Category: News & Events

Congratulations! As I announced at Masses, I have great news. The parish has paid off our combined loan of approximately $7,100,000. This loan was taken out for the building of this church building and for the renovation of the old church into the Parish Activities Center (PAC). The approximate costs were (rounded to thousands).

This marks a significant moment for our parish. I am grateful to all who have sacrificed so generously so that we could have these facilities in which to worship God, learn our faith, and work together in charity.

Thanks to Fr. Bob Cilinski, former pastor, who undertook both the building of the church and the renovation of the PAC, to our parish Finance Council, to those who managed and participated in our Capital Campaigns, to all who redeemed their pledges, to the Car Raffle team and all who support the Car Raffle, to those who have supported our monthly Building Fund offertory collections, to our collection count teams, and most of all, to our parishioners, both living and deceased, who through many years, supported these efforts with prayer, time, talent, and treasure.

May God bless you abundantly!

In Christ,

Fr. Lee Roos, Pastor

CYO registration is open for 2024 Boys and Girls Cross Country.  Please register before the September 6th deadline.  

• Boys and Girls in 3rd-8th grade are eligible to participate. 
• Practices will be on Wednesdays 5-6 PM at the Pennington Track and on Saturdays 8:00-9:30 AM at the Manassas Battlefield beginning August 3rd. You can still register after practices begin through September 6. 
• Meets will take place on September 28, October 12, and October 26. 
• Cost is $20 per participant. 
• If you have any questions, please email Ruth Kelly, Commissioner for Cross Country and Track & Field, at ruthkelly509@gmail.com, and Hank Konstanty, Assistant Commissioner for Cross Country and Track & Field, at hkonstanty@gmail.com.

CYO Sports Registration Link:  https://reg.sportspilot.com/106526/leagues 
Cross Country registration will be open through September 6, 2024. 

CYO Basketball – Save the Date
Save the date for CYO Boys and Girls 3rd-8th Grade Basketball. Registration for the 2024-2025 CYO Basketball season will be open from September 15-October 15. We are still seeking head and assistant coaches for some grades. If you are interested in coaching, please email Laurie Short, Assistant Basketball Commissioner, at glshort1@comcast.net. You must be certified for Diocesan child protection (including VIRTUS™) before working with participants. If you are not, we can help you get the process started. 

If you have a general question, you can email jcyosports@allsaintsva.org or to connect directly with Chi Young, CYO Sports Director and Basketball Commissioner, you can email chiyoungallsaintscyo@gmail.com.

The mission of the Arlington Diocesan Junior Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) is to organize sports programs through its member parishes for youth to reinforce Catholic values taught in parish schools and religious education programs. In addition to encouraging healthy physical activity, CYO sports are designed to foster cooperation, respect, sportsmanship, responsibility, leadership, competitiveness, fairness, and courtesy.

The mission of the Arlington Diocesan Youth & Young Adult Ministry Junior Catholic Youth Organization (JCYO) is to organize sports programs through its member parishes for youth to reinforce Catholic values taught in parish schools and religious education programs. In addition to encouraging healthy physical activity, JCYO sports are designed to foster cooperation, respect, sportsmanship, responsibility, leadership, competitiveness, fairness and courtesy.

To support our volunteer coaches and to provide better hospitality and security on game days next year, our Executive Team proposed and Fr. Lee approved a new position that will be paid. Part-time position of Porter available for the 2024- 2025 CYO season. The All Saints JCYO Porter will set up and close down the gym before and after basketball and volleyball games. The porter will also manage the door to the gym, assist visitors, and keep the facilities stocked. Plan to start Dec. 7 with nine (9) basketball weekends (both Saturday and Sunday). Volleyball schedule to be determined. Must be at least 18 years old. Pay $15 per hour. Email Rob Tessier, Director of Youth Ministry (rtessier@allsaintsva.org) for more information and to apply.

If you have a general question, you can email jcyosports@allsaintsva.org or connect directly with Chi Young, CYO Sports Director (chiyoungallsaintscyo@gmail.com).

Bethany Food Pantry (Despensa de Comida Betania)

Happy 10th anniversary to the Bethany Food Pantry on October 4, 2023. To the many volunteers over the years and to our coordinator, Marie Klatt, along with our generous parishioners who drop off food in the church bins, thank you for your kind assistance to the needy. We also wish to thank Vickie Taylor, our previous coordinator.

