All Saints and All Souls

Dear Friends of our Pastorate of the Visitation,

This weekend, we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. Since it falls on a Sunday this year, it takes precedence over the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Masses for both Saturday evening and Sunday will be for All Saints. This feast day recognizes and celebrates the victory of the saints, both known and unknown, who are now in the heavenly presence of God. Some are recognized by the Church, such as St. Mary, St. Joseph, or St. Jane Frances, but many more are not. We hope that our loved ones are already among the saints in heaven as well. But for those who have not yet achieved the victory of heaven, the church commemorates them on All Souls Day—November 2nd. This year, in addition to the regularly scheduled 8:30am Masses at both parish, we will have a special All Souls Day Mass of Remembrance on Monday, Nov. 2nd at 7:00pm at St Jane’s. We will read the list of those who have been buried from the Pastorate since last year and also pray for the souls of our faithful departed family members and friends. May the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

This Sunday, November 1st, our Pastorate will be participating in the Caring & Sharing Harvest for the Hungry Pasadena Parade from 2pm to 4pm hosted by the Pasadena Business Association. The parade starts at Tick Neck Park and ends at Northeast High School. Please come out and join us and bring non-perishable donations with you. There will be people collecting your donations during the parade.

Some of our pastorate’s high school youth are in their final days of preparation for receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. Bishop Adam Parker will be joining us on Thursday, Nov. 12th, for the 5:30pm Confirmation Mass at St. Jane Frances. Please keep our youth in your prayers as they prepare to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a few days.

November 22nd marks the 80th anniversary of our founding of St. Jane Frances Parish in 1946. The date actually falls on a Sunday so we have invited Msgr. Jay O’Connor, a son of the parish, to come and celebrate with us (Archbishop Lori will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of another parish that day.). Msgr. O’Connor will be the celebrant at the 10am Mass that day. Fellowship Sunday will be held that Sunday as well, so please plan to come and celebrate with us and join us in the school hall afterwards for coffee and donuts. Happy 80th Anniversary St. Jane Frances Parish!

Finally, election day is Tuesday, Nov. 3rd. Please make every effort to exercise your right to vote. The Maryland Catholic Conference offers resources for you to use to help make your decisions. They can be found at www.mdcatholic.org/elections. Please keep our nation, our state, and our community in your prayers during this time.

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

God Bless,
Father Steve

 

Love Your Neighbor

Brothers and Sisters,

We all know we are called to love God unconditionally. But do we love our neighbor with that same unconditional love? When it comes to loving others as we love God, that’s when we tend to place conditions on who and how we love. We want to love someone when there are strong feelings of love. At times, some feelings are good. But when it comes to giving ourselves to others in love, we have to make decisions. No one can command you to have warm, fuzzy feelings toward another. Not even God commands that of us. We cannot even tell ourselves to have nice, warm, loving and intimate feelings toward another. Even if we could, would it matter? No. It’s what we do that matters, not how we feel. But Jesus is not speaking here of emotions and feelings in the Gospel this week. He knows how absolutely changeable and unreliable feelings really are. Feelings come and feelings go as they wish.

Jesus is telling us in the Gospel that love is something we do. Love is a choice, a decision, a commitment to do things. That is why Jesus is commanding us to love others. It’s what we do to others not how we feel toward them that matters.

Jesus is emphasizing that loving our neighbor is directly connected to our love of God. Love others as your heavenly Father loves them. Love them—the good and the bad alike—with the unconditional love with which your Father in heaven loves them. Love all of your neighbors in what you do to them, in what you do for them, and in how you act toward them. All of our complicated and complex feelings will eventually follow along. Jesus knows that it is only in totally giving of ourselves that we can truly be alive to the life God intends for us.

God Bless,
Deacon Howard

What Doesn’t Belong To God?

Dear Parishioners,

As I was looking at the readings for this weekend to put together a few words for the bulletin, I realized I quoted the wrong New Testament reading the weekend of October 3–4th. The second reading from Thessalonians is actually from this weekend, no wonder it looked so familiar. Sorry about that. It lets me give thanks for each of you, multiple times!

While we are reading from Matthew’s gospel this weekend, the liturgical calendar also honors St. Luke, whose Feast Day is today. St. Luke is not only the author of the Gospel of Luke, but also the author of the Acts of the Apostles [and a disciple of St. Paul]. Acts chronicles the life of the early Church in the days and years after Christ’s Resurrection. The overarching theme of Luke’s gospel is the universal salvation for all, not just a select few. There is no longer a single chosen person—an important reminder for each of us, even to this day. If salvation is open to among others, Gentiles, tax collectors, and prostitutes, imagine what God has in store for each of us. Matthew in the gospel reminds us, “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belong to God” (Matthew 22:22). Perhaps it’s a good time to ask, “What doesn't belong to God?” As we move into the beauty of Fall, I hope we can continue to be reminded of God’s universal love for each of us. 

