1
President’s Message
Are you a Martha or a Mary? Here are
some thoughts on how special each one of us to
God.
God created each of us unique, with differ-
ent personalities, gifts and talents. Each of our
situations is unique, and our relationship with
God is unique. Our friendship with God is very
personal. Christ loved both Martha and Mary,
and they both loved Him. But each one’s
friendship with Him was unique, personal, inti-
mate and customized.
Their personalities were different and so
was their friendship with Christ. I personally
am more of a Martha. She was practical, or-
ganized, paid attention to details and other’s
needs. She brought Mary to our Lord when He
came to them after Lazarus had died, and as a
result, others followed Mary to Christ.
Mary, on the other hand, was more con-
templative, intense, and emotional. She had her
heart set on the one thing that mattered, Christ.
The others followed her out to meet Christ. But
it was Martha who ran to meet Him first and
brought Mary to Christ. It was the combination
of both their personalities that led the other to
witness Christ raising Lazarus.
Our relationship with Christ is personal.
Often we try to be like others instead of being
true to what God has given us. We try to model
our relationship with Christ after someone
else’s instead of being the unique creature God
has created us to be. Let us thank God for cre-
ating each of as unique Martha’s, Mary’s or
some combination of them and rest in the
knowledge that Christ loves us all and wants
each of us to have our own personal relation-
ship with Him.
I thank God for creating all of you
uniquely lovely ladies with your different per-
sonalities, gifts, and talents.
Marie
A Blessed New Year to All!
Inside this issue:
History of the Ladies of Hope 2
Parish Outreach 2
Stay in Touch 2
Spiritual Life Opportunities 3
Ladies of Hope Calendar 4
Our Lady of Hope Parish Women’s Group, Potomac Falls, Virginia
Ladies of Hope
LOH Board:
President:
Marie Kennedy
Vice President:
Marsha Slick
Treasurer:
Pat Garman
Secretary:
Christine Payne
Ex Officio:
Donna Bongiovanni
Viv Castaneda
Angelina Crew
Trish Daquano
Cheryl Forbes
Sherry Grasson
Peggy Kearney
Barbara Principe
Nicole Sutter
Contact the Board at
olohladiesof-
JANUARY 2014 VOL. 1 NO. 3
Links of interest:
Our Lady of Hope Parish: http://ourladyofhope.net/
Arlington Diocesan Council of Catholic Women:
http://home.catholicweb.com/ADCCW/
Pie fundraiser a success!
The results are in—our Thanks-giving Pie Fundraiser was another successful event for the LOH! We sold 170 pies of which 105 were donated to local charitable organizations including House of Mercy in Manassas, Missionaries of Charity in DC, Christ House in Alexandria, and Catholic Charities in Leesburg. The LOH earned more than $800 from this fund-raiser, and the money will be used for our many charitable causes. This number of donated pies is due largely to the efforts of Lily Santiago who secured a generous donation from Robert O’Braitis on behalf of the O’Braitis Family Foundation. Our sincere appre-ciation goes to Lily and all the members who helped make this fundraiser a “delicious” success. It could not have “tasted so good” without the efforts of all the volunteers who gave their time to sell and deliver pies, to count money, and to oversee the personal pie pickup. Thank you!
Our
Lady of
Hope,
pray
for us!
Just a thought… If you worry, you didn’t pray.
If you pray, don’t worry. -Anonymous
2
If you know of a member who has not received a copy of our newsletter, please send a note to the LOH at [email protected] Please put “Add a name” in the subject line. Also, the LOH Board and ac-tivities’ chairs will be using an online program to contact you when we need volunteers and/or donations for projects. It is called SignUpGenius. This will
Faith is to believe
what you do not see;
the reward of this faith is
to see what you believe.
-St. Augustine
save time m a k i n g phone calls and make it easier for you to re-spond to requests. Best of all, SignUpGenius will remind you with an email when you volun-teer. Thank you, in advance, for your generous gift of time, treasure, and talent!
