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In This Issue
Parish Notes
A Sermon at St. Patrick's
Đại Ý Kinh Văn

Upcoming Events

 

Saturday, June 21:

 

Vietnamese food making with Kim-Anh Huynh, 11 AM 

 

Sunday, June 22:

 

Recognition of our new graduates 

   

Sunday, June 29:

   

Tinh+'s last Sunday at Saint Patrick's --  Farewell to the Huynhs -- potluck

 

 

Saturday, July 5:

 

Feeding the Homeless at Bailey's Crossroads Shelter, 9:30 AM 

 

 

Sunday, July 6:

 

Celebrant and Preacher:  The Rev. Dr. Richard Jones

 

Saturday, July 12:

 

Funeral of James Edward Ellis, Jr. in Mt. Gretna, PA, 1 PM 

 

Sunday, July 13:

 

Celebrant and Preacher:

The Rev. Frederick Huntington

 

Sunday, July 20:

 

Celebrant and Preacher:

The Rev. Frederick Huntington  

 

July 20 ~ 24:

 

Vacation Bible School at St. Barnabas' Church, 6 PM - 8:30 PM 

 

Saturday, August 2:

 

Feeding the Homeless at Bailey's Crossroads Shelter, 9:30 AM

 

 

 

 

Altar at Easter 2013

 

       

Birthdays

June

24    Vashti Leonard Curtis

25    Ruth Spinelli

25    Claire Dubas

25    Reed Dexter

25    Mariko Hiller

26    Le Cao

26    Tuyet Mai

27    Jessica Mills

28    Asa Mills

28    Catherine Dubas

28    Melissa Burris

30    Cindy Rhoad

 

July

 2    John Cascella

 5    Hannah Burris

 9    Lillian Berg

11    Timothy Dang

13   Tom Wetrich

13   Louis Spinelli

13   Tina VanPhung

14   Mickie Frizell

17   Tuyet Diep

19   Jonathan Huynh

20   Frankie Haan

22   Diem Nguyen

24   Matthew Mills

26   Christian Benjamin

27   My Linh Tran

31   Stephen Gawarecki

 

Our Prayer List

We remember in our prayer:

 

Cathy Anderson, Dee Bailey, Kari Boeskov, Brandon, Jane Chapman, Marie Cosimano, Tim Clary, Dorothy Connelly, John Davis, Michael Dickinson,  Loretta Dougherty, Nance Finegan, Carolyn Gawarecki, Louise Gibney, Jean Graham, Katherine Hafele, Margaret Ellis Harris, Alek Hensley, Leslie Hogan, Cindy Hogman, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Michael Horn, Mary Isibel, Lindsay Johns, Jamie Kaplon, Quinn Kimball, Alice King, Peter Kosutic, Susan Lawrence,  Lois Magrogan, Evelyn Morgan, Danielle Morgan, Que Nguyen, Chick Nixon, Mary Esther Obremskey, Olive Oliver, Jim Owens, Gary Owens, William Ross, Fern Shuck,
Irene Skowron, Josh Smithers, Inez Stanton, Candi Stewart, Patrick Stefl, Barbara Stefl, Kara Stryker, Walter Sushko, George Thomas, Elizabeth Trigg, Tammy Vanphung, Michael Weekes, Warren Weinstein, The Crowley Family, The Westfall Family, Meredith Wiech, Bernard Williams, Rev. Letha Wilson-Barnard, Rudy Zimpel.

 

 

               ____ 

 

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.  

 

 

Saint Patrick's Ministers 

The Ministers of Saint Patrick's Church are the People of this Parish

 

supported by

 

The Reverend  

Tinh Trang Huynh, Rector

 

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 

The Vision of St. Patrick's

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.

   

Previous Issues of the Epistle
Please click here if you wish to see the previous issues of The Epistle

St. Patrick's Organized for Missions and Ministry 

 

SAINT PATRICK'S ORGANIZED

FOR MISSIONS AND MINISTRY

 
Vestry Committee:
Senior Warden: Kathy Oliver; Junior Warden:  Bill Houston;
Registrar: Winnie Lebo;
Treasurer:  Kathy Oliver; 

Other members of the Vestry:   Elisabeth Nguyen, Milton Thomas, Amelia Nicholson, Victoria Kennedy, Ann Nelson. 

