Thank You!

Dear Friends of our Pastorate,

This weekend, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Jesus’ baptism is one of the epiphanies that occur in the scriptures. You will recall from last weekend, we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany which was marked by the coming of the Magi to pay homage to the infant Jesus, but there are two other epiphanies of Jesus in the scriptures. In addition to Jesus’ Baptism, the third epiphany—or manifestation of Jesus—is his self-revelation at the Wedding Feast of Cana. Today’s celebration marks the official end of the Christmas Season and the return to Ordinary Time.

I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who helped our pastorate celebrate our Advent and Christmas liturgies. It was a busy few weeks, but our celebrations were filled with solemnity and joy as we commemorated the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and honored his Blessed Mother. For everyone who helped and for all who participated—thank you!

On behalf of Fr. John, I would also like to thank everyone who shared Christmas gifts with us. We were overwhelmed with many cards, gifts, and baked goods. Thank you so much for remembering us at Christmastime.

Our Shelter Week program starts tomorrow, Monday, Jan 13th. We will be hosting a group of men from Arundel House of Hope who are in need of housing and shelter during the winter months. This is a great ministry of service to others so I invite you to volunteer your time to help. We are always in need of volunteers… no experience needed! A sign up link can be found on either parish’s website. Thank you for volunteering!

Planning for the St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar has begun! Information can be found on our Facebook pages (both parishes) and will soon be included on our websites. Mark the date… Friday, March 14, 2025 at St. Jane Frances!

Finally, believe it or not, we have already started planning for Lent! This year, Ash Wednesday is March 5th and Easter Sunday is April 20th. Our initial plans include offering Stations of the Cross on Fridays during the day at OLC (in addition to Friday evenings at St. Jane’s). This year, Holy Thursday will be celebrated at OLC and the Easter Vigil will be held at St. Jane Frances (the reverse from last year). This is part of our continued rotation of major liturgical celebrations between the two parishes.

On behalf of Fr. John and all of us at our Pastorate of the Visitation, I would like to wish you and your family a very joyous New Year! Thank you for keeping Our Lady of the Chesapeake and St. Jane Frances—our Pastorate of the Visitation—in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

What Shall We Offer?

Merry Christmas!

This weekend’s celebration of Epiphany brings us near the end of the Christmas season. Epiphany Sunday traditionally points us to a few different “epiphanies” or “theophanies” in Scripture – these are to say: revelations of God’s love for us.

There is the epiphany to the wise men which we hear in this weekend’s Gospel. This epiphany reveals that the newborn King Jesus is the Savior of all, the Light for all nations.

A second epiphany is Christ’s baptism in the Jordan (celebrated next Sunday). Christ’s baptism reveals that he is the Father’s beloved Son and that we are to listen to him. Christ’s baptism reveals that he is united to our human condition in a profound way, so that we may be united to his divinity in a profound way.

Finally, a third epiphany, recorded in John’s Gospel, is the wedding feast at Cana where Jesus performs his first miracle at his Mother’s intercession, revealing his mercy and power to turn our water into wine.

Epiphanies reveal God’s love for us and his presence with us. What epiphanies have there been in your life recently?

God’s love has been shown in Advent preparations and Christmas celebrations. There have been many occasions of great mercy and hope. While there are different struggles and sorrows we carry in these times, I have been humbled and inspired to see Christ bring hope and light through Reconciliation, our Christmas Masses, and our pastorate’s gatherings and works of charity.

As a concluding Epiphany thought, the carol “In the Bleak Midwinter” comes to mind. For all of God’s goodness to us, what shall we offer in return?

What can I give him
poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring a lamb.
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
yet what I can I give him,
give my heart.

Let us pray for one another and our pastorate in these festive days. May the Lord richly bless you and keep you always in His love!

Father John

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Dear Friends of our Pastorate,

I pray for continued blessings to you and your family during this Christmas Season! The time we make for family and friends during this season is priceless, so I encourage you to find time to gather with those you love. This weekend, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. This feast reminds us that Jesus, although the Son of God, was born into an earthly family, and therefore experienced all the things that families experience, even getting lost from his parents! I can imagine the fear and anxiety that gripped Mary and Joseph when they realized that Jesus was not with them, and the sense of relief once they found him after searching for three days. (Lk 2:41-52)Jesus responds to them by stating he had to be in his Father’s house where he was doing his Father’s will, even at an early age.

That is our calling as well as sons and daughters of God the Father. We are asked to be doing the Father’s will. The challenge we may face is that we do not always completely understand the Father’s will for us, which may make us feel lost at times, or unsure of what we are supposed to be doing with our lives. However, as St. John tells us in his First Letter, one way we can be certain that we not only know the Father’s will but are going about the Father’s will for us is to love one another. It is precisely because of the Father’s love for us that we are able to call ourselves children of God.