History of the Ladies of Hope
Stay in Touch
ers to the parish and the
neighborhood. We hope to pro-
vide rides to church or doctor
appointments for those who can-
not drive and visits with home-
bound parishioners. We hope to
provide meals to those families
who are welcoming our tiniest
parishioners home, facing unex-
pected emergencies such as hos-
pital stays, difficult recoveries, or
dealing with bereavement. If you
know of a parishioner who could
use assistance, is new to our
church, or if you would like par-
ticipate in any aspect of this re-
warding ministry, please contact
Tess Torres at (571) 278-5736
Parish Service Partnership
Our Lady of Hope Parish Service
Partnership seeks to assist parish-
ioners by providing services, lend-
ing a helping hand or a listening
ear, and encouraging participation
in ministries and activities. Ser-
vices we hope to provide include
warmly welcoming our newcom-
By Mary Meli
Editor’s note: While enjoying breakfast at the Corner Bakery after First Friday Mass in December, Cheryl Forbes, Mary Meli, and
Christine Payne chatted about many things including how the Ladies of Hope began. Mary, a founding parishioner at OLOH,
offered to write a history of our group for this newsletter. The following is her first installment.
My first memories of Our Lady of Hope Church started with a presentation at Christ the Redeemer Church
in Sterling by Father William Saunders. During this mass he announced that he was chosen by Bishop
Loverde to pastor a new parish, Our Lady of Hope. I decided to join the new parish and attended the first
mass which was held on August 6, 2000 at Potomac Falls High School.
According to Cheryl Forbes, Father Saunders assigned her the role of the first president of the Women's
Group of our Lady of Hope Catholic Church shortly after the parish was established in 2000. The Women's
Group was one of the first parish organizations sponsored by Father Saunders with the invitation, seen in the
box on the left, to all the ladies of the parish. Father Saunders was very welcoming to the new parishioners.
On November 29, 2000, Our Lady of Hope Women’s Group held their first board meeting at the Cascades
Senior Center. This inaugural board consisted of Cheryl Forbes, President, Michelle Bogart, Vice President,
and Dorothy Germain, Treasurer. They were charged with forming by-laws and planning committee activi-
ties to present to members at the first membership meeting on December 6, 2000.
I have fond memories of these first meetings; the programs were always started with a prayer, and then
announcements were made concerning the group's activities. One of our initial activities was to host the first
Lenten Soup Supper in March, 2001, at the Community Lutheran Church. As Father Saunders lead the group
in the blessing of the food, it became a wonderful success, with parishioners and their families in attendance.
Maybe it was just the timing of the new church and Father Saunders; whatever the reason, the spirit of the
new parish was strong!
Next month: The Ladies of Hope and the new church
VOL. 1 NO. 3 LADIES OF HOPE
““All women of the
parish are invited to
join the Women's
Group, which provides
opportunities for
spiritual growth and
social interaction.”
-2002 excerpt from Fr.
Saunders’ initial
invitation to OLOH
parishioners to form the
Ladies of Hope
Words of Wisdom
3
Pictured at left are American Heritage Girls, Girl Scouts, and Ladies of Hope who participated in the January 11 Birthright Mom’s Project. At least 75 bags of per-sonal care items were assembled for mothers-to-be and new moms for Birthright in Lees-burg.
Opportunities to Enrich Your Spiritual Life
Birthright of Leesburg, Virginia
Recently, the Ladies of Hope sponsored a Birthright Mom’s Project. On Saturday, January 11, American Heritage Girls,
Girl Scouts, and LOH met in the parish hall and assembled 75 gift bags for mothers-to-be and new moms. These bags were
filled with donated items from OLOH parishioners. It was a wonderful morning of performing a corporal work of mercy, and
the LOH thanks all who participated!
Would you like to donate more time to Birthright? If so, here is information from their website: “Birthright welcomes vol-
unteers of any age, race, gender, or religion who believe firmly in the Birthright philosophy and have a sincere desire to help
pregnant women. If you feel you could be a Birthright volunteer, please call 1-800-550-4900 or e-mail us at
[email protected] . Training for new Birthright volunteers starts with a full understanding of the philosophy of Birthright as
outlined in its Charter and Policy Directives. New volunteers typically start by partnering with an experienced volunteer who
is able to answer questions and explain the office operations. Volunteers are able to grow into their role in Birthright at their
own pace and develop their knowledge and skills on an ongoing basis through continuous role-modeling with Birthright peers,
reading and discussion, and the annual Birthright International conventions.” In fact, five of our LOH—Marsha Slick, Pat
Garman, Cheryl Forbes, Donna Bongiovanni, and Mary Lynn Linzmeyer—are regular Birthright volunteers. If you
would like more information about volunteering, contact Marsha at 703-433-0034 or at [email protected] .
