Category: News and Events

Catholic Herald Subscriptions

Posted on by Elizabeth Wright

SJN is automatically billed for Arlington Catholic Herald subscriptions for 80% of our parishioners. Help us manage these subscriptions. Please let us know whether you want to begin a subscription to the Arlington Catholic Herald or end an existing subscription. Thank you!

Arlington Diocese Catholic Herald Subscription

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
BEGIN/STOP Subscription
Address

ESOL Student Registration

Posted on by diocesan-reston

Student Information and Registration for Fall 2024 Classes

Student Registration and Placement Testing

The St. John Neumann English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program will be registering and testing for placement of new students for Fall 2024 classes on Sunday, July 14 and Sunday, July 21 after the 2 p.m. Mass. 
Both new and returning students need to complete the registration form on this page. New students will test to determine their appropriate level of English learning (Testing requires less than 30 minutes) and pay the $20 registration fee at placement testing.

Registration Fee

The $20 Registration Fee covers the Fall 2024 semester and Winter/Spring 2025 semester of the academic year as well as the textbook/workbook. Current online students continuing with online classes do not need to pay the fee. New students must pay the Registration Fee no later than August 31, 2024, in order to receive textbooks at the first class.

Class Details

All new English classes will be taught in-person at St. John Neumann on Thursday mornings and evenings beginning September 19, 2024. Current online students can continue their online classes with their current teachers or switch to an appropriate-level, in-person class. 
Student orientation will be on the first day of classes. Teacher availability will determine final class times, and students will be notified.

To Register Now

Please download the fillable PDF Student Registration Form, complete, save a copy to your device, and email as an attachment to esl.stjohnneumann@gmail.com.
Fall-2024-ESOL-Student-Registration-Spanish-Fillable-FormDownload

ESOL Teacher Registration

Posted on by diocesan-reston
The English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Program at St. John Neumann is looking for additional volunteer teachers for the Spring Semester of 2025. Currently, the program has 15 teachers working with 30 students, both online, using the ZOOM program, and in-person in classes held at St. John Neumann. Since Fall 2022, our new classes have all been in-person classes on Thursday mornings and evenings. 

Requirements

Teaching English to speakers of other languages requires only a true interest in helping students learn English and patience since English is a difficult language to learn. Being fluent or knowledgeable in the native language of the students (mostly, but not exclusively, Spanish) is helpful, but not required. 

Textbooks and Curriculum

We are using the Oxford University Press’ Step Forward textbooks and workbooks for these classes, so there is a curriculum to follow for each one of the five levels of English proficiency. Each teacher is provided with a hard copy of the textbook and workbook for their teaching level, a digital copy of the textbook, and access to the online Teacher Resource Center (provided by OUP for each teaching level) that provides additional teaching resources and a method for measuring student progress throughout the year. We have a teacher orientation meeting in September, prior to the start of the Fall Semester.

Classes 

We have reserved classrooms for English classes on Thursday mornings (10 a.m. – 11 a.m.) and Thursday evenings (7 p.m. – 8 p.m.). Volunteer teachers should indicate their preference and availability to teach during one (or both) of these two periods each Thursday. Class size varies each semester, but generally, the Level 1 classes attract the largest number of students. If there are more than five students in a class, we try to assign two teachers (subject to availability) to that class to teach as a team. Historically, our courses have the highest student attendance early in the semester. Our students are busy, working adults, and most have families and the many obligations and uncertainties that go along with both. Consequently, we lose some students over a semester or full academic year. Nonetheless, many students are able to persevere and continue to learn English throughout the full academic year, and this is the opportunity that we strive to present to each student.   
If you are interested in serving others as an ESOL program teacher, please complete the below registration. Any additional questions can be directed to esl.stjohnneumann@gmail.com.

To Register Now

Please download the fillable PDF Student Registration Form, complete, save a copy to your device, and email as an attachment to esl.stjohnneumann@gmail.com.
Fall-2024-Teacher-Registration-Fillable-FormDownload

Pastoral Plan 2021-2024: Outreach

Posted on by diocesan-reston

OUTREACH OBJECTIVES

Responding to the call to be a people of mercy and justice through compassionate service, we commit to incorporating Catholic Social Teaching as a living part of our faith and service, bringing the Gospel to bear on the issues of the day and to the challenges of our community through:
  1. Integrating Catholic Social Teaching (CST) into the Sunday Liturgy
  2. Linking the community to opportunities that will put CST into action
  3. Offering educational opportunities on how to advocate on issues that call us to be disciples
Lead Agents: Jo-Ann Duggan, Director of Outreach, and the St. John Neumann Social Justice Committee

PASTORAL OBJECTIVES

2021-2022

  1. Integrate CST into the Liturgy through homilies and Prayers of the Faithful
  2. Offer service opportunities that contain an education component on CST to help parishioners better understand the connection between what they are doing and why
  3. Highlight advocacy issues (bulletin, website, after-mass presence) that align with CST and offer opportunities for parishioners to participate

