Liturgy and Sacraments
Mass Times
Holy Trinity offers both the Ordinary Form and Extraordinary Form (EF) Mass of the Roman Rite. The Ordinary Form is celebrated in English (except for the 7:30 pm Mass on Saturday evenings, which is in Spanish). The Extraordinary Form, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass, is celebrated in Latin.
Sunday Masses
Saturday Vigil: 5:30 pm, 7:30 pm (Spanish)
Sundays: 6:30 am, 8:00 am, 9:30 am, 11:00 am, 5:00 pm
Weekday Masses
Monday – Friday: 9:00 am, Noon
Saturdays: 9:00 am
First Friday of the Month: 7:00 pm*
*First Fridays during Lent: 7:30 pm
Please take a moment to see the special events calendar for a list of special or irregular upcoming Masses, ministries, talks, meetings, activities, and other events.
Confession
Tuesdays
6:00 -7:00 pm (usually 2 priests)
Thursdays
6:00 – 7:00 pm (usually 2 priests)
Fridays
9:30am – until line ends (usually 3 priests)
Saturdays
4:00 pm (usually 3 priests) and 6:30pm (Spanish, one priest)
Regularly Scheduled Devotions and Blessings
First Friday Mass
7:00 pm (except during Lent, 7:30 pm)
Men’s Holy Hour
First Fridays of the month, at 6pm followed by 7:00 pm Mass
Women’s Holy Hour
Third Fridays of the month, 7:00 pm
Homebound Ministry
Please contact the office for further information or to be added to our ministry list.
Our Adoration Chapel
“Can you come and spend one hour with our Lord?” (cf. Matthew 26:38-40)
Holy Trinity offers Perpetual Adoration (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) in the Adoration Chapel. Jesus is here, always.
For those new to Holy Trinity, you can find the Chapel on the front, left hand side of the building, as you look at the big three main doors. The Chapel can be accessed through the small door far to the left (near Limestone Drive) at all hours.
If you are coming after hours, the church building is locked late at night and into the early morning hours. If the Chapel door is locked, simply ring the doorbell and an adorer will come out to let you in.
To ask questions, or to sign-up for a regular hour in the Adoration Chapel, please contact Pete, our parish’s Adoration Coordinator, by completing this form:
We need your help!
Currently, the hours of greatest are as follows:
Mondays:
1 am- 5 am; 7-9 am; 11am-5pm
Tuesdays:
1-3 am; 9-10 pm
Wednesdays:
Midnight-3 am; 11am-noon; 10 pm-midnight
Thursdays:
3-5 am
Fridays:
Midnight-6 am; noon-1pm; 2-3 pm
Saturdays:
Midnight-5am; 7-9am; 10am-5pm; 6-9pm; 11pm-midnight
Sundays:
1-6am; 8-10am; 11am-2pm; 3-7pm; 8-9pm; 11pm-midnight
Sacraments
Dear Engaged Couple,
Welcome to Holy Trinity Catholic Church! Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. Please know that Holy Trinity is your spiritual family, you are home here.
We rejoice with you in your engagement! Congratulations on your decision to consecrate your love before Our Lord and His Church in the sacrament of matrimony.
St John Paul II referred to marriage in the following manner:
“Conjugal love involves a totality, in which all the elements of the person enter – appeal of the body and instinct, power of feeling and affectivity, aspiration of the spirit and of will. It aims at a deeply personal unity, a unity that, beyond union in one flesh, leads to forming one heart and soul; it demands indissolubility and faithfulness in definitive mutual giving; and it is open to fertility. In a word it is a question of the normal characteristics of all natural conjugal love, but with a new significance which not only purifies and strengthens them, but raises them to the extent of making them the expression of specifically Christian values”.
The Wedding Guidelines Booklet will be emailed to you once you’ve started the marriage preparation process. When you review it, any of our clergy or staff members will be happy to answer any questions you may have. We look forward to working with you in preparation for your marriage.
