St John the Beloved Roman Catholic Church

Holy Day of Obligation Mass Schedule:

6:30 a.m.
9:00 a.m.
12:00 Noon (TLM)
4:30 p.m.
7:30 p.m.

Calling all golfers! You are invited to the 5th Annual Msgr. T.P. Scannell Cup Golf Tournament on Friday, August 31, 2018, at Westfields Golf Club. The tourney has so far donated over $21,000 to Retired Priests of the Diocese of Arlington. Early registration (before August 1) costs $175 per Golfer or $650 per Foursome; Regular Registration (after July 31) will cost $250 per Golfer or $900 per Foursome. To learn more, to register and to become a sponsor, please go to www.StJohnCatholicMcLean.org/Golf or download the flyer and registration form here. See you on the links!

SACRED MUSIC APPRENTICESHIP

The Sacred Music Apprenticeship at St. John the Beloved provides musical and liturgical training for 11th- 12th grade high school students who wish to serve at Mass through their music. The apprenticeship offers two tracks: cantor and organist. In both tracks, students receive regular formal instruction in the theology, history, music and planning of the liturgy as well as practical experience assisting at the liturgy. Graduates of the Apprenticeship will understand their spiritual and practical role in the liturgy, have the training to plan and lead music for the liturgy, and be well-poised to continue further education after high school if they so wish.

SAINT BENEDICT CANTORUM
“whatever good work you begin to do, beg of Him with most earnest prayer to perfect it.”

LISTEN, all young men, grades 7 through 12:

Starting this September, we invite you to join the Saint Benedict Cantorum, a young men’s group devoted to praying together and singing the 9:00am Mass twice a month.

We will meet every Sunday at 8:00am to pray the Divine Office (Morning Prayer), read excerpts from the Rule of Saint Benedict, and rehearse music for Mass.

To apply for the apprenticeship or if you have questions, please email the Director of Music, James Senson at: [email protected].

Pre-registration forms were emailed to all current families on May 21. Thank you to those families that have already returned forms and checks. Please fill out the form with all requested contact and registration information and return it with your check to the CCD office at your earliest convenience. You will receive a rate reduction if you register before June 30, 2018. We will do our best to accommodate your wishes as to class session. Once the class is full however, we may have to put your child into a different session. You have greater choice when you register early. Registration forms are also available for download here. If you have any questions, or need information, please email [email protected] or call 703-356-5275.

Dear St. John Academy Community,

With deep gratitude for the many years of dedicated leadership from Michael Busekrus, profound appreciation for the commitment and professionalism of our great faculty and staff, sincere indebtedness to the hard-working Search Committee and humble thanks for the guidance of the Office of Catholic Schools... I am eager to announce that next school year St. John Academy will be under the able leadership of Principal Jeff Presberg and our very own Karen Tessier as full-time Assistant Principal.

Karen we all already know and love. Jeff is known very well by some of you. He taught at The Heights for fifteen years, serving as Head of the Lower School for seven years, until his 2009 launch of  Western Academy in Houston, Texas. Jeff's vision of education and Christian Humanism is described online at Western Academy and permeates the work of the Samuel Erasmus Institute. He holds a B.A. in Literature (1992) and a Master of Humanities (2006) from the University of Dallas and has completed course work for a Masters in Education from the University of Virginia. Most importantly, he is Kristin's husband. She hails from Northern Virginia and they are expecting their ninth child in the next few days. Is bebé nueve their sixth daughter or their four son? God knows.

God also knows that with your collaboration St. John Academy has a very bright future.

Bless you!

Fr. Christopher J. Pollard

This week I had wanted to be able to tell you about the National Catholic Classical Schools Conference which I attended recently at Catholic University along with our new Headmaster, Jeff Presberg. The Institute for Classical Liberal Education (ICLE) put on the event and even included our very own Michael Ortner as one of the plenary speakers. An article about it and us recently appeared in the Arlington Catholic Herald. It was a great week.

The Herald went to press just a day too early to be able to include the news that Mary Pat Donoghue, Director of School Services for the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education, has just been appointed as the new Executive Director of the Secretariat of Catholic Education for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Mary Pat was the founding Headmaster of St. Jerome Academy in Hyattsville, Maryland, when it made its now famous move to a classical curriculum. I could not be more encouraged by the USCCB having hired her.

Read Fr. Pollard's article