The Prodigal Son

Brothers and Sisters,

We’ve heard the parable of the prodigal son many times. We know this parable speaks to us about repentance and reconciliation but also about the extravagant love and mercy of the father. From the first action of the father to the throwing of an elaborate party in the end, this story contains many twists and turns all of which make the point that God’s love overcomes the reckless, despairing wanderings of His children. In the end, love conquers all. The parable has two major points. First, repentance means an absolute reversal of our broken status. The lost son has become a family member again. He is fully restored. The father’s acceptance of the penitent son is total. This is God’s grace. This is why God pursues sinners. Second, all of us should have joy when the penitent returns. Reconciliation involves not only God and the individual but also the individual and the community.

Today is a good day to place ourselves in the shoes of the prodigal son or the prodigal daughter. At times in our lives, we also have left the home of our God. We have wandered away to a distant place and perhaps we also have squandered what little we had. How long will we keep our distance from God? Are we afraid that God will never forgive us? Perhaps we think we do not deserve to be forgiven. And yet, God is always on the lookout for us, yearning for us, waiting for us to return home. God will never stop loving us! He longs to restore that loving relationship with Him. He shows us that restoring broken relationships involves profound actions. Strong, loving relationships always require reaching out to the other.

Where is our Lord calling us to mend broken relationships in our own life?

God Bless,
Deacon Howard

Holy Moses!

Dear Friends of our Pastorate,

This weekend, we celebrate the Third Sunday of Lent. Our first reading is from the Book of Exodus and recounts for us the call of Moses, who sees fire coming from a bush but the bush is not burning. As he goes to investigate what is happening, he comes to realize that it is the Lord God calling him to take on a mission to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and deliver them to the Promised Land. If you read the entire passage (we only have part of it today), Moses is hesitant to accept this mission. He comes up with excuse after excuse until finally the Lord God tells him to go do it, and trust that the Lord will be with him on this journey. Ultimately, Moses is successful in his mission, even though he did not believe he had what it would take to accomplish it.

Do you ever feel that way when it comes to a task or mission that you have to do? It could be something at work or it could be something that you hear the Lord calling you to do. Whatever it may be, today’s first reading is a wonderful reminder of our call to trust in the Lord, no matter what. God’s expectations for us as disciples are to bear fruit for the kingdom, as we hear in the Gospel today. Jesus offers us every opportunity to do this, and we can accomplish it, if we trust in the ways of the Lord who is kind and merciful.

Thank you to everyone who helped with our annual St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar at St. Jane Frances last week. It was another successful evening! Special thanks to Teresa Sparklin, Melissa Boyle and all of the many volunteers who assisted us. These events are great opportunities for us to evangelize our community by helping all who attend to experience the Spirit of the Lord dwelling within us and guiding our pastorate’s mission.

Join us this week at 7:00pm on March 24-26 for our Annual Lenten Mission entitled “Hope in the Lord.” Our presented will be Fr. Brian Nolan, pastor of St. Ignatius Church in Ijamsville, MD and former associate pastor at St. Jane Frances. March 24th and 26th will be held at St Jane Frances in the Church. The Session on Tuesday, March 25th will be held at OLC and will conclude with the opportunity for Confessions. Please plan to join us!

It is not too late to register for the 2025 Catholic Men’s Fellowship Conference being held on Saturday, April 5th from 8:00am to 3:00pm at St. Joseph Fullerton Church. To register, go to catholicmensfellowship.com or talk to Fr. John for more information.

Don’t forget our weekly Stations of the Cross on the Fridays during Lent. We are offering Stations at 12:00pm on Fridays at OLC and 7:00pm on Fridays at St Jane Frances. Also be sure to come to the Lenten Fish Frys on the Fridays during Lent at St. Jane Frances hosted by the Knights of Columbus.

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

Lenten Happenings

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

A major step in my initiation to the Pastorate took place this past Friday: the St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar! Thank you to the Chair Teresa Sparklin assisted by Melissa Boyle and to so many volunteers who gave of themselves in different ways for the success of this event. Thank you all for so many donations, your presence, and your prayers for the Bazaar.

Speaking of St. Patrick… The memorial of St. Patrick is tomorrow March 17! Consider web-searching and meditating on “The Breastplate of St. Patrick” prayer before you enjoy your corned beef and cabbage! Sláinte!

On another note of initiation, please continue to intercede for our Pastorate’s catechumens and candidates preparing to enter the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil! If you have never been to the Easter Vigil or if it has been some years, I strongly encourage you to join us this year! In our Catholic tradition, it is called the “mother of all Vigils,” because it is where we celebrate—in word and sacrament while keeping watch in the night—the Resurrection event of Jesus from the dead. In the Exsultet prayer that is chanted at the Vigil, we declare this night as “truly blessed… worthy alone to know the time and hour when Christ rose from the underworld!”