For couples who are civilly married to each other and who are seeking to have their marriage blessed in the Church, Holy Trinity is pleased to provide our Adoration Chapel in which a small Convalidation Ceremony can take place. Please contact the parish office to start the Convalidation process with one of our clergy members.
Who may be Married at Holy Trinity…
In accord with the policy of the Bishop of the Diocese of Arlington, couples must contact the parish and begin marriage preparation at least six months prior to the wedding. Three months of parish registration is required. Living together before marriage is sinful and harmful to future marriage. Couples who are living together will be asked to live separately during the preparation time. Please contact our administrative assistant, Paulina Albizures at ext. 121 or [email protected] to start the marriage preparation process. Guidelines will be provided when the Marriage Preparation is scheduled.
Parishioners: any Catholic not otherwise impeded by Divine law or Church law, who lives within the territorial boundaries of Holy Trinity is a parishioner and may be married at Holy Trinity. It is not necessary that both the bride and the groom be parishioners, but at least one of them must be. A parishioner who does not actually live within the parish boundaries, but who is a registered parishioner still needs the permission of the pastor of the parish in which he/she actually resides. That pastor’s written permission needs to be submitted prior to any arrangements being made.
Children of parishioners: any Catholic, whose parents are actively participating members of Holy Trinity, may be married here if the pastor of the parish in which they reside will give his written permission prior to any wedding arrangements being made.
To begin your marriage preparation, please contact Paulina Albizures at the Parish Office as soon as you are engaged and no later than six months prior to your desired wedding date. Please keep in mind, however, that we cannot confirm your desired wedding date until you have met with the priest and he has confirmed that you are free to marry.
~ Holy Trinity clergy and staff
For more information, please contact Paulina Albizures at 703-753-6700 x 121 or via email by filling out this form:
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"Although we know that they have not left us behind forever but only gone ahead of us, still when death seizes our loved ones, our loving hearts are saddened by death itself.
Thus, the apostle Paul does not tell us not to grieve but: ‘Not to grieve like those who are without hope.’
Let us grieve, therefore, over the necessity of losing our loved ones in death but with the hope of being reunited with them. If we are afflicted, we still find consolation. Our weakness weigh us down but faith bears us up. we sorrow over the human condition but find our healing in the divine promise.”
~Saint Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 172.1~
On behalf of the parish priests and the staff of Holy Trinity, we are deeply sorry for your loss. Please be assured that we will pray for your deceased loved one and for your family.
To make arrangements for a Funeral Mass please contact Trevor Rowland by calling him at the office at 703-753-6700 or emailing him here:
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Welcome to Holy Trinity Catholic Church!
It’s so wonderful that you are looking forward to baptizing your baby. Please know that Holy Trinity is your spiritual family, you and your child(ren) can count yourself at home here.
If you are newly registered in the parish, we want you to feel at home in the parish. This takes time, so the Baptism will be scheduled no sooner than 3 months after registering. Please come to Mass every Sunday and use the envelopes so that we know you are here! And of course introduce yourself to the priests and deacons – we want to meet you personally!
We ask that the parents and godparents take the Baptism Preparation Class, if it has been more than 3 years since you have taken a baptismal preparation class (or if you have less than 3 children). The class can be taken at any time in advance of the actual date of the Baptism. PLEASE NOTE the godparents are now REQUIRED to take the baptism preparation class (here or at their own parish), or provide proof that they have taken one within the last three years.
Being married in the Church is not a prerequisite for having your child baptized. However, it will be great to meet with one of the priests or deacon regarding this. The priest/deacon wants to listen and appreciate your individual situation. Everyone’s situation is unique.
Baptism Preparation Class
Classes are offered monthly in both English and Spanish. Please contact Christian Kleb to sign up for the baptismal preparation class.
English: 1st Monday of the month at 8pm via Zoom (Except when there is a federal holiday)
Spanish: Upon request
English Baptisms are held on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sundays of the month at 12:30pm in the church, except when noted (Feast days usually or special events at the church). Each baptismal date is limited to four families at this time (first come first served).
