Advent at St. Mark, Vienna, VA

Below are some Advent events at St. Mark you may be interested in:

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT: December 2

Advent

• Sunday, December 2: Youth & Family Mass, 6:00pm in the Church
• Friday, December 7: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Vigil Mass; 7:30pm in the Church
• Saturday, December 8: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Masses at 8:00am and 11:00am in the Church.
• Saturday, December 8: Ticket Distribution for 3:45pm AND 6:00pm Christmas Eve Masses; 10:00am in the Activities Center

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT: December 9

• Wednesday, December 12: Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mass at 7:30pm in Church; Fiesta in Activities Center afterward
• Saturday, December 15: First Penance celebration, 11:00am in the Church

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT: December 16

• Thursday, December 20: Advent Taize Prayer, 7:30pm in the Chapel; Blessing of the Creche afterward

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT: December 23

• Sunday, December 23: Advent Parish Penance Service, 7:00pm in the Church.

image credit: aharden on flickr

Fall Festival this Sunday!

The St. Mark fall festival is this Sunday, September 30 from 1pm to 4pm.  And you're invited!  Check out the flyer below for the details.

CYO Basketball - 2012-13

Registration Deadline: October 1, 2012 

CYO Basketball Representative: Mark M. | stmarkbball@gmail.com

St. Mark CYO basketball is back once again, and stronger than ever (more than 250 players and 25 teams total last year)!  Come join the long tradition of fun and success in our CYO basketball program.  Our goal is to have at least two teams (boy and girl) for 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grades.

Participation Fee(s): $70.00*
Participation fees will NOT be collected during registration. Coaches will collect registration fees, once teams are assembled.

*Discount: For your first child, the fee is $70.00; take $10 off for each additional child. For example, if you have three children registering: $70 (1st child) + $60 (2nd child) + $50 (3rd child) = $180 registration fee.

Participation Requirement: All children from St. Mark Parish are welcome to participate. Children MUST attend either St. Mark Religious Education or St. Mark Catholic School.

Registration Form: There is a new registration process this year. ALL registration will be completed online. I will send you an email to confirm I have received your completed registration form. If you do not hear back from me within 3 days of your registration submission, contact me at stmarkbball@gmail.com.

Click or enter the URL to register: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDZ2TGxLSXJSdDR6ZzZmT1NWN1NnZlE6MQ

Any basketball or registration related questions should be directed to stmarkbball@gmail.com.

Looking forward to another successful season of St Mark Hoops!

40 Hour Devotion: A Time For Prayer

Please join St. Mark on our annual 40 Hour Devotion leading up to this weekend's Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ.  The remaining times are:

• Thursday until 10pm
• Friday after 6:15am Mass to 10pm
• Saturday from 8:00am to Benediction at 3:30pm.

What is Adoration?

Confused about what Adoration is and why we do it?  Read this quote below, which is taken from a small book produced by Ligouri Press called In the Presence, by Sr. Joan Ridley, OSB (PDF).

When we sit in silence in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, we are being gazed upon by the Lord. Actually this is true every moment of our lives, but in church or chapel, we have intentionality in gazing at the Lord. That is why we are there. It is an experience of adoration. We do not have to be rationally aware of this reality. It does not depend on our mind so much as our heart... Adoration is our fundamental stance before God, the essential act of relating ourselves to the Absolute. It involves worship. We worship and adore God alone.

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." -- Jesus, Matthew 11:28

Simply put, Adoration is a time for us to pray, to listen, and to be in the presence of Jesus.  Give it a try.  Bring your family.  Time with God is never wasted.

Image Credit: ElectricDisk on flickr

Holy Week Services at St. Mark Catholic Church in Vienna, VA

Below is the Mass and service schedule for St. Mark Catholic Church in Vienna, VA for Holy Week 2012 (Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday).