This week, we will be celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Masses will be offered on December 31st at 4:00pm at OLC and 5:00pm at St Jane Frances. Our Pastorate will come together for a combined Mass on Jan 1st at 10:00am at St. Jane Frances. I hope you will be able to join us as we close out this year and usher in the New Year, and more importantly, as we honor our Blessed Mother as the Mother of God.

Our Pastorate is still offering opportunities for you to support our Shelter Week program hosted at OLC. Shelter Week is Jan 13-20, 2025 when we will be hosting a group of men from Arundel House of Hope who are in need of housing and shelter during the winter months. This is a great ministry of service to others so I invite you to volunteer your time to help. A sign up link can be found on either parish’s website. Thank you for volunteering!

On behalf of Fr. John and all of us at our Pastorate of the Visitation, I would like to wish you and your family a very joyous New Year! Thank you for keeping Our Lady of the Chesapeake and St. Jane Frances—our Pastorate of the Visitation—in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

The Visitation

Dear Friends in Christ,

This weekend, we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Our Gospel reading this weekend is the account of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. The scriptures tells us that after the angel Gabriel came to Mary and announced that the Lord wished for her to become the Mother of Jesus, she immediately set out to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, John leapt for joy in her womb because even then, he knew that God’s plans for our salvation were to be realized very soon. Both Mary and Elizabeth are pillars of faith, believing that what had been spoken to them would be fulfilled. God’s plan is unfolding before their eyes. The birth of the Messiah was now an impending reality.

This week, we will celebrate liturgically the birth of the Messiah with our Christmas Masses. Our Christmas Eve Mass attendance has been recovering since the days of Covid, so we have added a couple of Masses to our schedule. Here is the schedule of Masses and who will be the celebrant:

CHRISTMAS EVE MASSES – 12/24

Our Lady of the Chesapeake

3:30pm – Church – Bishop Adam Parker
3:30pm – Gathering Place – Fr. Martin Burnham P.S.S.
5:30pm – Church – Fr. Martin Burnham P.S.S.
7:30pm – Church – High School Youth Mass – Fr. Steve
10:00pm – Church – Pastorate Christmas Mass with combined choirs
Christmas carols will being at 9:30pm

St. Jane Frances de Chantal

4:00pm – Church – Fr. Steve
4:00pm – Lower Church – Children’s Mass – Fr. John
6:00pm – Church – Fr. John

CHRISTMAS DAY MASSES – 12/25

9:30am - St. Jane Frances – Fr. Steve
10:30am – Our Lady of the Chesapeake – Fr. John

 

On behalf of Fr. John and all of us at our Pastorate of the Visitation, I would like to wish you and your family a very Blessed and Merry Christmas! May you enjoy your time with family and friends during the Christmas season and have safe travels if you will be visiting with others out of town. Thank you for keeping St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—our Pastorate of the Visitation—in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

Rejoice!

Dear Friends in Christ,

REJOICE! “Rejoice” is the message of the third Sunday of Advent, traditionally called Gaudete or ‘Rejoice’ Sunday. Just as the arrival of the long-expected Messiah drew near for Israel, so in the longing and expectation of the Advent season, we draw closer to the arrival of Christ in the flesh, to His arrival moment by moment by His glorious grace.

We also face the reality of business in our preparations for Christmas celebrations and family gatherings—at our churches and in our homes. To prepare and celebrate well, we need our daily bread of the Eucharist and daily prayer so that St Paul’s words that we hear this weekend may be fulfilled in us: Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near… the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (2nd reading, Philippians 4:4–7). We need the graces of the baptism we have received, that is, the baptism of the Holy Spirit and of fire (Lk 3:16). Come, Lord Jesus.

On this Gaudete Sunday, there are many occasions for rejoicing in the life of our pastorate. Many of our children have experienced their first Reconciliation in these weeks. How beautiful is the mercy of the Lord! Thank you to our faith formation team and families for preparing them. May the graces of this sacrament reach all the more into our daily life of faith and relationship with God and one another. Thank you to those who joined us in Eucharistic adoration and reconciliation this past Wednesday. These are effective ways to prepare the way of the Lord to enter our hearts!

A heartfelt thanks to Leo Zerheusen from HOPE for All who has spoken over the last two weekends. Their service and labors of love are cause for rejoicing. Please prayerfully consider how you might support this ministry serving the needy in our local community.

On December 14, our Archdiocese gained a new priest with the ordination of Father Ron Howard of Glen Burnie! Please pray for Father Howard. His ordination is a special joy for me, as he and I were ordained deacons together. I am grateful to have him now as a brother priest.

