Theology on Tap at Blessed Sacrament:Father Workman and the Simple Truth

Next up on Theology on Tap is Father Jamie R. Workman, a beloved previous Parochial Vicar at Blessed Sacrament, but now in full-time ministry in the Office of Canonical Affairs and the Diocesan Tribunal, with residence at the Church of Saint Luke in McLean.

What is so interesting and exciting about Father Workman, besides his insightful knowledge of the faith, is his conversion story. It is a love story about his encounter with Jesus and then His Church, which led him to enter the Catholic Church and then answer the call to become a priest.

We at Blessed Sacrament first met Jamie Workman when he was still a transitional deacon and then a newly-ordained baby priest. He is still, as he was then, on fire for the Lord. Please click on the link to this mp3 podcast and listen to this wonderful witness, "The Simple Truth" (right click to save it to listen later).

Theology on Tap Comes to Blessed Sacrament!

That's right, in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Dedication of Blessed Sacrament Church, Theology on Tap is here at Blessed Sacrament - or the blog at least.

As summer ends and everyone starts looking to go back to school and back to work, this is a good time to review our lives, assess what is right and what is not so right, and determine where to go from here. Of course, in this Year of Faith, Popes Benedict and Francis have called us to do that with our faith, with our relationship with Jesus Christ, to recognize our need for continual conversion, that is, to constantly be turning toward the Lord, who makes all things new, including us and our faith.

Appropriately, first on tap is our beloved pastor, Father John Cregan, who speaks about "Saying Yes to Christ: Your Call to Serve." He begins with the story of his own vocation, first to the Marine Corps, then to the priesthood. Please click on the link to this mp3 podcast and listen to this powerful witness (right click to save it to listen later).

We are all called by God to some role, to some function. No part of the Body of Christ, of which we are all members, is superfluous. We are all wanted, we are all needed. He asks all of us to serve Him, to serve Him who is Love and Truth. There is none of us who is so lowly or inadequate that he or she cannot serve, especially since He gives us the grace to do what needs to be done. Indeed, it is in serving Him and others that we are made truly free, and it is in humility, in recognizing our lowliness and allowing the Lord to make us His instruments, that we are raised up. And it begins with prayer, in opening our hearts to God and then shutting up enough to allow Him to speak to us.

What is the Lord saying to you? What is He calling you to do? And when He asks, what is your response?

World Day of Prayer for Vocations

Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, is the 50th World Day of Prayer for Vocations.  In 1963, Pope Paul VI designated Good Shepherd Sunday, as day of worldwide prayer for vocations.

In the Gospel readings for today, Jesus says,

My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.” (John 10:27-30)

The Daughters of Saint Paul are visiting our parish this weekend!  Their mission is to serve the Church through communications. As their website states, "The sisters are active in all forms of media, from traditional publications to e-books, from TV to social media, from the internet to mobile apps—working in the areas of writing, publishing, recording and broadcasting, screen-writing, media literacy, religious education, adult faith formation and spiritual development. They operate 14 Pauline Book and Media Centers throughout the US and English-speaking Canada."

During their visit to Blessed Sacrament Parish, their Director of Vocations, Sister Margaret Michael Gillis, will share some reflections on vocations. Sister Maria Elizabeth Borobia will speak about vocations with our Hispanic community.

In this video, Sister Margaret Michael shares some thoughts on listening to God's call.

Happy 25th Anniversary Father Cregan!

     Our pastor, Father John Cregan, celebrated his 25 anniversary of ordination to the priesthood on May 9, 2012.  The Blessed Sacrament Parish community held a cookout on Sunday, May 12 to congratulate and thank him for his many years of priestly service. 

     The Catholic Herald newspaper included the following article on Father Cregan in its May 9 issue:

Father John C. Cregan was born Nov. 13, 1939, in the Bronx, New York. An altar boy since the third grade, he attended St. Margaret of Cortona School, and the nearby Fordham Preparatory School and Fordham University.

While at Fordham, Father Cregan enrolled in the U.S. Marine Corps Platoon Leader Class program and, as a result, served in the U.S. Marine Corps for more than 20 years. He spent tours in North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Cuba, Japan and Vietnam. It was in Vietnam, while lying in a foxhole, looking at the stars and fingering pieces of a broken rosary, that Father Cregan began to realize he was being called to the priesthood.

 In the early 1980s, Father Cregan began taking classes at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. He was ordained by Arlington Bishop John R. Keating May 9, 1987.

He served at St. Patrick Parish, Chancellorsville, 1987-91; Church of the Nativity, Burke, 1991-93; and St. Elizabeth Parish, Colonial Beach, 1993-96. In 1996, he was named pastor of Blessed Sacrament in Alexandria, where he remains today.

First Communions, Vocations Sunday and May Crowning

It has been a busy spring at Blessed Sacrament, with First Communion Masses, a visit by the Daughters of Saint Paul on World Day of Prayer for Vocations Sunday and our annual May Crowning.

Father John Cregan, Pastor, prays with parish children before their First Communion on Saturday, April 28.

Daughter of Saint Paul Sister Margaret Michael talks with boys looking at books at the parish display on April 29, World Day of Prayer for Vocations Sunday.

Families talk with Daugher of Saint Paul Sister Sophie at the parish book display.

Father Anthony Killian prays with children at the annual May Crowning on May 5 with students in the parish religious education program.

Words of Wisdom on God's Call to the Monastic Life

The following letter written by Abbot Robert Barnes came to the attention of Adoramus Te and we wanted to share it. Holy Cross Abbey is a Cistercian (Trappist) monastery east of the town of Berryville, Virginia, north of Route 7. The monks have a retreat house which many people visit to make a week long retreat.  In his letter, Abbot Barnes highlights the pressing need for men to hear God’s call to the monastic life.
Click here to read Abbot Robert Barnes' letter.