Important Mass/devotion schedule information for August
Father Joseph Mary will be visiting his native Uganda during the month of August. This will result in several significant schedule changes.
- There is no change to the Saturday Vigil and Sunday schedules with the exception of Latin Masses and all weekend Masses on August 11 and 12.
- Road closures due to the anniversary of the Aug. 12, 2017, rallies will result in making it very difficult to access our church. Therefore, Holy Comforter will be closed beginning at 6 pm on Friday, Aug. 10. Masses for that weekend will be offered at 5 pm on Saturday, Aug. 11, and Sunday, Aug. 12, at 10 am at Charlottesville Catholic School. Confession will be available upon request. Please contact the office if you need access to the sacrament. The church will re-open at its usual time on Monday, Aug. 13. Please pray for peace and reconciliation in our Charlottesville community.
- Information about Masses at St. Thomas Aquinas and Church of the Incarnation, especially for that weekend, can be found at their respective websites.
- The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Holyday of Obligation. Masses will be, as usual, at 7 pm on August 14 and at 12 pm and 7 pm on August 15.
- Latin Masses at Holy Comforter are suspended for the entire month of August. Please visit our Latin Mass page for information about Masses in the Extraordinary Form elsewhere in the Richmond and Arlington Dioceses and other updates.
- Please check the CALENDAR for important daily Mass and communion service information. Our thanks to the visiting priests and deacons who have pledged to say Mass and lead communion services in our pastor’s absence.
- Please note that Eucharistic Holy Hours will continue through August. We will offer daily Mass at 6 pm on Thursdays in August, followed by an hour of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Please pray for Father Joseph Mary, our parish and our brothers and sisters in Christ in Uganda during this time. And keep our parish’s dental mission in your prayers as well. May it bring much-needed healing and improved health to everyone it touches.
Bishop Barry Knestout consecrates restored sanctuary!
The Most Reverend Barry C. Knestout, DD, Bishop of Richmond, consecrated our restored sanctuary at the 11 am Mass on July 1. Our renovated lower level was officially dedicated as well during a reception immediately following the Mass.
Our sincerest and deepest thanks to His Excellency for blessing us with his presence and taking the time to solemnize this memorable moment in our parish’s long history.
For more images of the bishop’s visit, please visit our Facebook gallery. And if you have not yet done so, be sure to “Like” our page to stay connected with your parish!
Corpus Christi procession through downtown
Holy Comforter marked the great Solemnity of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, also known as Corpus Christi, by processing through our parish neighborhood following the 11 am Mass on June 3.
Through this procession publicly professed our faith in the Real Presence and celebrate our unity in Christ. The Eucharist is the ultimate source and sign of unity. Thank you to all who braved the rain to join us in this solemn, joyful and moving display of faith as we take took to the streets of downtown Charlottesville.
Also, our thanks to CBS 19 News for covering the procession and interviewing our Master of Ceremonies for the Latin Mass, Daniel Smith. The procession was featured on the 10 pm newscast on Sunday. What a wonderful way to evangelize to the community!
Click HERE for a photo gallery of the procession and benediction.
Eucharistic Holy Hour on Thursdays at 7 PM
Due to increased interest in devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, Holy Comforter is offering a Eucharistic Holy Hour on Thursdays at 7 pm. This will be preceded by an opportunity for confession beginning at 6:30 pm. Our hope is to make this a recurring devotion much like our sung Vespers, which are prayed on Wednesdays at 6:30 pm.
Please join us for Benediction and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament every Thursday. Just one hour out of your week in the presence of Christ in the Eucharist could change your life.
Sanctuary restoration work, fundraising hit important milestones!
The effort to restore our sanctuary space continues! Our thanks to Rugo Stone, Artisan Construction, Inc. and M3 Inc. for their work.
In June we hit an important milestone, having raised more than $80,000 in cash for this project. Thank you to everyone who has donated thus far, and to those who will contribute your prayers and financial assistance in the future!
Our webpage dedicated to this project has recently been updated. Please take a look for important fundraising, timeline and project progress information.
As work continues, please prayerfully consider how you can contribute to this project, which is the first major effort in our Holy Comforter 2020 plan to reinvigorate our parish and lay the foundation for the next generation of Catholics in Charlottesville.
Click the above logo to go to Holy Comforter’s Online Giving form. Log into your account, create a new one if you wish to switch your regular parish support from checks/cash to online giving, or select “Quick Give” to provide a one-time gift and show of support. Then simply select the “Sanctuary Renovation Project” under the “Fund” drop-down and enter the amount of your gift.
Thank you for your support of this noble and worthwhile project! God bless you!
Sung Vespers every Wednesday at 6:30 PM
A sung 
Vespers service will be celebrated regularly on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM in the church. The psalms are sung in Gregorian psalm tones (but in English!) which are easy to learn and are contemplative, allowing the participant to focus on the words while raising the voice to God in