 

GROUPS AND ACTIVITIES

 

Altar Guild:  Lois Cascella;  
Bell Choir:  Mariko Hiller; 
Sunday Service Bulletin:  Diem Nguyen, Steve Lebo;
Offering Counters:  Bob Cascella; Diocesan Council Delegate: Bill Houston (Kathy Oliver, alternate delegate);
St. Margaret's Circle:  Ann Nelson; Telephone Chain:
Alice King; Feed the Homeless:  Elisabeth Nguyen;
Odeon Chamber Music Series:  Mariko Hiller;
Westlawn Elementary School:  Winnie Lebo;
Falls Church Community Services: Catherine Dubas;
Hypothermia Shelter Program:  Hao Nguyen; 
The Epistle Newsletter Editors: Winnie Lebo and Cindy Rhoad; Flea Market:
Chris Nicholson; Prison Ministry: Nancy Burch;
Meals-on-Wheels: Amelia Nicholson;Sunrise/Bluemont:
Michael Knowles   

 

 

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June 19, 2014
Parish Notes
 
Trek Back In Time!   The children of Saint Patrick's are invited to attend Vacation Bible School at St. Barnabas', 6 PM ~ 8:30 PM -- July 20th-24th 2014. You will be exploring what life was like for the ancient Israelites, crafting cool projects, racing through the wilderness as you play game, visiting with Moses, and eating some interesting new food.  Plus, you'll meet lots of new friends!  For more information, please call 703-941-2922.

-  Congratulations to Anna Chanu, Christine Moya and Jonathan Burgess who graduated from high school this year.  Anna's commencement took place last Sunday, June 15th; Christine's on Monday, June 16th; and Jonathan's today.  All of our graduates will attend college in the upcoming fall.

-  All are invited to attend the service and farewell to Tinh+ and Kim-Anh Huynh, which will be held on Sunday, June 29th.  The worship service will begin at 10:30 AM, and the reception will immediately follow the service.  Please bring food if you can.  Tinh+ will be retired after serving for 20 years as a priest at Saint Patrick's. The Huynhs have chosen to live in Columbus, New Jersey.  They will be about 7 miles from their daughter Doan and her husband, the Rev. J. Matthew Tucker, Rector of Christ Episcopal Church, Bordentown, NJ.
 

This Sunday's Altar Flowers  

The flowers on the Altar this Sunday
are to the glory of God,
and are offered by Winnie and Steve Lebo
in thanksgiving for the time
with Tinh+ and Kim-Anh Huynh.

The Propers 

Sunday, June 22, 2014
This Sunday is the Second Sunday after Pentecost

Texts: 

 

Genesis 21:8-21

Psalm 69:7-10, 16-18

Romans 6:1b-11

Matthew 10:24-33

Collect: 
  

O LORD, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Last Sunday's Sermon   

Trinity Sunday -- June 15, 20-14 

Text: Genesis 1:1-2:3, Psalm 8, Matthew 28:16-20

----------------------

In the Name of God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

----------------------------

Trinity Sunday is here,

and it is a challenge to preach on the topic.

My mentor is a retired priest, and he once said to me,

"Tinh, the Trinity Sunday sermon

is one of the best things to put people to sleep!"  

In church, we often say the words "Father, Son and Holy Spirit."

We affirm our faith in God the Trinity as we recite the Nicene Creed.

No matter how illogical the explanation is,

and no matter how confusing the doctrine is,

we baptize people in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

---------------

When Saint Patrick set foot on Ireland as a missionary,

he picked up from the ground

a three-leaf clove,

and he use it to explained the Trinity to the natives.

He said that just like the one clover that has three leaves,

God has three distinct persons while being one God.

-----------------

During the first three centuries of Christianity,

believers wondered about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

The Church eventually came to believe that God is one but in three persons.

But there were people in the Church who were doubtful about the doctrine.

The differences on the matter was so deep,

and the arguments so boisterous,

that they became bitter and violent against each other.

The doctrine of The Trinity was finally affirmed in the fourth century,

at the Council of Nicea,

and, as a result, we now read the Nicene Creed every Sunday.