Palm (Passion) Sunday, April 1

• Mass Times: 8:00AM; 10:00AM; 12:00 noon
  The outdoor procession will take place at the noon Mass only, and will begin with the blessing of the palms in the Activities Center.
• Parish Penance Service: 7:00PM

Holy Thursday, April 5

• Mass of the Lord's Supper: 7:30PM
• Adoration: post-Mass until midnight

Good Friday, April 6

• Stations of the Cross: 12 noon
• Celebration of the Lord's Passion: 3:00PM
• Living Stations of the Cross: 7:30PM

Holy Saturday, April 7

• Blessing of the Food: 12 noon
• Easter Vigil: 8:30PM

Easter Sunday, April 8

• Mass Times: 8:00AM; 10:00AM; 12:00 noon 

Note: Mass times on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday are a bit different for the early and late Mass: 8AM instead of 8:15AM and 12 noon instead of 11:45AM.

2 Online Stations of the Cross

A wooden cross

Each Friday at 7:30PM during Lent, St. Mark has a communal Stations of the Cross.  But what if you're unable to make the Stations on Friday?  Below are a few options for your family to pray the Stations at home.

Stations for Children
Loyola Press has put together a multimedia Stations of the Cross that can either be downloaded or viewed online in Flash format.  Each station features a brief description as well as a non-gruesome picture.  The primary audience for these stations are children.  If you're interested at engaging your children further with these stations, ask them to come up with their own picture of each Station.  You'll be surprised at what they come up with!

Shadow Puppet Stations
Put together by Jesuit Brother Edward Sheehy, the YouTube video below features a different take on Stations of the Cross, with shadows playing the part of the characters with "Were You There?" playing in the background.  This almost 9 minute video is more of a meditation than the traditional Stations of the Cross, as the only words spoken announce each Station.  Everything else is dependent on your imagination.


How does your family pray during Lent?  Do your children know about the Stations of the Cross?

Image: Janaka Dharmasena / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

2 Family Lenten Events at St. Mark

How is your family’s Lent this year? Okay? Good? Not so good?

There are two opportunities (both at St. Mark) in the next week for your family: (1) (Youth Mass +) Parish Lenten Mission and (2) Pizza + Children’s Stations of the Cross.

(Youth Mass +) Parish Lenten Mission
On Sunday evening, we have our monthly youth Mass at 6PM followed by a family dinner at 7PM in the Activities Center. After dinner, children (grades preschool through 8th) are invited to join in a Lenten Workshop. Parents are encouraged to attend the Parish Mission at 7:30PM being held in the church at the same time (starting at 7:30PM). (We would ask one parent to remain in the activity center if your children are in 2nd grade or below.) The title of the Mission is Lent: Our Journey into the Mystery of God.

On Monday and Tuesday Evenings, you’re invited to the other two nights of the Mission, also beginning at 7:30PM. Check out our awesome flyer (PDF) for more info.

Pizza + Children’s Stations of the Cross
Join us next Friday, March 9 for Pizza + Children’s Stations of the Cross. Pizza will be served at 7PM in the Activities Center and Stations will begin at 7:30PM in the Church. This particular Stations of the Cross caters to children in the primary grades, but is suitable for all ages. Donations will be accepted to help offset the cost of the pizza.

Please RSVP to Isaac by noon on Thursday, March 8 so we can order enough pizza.

Ash Wednesday Mass Schedule, St. Mark Catholic Church, Vienna, VA

Turn away from sin and follow the Gospel

Below is the Ash Wednesday (Wednesday, February 22) Mass Schedule for St. Mark Catholic Church in Vienna, VA.  There is no separate time for distribution of ashes during a non-Mass.

Ash Wednesday, February 22

• 6:15AM
• 9:15AM
• 5:30PM
• 7:30PM

If you have any questions, please call the St. Mark parish office at (703) 281-9100.

Classical Guitar Concert this Sunday at St. Mark (before the Game)

The St. Mark School Music Teacher, Chris Jenkins, will be giving a classical guitar concert this Sunday at 3PM in the Activities Center.  To get a feel for the type of music he'll be playing, take a listen to this clip:

St. Mark School Open House

You're invited to an open house for the ST. MARK Catholic School this Sunday, January 22 from 1-2:30PM.

Please join us to learn more about the ST. MARK Catholic School and all it has to offer for Preschool to 8th graders.  It's a perfect opportunity to ask questions, speak with teachers and pick up an application for the 2012-2013 school year.

See this flyer (PDF) for more information.