Category: News and Events

 Friday, May 6 at 7:00pm

St. John Neumann Parish – 11900 Lawyers Road, Reston, VA 20191

Concert to be followed by a dessert reception

Freewill offerings will be donated in honor of Fr. Tom Murphy to the
Lustgarten Foundation, benefiting pancreatic cancer research.

For more information, contact Mickie Abatemarco
703-390-2340 or mabatemarco@saintjn.org

 

Saturday, May 7
Learning to Walk in the Rain

On Saturday, May 7, from 9:00am to 1:00pm, Tom Kendzia and ValLimar Jansen will offer a morning retreat in our de Sales’ Chapel, “Learning to Walk in the Rain.” The hosts will help us learn how to thrive in difficult times. The registration fee is $20. If you are interested in attending, please register with Mickie Abatemarco, our Director of Faith Formation, at mabatemarco@saintjn.org or 703-390-2340.

 

 

Law enforcement authorities have advised the Diocese of Arlington that Douglas Johnson is facing six criminal charges related to unlawfully videotaping a female minor in Chesapeake, Va.  Mr. Johnson has voluntarily turned himself in to police.

Johnson served as the Youth Minister at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Reston from 2005 – 2018. As a condition of employment, he underwent a criminal background check and completed VIRTUS safe-environment training on the prevention and reporting of abuse. Johnson also underwent recurring background checks every five years, consistent with diocesan policy, to continue serving with minors. Prior to his employment, he volunteered at both St. John Neumann and St. Thomas à Becket Catholic Church in Reston.

No known complaints or allegations have been made against Johnson related to his time as an employee and volunteer at St. John Neumann and a volunteer at St. Thomas à Becket. If you are aware of misconduct or abuse on the part of any cleric, employee, or volunteer of the Diocese, immediately notify civil authorities and reach out to the diocesan Office of Child Protection and Victim Assistance at (703) 841-2530.

The Diocese of Arlington has a zero-tolerance policy for abuse and is fully committed to training our clergy, staff and volunteers to identify and report suspected instances of abuse. All clergy, staff and volunteers undergo mandatory abuse prevention and awareness training, and safe environment training is also provided to students in the Diocese’s schools, religious education and youth programs. Anyone who works with minors must also undergo background checks every five years. The diocesan Office of Child Protection and Victim Assistance works with parish staff to ensure training and prevention policies are followed throughout our parishes and schools. No one with a credible allegation against them is serving with minors in the Diocese.

The Pro-Life Ministry will be distributing baby bottles on the weekend of 2-3 October to raise funds for A Woman’s Choice (AWC), of Herndon and Falls Church, which counsels and assists pregnant women in need and provides pre- and post-natal care. The bottles of coins, bills, and checks should be returned to SJN on the weekend of 16-17 October. A Woman’s Choice has served our community for many years and the COVID pandemic has greatly disrupted its traditional sources of funds, such as Christmas greens sales. Please be as generous as your means will allow.

To learn more about A Woman’s Choice, click here.

In March, we asked you to share your opinions about St. John Neumann’s to help us develop objectives that reflect our community as we construct our 2021-2024 Pastoral Plan. We received over 700 responses to the survey, and here are the results from the multiple-choice answers we received. We sincerely thank all who took the time to fill out the survey! Your help has been indispensable to the formulation of our new Pastoral Plan.

Two of our ministries are seek volunteers to help them fulfill their mission to the parish. Thank you for your prayerful consideration of joining these ministries in their service to our community.

Meals Ministry Needs Volunteers
The St. John Neumann Meal Ministry is looking for folks who can help
provide meals for parish families at times of crisis or when in need. This Ministry makes a critical difference to families following a hospital stay or illness. Please prayerfully consider joining the Meals Ministry to make a difference in the lives of others. To learn more about the Ministry, contact Diane F. Trentacoste at 703-868-1380 or dftbiz@gmail.com, or click here.

