Welcome

Father Donahue wanted the entire parish to see request, sent by the Bishop, that was received by all priest in the Diocese, including himself.

Dear Brother Priests,

As you are aware, October is traditionally observed by the Church as the month of the Holy Rosary. Our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV made a special appeal to all the faithful, inviting us to pray the Rosary daily throughout the month of October for the cause of peace in our world.

I ask you to join me in supporting the Holy Father’s request by encouraging your parishioners to take up the Rosary each day, whether individually, as families, or in parish communities. The Rosary is one of the most powerful devotions entrusted to us by Our Lady, and in these turbulent times, it remains a sure path to peace, conversion, and deeper love of Christ.

Our diocesan Office of Communications will be sharing the Holy Father’s invitation across diocesan platforms and social media to amplify this message. Please also consider highlighting this important invitation in your parish bulletins, websites, and announcements so that the faithful may be strengthened in their prayer.

Be assured of my continued prayers for your priestly ministry.

Fraternally in Christ,
Bishop Burbidge

St. Philip Celebrates the Month of the Holy Rosary



In November 2022, Bishop Burbidge presented 23 strategic initiatives to the People of God in the Diocese of Arlington. Among those 23 initiatives was one exploring the interest of a Catholic-based Vocational Program in the diocese. Recently, the diocese completed a first survey, and in that survey over 92% of respondents enthusiastically supported such a program. 

This overwhelming response prompts the effort to advance to the next step: to survey for preferences on the model (or kind) of school and the location of that school. This is a momentous idea, and I respectfully ask each of you take the survey out of personal interest or for the good of the diocese. The survey is available in English and Spanish.

The survey will be available from Oct 23 – November 23

Join us in prayer at the abortion clinic at 900 S. Washington in Falls Church on Tuesday mornings after the 8 am Mass. Fr. Briggs will lead us most Tuesdays.

In addition, there is a pro-life rosary after the 7 pm Mass in the church on Mondays.

Whether you pray onsite, at church or at home, please join us in praying for an end to the injustice of abortion.

The Diocese of Arlington invites you to take part in a powerful witness of our faith from November 8 - 16 for the first Diocesan Week of Service, a time dedicated to putting Love in Action through Service in Community. 

St. Philip Parish will participate by hosting a week-long food drive to benefit our Food Pantry, and by caring for our common home with a tree rescue project on Saturday, November 8.

We invite all parishioners to bring much-needed items: oil, peanut butter, cereal, jelly, canned vegetables, canned meats, canned soup, and drinks (juice, coffee, tea, etc.)

Election 2025: An Evening with the VCC

October 29 - 7:45 p.m. Hayden Hall

Jeff Caruso, Executive Director of the Virginia Catholic Conference will discuss what is at stake in this upcoming election regarding extreme abortion amendment to the Virginia constitution.

This year in Virginia, elections for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and all 100 Virginia House of Delegates seats are coming.

While every year in Virginia is an election year, this November’s elections are poised to have an outsized impact on our Commonwealth as our state legislators continue to consider three proposed constitutional amendments, including an extreme constitutional amendment establishing a “right” to abortion.

As you prepare yourself to vote, please review this document on the Four Principle of Catholic Social Teaching that provide a framework for decisions in public life.

• Four Principles of Catholic Social Teaching printout ( English | Spanish )

Constitutional Amendment Proposals Flyer ( English | Spanish )

Candidate Comparison Charts for:

• the Governor’s Race ( English | Spanish )
• the Lt. Governor’s Race ( English | Spanish )
• the Attorney General’s Race ( English | Spanish )

Dear Friends in Christ,

We are almost through the month of October, and next week we will be celebrating the feasts of All Saints and All Souls. As we conclude Respect Life Month, we are soon finishing our discussion of the Four Principles of Catholic Social Teaching. This week we are discussing the principle of subsidiarity, a principle that perhaps we are not aware of, but which is vitally important in our daily lives. 

First, we must understand what the principle of subsidiarity is, and what makes it set apart from other social principles that we have discussed over the past number of weeks. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we learn that subsidiarity is the principle in society in which, “a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to co-ordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good” (CCC #1883). From this definition, we see that subsidiarity is the principle that protects lower communities from the collective power of a higher community, thereby preserving the liberty of a lower community.

What does this mean in a real-life situation? Here in the United States, we have good example of this principle when we look at the relationship between the Federal Government and the State Governments. There are a number of duties that the Federal Government takes care of that are not the responsibility of the States, such as the creation and support of the military and international diplomacy. However, there are a number of duties that the individual States possess that the Federal Government does not, such as the regulation of the State penitentiary system or hunting laws that help protect the wildlife in the State. The principle of subsidiarity helps to distinguish the powers given to the Federal and State governments respectively. 

We also clearly see the principle of subsidiarity in the relationship between the government and the family. There are many good things that the government can do for the family, but there are a number of duties that are fulfilled by the family that cannot be fulfilled by the government. For example, a family can be a source of love and affection for an individual, but the government cannot be a source of love. The family can bring new life into the world through the begetting and raising of children, but the government cannot make its own children. 

In addition, our Catholic faith teaches us that parents are the primary educators of child, not the government. The government should help assist parents to educate their children but should not end up replacing the roles of the parents. The principle of subsidiarity helps us to see something as important as education should be nurtured at a localized level of society, i.e. the family, and not simply regulated by a higher power, i.e. the government.   

So why is the principle of subsidiarity so important in our daily lives? This principle helps us to avoid the danger of collectivism, in which our duties and our rights are absorbed by a higher level of government. When this happens, we lose our ability to use our free will correctly, and the state becomes the arbitrator of our rights and responsibilities. This is not good because we know that our responsibilities and rights come from God alone, and we have the duty to seek the common good in a way that preserves our free will to seek the good. 

May Christ’s Peace be with you,

Fr. Donahue