We encourage you to be attentive to our pastorate’s Christmas liturgy schedule in your preparations for Christmas. Let us pray in a special way for one another and for our families and friends who will be with us for these celebrations. May they have a deep, profound experience of the love of God through the sacraments and in the presence of our spiritual family.

The Lord is near. Thank you as always for keeping our Pastorate in your daily prayers!

Father John

P.S. To quote the wisdom of our pastor Father Steve regarding the rose color of the vestments and the third candle on the Advent wreath: “Jesus didn’t PINK from the dead; He ROSE from the dead.”

Advent Invitations

Dear Friends of our Pastorate,

This weekend, we celebrate the Second Sunday of Advent. Our Gospel recalls the early ministry of John the Baptist, who was chosen by the Lord to prepare the way for the coming of Christ (Lk 3:1-6). John preached a message of repentance—for all to acknowledge their sins, seek reconciliation and forgiveness in the waters of baptism, and return to following the Lord every day of their lives. This is the ongoing message of the Church today. We proclaim this good news in Jesus Christ, inviting all to conversion and repentance, and returning to worship and praise God for the gift of forgiveness of sins and new life in Christ. How well have you and your family accepted this gracious invitation? It is freely offered to us but we must accept it, embrace it, and put it into action by the choices we make each and every day.

Our Pastorate and the universal Church are here to assist you with this. It is not meant to be burdensome or seemingly impossible to do, but it does require us to make choices in our lives, including the choice to put God first in everything we do. This season of Advent can help us do this by reminding us of the love, hope, peace, and joy that is ours in Jesus Christ. I invite you and your family to choose Christ this Advent. Prepare the way for Jesus to enter into your home and your hearts and make him a welcomed guest every day. Jesus longs to be invited into our lives… we just need to invite him!

This week, we have several celebrations to bring to your attention. On Monday, Dec. 9th, the Church will celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Mass schedule for this Holy Day will 8:30am at both OLC and St Jane, 12:00pm at OLC, and 5:30pm at St. Jane. Please plan to join us. The Pastorate will also be offering the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Wednesday, Dec. 11th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at St. Jane. We will also be offering Eucharistic Adoration during this time. And please pray for our pastorate youth who will be celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation this week at both parishes for the first time.

Leo Zerhusen from Hope for All will be speaking at all Masses at OLC the weekend of Dec. 7–8 and at St. Jane the weekend of Dec. 14–15. Hope for All is a ministry of outreach and service based in Glen Burnie that our Pastorate has supported over the years through donations and volunteering. We are currently collecting comforters, blankets, bed linens, and bath towels for Hope for All. Items do not need to be new, but in good, clean condition. Thank you for your generosity for those in need in our community.

Thank you for keeping St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—our Pastorate of the Visitation—in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

Happy New Year?

Dear Friends,

We pray that everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! With the start of Advent the Church begins the new liturgical year. So, I wish you a happy new year! Are there any new year’s spiritual resolutions on your horizon? To get you thinking…

Advent reminds us of the coming of Christ. There are various ways that we understand Christ’s coming: in our daily life such as when He comes to us in the Eucharist as well as in our neighbor; when He will come at last in His glory; and, of course, as He did in the flesh 2,000 years ago. Advent captures all of these. Where is Christ coming to meet you?

Advent is a very merry Marian season. Mary can show us how to live with an “Advent spirit” that is, how to live with expectant faith in Christ’s coming. Praying the joyful mysteries of the Rosary can help with this as can learning a new Marian prayer. In Advent, the Church prays the “Alma Redemptoris Mater”:

Loving Mother of the Redeemer, gate of heaven, star of the sea, assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again. To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator, yet remained a virgin after as before. You who received Gabriel's joyful greeting, have pity on us poor sinners.

On December 6th at OLC from 4:30-7:30pm, you can drop off toys or other donations in support of the Knights of Columbus St. Nicholas Toy Drive for Hurricane Helene victims.

On December 8th at OLC after 10:45am Mass, there will be breakfast with Santa! Admission is $5 (or free if you make a donation to the above!)

On December 9th, we will celebrate the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. This is a Holy Day of Obligation. Please join us for one of our Masses!

On December 11th at St. Jane Frances, all are invited to the Pastorate’s night of Reconciliation. In Advent we often pray, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” Reconciliation is a beautiful way to prepare the way for Jesus entering into our souls.

On December 14th, a new priest for the Archdiocese! Deacon Ron Howard of Glen Burnie will be ordained to the priesthood at 10am at St. Ignatius in Ijamsville. All are welcome! Let us pray for Dcn. Ron!

Lastly, please take note of our Christmas Mass schedule. We look forward to having you and your families at one of our many celebrations!

Let us pray for one another as we prepare the way of the Lord this Advent season. Happy new year!

Fr. John