Arlington Diocesan Council of Catholic Women
Mark your calendars for the annual Diocesan Women’s Conference on March 15, 2014, at St.
Joseph’s in Herndon. Fran Black, one of our LOH, will be reserving several tables so we can sit
together. The title of this year’s event is “Angels and Demons: Who They Are and How They
Influence Us”. Featured speakers include Dr. Peter Kreeft and Mary Ann Hayes, MSW. The
day will begin with Confessions from 7-9 AM. Check-in and Continental Breakfast are from
7:45-9:00. Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Loverde at 9:15 followed by the main program
until 2:15. The cost is $40 on or before February 14 and rises to $50 after that date. Go to
wwww.arlingtondiocese.org/women to register. Contact Fran at [email protected] to let her
know that you are going. Don’t delay! This conference always sells out!
VOL. 1 NO. 3 LADIES OF HOPE
“In the theologically
grounded tradition,
the priesthood passes
through man. The
woman has another
function in
Christianity,
reflected in the
figure of Mary. It is
the figure that
embraces society, the
figure that contains
it, the mother of the
community.”
-Pope Francis from
the book On Heaven
and Earth: Pope
Francis on Faith,
Family, and the
Church in the Twenty-
First Century
Catholic Apps for Your Phone
Remember Hugh Downs’ tagline as he ended his nightly news show? “We’re in touch, so you
be in touch.” Why not stay in touch with your Catholic Faith each day with these free apps:
The Pope App—You’ll get live, up-to-date information about Pope Francis with this app.
Laudate—This connects you to daily Mass readings, Bible, Vatican documents, and more!
Divine Mercy—Here you’ll find devotions of St. Faustina from the Marian Fathers.
4
February:
Sunday, February 2—LOH Donut Sunday
Friday, February 7—First Friday Breakfast. We meet at the Corner Bakery in Cascades after 8:30 Mass.
Sunday, February 16—Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast
Tuesday, February 25—LOH meeting 7:30 PM
March:
Sunday, March 2—LOH Donut Sunday
Tuesday, March 4—Shrove Tuesday pancake dinner. Knights of Columbus and LOH will co-sponsor this event.
Wednesday, March 5—Ash Wednesday
Friday, March 7—First Friday Breakfast. We meet at the Corner Bakery in Cascades after 8:30 Mass.
Saturday, March 8—LOH Lenten Retreat (morning) and Knights of Columbus St. Patrick’s Day Party (evening)
Wednesday, March 19—St. Joseph’s Day celebration in the Parish Hall following Vespers in the Church.
Friday, March 28—Fish Fry. Knights of Columbus and LOH will co-sponsor this event.
April:
Friday, April 4—First Friday Breakfast. We meet at the Corner Bakery in Cascades after 8:30 Mass.
Sunday, April 6—Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast
Friday, April 11—Fish Fry—LOH and Knights of Columbus
Sunday, April 20—Easter
Tuesday, April 29—LOH meeting featuring a speaker from Catholic Radio 7:30 PM
May:
Friday, May 2—First Friday Breakfast. We meet at the Corner Bakery in Cascades after 8:30 Mass.
Sunday, May 5—Donut Sunday
Saturday, May 10—First Communion
Saturday, May 17—Marian Tea
Wednesday, May 28—LOH Business Meeting 7:30 PM
June:
Friday, June 6—First Friday Breakfast. We meet at the Corner Bakery in Cascades after 8:30 Mass.
Sunday, June 8—Parish Picnic—Knights of Columbus and LOH
Ladies of Hope End of Year Dinner—Details will be in a future newsletter.
Ladies of Hope Calendar 2014
VOL. 1 NO. 3
Ladies of Hope celebrating the success of our annual Thanksgiving Pie fundraiser in November, 2013