A church that does not affirm the Trinity is simply not Christian.

-----------------

The doctrine of the Trinity is the best Christians can do

to describe God.

------------------

          Trinity is the Christian name of God.

We worship God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

There is no need for argument.

The issue is not about explaining how the Trinity exists.

The issue is what we do with our baptism in that Name.

------------------

Whenever we speak of the Trinity we speak of love.

God created the universe out of God's generosity.

The Book of Genesis says that God created the world with his Word.

God speaks, and things have their beings.

The God whom we worship is God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,

the same God that the Jewish people worship,

and the God that all humans seek.

God created the world out of nothing,

and God created humans in God's image.

Verse 4 of today's psalm reads,

"What are human beings that you are mindful of them,

mortals that you care for them?"

-------------------

God continues to create and re-create,

and God is interested in creation, especially in us.

God does not leave us alone.

He wants us to take part in creation.

In other words, He wants us to share in his generosity.

----------------

Saint Patrick's has been doing well in outreach.

On the Saturdays before last,

our volunteers gathered at Bailey's Crossroads Shelter to feed the homeless.

We have been helping the needy children of Westlawn Elementary School.

During winter, we provided shelter to the homeless.

In the Name of God, we reach out to the poor.

Loving the neighbor is what our Lord teaches us.

We want to be generous because God is generous.

This is why charity is important in the life of the Christian.

We are doing people, not just talking people.

St. Francis once said, "Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words [only] when necessary."

------------------      

Our members continue to do Meals on Wheels.  

Saint Patrick's has also been involved with the Falls Church Community Service.  

In the early 1990s, when I helped Vietnamese who were new in the U.S.,

I came into contact with Mr. Mel Cotner of FCS .

I called Mr. Cotner for furniture, and he would come with a truck on a Saturday morning

to bring furniture to the homes of the Vietnamese refugees.

----------------------

Many years ago, when Saint Patrick's sponsored a refugee family from the Sudan,

we got housing arranged for the family by Home Stretch.

Home Stretch was also a ministry of the Falls Church Community Service.

--------------------

Father Henri Nouwen, in his Bread for the Journey,

says that the blessing of Jesus always comes to us through the poor.

He wrote,

"How does the Church witness to Christ in the world?

First and foremost by giving visibility to Jesus' love for the poor and the weak...

The Church will always be renewed

when our attention shifts from ourselves to those who need our care...

The most remarkable experience of those who work with the poor

is that, in the end, the poor give more than they receive."   (Bread for the Journey, Nov. 1-3).

---------------

The divine name "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" means love.

God is attentive to the needs of the poor,

and the prayer of the poor are dearest to Him.

-------------------

The notion of divine love turns our attention to the teaching of the risen Lord,

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.

And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

-----------------

So whenever we think of God the Trinity,

we give thanks for his love and for his presence.

Whenever we think of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

we remember that He is the God who wants us.

He would not take only a part of us.

He wants the whole thing - heart, mind and soul.

----------------

Whenever we call upon the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,

we remind ourselves that we are praying to the One who calls us beloved.

God the Holy Trinity is the God who is with us

and accepts us the way we are -- poor and hungry. Amen.


Đại Ư Kinh Văn Chúa Nhật Tuần Trước

Chúa Nhật Chúa Ba Ngôi-- 15 tháng 6, 2014

Kinh Văn:  Sáng Thế Kư 1:1-2:3, Thi Thiên 8, Mát Thêu 28:16-20    

-------------

Hàng năm, ngày Chúa Nhật theo sau Lễ Ngu~Tuần là Chúa Nhật Ba Ngôi (Trinity Sunday). Sự sắp xếp nầy trong niên lịch của Hội Thánh là để nhắc tín hữu Kitô-giáo về tín lư Thiên Chúa Ba Ngôi -- ba là một, một là ba -- Cha, Con và Thánh Thần.