I’m very much looking forward to sharing these holiest days with you all as it will be my first Triduum in a parish setting as a priest. I am especially thankful to all of our new Altar Servers at both churches who have recently joined the ranks! We have also had teens step-up to serve as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and as Lectors – thank you for your generosity and joyful witness to our spiritual family. Thank you parents for your encouragement and support as well.

At St. Jane, we have some newly built/refurbished picnic tables courtesy of parishioner Blake Greenbeck-Marsh. This project not only furnishes the grounds we enjoy at SJF, but also brings Blake near the reception of his Eagle Scout award. Thank you, Blake and congratulations! Blake’s labors are a great segue to mentioning… 

The Solemnity of St. Joseph, this Wednesday March 19! He is a model for us in many ways, especially of being faithful during the “ordinary, unspectacular flow of daily life” as they say at Mount St. Joe. In his 2020 apostolic letter Patris Corde, Pope Francis wrote, “Each of us can discover in Joseph—the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence—an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble. Saint Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation. A word of recognition and of gratitude is due to them all.” May St. Joseph intercede for you as YOU fulfill YOUR “incomparable role in the history of salvation”—in your prayer, in your home, at work, in all of your daily duties and encounters.

May St. Joseph and St. Patrick, St. Jane and Our Lady of the Chesapeake intercede for us as we follow Jesus in this Lenten season. Let us pray for and encourage one another in Christ.

God bless!
Father John

40 Days Of Lent

Dear Friends of our Pastorate,

We have begun our Lenten Journey this past Wednesday with the celebration of Ash Wednesday. This weekend, we celebrate the First Sunday of Lent. Our Gospel each year on this Sunday is the account of the temptation of Jesus in the desert. This occurs immediately after his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Luke’s account tells us that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit after his baptism and that it was the Spirit that led him into the desert for forty days to be tempted by the devil. Strengthened by the Spirit, and being united to the will of the Father, Jesus is able to resists the devil’s temptations. All of us have received the Holy Spirit at baptism as well. Therefore, we too have been given the grace we need to resist the temptations of the evil one. Even though we sometimes fail at this, the Lord continues to reach out to us and offer us forgiveness and renewed vigor to fight the battle, so don’t give up! Continue to proclaim and profess every day that Jesus is Lord!

The St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar is this Friday, March 14th from 2pm to 9pm in the St. Jane Frances School hall and classrooms. The bazaar is always a great time as well as a wonderful fundraiser for our parish. Please plan to join us for the festivities this Friday with great food, games of chance, silent auction items, and an Irish pub with live music. The “Winning of The Green” 50-50 Raffle Tickets are still available to purchase at the Parish Office and will be sold at the Bazaar. Special thanks to Teresa “Sparky” Sparklin and her team for pulling together once again our annual St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar!

This Sunday at the 11:30am Mass, we will celebrating the Rite of Sending for our O.C.I.A. candidates and catechumens. O.C.I.A. stands for the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults for people seeking to be baptized, enter into full communion with the Catholic Church, or being Confirmed. Our Pastorate has been blessed this year with 13 people who are seeking to enter the Church at the Easter Vigil this year, including a couple of children. We are “sending” them to the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen later today to be welcomed by the Archbishop into the final stages of preparation for receiving the Easter Sacraments. Please keep them and our O.C.I.A. team in your prayers during these days.

Don’t forget our weekly Stations of the Cross on the Fridays during Lent. We are offering Stations at 12:00pm on Fridays at OLC and 7:00pm on Fridays at St. Jane Frances. Also be sure to come to the Lenten Fish Frys on the Fridays during Lent at St. Jane Frances hosted by the Knights of Columbus.

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

Be Productive!

Dear Friends of our Pastorate,

This weekend, we celebrate the 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Our readings this weekend challenge us to reflect on our lives and see how well we are putting our faith into practice. Sometimes we want to be quick to react and respond to others, to “help” them see the errors of their ways while at the same time believing we “know” everything. But when we are guided by the Holy Spirit, then God’s Wisdom is active within us, assisting us to speak only the words that are necessary, therefore producing good fruit for the Lord. How much fruit have you produced this week? There is still time to become more productive!

This week, we begin our annual Lenten Journey on March 5th with Ash Wednesday. The distribution of Ashes will be offered at all Pastorate Masses. Our Mass schedule for Ash Wednesday is 8:30am (both churches), 12:00pm (OLC) and 7:00pm (both churches). Stations of the Cross will be held at both Churches on Fridays during Lent. Stations at OLC will be at 12:00pm and at St. Jane Frances at 7:00pm. Please plan to join us!

