Arlington Catholic Herald

A 77-year-old Virginia native made diocesan history by becoming the first consecrated hermit in the Diocese of Arlington Feb. 21. Catholic Herald multimedia designer Ashleigh Kassock recounts Fr. Clarence M. Trinkle's day of consecration. Also in this episode, Catholic Herald reporter Zoey Maraist shares how two brothers, one of whom is autistic created a farm from a shipping container. 

Our Catholic College section highlights how Catholic University held a Hackathon to address the problem of homelessness. We've discovered a subculture of alumni from Franciscan University in Steubenville; and construction has started on the new Paul VI Catholic High School in Loudoun County.

Guests arriving at the Night to Shine Feb. 9 were greeted by a cheering crowd lining a red carpet. As they came inside the hall at All Saints Church in Manassas, each was given a white rose boutonniere or corsage. Young men had their shoes shined while ladies had their makeup and hair touched up by volunteers. Limousines offered guests a spin around the parking lot. And that was all before the dan...

A youth center for at-risk kids in Manassas that is being forced to find a new home. Staff and volunteers tutor kids after school, keep them busy with activities and off the street. But the center that rents them space is going in a different direction and the Youth Apostles-led program is searching for a new home. A parish in Arlington is putting music behind their Stations of the Cross to transf...

Love is in the air this week with our annual Wedding Section. If you're planning a wedding, or you're a newlywed, or maybe just a romantic at heart, you'll love this issue. We have tips on designing the perfect wedding photo album, either a do-it-yourself or through a pro. Read how parish wedding coordinators help couples get through the big day without a hitch. We asked couples married in the Arl...

When Teddy Schwab talks about the accident, he doesn't mention pain or fear, or the weeks it took him to learn how to walk and talk and write again. The cheerful sixth-grader talks about the other children who were in the hospital with him, the ones who lived, and the souls he and his family still pray for. He talks about the basketball championship game he watched with his family as he slowly reg...

It was a banner week for the pro-life movement and we've got all the coverage in this week's issue. The Life is VERY Good rally Jan. 18 drew 7,300 people to EagleBank arena. Teens from throughout the country and just down the road gathered for an evening of music and prayer. The Christian pop-punk band, Hawk Nelson, pumped up the crowd with their hits, including their new single, "Miracles."

The big news is that St. Mary Church in Alexandria has been named a basilica. Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge made the announcement at the end of Mass Jan. 14. The reaction among the parishioners was one of surprise and delight with smiles and spontaneous applause.

If you were at last weekend's annual seminarian basketball game, you might have taken a doubletake while watching the referees. Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge was one of three referees for the annual game that pits diocesan seminarians against young men discerning a vocation to the priesthood. In a customary black-and-white-striped shirt, armed with a whistle, the bishop held his own among fell...

Find out about the life of Dominican Sister John Eudes who inspired the character of Mary Clancy in the 1966 movie "the Trouble with Angels" staring Hayley Mills as Clancy. Sister Eudes served as Librarian at Christendom College in Triangle and as a pastoral minister at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Triangle. She died Dec 22 at the age of 95. All are invited to watch Bishop Michael Burbidge don...

New traditions, old keepsakes, memories of smiling faces and hopes for years to come all rest on the still-moist branches of our tree.

The new dome at the Shrine in DC; a Lego priest; and preparing for Encuentro by Arlington Catholic Herald

Check out this devotional monument in an Alexandria backyard by Arlington Catholic Herald

Alcoholism affects nearly 16 million people in the United States, and each year, 88,000 people die from alcohol-use disorders, making it the third leading preventable death in this country. These 2015 stats, the latest available from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, illustrate how widespread the problem of alcohol addiction is. But this week, we put a human face on what many...

We lost a good friend and beloved pastor this week with the death of Fr. Gerry Creedon, pastor of Holy Family Church in Dale City. He died Nov. 16 from complications following heart surgery. He was 73. Originally from County Cork, Ireland, the fourth of 14 children was ordained a priest for the Richmond Diocese in 1968. He served in parishes in Alexandria, McLean and Arlington before being assigne...

See what request the pope made that turned into an annual global day of awareness; and other headlines from this week's Catholic Herald.

I found myself seated at one of two long dining tables set with Limoges china, silver knife rests, crystal glassware and candlesticks that looked like something out of the Disney movie "Beauty and the Beast." The setting was a dinner in the formal dining room of Chateau de Laprée, the home of Edouard-François and Sarah de Lencquesaing, that dates back several centuries, and has been inhabited by t...

We've got a story on a rural parish in the hills of Central Virginia that's opening a cemetery. St. Isidore the Farmer Church in Orange has sold 84 plots in the first section of the new cemetery. With capacity for about 700 plots in four sections, each spot can hold a casket or cremation urns. Currently, two gray headstones can be seen in the tree-lined field next to the church. Soon, construction...

Mohammad, his wife, Tari, and their three children had a good life in Afghanistan. Since 2002, Mohammad worked for the U.S. Army there, but felt he needed to move his away from the threat of kidnapping and suicide bombings. So in July, the five of them left their family, friends and homeland to move to Virginia. A month later, the couple learned they were pregnant. Tari suffers from extreme nausea...

Catholics sought solace after the Las Vegas shootings at the noon Mass at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington.

Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge is in Rome to visit the Pontifical North American College, one of the seminaries the diocese uses. Sept. 25, the bishop was able to concelebrate Mass with Pope Francis in the chapel of the pope's residence. A retreat for the seriously ill was held in White Post at San Damiano Spiritual Life Center. The retreat had been held at Dominican Retreat house in McLean for...

A closer look at some of the stories in our latest issue. Arlington Bishop Michael F. Burbidge prayed for First Responders during the 14th annual Blue Mass he celebrated at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More Sept. 16. Francis Giaccio, 11, an altar server at St. James Church in Falls Church, mowed the lawn of the Rose Garden Sept. 15, maintaining his concentration even as cameras flashed and the pres...

A look at a few of the latest headlines around the Arlington Diocese.

Bishop Burbidge established two new missions. Learn where they are and who they will serve. Plus, a roundup of more Catholic headlines. Narrated by: Ann M. Augherton

Father Keith D. Cummings was named chaplain of Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School in Dumfries, and Father Stephen J. Schultz became chaplain of Paul VI Catholic High School in Alexandria June 28. Listen to how they got their jobs as chaplains, learn what they'd like to accomplish and find out about their own high school experiences — including what they were voted "most likely" to do a...