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Upcoming Events
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Sunday, Oct. 7
Preacher and Celebrant: The Rev. Dr. Richard Jones
Tuesday, Oct 9
Commissions, 6:30 PM
Vestry, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Oct. 13
Community Fall Festival, 9:30 AM ~ 2:30 PM. (Rain date: Oct. 20th)
Sunday, Oct. 21
Odeon Concert. Attacca Quartet, 4 PM
Saturday, Oct 27
Anna Chanu's Girl Scout Gold Award project, in church, 8 AM ~ 12 PM
Sunday, Oct 28
Holy Baptism -- Christian Benjamin
Tuesday, Nov 13
Commissions, 6:30 PM
Vestry, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Nov 17
Piano Masterclass, 1:00 PM ~ 3:00 PM
Sunday, Nov 18
Odeon Concert. Mr. Peter Takacs, pianist.
4 PM
Thursday, Nov. 22 Thanksgiving Day Service, 10:30 AM Potluck after church Sunday, Nov 25 Stewardship Sunday Sunday, Dec. 2 Annual Meeting Sunday, Dec. 9 Bishop Johnston's Visitation, 10:30 AM, Potluck Wednesday, Dec. 19 Blue Christmas Service, 7:30 PM Sunday, Dec. 23 Greening the church Monday, Dec. 24 Christmas Eve Services TBA |
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St. Pat's FaceBook
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- Saint Patrick's is now on FaceBook! You are invited to join us at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Saint-Patricks-Episcopal-Church/496902677004642?ref=hl
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Birthdays
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October
6 Catherine Leonard
6 Muahmong Vang
12 Jean Wetrich
14 Hong Van Phan
16 Joe Hiller
17 Natalie Dang-Ellis
17 Jorden Benjamin
22 Emmeline Pizzola
22 Matthew Pizzola
22 Tess Miller
23 Paul Los, Jr.
27 Victoria Coker-
Gunter
28 Harriette Benjamin
30 Carolyn
Gawarecki
31 Margaret Mills
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Our Prayer List
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We remember in our prayer:
Maria Ash, Harry Benson, Kari Boeskov, Mary Anne Bogie, Hoang Thi Ngoc Bich, Mary Carper, Thomas Cascella, Marie Cosimano, Tim Clary, Dorothy Connelly, John Davis, Donald DeVaughn, Michael Dickinson, Loretta Dougherty, The Edsall Family, Mary Farmer, The Faubion Family, Nance Finegan, Luis Garay, Thomas Garner, Anne Goodwin, Jean Graham, Katie Grosse, Nick Giuliani, Katherine Hafele, Anne & Thomas Edsall, Margaret Ellis Harris, Eldon Paul Henry, Betty and Bill Henderson, Alek Hensley, Leslie Hogan, Cindy Hogman, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Michael Horn, Mary Isibel, Lindsay Johns, Gray and Bob Johnson, Jamie Kaplon, Robert Kelley, Quinn Kimball, Jeffry King, Susan Lawrence, Joe Magrogan, Colleen Mavrikas, Kylee Mei and her families, Margaret Mills, Evelyn Morgan, Que Nguyen, Chick Nixon, Olive Oliver, Jim Owens, Gary Owens, Joann Piper, Faith Poole, William Ross, Bill Sitler, Irene Skowron, Josh Smithers, Candi Stewart, Barbara Stefl, Kara Stryker, Walter Sushko, Steven Talbert, George Thomas, Clara Torres, George Torres, Thelma Trout, Nhon Thanh Vo Michael Weekes, Warren Weinstein, The Westfall Family, Paula Wiech, Meredith Wiech, Donna Wolfe, Peter Kosutic.
