Lessons & Carols

December 2019: Lessons & Carols

/in , /by

Lessons and Carols
For The Father McKenna Center

Please join us for an Evening of Prayer & Song
Wednesday, December 18, 7 pm

St. Aloysius Church, 900 North Capitol Street, NW
Admission Free

The Father McKenna proudly presents its 2nd annual Lessons & Carols, which brings together, in worship and celebration, the men of McKenna who struggle with homelessness, that staff who work on their behalf, and the community who supports them.

A century ago the newly appointed dean of King’s Chapel (Cambridge, England) developed a creative way for residents from Cambridge University and its local city to celebrate Christmas beyond the standard liturgy of the Church of England.  By weaving scripture with song and drawing upon a variety of participants, this service helped a country heal from the devastation of World War I, and through annual BBC broadcasts, inspire a tradition that many communities have adapted for their own Advent and Christmas celebrations.

With the support of the Jesuit Community of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, The Father McKenna Center brings together members of Jesuit and Ignatian ministries in the greater Washington, DC area, including: Gonzaga College High School, Holy Trinity Parish (Georgetown), Ignatian Volunteer Corps, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Georgetown Jesuit Community, Georgetown Preparatory School, Georgetown University and The Father McKenna Center, along with Holy Redeemer Parish (Washington DC), Catholic University of America and Mount St. Mary’s Seminary.

September 2019: McKenna Walk

/in , /by

3rd Annual “Walk for McKenna”

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Most days during his nearly 30-year ministry at St. Aloysius Parish, Fr. Horace McKenna, SJ would walk through the neighborhood meeting and greeting his flock. He was often asked for advice and for help (financial and otherwise), and he always tried to meet his supplicants’ needs, whether for food, rent money, transportation funds or other real needs.

“You can’t talk to a person about his or her soul if that person has no food.”

The Father McKenna Center today follows in Fr. McKenna’s footsteps, serving people who are poor and marginalized, offering tangible assistance while seeking to treat those who rely on us with dignity and respect.

On Saturday, September 14 supporters of The Father McKenna Center will literally follow in his footsteps, walking the same streets that Fr. McKenna patrolled while helping his flock. The Walk for McKenna is a 5K (3.25 mile) walk through the neighborhood, helping raise funds for the Center and raising awareness of the need among our brothers and sisters who live in our community.

Sponsoring the Walk

We are looking for companies and individual sponsors of the Walk. For more information about sponsoring, please click one of the following links:

• Download a paper form.
• Fill out the form online.

Location: Begin on the Eye Street Esplanade at Gonzaga College HS
Registration: $30.00 per participant
http://weblink.donorperfect.com/3rdAnnualWalk
What you receive: Commemorative t-shirt; continental breakfast after the Walk;
The great feeling of supporting The Father McKenna Center
Parking is available in the Gonzaga parking structure (enter from 1st & I St NW)

Check-in opens at 8:00 am
The Walk will step off at 8:45 am
Continental Breakfast 9:30 to 10:15 am

February 2019: Jigs & Reels

/in , /by
Read more

December 2018: Inaugural Lessons & Carols

/in , /by

 

Lessons and Carols

On the evening of December 20th, 2018 the great church of St. Aloysius rang with the sounds and songs of Lessons & Carols.   This service of nine readings and nine carols is a tradition that began in England in 1918 to celebrate Christmas.  Last Thursday the celebration was led by a choir of men from the Day Program at The Father McKenna Center who are struggling with or have conquered homelessness.  The McKenna Center Singers have been practicing for 10 weeks, under the direction of Rev. Phil Ganir, SJ.   They were joined by The Least of These Gospel Choir from Holy Redeemer Church.

Over one hundred people enjoyed the prayerful service, and most of them plan to attend next year.  The greatest measure of success, however, is the pride that The McKenna Center Singers felt.  “I never knew that I could sing in front of people like that,” said Eric S.  “It was great to be part of the group.”

 

 

 

 

Music included traditional carols such as “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” and “Once in Royal David’s City,” as well as the traditional spiritual “Yield Not to Temptation” and the more recent “I Will Get There.”  The Least of These Gospel Choir shared a particularly powerful rendition of “Mary Did You Know?”

 

 

After the service, Conductor Rev. Phil Ganir, SJ from the St. Aloysius Gonzaga Jesuit Community said, “My deepest consolation was seeing how the McKenna men made this century-old prayer service their own.  Hearing them sing their faith made my Christmas extra special.”

