St John the Beloved Roman Catholic Church

As of 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 30 we return to our regular Mass schedule. Happy Pentecost!

Diocesan guidelines for the safe celebration of Public Mass can be downloaded.

Saturday's 5 p.m. and Sunday's 7:30 a.m. Masses are designated for the elderly and anyone in an at-risk category. Even though they are advised to stay home, they ought to have special consideration just like they do at the grocery store. Nobody will be interrogated at the door, however.

Everyone over age 10 is expected to wear a mask. Although you are not to be bothered if you are not wearing a mask, ushers will be ready to ask people to step outside if they cannot refrain from sneezing or coughing.

You need to stay home if you have any flu or cold symptoms or have had contact in the last two weeks with anyone who tested positive for Covid-19. Remember that Dispensation from the Sunday Obligation remains in effect.

Every other pew will be taped off. Given spacing requirements the church may very well be full before we reach 50% of capacity. Entry to the Church will be only through the vestibule. The other church doors will be Exit Only. Ushers will be counting heads as people enter and also keeping an eye on available pew space. Please follow their guidance.

Holy Communion will be offered only by our priests. This will take time and patience. Please remain six feet apart from non-relatives in the Communion Line. Please remember that when you receive Holy Communion on the tongue it is most important that you stay perfectly still. That is difficult accomplish when one is standing. Anyone receiving on the tongue will be expected to kneel at the altar rail six feet away from any non-relative. Please be sure to look up. All the priests will be abluting and sanitizing their hands if they happen to make contact with a communicant. This will require more time and more patience.

St. John will not employ a reservation system. If the church fills then we will ask the faithful to participate from outside. We have rigged outdoor speakers to make that feasible. Holy Communion for those outside would then proceed in the manner of small Communion Services immediately after Mass concludes.

Our janitorial team will be sanitizing the church for Saturday 5 p.m. Mass and all the Sunday Masses.

Each weekday's 9 a.m. Mass will be broadcast as well as Sunday's 10:30 and Noon Masses.

If you already have a Facebook account, be sure to join "Friends of the Beloved" Facebook group because, as of this morning, you can watch all our live broadcasts on the group page.

If you do not have a Facebook account, you still can watch on Livestream for free. Just click on https://livestream.com/StJohnMcLean. If you would like to receive automatic notifications of upcoming live events, you can create a Livestream account. Be forewarned, this creates a publicly visible social media account. If you are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with others being able to see the accounts you follow and with others following your account even without your consent, do not create an account. If you still decide to do so, you will be directed to "Continue With Facebook" or "Continue With Email". When you choose the latter you will be prompted to provide your name and email address and to create a password (which you should write down, by the way, so that you do not forget it).

If at any point you are prompted to provide a credit card number, please STOP and start over. That means you are about to initiate a paid subscription. You do not want to do that. Your contributions have already paid for the parish's subscription.

Once you are in Livestream just search for "Beloved" among the accounts and "St. John the Beloved Catholic Church" should appear at the top of the list. After having signed in, once you click on https://livestream.com/StJohnMcLean it should take you directly to our parish channel. You can see "Live & Upcoming Events" as well as view "Past Events".

CONFESSIONS
Wednesday confessions take place in the church back in the original choir niche near the Divine Mercy image. On Saturday mornings and afternoons confessions are heard both in the Church and in the upper Parking Lot near the gymnasium.

If you desire Confession at a time other than during those hours listed above, please feel free to call the rectory emergency line 703-835-2808 to request a confessor meet you in church or al fresco.

ADORATION
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament now is an everyday occurrence at St. John!
Sundays (2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.)
Wednesdays (9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.)
All Other Days (7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.)
A Funeral, Wedding, or Baptism may interrupt or delay the start of Adoration.

NEIGHBORS IN NEED
Many parishioners have volunteered to help deliver groceries or otherwise render assistance to neighbors who are not able to leave their homes. Please call the parish office either to alert St. John the Beloved about someone who needs help or to volunteer.

14TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
5TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Two flags hang in our church, those of the United States of American and the Holy See. One of them was stolen a few weeks ago. I borrowed an American flag from the school and replaced the missing Star Spangled Banner.

Even though I had and still have doubts about the American Revolution being a just war, I wore the uniform of an Ensign in the United States Navy. Active duty in the Chaplain Corps was my goal through my years in seminary and that request was made every year of my priesthood until the Bishop released me for service to the Holy See Mission to the United Nations. You could say that I have done Temporary Active Duty under both flags that fly near our sanctuary.

Read Fr. Pollard's article