            Các tín hữu đầu tiên là người Do Thái. Họ suy gẫm kinh văn và nghiệm ra rằng Đức Giêsu chính là Đấng Cứu Thế, và Ngài là Đức Chúa Trời đến ở giữa nhân thế. Từng trải phép lạ Ngu~ Tuần và đời sống với Chúa cho họ thấy Chúa Trời rất gần với họ, bằng chứng họ được biến đổi và trở nên mạnh mẽ. Thiên Chúa vừa là Đấng Tạo Hóa, vừa là Đấng Cứu Chuộc, và vừa là Đấng An Ủi. Chúa có ba thân vị, song bản chất chỉ là một. Tuy nhiên, đây không phải là một định nghĩa toàn vẹn về Thiên Chúa. Khi chúng ta xác nhận niềm tin rằng "ba là một, một là ba"

th́ ta cu~ng xác nhận rằng ḿnh không có thể nào giải thích hết về Thiên Chúa.

            Hóa ra chúng ta có niềm tin bất hợp lư? Không phải vậy. Chúa vẫn là Chúa, mặc dù chúng ta không biết hết về Ngài.

            Các tín hữu ngày xưa đặt tên đặc biệt cho Đấng họ tôn thờ, và mỗi lần họ nói đến Đấng ấy họ phải dùng cả ba chữ: Cha, Con và Thánh Linh. Chúa Ba Ngôi -- "Cha, Con và Thánh Thần" là danh hiệu của Chúa do người Kitô-giáo chúng ta đặt cho Ngài.

            Người Do Thái sợ Chúa đến nỗi không dám nói danh Chúa. Họ dùng những phụ âm để viết danh Chúa, họ gọi Chúa là YHWH -- làm như là nói thầm lúc phát âm. Những người chép Kinh Văn trên b́a da của thời cổ phải đi tắm trước khi chép đến chữ YHWH.

            Người Việt chúng ta gọi đấng tối cao đó là Trời. Trời làm mưa, Trời làm nắng. Trời có mắt. Muôn sự nhờ Trời. Có những việc chỉ có Trời biết. Khi gặp hoạn nạn th́ kêu Trời ơi. Bàn thờ Ông Thiên lập ra với ḷng đơn thành vái lạy xin Trời phù hộ.

            Khi chúng ta gọi Chúa là "Cha, Con và Thánh Thần," th́ chúng ta nghĩ ǵ về danh hiệu ấy? Chúng ta nghĩ về t́nh thương bao la của Chúa. Chính v́ t́nh thương bao la ấy mà Ngài dựng nên trời đất. Truyện tích trong Sáng Thế Kư mà chúng ta đọc hôm nay nhắc chúng ta về t́nh thương của Chúa. Trong t́nh thương của Chúa có ḷng quảng đại (generosity), và chính v́ quảng đại nên Chúa đă tạo nên muôn vật.

            Sự quảng đại của con người phản ảnh sự quảng đại của Chúa.   Người có ḷng quảng đại là người can đảm, ít sợ hăi. Chúng ta không có thể dâng hiến hay bố thí từ thiện nếu trong ḷng có sự lo lắng: lo cho ngày mai không đủ chi tiêu.   Chúng ta chỉ có thể quyên góp cho nhà thờ hoặc giúp người nghèo khi thắng hơn được nỗi lo âu đó. Như thế, sự quảng đại của con người đi đôi với niềm tin. Có nhiều khi chúng ta ngạc nhiên thấy có người quá tốt đối với ḿnh: họ có thể bỏ th́ giờ hay tiền bạc để giúp đỡ, mặc dù họ không có liên hệ bà con ǵ với ḿnh. Chắc chắn là trong họ có một niềm tin dẫn đến quảng đại. Danh hiệu Thiên Chúa Ba Ngôi nhắc chúng ta về ḷng quảng đại của Đấng mà chúng ta thờ phượng.

            Sự quảng đại đ̣i hỏi chúng ta vượt qua những e ngại, nhất là e ngại về tương lại của ḿnh. Song khi chúng ta rộng răi với người khác - hoặc là rộng răi về dâng hiến tiền bạc, hay là rộng răi về t́nh thương và tha thứ -- th́ sự vui mừng của Chúa Ba Ngôi sẽ tràn ngập và đời sống trở nên có ư nghĩa.



May God bless and keep you, and may God grant us peace. 

 

The Rev. Tinh T. Huynh

Rector of Saint Patrick's Church