We thank all of our readers:

Mr. Mark Emery, Gonzaga College High School

Mrs. Cathy Fox, Gonzaga Mothers Club

Rev. Mr. Willis Daniels, Deacon, Holy Redeemer Parish

Ms. Analise Brower, Washington Jesuit Academy

Rev. Ron Anton, SJ, Georgetown Jesuit Community

Sr. Lisa Buscher, RSCJ, Contemplative Leaders in Action

Mrs. Tania Chomiak-Salvi, Holy Trinity Parish

Mr. Patrick Gaul, Georgetown Preparatory School – class of 2020

Mr. Gerry Nolan, The Father McKenna Center Board of Directors

 

Please join us on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 for the Second Annual Lessons & Carols!

Lost Boys

June 2018: Journey to Restoration

/in , /by
On Thursday, June 28, 2018 the Father McKenna Center hosted the play Journey to Restoration: The Father McKenna Center Way at 7:00 pm in The Father McKenna Center.

“The stories were so moving. I have a new appreciation of the challenges that men who are homeless face, and the important work that The Father McKenna Center does to guide and support these men along their journey to restoring their lives,” commented Lauren Malone after the staging of “Journey to Restoration: The Father McKenna Center Way.”

 

 

On June 28, 2018 Cortez McDaniel, the Director of Services at the Center, and four men from the program told their stories of reclaiming their lives through the intervention of the Father McKenna Center. Calvin Guy, Danny Dotson, Andrew Gavins and Brian Graham each told how he had made poor choices and ended up homeless, and that they were not sure how he could reclaim their life. Each recounted that the Father McKenna Center, and the companionship of Cortez, and others on the Father McKenna Center team, had made all the difference in their lives.  Heartfelt songs and spirituals sung by the cast reinforced their stories.

The June performance was a reprise of the play, “Lost Boys,” that was staged in 2017. This about seventy people were in attendance, and they were all amazed at the stories and the power of the retelling those stories. Kim Cox, the President of the Center, during her introduction said, “The process has been illustrative of the lives of the men we serve. Several members of the cast dropped out over the last month, and the current cast only coalesced two weeks ago! But I can tell you that the experience of telling their stories has been cathartic for each of these men.”

The Center plans to shorten the production to a 20-minute presentation that could be staged for a parish or other groups to illustrate the struggles of those who are temporarily homeless and to demonstrate the impact of The Father McKenna Center on those who choose to make changes in their lives.  Please contact Kim Cox if you would like to schedule a performance.

 

Lost Boys

June | Journey to Restoration

/in /by
On Thursday, June 28, 2018 the Father McKenna Center hosted the play Journey to Restoration: The Father McKenna Center Way at 7:00 pm in The Father McKenna Center.

“The stories were so moving. I have a new appreciation of the challenges that men who are homeless face, and the important work that The Father McKenna Center does to guide and support these men along their journey to restoring their lives,” commented Lauren Malone after the staging of “Journey to Restoration: The Father McKenna Center Way.”

On June 28, 2018 Cortez McDaniel, the Director of Services at the Center, and four men from the program told their stories of reclaiming their lives through the intervention of the Father McKenna Center. Calvin Guy, Danny Dotson, Andrew Gavins and Brian Graham each told how he had made poor choices and ended up homeless, and that they were not sure how he could reclaim their life. Each recounted that the Father McKenna Center, and the companionship of Cortez, and others on the Father McKenna Center team, had made all the difference in their lives.  Heartfelt songs and spirituals sung by the cast reinforced their stories.

The June performance was a reprise of the play, “Lost Boys,” that was staged in 2017. This about seventy people were in attendance, and they were all amazed at the stories and the power of the retelling those stories. Kim Cox, the President of the Center, during her introduction said, “The process has been illustrative of the lives of the men we serve. Several members of the cast dropped out over the last month, and the current cast only coalesced two weeks ago! But I can tell you that the experience of telling their stories has been cathartic for each of these men.”

The Center plans to shorten the production to a 20-minute presentation that could be staged for a parish or other groups to illustrate the struggles of those who are temporarily homeless and to demonstrate the impact of The Father McKenna Center on those who choose to make changes in their lives.  Please contact Kim Cox if you would like to schedule a performance.

 

Jigs & Reels

February | Jigs & Reels

/in /by

Jigs & Reels – February 25, 2018

Jigs & ReelsThe 11th Annual Jigs & Reels was held on Sunday, February 25, 2018. The Father McKenna Center, in collaboration with Mitch Fanning and the Bog Band, hosted the event in Gonzaga College High School’s Sheehy Theater.

The event featured the Bog Band, a group of secondary students, who study traditional Irish music under the tutelage of Mitch Fanning. Along side the Bog Band were two groups of Irish dancers, from the Sean Culkin School of Dance and the Shannon Dunne Dancers.

Jigs & ReelsEach year the event is open to all, with a request for a free will offering to support the work of The Father McKenna Center. The Center hosted a light refreshment intermission in the Upper Commons at Gonzaga.

The musicians were joined by All-Ireland championship fiddler Brian Conway and Lilt – a special treat for the audience, the dancers and the members of The Bog Band!