We pray for all US personnel serving overseas, especially Garway Thomas and Cate Johnson. We pray also for the orphans and those who care for them at Abba Home in Pakistan, and for all orphans in the world. ____ Note: If you have a loved one or friend who needs prayer please call the church and leave a message at 703-532-5656, or write to Tinh+ at stpats3241@gmail.com or call him at 703-405-9571. Also, should a name need be removed from the list, please let Tinh+ know promptly, and give the reason. |
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Saint Patrick's Ministers
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The Ministers of Saint Patrick's Church are the People of this Parish
supported by
The Reverend
Tinh Trang Huynh, Rector
The Reverend
Toua Vang,
Seminarian Deacon
Ms. Kerry Hual
Director of Youth and Children's Ministry
Ms. Mariko Hiller,
Music Director
Ms. Rachel Burgess,
Nursery Care
We serve our Lord as part of the Diocese of Virginia
led by
our chief pastors
The Rt. Rev. Shannon Sherwood Johnston, Bishop
The Rt. Rev. Susan Goff
Bishop Suffragan
and
The Rt. Rev. Ted Gulick,
Assistant Bishop
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The Vision of St. Patrick's
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Saint Patrick's Episcopal Church is a community of care, called to be Christ-centered and multicultural in worship, Christian education and action to proclaim Christ's love to the world.
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About St. Patrick's Church
| Saint Patrick's was founded in 1953 as a mission church from the Falls Church. The congregation met for the first time on January 3, 1954 in the cafeteria of the Graham Road School. The building was completed in 1956. Members of St. Pat's have been known for their involvement in outreach ministries since the very early days of the parish. In 1995, Saint Patrick's became an Anglo-Vietnamese church, a mission of the Diocese of Virginia, and has become more and more multicultural. In January of 2012, Saint Patrick's full parish status was restored and recognized at the 217th Annual Council meeting of the Diocese. Some of us say that St. Pat's is like a window through which we can see God's love. Other parishioners suggest St. Pat's is a "safe haven" for all who seek peace, a quiet place for those who want to find rest. Many in the congregation mention caring is what makes St. Patrick's special to them. Our vision statement reflects what we are in our hearts: St. Patrick's Episcopal Church is a community of care called to be Christ-centered and multicultural in worship, Christian education and action to proclaim Christ's love to the world."
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Saint Patrick's
Website
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You are invited to visit our website. Please click here .
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| Previous Issues of the Epistle | Please click here if you wish to see the previous issues of The Epistle
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St. Patrick's Organized for Missions and Ministry
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Vestry Committee: Senior Warden: Tom Auld; Junior Warden: Vivian Benjamin; Registrar: Winnie Lebo; Treasurer: Kathy Oliver; Other members of the Vestry: Victoria Kennedy, Jocelyne Miller, Pierre Chanu, Chris Nicholson.
GROUPS AND ACTIVITIES
Altar Guild: Lois Cascella; Bell Choir: Mariko Hiller; Church Office: Lois Cascella; Offering Counters: Bob Cascella; Youth Ministry: Maggie Spinelli; Region VIII Representative: Felix Spinelli; Diocesan Council Delegate: Amelia Nicholson; St. Margaret's Circle: Ann Nelson; Telephone Chain: Alice King; Feed the Homeless: Amelia Nicholson; Odeon Chamber Music Series: Mariko Hiller; Westlawn Elementary School: Winnie Lebo; Falls Church Community Services: Catherine Dubas; Hypothermia Shelter Program: Felix Spinelli; Church Women United: Amelia Nicholson. The Epistle Newsletter Editors: Winnie Lebo and Cindy Rhoad; Flea Market: Chris Nicholson
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Parish Notes |
- Sign up to help, and come to the Fall Community Festival on October 13th, 9:30 AM ~ 2:30 PM! Sign-up is in the narthex. You can also sign up online at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044DA4AF29A02-fall/4908392.
 Car trunk sale: pay $20.00 for the parking spot, sell them from your car trunk and keep your money. Donation for Saint Patrick's white elephant table are welcome. Please do not bring them before October 13th. Bring them as you come to the Festival. Please do not bring furniture!!!
