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Saint Agnes Catholic Church Arlington, Virginia

“I am the good shepherd.

A good shepherd lays down

his life for the sheep.”

F o u r t h S u n d a y o f E a s t e r

P a r i s h I n f o r m a t i o n

Parish Clergy Pastor: Rev. Frederick H. Edlefsen

Parochial Vicar: Rev. Richard A. Miserendino

In residence: Rev. Cedric M. Wilson, O.S.A.

In residence: Rev. Thomas Nguyen

Parish Office 1910 N. Randolph Street • Arlington, VA 22207-3046

Office Hours: M-F 8:00am– 4:00pm

Phone: 703-525-1166 • Fax: 703-243-2840

Website: www.saintagnes.org

Parish Office Personnel

Inquiries : parishoffice@saintagnes.org

Business Manager: Meg McKnight (business@saintagnes.org)

Director of Development, Outreach, and Communications:

Amber Roseboom (aroseboom@saintagnes.org)

Facilities Manager: Katie Howell (facilities@saintagnes.org)

Program Coordinator, Protection of Children:

Joan Biehler (protect@saintagnes.org)

Coordinator of Adoration, Security & Logistics:

Michael Sirotniak (msirotniak@saintagnes.org)

Accounting: Lucy Estrada (accounts@saintagnes.org)

Administrative Assistant: Ligia Santos (parishoffice2@saintagnes.org)

Ministry Assistant: Nicole Filipowski (nfilipowski@saintagnes.org)

Religious Education Office Director (DRE): Bernadette Michael (dre@saintagnes.org)

Administrative Asssistant: Marie Macnamara (re@saintagnes.org)

Phone: 703-527-1129

Youth and Young Adult Ministry Coordinator: Fr. Rich Miserendino (youth.ministry@saintagnes.org)

Liturgical Music Director of Music: Laura Cooman (lcooman@saintagnes.org)

Director, Saint Agnes Ensemble: Richard Lolich

School 2024 N. Randolph Street • Arlington, VA 22207-3031

Phone: 703-527-5423 • Fax 703-525-4689

Principal: Kristine Carr (kcarr@saintagnes.org)

Assist. Principal: Jennifer Kuzdzal (jkuzdzal@saintagnes.org)

Liturgy at Saint Agnes

Sunday Mass Saturday: 5:00pm (Vigil)

Sunday: 7:30am, 9:00am, 10:30am (High Mass) , 12:00pm

Holy Days As announced

Weekday Mass Monday – Friday: 6:30am , 9:00am (Rosary after 9am Mass) Saturday: 7:30am , 9:00am (Rosary after 9am Mass)

Monday: 7:00pm (in Spanish)

Sacrament of Penance

Saturday 8:00am-9:00am; 3:00pm–4:00pm or by appointment

This Week’s Mass Intentions

April Fourth Week of Easter

M 23 Fourth Monday of Easter

6:30 am Kate Walsh O’Brien (Whelan Family)

9:00 am Kate M. O’Beirne (OLOH Rosary Group)

T 24 Fourth Tuesday of Easter

6:30 am Rev. James Kauffmann (Herrmann Family)

9:00 am Steven Hankinson (Quigley Family)

W 25 St. Mark, Evangelist

6:30 am Catherine Mould (Fr. Edlefsen)

9:00 am Nancy Sutherland (St. Agnes Parish)

Th 26 Fourth Thursday of Easter

6:30 am Marcia Richards (Chase Family)

9:00 am Aurea de Angel (Carmen Guardia)

F 27 Fourth Friday of Easter

6:30 am Roy Thomas (Maria Thomas)

9:00 am Shoko Takasoe (Wheeler Family)

Sa 28 Fourth Satuday of Easter

7:30 am Sharon Edwards (Larry & Kris Carr)

9:00 am Gerry George (Ng Family)

Vigil Fifth Sunday of Easter

5:00 pm Margaret Mary Ludwick (Lance Ludwick)

Su 29 Fifth Sunday of Easter

7:30 am Buono Family (St. Agnes Parish)

9:00 am Muriel Dreswick (Walsh Family)

10:30 am Pastor’s Intention: For All Parishioners

12:00 pm Robin Moore (Herrmann Family) indicates person is deceased

Sunday Mass Readings:

Fourth Sunday of Easter ACTS 4:8-12; PS 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29;

1 JN 3:1-2; JN 10:11-18

Question #150 Weird Thoughts for Serious Students

Pastor’s Column — Rev. Frederick Edlefsen

The Summa Theologiae. It’s St. Thomas

Aquinas’ (1225-1274) masterwork. Not many of

you have read it, I suppose. But I hope you do –

at least some of it. Chock-full of wisdom, it

nonetheless reads like something published by

Wildside Press. Maybe I’m the only person in 800

years to think that the Summa is funny and weird.

But I do. Some people think I’m a serious student

of St. Thomas, but in truth I’m a non-serious

student. His “Objections” to some “Questions”

make me laugh. When I read Thomas, I wonder:

Is he serious? Or is he mocking me? Is this

scholastic theology or satire? I’m often unsure.

Are we suckers for taking him seriously?

It’s been said that St. Thomas’ bloodline and my

mother’s – the House of Savoie (Savoy) – were

mixed. Savoies hail from the Duchy of Savoie,

which is like a prototype of Leonard Wibberley’s

fictitious Duchy of Grand Fenwick in The Mouse

that Roared. In the story, the Duchy pondered

propping a fake Communist Party in order to get

U.S. funding to squelch it. Instead, the Duchy one

-upped the USA and USSR with an inadvertently

captured Q Bomb that was really a dud. Savoies

are like that. The last Antipope was a Savoie: Felix

V. From 1439-1449, he thought himself St. Peter’s

successor from a chateau on Lake Geneva. Not

bad. Mix that gene pool with Italians in the House

of Staufen, which included Holy Roman Emperors

Frederick I, Henry VI and Frederick II –

predecessors of the Antichrist. St. Thomas was

born of that line in Roccasecca in central Italy

which, at the time, was part of the Kingdom of

Sicily. When these bloodlines mix – and ask

transcendental questions, to boot (“What is God?”

the boy Thomas would ask) – you get seriously

theological satire. Therefore, my suspicions about

St. Thomas are warranted. It’s hard to tell if those

folks are serious or mocking. They go from

seriousness to satire without your noticing.

Beware of their questions. Savoies are Italians of

French culture from the Land of Firs, the Alps.

They have hints of Byzantine, so take little of what

they say at face value (which is why most Savoies

need a good lawyer). Thomas was German of

Italian culture: satirical and crisp at once. He was

called the “dumb ox.” But that’s a put-on. I call

him the Cousin.

Here’s how the Cousin works: He starts with a

Question, which is really a topic. The Question is

explored in a series of Articles, which are

questions that are really statements about the

Question. Beneath each Article (question) is a

series of Objections – i.e. the arguments of the

Cousin’s opponents. The Cousin doesn’t like

direct hits, like the Irish. Rather, he makes better

arguments for his opponents than they make for

themselves, which subtly makes them look

foolish. For example, take Question 22, Article 1

of the First Part of the Summa: “Whether

providence can suitably be attributed to God?”

Objection 1. It seems that providence is not becoming

to God. For providence, according to Tully (Cicero), is

a part of prudence. But prudence, since, according to

the Philosopher (Aristotle) gives good counsel, cannot

belong to God, who never has any doubt for which He

should take counsel. Therefore providence cannot

belong to God.

That’s a darned good argument. It’s also

ridiculous. Remarkable irony!

After his lineup of Objections, he states a Sed

Contra (On the contrary) – an argument

summarizing the reason(s) why he thinks the

Objections are wrong. The Cousin thinks that

arguments from authority are real arguments,

though the weakest. With an exception:

Arguments from God’s Authority and Church

Teaching are the strongest. For example, see the

Sed Contra to Question 22. The Cousin quotes the

Bible:

On the contrary, It is said, “But You, Father, govern

all things by providence” (Wisdom 14:3).

Well, that settles that. Then, he makes a

Respondeo (I answer that) explaining his position

in detail. The Respondeo begins like this:

I answer that, It is necessary to attribute providence

to God. For all the good that is in created things has

been created by God…In created things good is found

not only as regards their substance, but also as regards

their order towards an end and especially their last end,

which…is the divine goodness…

Crisp. Cogent. Then he makes a series of Replies

to each Objection. For example:

Reply to Objection 1. According to the Philosopher

(Aristotle), “Prudence is what, strictly speaking,

commands all that ‘ebulia’ (right reason) has rightly

counseled and ‘synesis’ (good conscience) rightly

judged.” Whence, though to take counsel may not be

fitting to God, from the fact that counsel is an inquiry

into matters that are doubtful, nevertheless to give a

command as to the ordering of things towards an end,

the right reason of which He possesses, does belong to

God, according to Psalm 148:6: “He has made a decree,

and it shall not pass away.” In this manner both

prudence and providence belong to God. Although at

the same time it may be said that the very reason of

things to be done is called counsel in God; not because

of any inquiry necessitated, but from the certitude of

the knowledge, to which those who take counsel come

by inquiry. Whence it is said: “Who works all things

according to the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11).

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Pastor’s Column

Continued

Ha! That’s razor sharp reason. If you don’t get it,

don’t worry. You’ve got the rest of your life to

figure it out. That said, I’ll give you a full run on

an entire Article from the Second Part of the Second

Part of the Summa. Have fun!

Question 150: Drunkenness Article 1. Whether drunkenness is a sin?

Objection 1. It would seem that drunkenness is

not a sin. For every sin has a corresponding

contrary sin, thus timidity is opposed to daring,

and presumption to pusillanimity. But no sin is

opposed to drunkenness. Therefore drunkenness

is not a sin.

Objection 2. Further, every sin is voluntary (St.

Augustine). But no man wishes to be drunk, since

no man wishes to be deprived of the use of reason.

Therefore drunkenness is not a sin.

Objection 3. Further, whoever causes another to

sin, sins himself. Therefore, if drunkenness were a

sin, it would follow that it is a sin to ask a man to

drink that which makes him drunk, which would

seem very hard.

Objection 4. Further, every sin calls for correction.

But correction is not applied to drunkards, for St.

Gregory says that "we must put up with their

ways, lest they become worse if they be compelled

to give up the habit." Therefore drunkenness is

not a sin.

On the contrary, The Apostle says, “Not in orgies

and drunkenness” (Romans 13:13).

I answer that, Drunkenness may be understood in

two ways. First, it may signify the defect itself of a

man resulting from his drinking much wine, the

consequence being that he loses the use of reason.

On this sense drunkenness denotes not a sin, but a

penal defect resulting from a fault. Secondly,

drunkenness may denote the act by which a man

incurs this defect. This act may cause drunkenness

in two ways. On one way, through the wine being

too strong, without the drinker being cognizant of

this: and in this way too, drunkenness may occur

without sin, especially if it is not through his

negligence, and thus we believe that Noah was

made drunk as related in Genesis 9. On another

way drunkenness may result from inordinate

concupiscence and use of wine: in this way it is

accounted a sin, and is comprised under gluttony

as a species under its genus. For gluttony is

divided into "orgies and drunkenness," which are

forbidden by the Apostle.

Reply to Objection 1. As the Philosopher

(Aristotle) says, insensibility which is opposed to

temperance "is not very common," so that like its

species which are opposed to the species of

intemperance it has no name. Hence the vice

opposed to drunkenness is unnamed; and yet if a

man were knowingly to abstain from wine to the

extent of irritating nature grievously, he would

not be free from sin.

Reply to Objection 2. This objection regards the

resulting defect which is involuntary: whereas

immoderate use of wine is voluntary, and it is in

this that the sin consists.

Reply to Objection 3. Even as he that is drunk is

excused if he knows not the strength of the wine,

so too is he that invites another to drink excused

from sin, if he be unaware that the drinker is the

kind of person to be made drunk by the drink

offered. But if ignorance be lacking neither is

excused from sin.

Reply to Objection 4. Sometimes the correction of

a sinner is to be foregone, as stated above

(Question 33, Article 6). Hence Augustine says in

a letter, “It seems such things are cured not by

bitterness, severity, harshness, but by teaching

rather than commanding, by advice rather than

threats. Such is the course to be followed with the

majority of sinners: few are they whose sins

should be treated with severity.”

WELCOME TO ST. AGNES We would like to get to know YOU better!

Join us for Mass, Confession, a Holy Hour in our Adoration

Chapel, and any of our parish-wide community events.

Check out saintagnes.org for details.

ALL ARE WELCOME!

Donut Sunday: Sunday, May 6th following the 9 AM and 10:30 AM

Masses, in the Parish Hall, or outside weather

permitting.

Young Adults

Brunch: Sunday, May 6th following the Noon Mass in the St.

Agnes Convent (Door #15). Contact Fr. Miserendino at

rmiserendino@saintagnes.org for more information.

Corpus Christi: Sunday, June 3rd following the Noon Mass in the

Parish Hall. Stay tuned to our website for more

information on this BIG celebration.

Welcome Brunch: Sunday, June 24th at 11:30 AM in the St. Agnes Convent

(Door #15). Please RSVP at saintagnes.org or email

welcome@saintagnes.org.

STAY CONNECTED!

Visit us at saintagnes.org.

Sign up for our monthly eNewsletter, The Saint Agnes Signal, at the bottom of

our homepage.

Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stagneschurcharlington/.

Join a ministry or service group, Bible study and more. Details can be found at

saintagnes.org.

Thank you for visiting us. We hope you experience more of St. Agnes!

Would you like more information or to meet existing parishioners? Contact

Amber Roseboom in the Parish Office at aroseboom@saintagnes.org or 703-525-1166.

Will You Adore Jesus Just 1 Hour a Month?

Only 4 more hours are needed between Midnight and 4 AM to restore 24/7 Adoration at St. Agnes!

Please sign up online at saintagnes.org or contact Michael Sirotniak at msirotniak@saintagnes.org.

4 More to Restore 24

\

Attention:

Bishop O’Connell’s Annual Golf Tournament is Monday, May 7th. To become a sponsor or register for the tournament please visit bishopoconnell.org/support-djo/connolly-classic.

Bishop O'Connell High School Presents

Mary Poppins! Thursday, April 26th - Saturday, April 28th at 7 PM

Sunday, April 29th at 2 PM

Get ready to 'Step in Time' for a 'Jolly Holiday' with your

'Spoonful of Sugar'... The classic Disney musical flies to the

Bishop O'Connell High School stage this spring!

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit

www.bishopoconnell.org or call their box office at 703-237-1448.

PA

RIS

H L

IFE

Have you visited FORMED.org? It’s

essentially Netflix for Catholics!

Parishioners register at FORMED.org

and enter our parish’s code:

f1a3f2. Then sit back and enjoy! Also,

check out our weekly FORMED blog at

saintagnes.org under FORMED.

St. Agnes is on Facebook! Share the love, and Like us on

Facebook www.facebook.com/

saintagneschurch/.

MyParishApp Text App to 88202 to download

our free parish app and access our new

blog, check Mass and Confession times,

view our full calendar of events, icons

for kids, moms and more!

Sign up for our monthly

eNewsletter:

The Saint Agnes Signal Get it all in one place! Sign up at

saintagnes.org before the May 7 issue!

Find out new projects and initiatives,

and check out all of our current

activities, news and articles from the

pastor, service opportunities, highlights

from April and what’s on the horizon.

24th Annual Military

Services Memorial Mass The Archdiocese for the Military

Services will hold it’s 24th Annual

Memorial Mass on Sunday, May 20th at

4:30 PM honoring the men and women

of the Armed Forces. The liturgy will be

held at the Basilica of the National

Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

in Washington, DC. The principal

celebrant and homilist will be the Most

Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D.,

Archbishop for the Military Services. To

request seating or to obtain additional

information, please visit http://

www.milarch.org/memorial-mass/laity-

registration/.

World Day of Prayer for Vocations This Sunday we celebrate the World Day of Prayer for

Vocations. Please pray for those whom Christ is

calling to the priesthood, diaconate and consecrated

life, especially in our diocese. If you are considering

such a vocation, please call Fr. J.D. Jaffe at 703-841-

2514 or email him at j.jaffe@arlingtondiocese.org. Hispanic Mass for Vocations

Join Bishop Burbidge to pray for more vocations,

especially from our Hispanic communities. This

annual Mass will be celebrated in Spanish this

Sunday, April 22nd at Christ the Redeemer Church in

Sterling at 12 Noon. All are welcome.

Spanish Apostolate Anniversary The Spanish Apostolate here at St. Agnes will

celebrate their 44th anniversary this Monday, April

23rd. Mass will be at 7 PM followed by a reception in

the Parish Hall. All are welcome!

Community Job and Resource Fair Are you seeking employment? Are you an employer

seeking hard-working, loyal employees? You are

invited to participate in a Community Job and

Resource Fair on Saturday, April 28th from 9 AM - 12

Noon at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, 8710 Mount

Vernon Hwy, Alexandria, VA. The fair is open to all,

regardless of faith affiliation, and is free of charge. For

more information, contact Margot at jobfairs@ccda.net.

Race for Seminarians Join the Race for Seminarians campaign! Runners and

walkers of all levels can get sponsored for their races,

and donors can pledge to support specific runners.

Visit ArlingtonDiocese.org/Run to learn about all

these options and start building your team today!

Don’t miss the Team Kickoff Tue., May 8 from 5:30—

7:30 PM here at St. Agnes in the Parish Hall.

A 6-week course, Living in the Father's Love, will be

offered on Thursdays from May 3rd to June 7th from

9:45 to 11:15 AM in the Lower Church. The course,

which focuses on God the Father, reveals how deeply

relevant the Gospels are to our relationships with God

and those we love. Please contact Sara Sullivan with

questions or to register - saracsullivan@hotmail.com.

Weekly Prayer Intentions:

For those who are sick in our midst: Robert Hambleton and the residents of Cherrydale

Health and Rehabilitation.

To add a name, or if a name may be removed because

the person is no longer ill (Deo gratias!), please contact the

Parish Office at 703-525-1166. Names of the sick are listed for

approximately four weeks unless we are notified otherwise.

Saint Agnes Essentials:

Infant/Child Baptism:

Register for a class, held the first Monday of each

month at 7:00 PM. Plan to attend before Baptism.

Baptisms are celebrated bi-weekly, after the Noon

Sunday Mass.

Marriage Preparation:

Call the Parish Office for Pre-Cana at least 7

months prior to your wedding.

Anointing of the Sick:

Call the Parish Office to request Anointing of the

Sick. Anyone with a serious illness should

request this sacrament before being admitted to

the hospital.

Homebound Visitation:

Contact homebound@saintagnes.org or call the

Parish Office at 703-525-1166.

How to become Catholic:

Interested in joining the Catholic Church or want

to learn more? Contact Bernadette Michael in the

Religious Education office at 703-527-1129 or a

priest for more information. Rite of Christian

Initiation of Adults (RCIA) classes are held on

Mondays at 7:30 PM.

Holy Orders/Consecrated Life:

Is the Lord calling you? For information about

priesthood, the permanent diaconate, or the

consecrated life, contact a priest or the Diocesan

Vocations Office at 703-841-2514.

Registration/Change of Address:

Registration cards are in the racks at main

entrances of the church, the Parish Office, or on

our website. Return them to the Parish Office, or

email them to parishoffice2@saintagnes.org.

The repose of the souls who recently passed: George Gerhard, husband of Sandra Gerhard.

Adoration Chapel “Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened,

and I will give you rest" (MT 11: 28).

Permanent and substitute adorers are needed daily

between Midnight and 4 AM to restore perpetual

adoration in the Adoration Chapel at St. Agnes. To

make a commitment, please e-mail Michael Sirotniak

at msirotniak@saintagnes.org.

For those who have been received into the

Church: Henry Bookhout, son of David and Alyson Bookhout;

Maxene Arrabella Besas, daughter of Frank and Girlie

Anne Besas; Charlotte Salop, daughter of Mark and

Nicole Salop; Natalie DePasquale, daughter of

Michael and Anne DePasquale; Jackson Feore, son of

John and Karine Feore; Audra Magdaleno, daughter

of Mark and Lisa Magdaleno.

Youth Ministry

Events

Our next Monthly Brunch is Sunday, May 6th

after the Noon Mass in the Saint Agnes Convent

(Door #15). All are welcome!

For more info contact Fr. Miserendino at

rmiserendino@saintagnes.org

For more information contact the school office at 703-527-5423.

It Has Been a Busy Week at St. Agnes! The Missoula Children’s Theater Tour was here all week, and our incredible students

put in hours of work with them. The week concluded Friday night with an amazing

performance of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” This is such an invaluable

experience for our students, and we are fortunate to have this opportunity for our school!

Thank you to all the volunteers who made the Father-Daughter Dance last night such a

fun and memorable evening!

A special thank you to everyone who made the second graders’ “Jesus Day” such an

extraordinary and memorable day. Jesus Day is a special day for our second graders,

filled with activities, reflection and fun geared toward the preparation of their upcoming

First Communion. It takes a lot of volunteer hours and would not be possible without a

lot of help. It is a day the second graders will not soon forget!

Save the Date! CYO Track Meet CYO Track has started! Mark your calendar for track meets on

May 12th & 13th at Bishop O’Connell High School. Go Lions!

Additional Three-Year-Old Preschool Class Available A second three-year-old preschool class has been added for the 2018-19 school year.

Space is available! Call the School Office for information and to enroll.

Activities

Small Group Bible Study continues on

Tuesday Nights at 7:30 PM in the St. Agnes

Convent (Door #15). Join us!

For more information contact:

youth.ministry@saintagnes.org

Young Adults

Saint Agnes School

Stewardship: Parish Support - 5 - 015 Sunday collection (in pew & via mail) $ 18,498

Faith Direct (electronic collection) $ 10,534

Total Offertory for Week $ 29,033

Bishop’s Lenten Appeal (104% of goal pledged) $ 514,448

Poor Box $ 454

Offertory Budget (FY 17-18) $ 1,677,000

Offertory Budget (through 4/15/18) $ 1,339,321

Offertory Actual (through 4/15/18) $ 1,395,973

Brother Dennis

In 1912, Dr. Paluel Flagg channeled his personal grief

about the death of his wife and daughter into

founding the Catholic Medical Mission Board

(CMMB). Working in Haiti and inspired by his faith,

he worked with women and children afflicted with

leprosy. His work was encouraged by the Society for

the Propagation of Faith (Jesuits). With their help, the

Mission Board was born and now has missions all

over the world.

Stewardship Report The mission of the Board is to “deliver locally

sustainable, quality health solutions to women,

children and their communities.” Working with local

advocates, the Board helps with building, providing

medical equipment to local health care facilities,

providing transportation to patients, and enlisting

volunteer doctors and nurses. They provide medicine

and supplies to local hospitals and train community

workers to visit vulnerable families at home to teach

them how to keep their children healthy.

Realizing that sustainable solutions take time, in 2015

the Board created a new initiative called CHAMPS

(children and mothers partnership) to provide long

term health care commitments to communities for up

to 20 years. By 2020 they hope to have five fully

developed sites in five different countries worldwide.

This week Brother Dennis is donating $1,800 to the

Catholic Medical Mission Board to help with their

new CHAMPS program. Visit www.cmmb.org.