BUT…before we begin the Season of Lent, we are celebrating Mardi Gras on March 4th! Please join us for a family friendly Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner at St. Jane Frances Parish Hall from 4:30pm–7:00pm. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for kids 3-12, and include games, raffles, and fun activities. We will also be celebrating Mardi Gras at the Rumor Meal on Mountain Road. Stop by from 4pm–9pm and order dinner and a drink from the “Guest Bartender.” Bring a copy of the flyer when you order your meal, and some of the proceeds will be donated back to the pastorate (dine in and carry out only). All Mardi Gras proceeds from both events will benefit our Pastorate Youth Ministry Summer Workcamps.

I would like to thank everyone who has made a pledge or donation to the 2025 Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries “Go Forward with God’s Mission.” The Annual Appeal supports a wide range of ministries throughout the Archdiocese including Catholic Charities, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Vocations and College Campus Ministry, Hospital and Prison Chaplaincies, Hispanic Ministry, Tuition Assistance, and our parishes. As of 2/13/25, St Jane Frances has received 55 gifts totally $17,425 toward our goal of $57,782. OLC has received 42 gifts totally $18,330 toward our goal of $60,379. If you haven’t done so yet, please make your pledge today to the Annual Appeal. Thank you for your prayers and your support for the Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries!

Finally, the St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar is around the corner—Friday, March 14th. Be sure to purchase your raffle tickets as well as drop off your donations at the parish office. More information can be found on St. Jane Frances’ website. The next planning meeting is Tuesday, March 4th at 7:00pm in Room 106 in the school. Contact Teresa Sparklin at 443-623-3564 for more information or to volunteer.

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

Gifts and Measures

Dear Friends in Christ,

There is an impactful video called “A Valuable Lesson for a Happier Life” by Meir Kay that circulates occasionally. It shows a professor putting before his students an empty jar. He gradually fills it with golf balls, so that it is full; then it is filled with small chocolate chips until, again, it appears full; and then sand is added, shaken down continually, until it seems truly full; then it is topped off at last with coffee (or other libation of choice.)

The professor offers an impactful meditation on what we fill our lives with. I also like this image as an analogy for the lavish goodness of God. There is always more that he wants to give and more for us to receive.

As we hear in the Gospel for this Sunday: “Give, and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

In another teaching, Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will be given to us like streams of living water will flow out of our hearts (see John 7:37-39) This is the ultimate destiny of our Christian lives—to be full of the Holy Spirit who brings Christ to life within us, to be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (see Ephesians 3:19).

Am I being filled up through daily prayer and meditation on God’s Word, through reception of the sacraments, through Christ-centered friendships? Am I walking the narrow, radical path of Christian love? How does the measure Christ measures out to me spill out into the lives of others in my home, neighborhood, and workplace? These are worthwhile questions as we look towards Lent which starts in a week and a half!!

May the Lord enlighten us and fill us with the greatest of gifts—Himself!

Father Steve and I are thankful for your prayers for us. We each respectively now have enjoyed a little bit of time off over the last few weeks. Please know of our daily prayers for you and our joy in serving you!

May the Holy Spirit continue to enliven and expand our hearts to be filled with every good gift as we seek to love Christ and make him loved in our homes, our Pastorate, and wherever the Lord leads us. God bless you abundantly.

In Christ,
Father John

Hope Sighting

Dear Friends in Christ,

God Bless you! In our readings this weekend, we encounter our Jubilee Year of Hope.

“Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD.” A fair question to ask in our life of faith is: how do I get hope?

I will share that my most common “hope-sighting” is Reconciliation—both as a recipient and in hearing confessions. It is beautiful to receive and to witness the comfort and healing work of God's grace.

St. José Maria Escrivá once said that a saint is a sinner who keeps on trying. What good company to be in! As we hear the Beatitudes in the Gospel, perhaps another we could add is: Blessed are the ones who keep trying. Reconciliation is our reminder that we are known and loved, that Jesus is the Good Shepherd Who is risen, Who is alive, and Who has come to seek and to save the lost, not to condemn. God is for us.

A trusted spiritual director once told me that we move at the pace of grace—no falling behind and no getting ahead. Reconciliation is the moment of allowing the Lord to reset the pace, to get up and be led by Him. To add another Beatitude: Blessed are the ones moving at the pace of grace.

As you may have seen by now, Fr. Steve has shared a letter with the Pastorate about Archbishop Lori’s decision to lower the age of Confirmation to nine years old. Please keep our faith formation team in your prayers as we discuss and  plan for the implementation of this.

Since I have not written for the bulletin since it happened: we had a moving time of Eucharistic adoration with our families on February 2. We hope to plan another one, so be on the lookout!

Know of my prayers for you all and please keep the spiritual family of our Pastorate in your daily prayers!

In Christ,
Father John