Spanish Baptisms are held on the third Saturday of the month, at 6:30 pm in the church. Each baptismal date is limited to four families at this time (first come first served).
Before you can set a date, Holy Trinity must have the physical/original completed sponsor certificates with a raised seal from the parish.
Are your godparents eligible?
You are encouraged to have two godparents. One must be male and one must be female. However, you only need one practicing Catholic to baptize your baby. Both godparents must provide a godparent/sponsor certificate from Holy Trinity before we can set a date for the baptism and at least two weeks before the desired date. Each Catholic godparent from outside the parish must provide an original (no fax or copies will be accepted) Holy Trinity’s sponsor certificate signed by a priest from their home parish with a raised seal from the parish. If we don’t have the sponsor certificates, unfortunately we can’t secure a date. The certificate must verify them as registered members of the Catholic Church and that they are able to undertake the duties and responsibilities of a Godparent. Godparents must have received the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation, be 16 years old, be regular participants in the life of their Parish and, if they are married, be married sacramentally in the Church.
Rather than two godparents, you may have a godparent and a Christian Witness for your child’s baptism. A Christian Witness is a person who is a non-Catholic, baptized Christian of another faith. A Christian Witness does not need any certification documentation. The name of the Christian Witness will not appear on the Baptismal Certificate. Non-practicing Catholics may not be Godparents, Christian Witnesses, or proxies (in case of any questions, you are welcome to contact our Pastor at the Parish Office).
If you need a proxy (the person who stands in for the godparent when he/she cannot be present) the requirements for the proxy are the same ones as the ones of the godparent. When a proxy is used, the sponsor certificates from the godparents still need to be sent to Holy Trinity.
To obtain a Godparent/Sponsor Certificate from Holy Trinity:
A Godparent/Sponsor has to be registered and active in the parish 3 months prior to requesting a sponsor certificate, must have received the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation, be 16 years old, be a regular participant in the life of the Parish and, if they are married, be married sacramentally in the Church. Please refer any questions to the parish office. When requesting a sponsor certificate please request it at least 3 weeks before the baptism, especially if the baptism will take place at Holy Trinity.
To be “active, regular participants” in Holy Trinity Parish means:
– You attend Sunday Mass every Sunday and receive the sacraments regularly
– If you have children, they are registered in Religious Education 1st-8th grade (including those homeschooled)
– You are registered
– You support the parish through your talents, time and/or financially either through envelopes or online giving.
Patty Eckels is the point of contact to register for a baptismal class, answer questions, and reserve a date for a baptism. Before you can set a date, Holy Trinity must have the completed original copies of the sponsor certificates.
She can be reached at (703) 753-6700, ext 120 or by email here:
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Please visit our Faith Formation page to find preparation details for the following:
Altar Boys
Holy Trinity is honoring the long tradition and practice of having boys and young men serve our priests at the altar, and any boy who has received his First Holy Communion and has completed 2nd grade is eligible to begin training to become an altar boy.
The Ordinary Form is often referred to as the Novus Ordo and may be celebrated in Latin or a vernacular language like English or Spanish. This is the Mass that most of you are familiar with and at which you will typically begin to serve.
The Extraordinary Form is often called the Traditional Latin, or Tridentine, Mass and is celebrated only in Latin. This Mass requires that you memorize a little Latin, because in the Extraordinary Form the servers typically make all of the responses on behalf of the congregation, at least at Low Masses. It’s not hard to memorize, but it does take a little practice.
New First Communicants can usually begin to serve in the Ordinary Form as early as winter of 3rd grade and in the Extraordinary Form as early as the spring of 4th grade.
While we do not have any general training scheduled at this time, we have created a draft mini-website with training and other information for our servers here.
If you have any questions about serving the Ordinary Form Mass, please contact Deacon Linus Barloon, by filling out this form:
