Update May 15, 2020:
We rejoice in the recent update from Archbishop Gregory that public Masses may resume starting on Monday, May 25, 2020. Here at St. Francis Xavier, we will resume with public Mass at 8:00 am on that day. Our first weekend of public Masses will be May 30-31, the Solemnity of Pentecost.
In the days ahead, I will be working with parish staff and volunteers to implement the new guidelines and protocols issued by the Archdiocese of Washington and St. Mary’s County authorities to ensure that we can gather together again safely for the celebration of Holy Mass.
Once we have everything in place, I will communicate with you more specifically about the new procedures for attending Mass.
Update May 13, 2020:
Restriction on Not Holding Public Masses is Still in Effect
On Wednesday, May 13, 2020 the State of Maryland moved to a Safer-At-Home Public Health Advisory effective May 15, 2020 at 5 pm. This Maryland advisory will allow for certain businesses and houses of worship to open with restrictions.
As of May 14, 2020, the Archdiocese of Washington has said that the restriction on not holding public Masses is still in place until further notice.
The Archdiocese is putting plans and resources together for when we can resume public Masses and to do so in an orderly, safe, and well-communicated manner. It is my hope that we will hear soon about a timeline for when public Masses can resume.
Update May 9, 2020:
Discover a Deeper Relationship with the Holy Spirit
Join Father Rob for a discussion, prayer, and video experience every Wednesday night, starting May 13, from 7:00 - 8:00 PM. The series is called, "The Wild Goose" and features Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR, President of Franciscan University of Steubenville. This incredible 14-week video series is awakening God’s love and transforming power in the hearts of all who participate.
For more information, please click on the link to the flyer above. To register and gain access to the Zoom link, email: sfxparishmd@gmail.com
Update May 1, 2020:
New Church Hours
St. Francis Xavier Church is now open daily, from 7:00 am - 8:00 pm for personal prayer.
Friday Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament
There will be a Holy Hour with exposition and benediction every Friday, beginning on May 8, from 9:00 - 10:00 am. Sign up in advance (via Sign-up Genius) is required to guarantee that you will have a slot. The link is available for signing up for Flocknote or email: sfxparishmd@gmail.com We must strictly adhere to no more than 10 people in church at a time and please observe social distancing at all times.
Update April 29, 2020:
Prayer Service & Renewal of Consecration to Our Lady
As the world continues to face the ongoing effects of the global pandemic of the coronavirus, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has announced it will join the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops on May 1 in renewing the consecrations of the two nations to the care of our Blessed Mother. USCCB President Archbishop José Gomez will lead a brief liturgy with the prayer of re-consecration on Friday, May 1 at 3:00 pm ET.
A liturgy guide will be available to assist the faithful at www.cathdal.org/consecration. Visit the USCCB’s social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to pray along with Archbishop Gomez. You can also use the following link for the worship aid:
http://www.usccb.org/about/
“This will give the Church the occasion to pray for Our Lady’s continued protection of the vulnerable, healing of the unwell, and wisdom for those who work to cure this terrible virus,” said Archbishop Gomez in a letter to his brother bishops around the country.
Postponement of First Communion and Confirmation
As the State of Maryland schools and Archdiocesan Catholic schools remain closed through May 15, 2020, our parish celebration of First Holy Communion originally scheduled for Saturday, May 9, 2020, will be postponed until public Masses resume.
The Archdiocesan Office of Worship has confirmed that all Confirmations scheduled to occur through May 15 have been postponed and will need to be rescheduled. Consequently, our parish celebration of the sacrament of Confirmation, originally scheduled for Tuesday, May 12, has been affected by this announcement. Once public Masses resume, I will be in touch about when our parish celebration of Confirmation will be.
Update April 4, 2020:
Resources for Holy Week
The Archdiocesan website has been updated to include a special page dedicated to Holy Week. On this website, you will find resources for Holy Week as well as live stream information on Archbishop Gregory’s Holy Week liturgies including worship aids for each liturgy.
Also see the Summary of Spiritual Resources for the Pandemic here.
Update April 3, 2020:
Feast and Faith: Easter Message & Cooking Lesson
Check on the homepage for a link to a special Easter Message & Cooking Lesson video with Fr. Rob and his personal Chef, Ruby LaMell.
Catholic Charities Virtual Food Drive
These difficult times have brought new burdens for people across the Archdiocese of Washington. Catholic Charities is seeing an extraordinary increase in requests for food assistance, both from the thousands of people helped every year and the many in our region now facing food insecurity after losing their jobs. This virtual food drive will provide our neighbors access to the food they need.
To help meet this need, Catholic Charities is holding a Holy Thursday Virtual Food Drive, going on from Thursday, April 9 through Saturday, April 11. To participate and donate please click this link:
Holy Week Virtual Food Drive – Catholic Charities DC
https://www.catholiccharitiesdc.org/holy-week-virtual-drive/
Update April 2, 2020:
Scripture Reflection on the Sunday Gospel with Fr. Rob...
You're invited to join Fr. Rob on April 5, Palm Sunday morning, at 10:00 AM for a prayerful reading and discussion of the Sunday Gospel on Zoom.
To gain access to the link, please email Fr. Rob at: sfxparishmd@gmail.com
Stay in Touch with Flocknote...