2022-2023

  1. Continue CST integration into Sunday Liturgy – Prayers of the Faithful and homilies that connect CST with the Sunday readings
  2. Continue prayer services that focus on racial justice and other issues related to CST
  3. Offer interfaith service activities and connect it to CST

2023-2024

  1. Write series of bulletin articles on the seven themes of CST and connect each with service opportunities
  2. Offer Lenten Soup Supper series that will focus on CST, and why we are called to love God and love and serve our neighbor

Pastoral Plan 2021-2024: Community

Posted on by diocesan-reston

COMMUNITY OBJECTIVES

Living up to our faith and our Parish motto “All Are Welcome,” we seek to create a more inclusive community where all feel welcome through:
  • Providing services and programs to our cultural communities
  • Enhancing initiatives to welcome new parishioners, including inactive Catholics
  • Offering community-building opportunities for families
  • Promoting racial justice through education, advocacy, and ecumenical engagement
Lead Agents: Jo-Ann Duggan, Director of Outreach; Fr. Joe Brennan, OSFS, and the St. John Neumann Pastoral Council.

PASTORAL OBJECTIVES

2021-2022  

  1. Establish a “Cultural Exchange” Committee composed of parishioners from diverse cultures
  2. Offer “micro-volunteering” opportunities for families, young adults, and those who may be “too busy” for longer-term commitment
  3. Continue to offer Racial Justice Ministry programs, as well as the JustFaith modules that focus on issues of racial justice

2022-2023

  1. Offer programs, events, and celebrations that bring together our Anglo members and our Hispanic and other parishioners from diverse cultures, including events that are family-friendly (These can be planned by the newly-established “Cultural Exchange” Committee.)
  2. Enhance our Racial Justice programs by collaborating not only with more diverse Catholic parishes but also other diverse faith communities
  3. Continue direct outreach to new parishioners during their first year of members at St. John Neumann

2023-2024

  1. Continue to offer events/programs that create opportunities for our parishioners of diverse backgrounds to come together and share their stories
  2. Engage with inactive Catholics to identify additional ways to welcome them back into the community

Pastoral Plan 2021-2024: Formation

Posted on by diocesan-reston

FORMATION OBJECTIVES

St. John Neumann aims to foster and empower each person’s call to disciple Christ through effective faith formation and spirituality. Preparing our parishioners for mission requires a variety of educational and faith formation programs for all ages, including:
  • Children’s faith formation
  • Youth ministry
  • Young adult ministry
  • Adult faith formation
  • Spiritual formation, missions, and retreats
Strategic Direction: St. John Neumann will foster lifelong engagement and formation that flows reciprocally through all stages of life.
Lead Agent: Jean Lupinacci, Director of Faith Formation

PASTORAL OBJECTIVES

2021-2022 

  1.  Welcome and reintegrate to faith formation and the worship space
  2. Connect baptismal families with the larger communities by inviting them to group gatherings with other young households and providing them with age-appropriate material that supports them as the primary teachers of the faith
  3. Support the Spanish-speaking ARISE program and support the growth of small faith groups

2022-2023  

  1. Emphasize lived faith in-practice/action in all aspects of faith formation
  2. Work to connect Salesian spirituality to all aspects of our lived expression of faith
  3. Reconnect families to liturgical experiences

2023-2024  

  1. Build a relationship between the youth and the parish elders to encourage mutual understanding and accompaniment on the journey of faith
  2. Create opportunities for middle-aged adults to build community within the parish experience
  3. Connect Salesian spirituality to our liturgical and sacramental education

 

 

  1.  

 

Pastoral Plan 2021-2024: Worship

Posted on by diocesan-reston

WORSHIP OBJECTIVES

The heart of parish life is the celebration of the Eucharist, from which flows all our worship, sacraments, and prayer. St. John Neumann encourages the full, active, and conscious participation of all parishioners in the sacramental life of the Church. This includes:
  • Prayerful Sunday liturgy
  • Worship experiences celebrating the liturgical seasons
  • Sacramental preparation, including the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
  • Invitation and formation for liturgical ministers
Strategic Direction: St. John Neumann will engage all parishioners to fully participate in worship.
Lead Agents: Tricia Russman, CJ Capen, and the St. John Neumann Parish Liturgy Committee

PASTORAL OBJECTIVES

2021-2022

  1. Continue to expand the livestream production and utilize it to extend our reach to those who cannot attend in person
  2. Catechize on the importance of the gathered community and the graces that can be had in the Eucharist as parishioners continue to transition back to in-person worship
  3. Increase a cross-generation of liturgical ministers through intentional one-on-one invitations

2022-2023

  1. Revitalize Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) & Family Mass to be more family directed and intentional toward that target audience
  2. Provide Time & Talents surveys and workshops to help parishioners discern where their gifts would best be served, to include engaging those that have recently received a sacrament
  3. Continue catechesis on the “whys” to the liturgy and ritual elements to enrich personal growth

2023-2024

  1. Suggest practical applications from weekend liturgies to help worshipers best see how they can be agents of the Gospel during the week.
  2. Create more worship opportunities where the English and Spanish-speaking parishioners can gather as one body.
  3. Invite greater discussion about vocations and expand the opportunities for devotional practices.