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July
2   John Cascella
5   Hannah Burris
9   Lillian Berg
10   Lucinda Downing
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 Cole
24   Matthew Mills
26   Christian Benjamin
27   My Linh Tran
31   Stephen Gawarecki

August
 2    Mark Mills
 2    Jim Ellis
 2    Grace Payne
 2    Olamide Thomas
8    Bich-Thuy Diep
 9    Victoria Kennedy
11    Jonathan Burgess
15    Heather Stefl
15    Christofer Johnson-Harbers
16    Dang Pham
23    Carrie McCall
24    Frank Harbers
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June 29, 2016
Photos

'Feed the Homeless' Volunteers


Arranged by Ann Nelson

Arranged by Hong Phan

Arranged by Phung Nguyen


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Bishop Shannon Johnston's Visitation

Dedication and Blessing of the Nursery



Parish the Thought

Satan, the Opportunist
A Message to St. Patrick's Episcopal Church and Beyond

The Rev. Bernie Schroeder

Satan is an opportunist.  He (or she) stalks where weakness is present and preys on those unable to resist his guile.  Satan works best in those who do not have a profound love of Jesus Christ and the comfort that they are loved by Jesus Christ.  Satan fills the void.
 
            In the increasingly God-less world in which we live, people are bewildered at events like Orlando.  How could such madness exist?  Why not ban assault weapons?  Or all guns? Or Muslims?  Or LGBTQs?  As a society we struggle to understand and cope with crimes that tear at our very fabric.  Yet we do not examine the deeper possibilities of evil than just the prevalence of armament or the failure of government.
 
            Like most sane persons, those of us who are Christian and attend church regularly are greatly moved by mass tragedies like Orlando, San Bernardino and Sandy Hook.  But unlike those other sane persons, we have an insight into the root of such evil:  It is the absence of God in evil-doers' lives and the opportunity for Satan to prosper in those lives.
 
            As a Christian I know and feel the love of Jesus Christ.  That love, and the tenets that accompany it, make it impossible for a true Christian to contemplate committing such unspeakable acts as a mass shooting - or even one shooting.  Christians know that the love of Jesus "crowds out" the ability of Satan to enter our lives and perform his dirty deeds.  But we need to remain vigilant.  It takes discipline, persistence and repetition to keep our groundedness in Jesus and resist the power of evil.  That is why we pray.  That is why we celebrate and are enriched by the Holy Eucharist.  And it is why we must worship together in a community of love.  In other words, it's why we go to church.  Regularly.
 
            This is not to say that Christians are not dumbfounded when the Evil One scores a frightful victory, as in Orlando.  We are stunned and we, too, wonder.  Prayer, though, returns as our shield against such evil.  We pray for the victims, we pray for the people of Orlando and we pray for the gay community.  And, yes, we pray for the shooter, for forgiveness is a part of our DNA.
 
            So the next time Evil strikes - and it will be soon - resist the temptation to point a finger, suggest a new law or condemn a segment of people.  Rather, think about Jesus.  Think about what faith in Him could and would do to save the world.  Imagine a world in which belief in a belief system were growing, instead of ebbing.  Help reverse that trend by attending church this Sunday to pray.  Pray for Orlando. Pray for a world at peace.  Pray for yourselves.

 
Parish Notes
Convention Delegates
Each year, St. Patrick's Episcopal Church is entitled to send one Delegate and one Alternate to the Annual Convention of the Diocese of Virginia.  Last year, we were ably served by Liz Nguyen and Victoria Kennedy.  We are now seeking two people to fill these slots for the next Convention to be held in January.  If you are interested in serving, please contact Fr. Bernie before the next Vestry Meeting on July 12th.

Flower Team
St. Patrick's is blessed with a group of talented women who provide the most beautiful floral arrangements for the altar, week after week!  Thank you so much to Ann Nelson, Hong Pham, Nhung Dang, Phung Nguyen and Debbie Clark for the gift of your creative abilities and dedication if beautifying our church for every service.

Administrative Wing Dedication
On June 12, Bishop Johnston made his visit to Saint Patrick's.  While here, he blessed the newly remodeled administrative wing.  He also blessed and dedicated the new nursery in memory of Rachel Burgess, long time nursery worker.  If you have not had the chance to see the changes and improvements in Saint Patrick's, please stop in to check us out.   
Previous Sermons
Sermon Videos
Previous sermons by Father Bernie as well as those by visiting minsters can be viewed on our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/stpatsepiscopal

Many thanks to Joe Hiller for recording and posting videos of some of Father Bernie's sermons.

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

Please pray for Saint Patrick's throughout the process of transition 

 

Saint Patrick's Episcopal Church

Falls Church, Virginia 22042  


Anyone wishing to contact Father Bernie can reach him any time at: 202.258.0962 (cell)