Lent, we are asked to focus more intently on “almsgiving,” which means donating money or goods to the poor and performing other acts of charity.  As one of the three pillars of Lenten practice, almsgiving is “a witness to fraternal charity” and  “a work of justice pleasing to God.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2462).  Here are some suggestions for charitiable giving this Lent:

• Participate in the Archdiocese of Washington and Catholic Charities Lenten Food Drive that is held the week of March 15-22.  You can pick up a paper bag on Mass the weekend of March 14-15 and read the instructions on the bag as to what type of food to purchase for the local food pantries. Purchase the food and return the filled bag the weekend of March 21-22 at our Church. The food drive is only held this ONE weekend because of the amount of food that is collected and the volunteers that are used to pick-up from all the Churches in the Archdiocese and deliver to the many food pantries that will benefit.
• Spend time SERVING MEALS to those in need at S.O.M.E. (So Others Might Eat) located at 71 -O Street, N.W. We serve meals every 4th Saturday of each month at SOME and we ask you to volunteer to come in and help serve the meals or prpare chicken to be used in casseroles. Contact the rectory office at 202-546-1885 or hcscstaff@hcscchurch.org for information on how you can help.
• Donate to the POOR BOXES located on the walls of the Church near the exits. The funds from these donations help provide food for our food pantry.
• Contact Catholic Charities DC for more opportunities to assist those in need.