Those wishing to donate clothes may bring them to church anytime after the service on Sunday, October 7. If no one is around, please leave the donations at the front door. We will be stopping daily to take in anything left. As we need the time to sort through the clothes, please bring them prior to the festival. All donations, with the exception of undergarments, are welcome.
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Photos of the Week
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Celebration of St. Pat's new welcome sign, eagle scout project by Justin Nguyen (standing, next to sign), September 29, 2012. Many thanks to Justin, and to his parents and friends, who assisted him.  Dash gets blessed! Blessing of Animals, Sunday, September 30th  Mabel finally settles down for the blessing!  Rosie also gets blessed!  "All things bright and beautful, all creatures great and small. All things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all. Each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings, he made their glowing colors, he made their tiny wings." (Hymn 405, vs. 1). |
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On Last Sunday's Sermon
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Proper 21 -- Year B -- September 30, 2012
Texts: Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29; Psalm 19:7-14; James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-43,45, 47-48 -- Tinh Huynh+
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"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer." The words of the psalmist (Ps 19:14) speak to the yearning of a person who devotes his life to the Creator and wants to make sure that whatever he thinks and does is right. How do you know what God thinks?
When I was growing up in the Protestant church in Vietnam, I was taught that the catholic were all wrong: they know nothing about the Bible, they're not as good as us, and they may not go to heaven. In those days, the pre-Vatican II Vietnamese catholic called us "wrong religion," and they believed that all the Tin Lanh people would go to hell. Each side saw itself the only chosen of God.
The story from the Book of Numbers that we read this morning may give us a glimpse into how God thinks. God tells Moses to gather the elders of Israel to solve an issue concerning the complaint about food on their journey through the desert. Seventy elders came to the meeting, except Eldad and Medad.
During the meeting, God takes some of the spirit that was on Moses and puts it on the seventy elders, and they begin to prophesy. Surprisingly, Eldad and Medad, who do not participate in the group, also prophesy. Some of Moses' assistants report the incident to Moses, saying, "Stop them!" But Moses says, "Are you jealous? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!" By God's grace, Moses was an open-minded leader. He saw the bigger picture!
The Israelites in the story could see only the exterior part of life -- rituals, rules, traditions. God looks into the interior, instead. The "exterior" is how you appear -- your body and its daily needs and its demands, your success, your attitudes, your power, your possession, your church, your club, your community. We often look for joy in these exterior things, which oftentimes limit our views of ourselves and the world.
The "interior," by contrast, is where the Spirit chooses to dwell. This is where the desire to give and receive love is "installed." This "interior" is where the image of God is sown. All the exterior things are temporary. They have no participation in the heavenly treasure. When you die, only the "interior" things go with you. These "interior" things are those that Jesus was mindful about.
When John came to Jesus to report that someone outside of the group used Jesus' name to cast out demons, John expected Jesus to stop them. But Jesus said no. "Anyone who uses my name to do God's work is my friend," said Jesus. Should we say that Jesus was liberal in his thinking? Certainly, Jesus saw the big picture, while John and his friends still had a lot to learn.
What do we think about today's division among Christians?
Last Sunday afternoon I was at the Falls Church to attend Region 8's picnic. I went inside the church buildings and looked around, and I was reminded of the litigation with the group that had left the Episcopal Church. How I wished we were all together. But the question to me then was how I regarded those who chose to leave. Wanted to forget all about them? You can't. They are still our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Father Foley, a catholic priest, spoke of the interior life and compared it to the heart of a beloved friend. It's the place where the Spirit dwells. Mindfulness of the interior life leads us to the mind of God. How do we look at those who are different from us, especially those who hold beliefs that are different from ours? How will we explain to our children about the different churches that they see on the streets?
The collect for today reads, "...Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure." The word "partakers" speaks to the truth that God does not choose only us. No one fully understands God's mind, but Jesus gave us a glimpse into it. Jesus prayed that we all might be one. That prayer is pleasing in God's sight. May we, by God's grace, speak and think likewise.
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