Restless Heart: The Confessions of St. Augustine

October 28 (Reston, Virginia): As Catholics celebrate the start of the Year of Faith as decreed by Pope Benedict XVI, the release of the movie, Restless Heart: The Confessions of St. Augustine, will hearten the faithful: God awaits us all, saint and sinner alike. Recently released nationwide, the film is being shown at Reston’s Bow Tie Cinema in Reston Town Center. On October 28, the 2 p.m. showing of Restless Heart (PG-13) is being sponsored by St. Veronica Catholic Church with discounted tickets available at the parish office.

Portraying the life of one of Christianity’s most beloved Saints, the Restless Heart traces how St. Augustine of Hippo struggled through life searching for eternal truths. Set in the era when the Roman Empire began its descent, about 400 A.D., the film portrays the life of St. Augustine of Hippo from his days as a reckless and dissolute youth who became a gifted orator. Born in Algeria in 354 A.D., Augustine was raised as a Christian but soon succumbed to the lure of a profligate life style. He eventually converted to Manicheaism, a philosophy of moral dualism, St. Augustine entered his middle years continued in his immoral ways while bathed in riches and power. Throughout these years, his mother, St. Monica, prayed continually for his true conversion to Christianity.

St. Augustine’s life changed forever when he was called to serve at court in Milan, with the specific goal of opposing the then Bishop Ambrose. Rather than confronting the Bishop, St. Augustine became his follower, and taking to heart his philosophical and religious discourses, converted eventually to Christianity. Finally fully familiar with Christian doctrines, St. Augustine set out to serve Jesus Christ with total conviction, eventually becoming the Bishop of Hippo in 430 A.D.

The Holy Father himself has described St. Augustine as a man impassioned with finding truth. "St. Augustine was a man driven by a tireless desire to find the truth, to find out what life is, to know how to live, to know man. And precisely because of his passion for the human being, he necessarily sought God, because it is only in the light of God that the greatness of the human being and the beauty of the adventure of being human can fully appear."

To purchase tickets for the special showing, contact St. Veronica, 703-773-2000. Tickets cost $10 each, and may be picked up at the parish office, 3460 Centreville Rd., Chantilly every weekday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or from 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the church vestibule every evening until the 28th. Tickets are also available after the 5 p.m. Mass on the 27th and the morning of the 28th. Hurry: these will sell out quickly.

St. Augustine School - A Shining Example of A Catholic Elementary School

Recently, a reader thanked me for posting a blurb on Fr. Smith of St. Augustine.  In addition, he sent me a link to a short video, recently released, on St. Augustine. 

All of us, in the Archdiocese of Washington, are proud of our Catholic Schools and St. Augustine is a shining example of this.

Click on the link below and enjoy. 

May St. Augustine School and Church celebrate another 100 years of existance.

St. Augustine School

The Sunday Washington comPost

I have finally gotten around to the Sunday paper and this is what I found from Archbishop Wuerl...

Today, Christians worldwide celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Lent is over; Good Friday has passed. To a church that has experienced the deep pain of clergy sexual abuse, these days are a reminder that from pain and sorrow eventually come hope, redemption and new life.

This new life will come only by confronting sexual abuse head-on, taking responsibility for the wrongs of the past and committing to doing all that we can never to allow the tragedy of abuse to happen again. In the United States, we bishops have put in place tough standards for reporting allegations to civil authorities because we recognize that abuse is not only a sin but also a serious crime. In the Archdiocese of Washington and in dioceses nationwide, we mandate child protection training for adults and education for children. Seminarians, clergy, volunteers and employees who work with children must undergo criminal background checks. Independent advisory boards of lay experts guide our work, and, perhaps most important, we continue to reach out to those harmed to help them heal from their pain.

In 2008-09, 6 million children in the United States received lessons on recognizing inappropriate behavior and what to do if someone tries to harm them or makes them feel uncomfortable. Two million adults underwent background checks. Here in Washington, we have had a written child protection policy for nearly 25 years.

This commitment to safety has been done with the support and leadership of Pope Benedict XVI.

Personally, I would have like to have seen this earlier and more forceful in his defense of the Holy Father. To read more, go here

And, we have a story that was discussed in the Catholic Standard a few weeks ago...but they just can't seem to get it right about the Body of Christ - it is not a "wafer"

In the past few years, St. Augustine's began holding weekly instead of monthly Masses and adding prayers to other parts of the daily routine. Statues of the Virgin Mary--who is particularly central to Catholicism--were placed in each room. And three years ago, St. Augustine's, called "the mother church" for Washington's black Catholics, brought in three African nuns in traditional habits to lead the school, teach and infuse the building with a Catholic spirit.

The outcome is clear among this gaggle of children who are making spiritual decisions and commitments unfamiliar to many adults. They articulate spiritual longings not typically associated with people whose feet barely reach the floor when they sit in the pews.

To read more, go here.

Congratulations to Fr. Patrick Smith

Last week's Catholic Standard has a wonderful article on St. Augustine Parish in Washington DC.

The article states that there are 21 students preparing to be baptized. WOW! Congratulations to Fr. Smith. Also congratulations must be given to the three Handmaid of the Holy Child Jesus sisters. (And they wear habits, so much for not being able to relate to them.)

Note what the article stated about the sisters: discipline, strong morals and a missionary spirit in tow. FANTASTIC!

In addition, Fr. Smith states something about Catholic schools, which I have been stating for a while: Catholic schools are clearly an extension of the mission of the Church.

And to think, this school was on the list to close a couple of years ago by the Archdiocese.

Happy Birthday St. Augustine, Happy Birthday to You!!

St. Augustine Catholic Church, the city's oldest African American parish, marked their 150th anniversary on Sunday. Read it here in the WaPo.

Congratulations!

And many more...