Liturgical Calendar

THIRTY-FIRST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

WEEK OF OCTOBER 27, 2024
  • Friday, 11/01 - All Saints [Solemnity]
  • Saturday, 11/02 - The Commemoration of All the Faitful Departed (All Souls' Day)
  • Sunday, 11/03 - Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
  • Monday, 11/04 - Saint Charles Borromeo
  • Tuesday, 11/05 - Weekday
  • Wednesday, 11/06 - Weekday
  • Thursday, 11/07 - Weekday
  • Friday, 11/08 - Weekday

Potomac Highlands Parishes

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

545 Walnut Street
Franklin, WV 26807

304-358-7012

Liturgy Schedule

Celebrant: Father Arul

  • Sunday, 11/03 - 12:00PM Mass
  • First Tuesday of the Month - 11:00AM Mass

**Reconciliation available before/after Mass

St. Mary

4 Grant Street
Petersburg, WV 26847

304-257-1057

Liturgy Schedule

Celebrant: Father Arul

  • Sunday, 11/03 - 10:00AM Mass
  • Wednesday, 11/06 - 12:00PM Mass
  • Thursday, 11/07 - 12:00PM Mass
  • Friday, 11/08 - 12:00PM Mass

**Reconciliation available before/after Mass

Epiphany of the Lord

2029 State Road 55
Moorefield, WV 26836

304-434-2547

Liturgy Schedule

Celebrant: Father Escalante

  • Saturday (Summer) - 5:00PM Mass (English)
  • Sunday, 11/03 - 8:00AM Mass (English); 12:00PM Mass (Spanish)
  • Tuesday, 11/05 - 12:00PM Mass (English)
  • Wednesday, 11/06 - 12:00PM Mass (English)
  • Thursday, 11/07 - 12:00PM Mass (English)
  • Friday, 11/08 - 6PM Hispanic Ministry Program

**Reconciliation available before/after Mass


ALL SAINTS and ALL SOULS

Solemnity of All Saints (Fri., Nov. 1 - Holy Day of Obligation)

Mass (12PM) - St.Mary (Petersburg)

Mass (5PM) - Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (Franklin)

Mass (bi-lingual) (6PM) - Epiphany (Moorefield)


The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed [All Souls] (Sat., Nov. 2)

Blessing of Graves

10:30AM - Olivet Cemetery
12:00PM - Kessel Catholic Cemetery
4:00PM - Maple Hill Cemetery
5:30PM - South Potomac Private Cemetery

Welcome Visitors!

Welcome to the Potomac Highlands area Catholic community! Our parish families are small but our faith is strong. We warmly invite you to join us for Mass or Eucharistic service should you find yourself in the vicinity of Franklin, Petersburg, or Moorefield, West Virginia.


Reflection on Sunday's Gospel

Gospel_image

Mark 12:28b-34

As we continue to read from Mark’s Gospel, our Lectionary skips a chapter that helps set the context for today’s reading. If we were to read the sections skipped (chapter 11 and part of chapter 12), we would hear about Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, his cleansing of the Temple, and the questioning of Jesus’ authority by the chief priests, scribes, and elders. The context, therefore, for this Gospel is Jesus’ growing exposure before the Jewish authorities. Jesus is being questioned and tested by the Jewish authorities, yet the scribe who addresses Jesus in today’s Gospel seems to be an admirer; he is not testing Jesus.

The question posed in today’s Gospel requires Jesus to interpret the Law of Moses. The Mosaic Law consists of the Ten Commandments and many additional commandments, numbering into the hundreds. For a devout Jew, adherence to the Mosaic Law is an expression of faithfulness to God’s covenant with Israel. The ranking of these commandments was regularly debated among the teachers of the Law.

Jesus was not the only Jewish religious teacher to connect these two commandments, love of God and love of neighbor. Both of these commandments were central elements of the religious tradition that Jesus learned from his Jewish community. Indeed, these commandments continue to be central aspects of contemporary Jewish religious understanding. Jesus’ response to his questioners proposed an integral connection between these two aspects of the Jewish Law. Love of God finds its expression in our love for our neighbor. Many believe, however, that this connection was heard in a new and fresh way when spoken by Jesus.

The scribe who questions Jesus in today’s Gospel engages in a positive dialogue with Jesus. He agrees with Jesus’ teaching that the commandments to love God and love neighbor stand above the commandment to offer worship and sacrifice in the Temple. With this dialogue, Jesus appears to close the debate with the Jewish authorities. Mark reports that no one dared to question Jesus further.

(Courtesy of Loyola Press Sunday Connection)


Parish Staff

Pastor (Residing at St. Mary, Petersburg): Father Arul Anthony

Parochial Vicar (Residing at Epiphany, Moorefield): Father Jose Manuel Escalante

Priest in attendance (Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton): Father Mario Claro


Support Our Parishes

CSA Donation

To continue offering financial support to any of our three parishes, simply click on the image above. After being re-directed to the diocesan Catholic Sharing Appeal page, scroll to the donation form and enter your gift amount, personal information, and parish name.


Spiritual Resources

Below are some spiritual resources as outlined by the DWC. Resources like these - and many others - are invaluable tools for the faithful to remain connected to the sacramental Church and the universal Body of Christ.


Faith in WV

The Catholic Spirit

Dept of Catholic Schools