All Saints’ Bethany Food Pantry, located in the Parish Activities Center, is open for distribution on Tuesdays from 5:00 – 8:00 PM and Fridays from 9:00 – 11:30 AM. Donations can be brought to Mass and placed in the bins in the narthex (gathering space) of the church.

If you are interested in volunteering in support of this vital ministry, please email Marie Klatt at mklatt@allsaintsva.org.

RCIA Journeying to Jesus

Sponsors for those who are becoming Catholic. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) (or children) is the process for bringing adults and young people into the Catholic Church. Each individual in the program needs a sponsor. As a representative of the faith community, the sponsor is a companion on the journey to full initiation.

Sponsors offer advice and encouragement and grow together with the person they sponsor as they share their faith together. There are many adults and young people who do not have someone in their lives to make that commitment.

If you are interested or willing to share your faith experience with someone who wishes to join the Church, please contact the Religious Education office (571-516-3154). Samantha Welsh, Director of Religious Education, will be happy to speak with you about the program.

Inspired by Gospel values, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization, helps women and men grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are suffering and in need.

• At All Saints, 30 volunteers help more than 750 families and individuals annually.
• Calls for assistance in Manassas and Manassas Park are growing. Please prayerfully ponder if you can devote a few hours each month to answering Christ’s call to go out into the world and help those in need.
• We especially need bilingual parishioners.

If you would like to learn more about the work of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, please call our service line at 571-516-3200 and leave your name and number.

We are excited to announce the formation of Hearts Afire Special Needs Social Group! This group will be meeting monthly at All Saints from 7:00–8:30 pm and is open to our friends with special needs ages 16-29.

Our first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 1, 7:00–8:30 PM, in the Parish Activities Center. If you would like to attend this fun-filled evening and meet some new friends, RSVP to heartsafiresocialgroup@gmail.com.

We need volunteers! We are looking for assistant leaders to help run the meetings and Buddies to partner with our special needs friends. If you are interested in helping out, or know someone would be, please email heartsafiresocialgroup@gmail.com.

This week we again hear of the parables of Jesus: weeds among the wheat, a mustard seed, and yeast that makes the dough rise. Parables are a special type of story that are meant to make one point. Parables teach by way of paradox and give us a new insight into life. A parable is a story that draws images and metaphors (using one point of comparison) from the common life of the people.

There is usually an unexpected turn of events in a parable. At the moment of surprise, we are invited to enter into the insight of the parable. Many of the parables of Jesus are drawn from an agrarian society. Modern parables might draw on themes of transportation (e.g., The kingdom of God is like driving on I-66 when another driver lets you merge into the lane …) or commerce (The kingdom of God is like a person who cuts in line in front of everyone else waiting in line to enter Costco or Walmart ….). Think of the parable of the workers paid the same amount at the end of the day, even though they worked various hours. This wisdom teaching of a parable often has a message that we do not want to hear at first and may surprise or even shock us.

Parables allow us to pass through the gate of our own little world into solidarity with the whole human family. The shift is from “the community for me” to “me for the community.”

The parable of the weeds among the wheat is one that may not come to mind at first when we think about parables. However, it leads us to consider our own ways of thinking. For example, the common approach is to pull up all the weeds at once. When we find people doing things wrong, we may want to have them punished severely and immediately. God’s approach is to allow for repentance and conversion. By a patient approach, one is illustrating that we place trust in God, who will ultimately triumph.

The parable recognizes that in taking the freedom away from the person sinning (signified by the weeds) we may also be taking away the freedom for the person who responds justly (signified by the wheat.). Then there would be no response at all to God’s word sown among us! The mystery of God’s kingdom is offered to us. Ponder an aspect of that mystery that you find puzzling or difficult to accept.

Father Lee Roos

Did you know that All Saints has a subscription to a wonderful resource for adult faith formation called Formed.org. New programs, movies, audio talks, and e-books are available to stream at your convenience through All Saints’ subscription to Formed.org.

Our parish access code is 16e125. Use this to set up your login credentials and check out everything available in this resource.