SJN Dishwashing Ministry Needs Volunteers
The Care for our Common Home Ministry would like to grow the list of volunteers who are on call to help wash dishware at SJN events. When
a person or group schedules an event with food at SJN, we will notify the dishwashing list. Typically, a group of five, including a trained leader, can complete the task in about 1 1/2 hours using the industrial dishwasher in the kitchen. You would only respond to the sign-up request if the time and date
are convenient for you. Please email us at saintjn.cc@gmail.com if you would like to add your name to our list of potential dishwashers. Everything tastes better on china, and reducing plastic and paper waste at the parish is a great way to care for our common home.

If you have come by the church lately, you’ve noticed our beautiful new parking lot surfaces. Here are a few pictures of the work that went into the project. Thanks to all our parishioners for showing such patience and understanding throughout the project.

Help Cornerstones Help Our Youngest Neighbors Prepare for Success

With your support, over 2000 local students will be able to return to classes with a new backpack for the 2022-2023 school year during Cornerstones’ 2022 Back-to-School Drive.  Please help us make a big impact on so many young lives!

We will be collecting the following backpacks for students:

Elementary School: 15″ H x 8″ W

Middle School: 17″ H x 9″ W

High School: 19″ H x 9.5″ W (Our greatest need!)

Cornerstones will be accepting donations of backpacks on the following schedule:

DATES: Monday, August 8 through Friday, August 12

TIMES: 9:00 AM to 4:45 PM

LOCATION: Cornerstones, 11150 Sunset Hills Road, Suite 210, Reston, VA 20190

Please, make sure the backpacks do not have wheels and/or corporate logos.

You may also order your backpacks online to be delivered directly to us using this link to our Amazon wish list. Once you have ordered backpacks, to receive a donation form for taxes, and to help us track your donation, please go to our online donation page (choose “Assistance Services and Pantry Program” in the “Designation” field). You will receive an email copy of our donation form for your taxes.  Thank you!

 

English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes

The parish will continue to offer English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, with a new session beginning in September. Registration will be after Masses on the weekends of 22 and 29 August.  Students will be placed in classes according to their skill level. If you have questions about the program contact John Dister at jmdister@gmail.com.

• • Most classes will be over Zoom and in small groups.
  • We will match student schedules to teacher availability.
  • There is a $20 fee for supplies and books. Books will be ordered after registration and will be handed out in early September.

Clases de inglés como segunda lengua (ESL)

La parroquia seguirá ofreciendo clases de inglés como segunda lengua (ESL), con una nueva sesión que comenzará en septiembre. La inscripción será después de las misas de los fines de semana del 22 y 29 de agosto.  Los estudiantes serán colocados en clases de acuerdo a su nivel de habilidad.

• • La mayoría de las clases serán a través de Zoom y en pequeños grupos.
  • Los horarios de los estudiantes se ajustarán a la disponibilidad de los profesores.
  • Hay una cuota de 20 dólares para materiales y libros. Los libros se pedirán después de la inscripción y se entregarán a principios de septiembre.

   

   

   

   

From Monday, July 12 to Friday, July 16, St. John Neumann’s Faith Formation Department hosted the first-ever “Branching Out Week” for our middle-school faith formation students. The week was a combination of day-camp and work-camp. Students had a lot of fun, performed many service projects for the parish, and got more in touch with their Catholic faith. Highlights of the week included picking over 400 pounds of potatoes to benefit local shelters and food pantries, and visiting the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland. On Friday, July 16, the students enjoyed a cook
-out lunch, whipped up by Father Joe Brennan, Pastor, and Nelson Alvarez our Head of Facilities—both talented grill masters! To learn more about Branching Out Week, contact Angela Davis in our Faith Formation Office at adavis@saintjn.org.

If you ever catch yourself wondering what’s going on around the parish, here are some ways you can satisfy that curiosity:

1. Visit our “Weekly Bulletin” page at the top of www.saintjn.org or subscribe to our bulletin e-mail service here.

 

2. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, published on the first Saturday of each month. To subscribe, visit https://www.saintjn.org and scroll to the bottom of the page, the subscription form is on the right side.

 

3. Follow us on Social Media, Facebook and Instagram at St. John Neumann Catholic Community, and on Twitter
   at RestonSt, we update these frequently throughout the week.

 

4. Don’t forget about our Narthex Screen, right above the Parish Welcome Desk, on your left as you enter the building. The screen
   highlights all of our upcoming events.

 

We have the news! We hope you are getting it!