As a way to communicate more effectively with you, I will be using a church communication tool called Flocknote (like sending "notes" to your "flock". Flocknote).
This is totally free for you to use and it's going to also make it easy for you to stay plugged in to the ministries or groups that you care about, all by text message and/or email updates. Your information will be completely safe and secure. And you can unsubscribe from any updates at any time!
To sign up, please see the sign up form to the right of the home screen, underneath the 'Online Giving' module. Once you send that in, Flocknote will send you back a confirmation message AND another message asking you to click a link to complete the process.
Holy Week...
During this time of suspended public Masses, please know that it pains all of us priests not to have Holy Week with our parishioners this year. To help you enter into the solemnity of this week, the Archdiocese of Washington will be live-streaming Holy Week Masses at St. Matthew’s Cathedral with Archbishop Gregory on the ADW YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/washarchdiocese
Palm Sunday, April 5, 10:00 a.m.
Holy Thursday, April 9, 5:30 p.m.
Good Friday, April 10, 1:00 p.m.
Easter Vigil, April 11, 8:00 p.m.
Easter Sunday, April 12, 10:00 a.m.
To avoid the transmission of the coronavirus, pastors have been instructed that palms cannot not be distributed on Palm Sunday, including the practice of leaving palms out for the faithful to pick up.
Liturgical Press has produced an adaptation of the Holy Week rituals to help families celebrate Holy Week at home. I encourage you to take a look it and share with your family as you see fit. For the Holy Week readings, Magnificat is still providing complimentary access to their online version to help people pray from home.
Update April 1, 2020:
New Virtual Faith Formation...
Our Lenten Bible Study, 'A Biblical Walk Through Christ's Passion' begins virtual meetings through Zoom on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm beginning April 1. It's not too late to join us if you are new to our Bible Study. Please email Paula McLeod for more information: paula.mcleod@gmail.com
We will begin our virtual spiritual book club on Thursdays at 9:00 am beginning on April 23 on Zoom. We'll be reading Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor by Allen R. Hunt. Please email Paula McLeod for more information: paula.mcleod@gmail.com
That Man is You! will resume with virtual small group meetings beginning this Saturday, April 4 at 7:00 am on Zoom. It's not too late to join us if you are new to That Man is You! Please contact Matt Cosgrove for more information: matthewcosgrove@verizon.net
Update March 25, 2020:
Postponed Parish Activities...
The 4th Annual Walk in the Park has been postponed until Saturday, September 19, 2020.
The Tree Marker Unveiling with First Lady Yumi Hogan, originally scheduled in April, has been postponed. More details will be forthcoming about the new date and time.
Update March 23, 2020:
Parish Office Closed...
Per Governor Hogan's new Executive Order that all non-essential businesses are closed, effective 5:00 pm today, the Parish Office will remain closed until further notice.
Parishioners In Need...
If you are aware of any parishioners who are in need of groceries or any other assistance, please contact Fr. Rob at the Rectory: 301-475-9885.
Ideas for Faith Formation at Home...
In an effort to assist Catholics everywhere, FORMED.org has made immediate access to their Catholic movies, faith formation videos, audio talks, and great children’s videos free for the next 40 days. See the link here.
To help you to set up a prayer service at home, check out this resource here.
Update March 20, 2020:
Message from Archbishop Gregory...
A video message to all the people of the Archdiocese of Washington from Archbishop Gregory.
Archdiocesan Website...
The archdiocesan website in response to the coronavirus is updated regularly with information for all the faithful. Please check out the Archdiocesan website, which includes this link to find a listing of live stream Masses and prayers throughout the archdiocese.
Update March 19, 2020:
Pastoral Care for the Sick...
Pastoral care of the sick and homebound visits will be limited only to people who are dying and those with the Coronavirus who request the Sacraments.
We Need Your Support Through Online Giving...
If you are not already enrolled in our Online Giving, please continue to support the parish offertory by scrolling to the right of this webpage (directly under "From the Pastor") to find out how to enroll in our automated giving. You can also mail in your offertory donation: 21370 Newtowne Neck Rd, Leonardtown, MD 20650. St. Francis Xavier Church continues to rely on your generous support for our regular expenses.
Parish Bulletin ...
We will not be publishing the parish bulletin in print or online until Mass resumes.
Church Open for Prayer ...
The church will be open for individual prayer during those times that we would normally be open for Mass:
SUNDAY: 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM
MONDAY: 7:00 - 9:00 AM
TUESDAY: CLOSED
WEDNESDAY: 7:00 - 9:00 AM
THURSDAY: 7:00 - 9:00 AM
FRIDAY: 7:00 - 9:00 AM
SATURDAY: 3:00 - 5:00 PM
Statement from Archbishop Wilton Gregory...
"Please know that this decision does not come lightly to close our schools or cancel Masses. We are profoundly saddened that we are not able to celebrate our sacraments as a community for the time being but we know Christ remains with us at all times – specifically in times of worry like this.
I have made available pastoral and spiritual resources as well as TV Mass that I encourage you to use. I also invite you to join us for Mass and prayer via livestream in our social media. May the peace of Christ settle any anxieties and fear we may have. Let us continue to pray for the people whose lives have been impacted by the coronavirus as well as those who continue to care for them.”