Liturgical Calendar

TWENTY-EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

WEEK OF OCTOBER 13, 2024
  • Friday, 10/11 - Saint John XXIII
  • Saturday, 10/12 - Weekday
  • Sunday, 10/13 - Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
  • Monday, 10/14 - Saint Callistus I
  • Tuesday, 10/15 - Saint Teresa of Jesus
  • Wednesday, 10/16 - Saint Hedwig; Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
  • Thursday, 10/17 - Saint Ignatius of Antioch
  • Friday, 10/18 - Saint Luke

Potomac Highlands Parishes

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

545 Walnut Street
Franklin, WV 26807

304-358-7012

Liturgy Schedule

Celebrant: Father Arul

  • Sunday, 10/13 - 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, 10/13 - 10:00AM Mass
  • Wednesday, 10/16 - 12:00PM Mass
  • Thursday, 10/17 - 12:00PM Mass
  • Friday, 10/18 - 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, 10/13 - 8:00AM Mass (English); 12:00PM Mass (Spanish)
  • Tuesday, 10/15 - 12:00PM Mass (English)
  • Wednesday, 10/16 - 12:00PM Mass (English)
  • Thursday, 10/17 - 12:00PM Mass (English)
  • Friday, 10/18 - 6PM Hispanic Ministry Program

**Reconciliation available before/after Mass


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 10:17-30

Today we continue reading the Gospel of Mark from where we left off last Sunday. Last Sunday our Gospel told how Jesus was tested by the Pharisees about the requirements for divorce. Recall that these chapters come from the second part of Mark’s Gospel, which chronicles the beginning of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem.

In today’s Gospel, an unnamed man approaches Jesus and inquires about what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus replies that one must follow the commandments of the Law of Moses. The man acknowledges that he has observed all of these since his childhood. Jesus then says that only one thing is lacking: he must give his possessions to the poor and follow Jesus. The man leaves in sadness, and Mark tells us that this is because he had many possessions.

The belief in resurrection and eternal life was a relatively recent development in Jewish thought at Jesus’ time, and it wasn’t shared by everyone. The Pharisees taught that there would be a resurrection from the dead; the Sadducees did not share this belief. Jesus taught that there would be a final judgment for everyone and eternal life (the Kingdom of God) for believers.

Jesus makes two requirements of the wealthy man who approaches him. First, he must give up his possessions. Throughout history, some Christians have taken this literally. Their example witnesses to us a radical commitment to the Gospel of Jesus. Some have read this as a particular requirement directed to this specific individual. Still others have sought to explain the meaning intended by the word possessions as those things that prevent one from following Jesus. Christians have generally understood that at the least, following Jesus requires that believers hold material possessions loosely and remain vigilant against seeking security in accumulating possessions.

The second requirement Jesus makes of this man is the invitation that Jesus extends to all would-be disciples: “follow me.” Jesus very much wants this man to be his disciple. We believe that the Christian faith is one in which each believer is in a personal relationship with Jesus. Just as this Gospel tells us that Jesus loves the man and is sad when he departs, so too, Jesus loves us and is saddened when we are unable to follow him.

We see in this Gospel reading another example of Mark’s pattern, which shows Jesus offering further elaboration about his message and meaning to his disciples. To his disciples, Jesus laments the challenges faced by those who are rich in following him and entering the Kingdom of God. In reply to the disciples’ astonishment at the strictness of the standard that Jesus speaks about today, Jesus reminds his disciples that nothing is impossible with God. Salvation is determined by our ability to rely completely upon God.

Peter replies to Jesus by boasting that the disciples have already given up everything. Jesus acknowledges that those who have given up everything for the sake of the Gospel will be rewarded. This reward begins now, in the new community that one will gain in this life, and will continue in the eternal age to come. Our personal relationship with Jesus is also an invitation to the community of faith, the Church.

(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