Notices

Fasting & Abstinence [Ash Wednesday, and Fridays during Lent]:

Fasting means eating only one full meal with two smaller meals, which together do not equal the full meal. No snacks or eating between meals allowed. Fasting obliges all Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59. Abstinence means eating no meat, and no soup or gravy made from meat. Abstinence obliges all Catholic over the age of 14. Sickness, hard manual labor, pregnancy, etc. automatically excuse a person from these obligations. Nevertheless, it should be pointed out that these are serious obligations. In cases of doubt or question, the priest who hears a person’s confession should be consulted.

Bad Weather/Church Closings — If it’s slippery and dangerous, or if there’s an abundance of snow, USE COMMON SENSE. Don’t try to come to Mass. If the Fairfax County Schools system cancels school due to weather, there will be neither confessions nor the 8:30 a.m. Mass. If schools are delayed, there will be no confessions, but there will be 8:30 a.m. Mass. Elderly and disabled persons are encouraged to stay at home, or to attend the 12 noon Mass on those days. Fairfax County Schools, for congruous purposes, is simply an efficient means to follow. If the U.S. Government shuts down because of bad weather, we’ll do our best to maintain the Noon schedule because snow removal work should be well underway by that time – but there are no guarantees. 

For the safety of those shoveling and plowing the snow, gates will be closed and the entrances will be blocked by cones. (Please do not drive around the cones.)

You can receive email notices — from Fairfax County Schools by signing up via this link: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/VAEDUFCPS/subscriber/new (or use the internet search engine: “Fairfax County Schools closings”). U.S. Government closings because of the weather, of course, are pretty big deals and news is easily accessible from television reports.

Parking/towing notice: Any overnight parking at St. Michael’s MUST be -re-approved. Any car on the lot not here for church activities has the possibility of being towed. If your car has been towed, call Blair Towing, 703-241-1500 (112 West Jefferson Street, Falls Church, VA 22046).