This week I will join Fr. Steve, our brother priests, and Archbishop Lori for our Biannual Priest Convocation. Every two years, we gather in prayer and fraternity for several days. We will have a Convocation speaker with multiple talks, communal mass and prayer, and time for friendship and priestly fraternity. For many of us, this is the only time we come together as one large group. We will also honor our brothers who have significant priesthood anniversaries. Our absence will create some disruption to the daily mass schedule. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Finally, as we prepare to enter the month of All Souls in November, I would like to draw your attention to two ways we can remember those who have gone before us in this sacred month. At both parishes in our pastorate there will be an Altar of Remembrance. You are invited to bring in framed pictures of your loved ones (no larger than 8x10) between now and November 1st. Please place a label with your name and phone number on the back of the framed picture in case you forget to pick it up at the end of November. In addition, there will be a Book of the Dead in close proximity to the Altar of Remembrance where you can inscribe names of deceased family and friends. You may include as many names as you wish. There is no stipend required as this is not a Mass intention.

Blessing on your week!
Fr. Kevin

All Are Invited

 Dear Friends of our Pastorate of the Visitation,

This weekend, we celebrate the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Our readings this
weekend are offering us glimpses of the kingdom of God. The first reading offers us a beautiful
image of the kingdom as a holy mountain where the Lord will provide for all of our needs.
The Gospel offers us an image of the kingdom as a wedding feast where all are invited. In the
parable, the king extends an invitation to everyone but many people are not interested and/or put
to death the messengers sent by the king. Ultimately, people are gathered off of the streets to
come to the feast, but one person who comes is not properly dressed, so he is removed. It seems
strange on the surface, but the parable explains that God’s gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ
is offered to everyone: some are not interested, and some are not prepared, but all are invited and
will be welcomed if only they believe in Jesus and are united to him through baptism.

You are invited to continue your preparation for the wedding feast by signing up for our free Formed.org account. Formed contains a wealth of programs, movies, bible studies, etc. that you can access from home. Go to www.formed.org and click on “Find your parish subscription” at the top of the screen. The account is under “Our Lady of the Chesapeake” but also includes St. Jane Frances.

This Friday (10/16) our middle school youth ministry is going bowling at Severna Park lanes. Permission forms are available from Carrie or Tim, and the activity is open to all middle schoolers from the pastorate.

This Saturday (10/17) is our annual Trunk or Treat at OLC starting at 5:15pm (following the 4pm Mass) until 7:30pm. This is a great activity for you and your family. You can still sign up to host a trunk, so please consider doing so. To Host a Trunk, help with planning, or support the event, reach out to Michaela at mstanton@olchesapeake.org or visit https://olchesapeake.flocknote.com/signup/269821.

Our Pastorate’s Pastoral Plan for Evangelization has been approved by Archbishop Lori and will be our guidebook for the next couple of years for our Pastorate of the Visitation. I have established a Pastorate Pastoral Council made up of four members from each parish to assist with the implementation and oversight of our pastoral plan. Soon we will have copies of the plan available for distribution to our pastorate members, so stay tuned for more information.

The annual Baby Bottle Campaign is off to a great start. Baby bottles are available at both parishes for you to use to make a donation of coins, or bills, or checks to support the good works of Women’s Care Mary’s Center in Glen Burnie. Mary’s Center assists women in the community in need of support for their babies and toddlers. Please return the baby bottles with your donations to either parish by the end of October. Thanks! You can also use the Mary’s Center Donation link for Pastorate of the Visitation: 

https://checkout.square.site/merchant/MLPXAE6ZKC9Q7/checkout/AUTA7NJPTBX6TFLGDQP7ADZH?src=webqr

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

God Bless,
Father Steve

Faith Renewed, Mission Sustained

Dear Friends of Pastorate of the Visitation,

We have concluded the formal portion of our annual stewardship program. This year, as you are likely now aware, the title of our campaign says it all, “Faith Renewed, Mission Sustained.” As we renew our faith, individually and collectively, we sustain the mission of the pastorate. The words from Paul to the people of Thessalonica seem particularly appropriate: “We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love.” (1 Thessalonians 1:2). Please pray for our renewal efforts to sustain and support our parishes. We hope your renewal cards will serve as a reminder of how you can help, beginning with prayer for our continued success. If we can be of any assistance in setting up online giving, please feel free to contact the parish office. Thank you very much for your ongoing generosity.

In the next month, we will begin to see the beauty of Fall with the changing of the leaves. This month, we will also begin a program entitled “In Full Color.” It is primarily designed for families with young children to assist in more fully understanding the parts of the Mass. What works for kids often is equally helpful for adults. We hope you enjoy the brief explanations throughout the coming months, explaining the parts of our liturgy.

Speaking of the month of October, the archdiocesan-approved campaign for the renovation of the organ at St. Jane comes to a close at the end of this month. If you would like to make a tax-free donation toward the renovation of the organ (which is almost complete), please do so by the end of this month.

Blessings on your week and your Fall!
Fr. Kevin

Working In The Vineyard

Dear Friends of our Pastorate of the Visitation,

This weekend, we celebrate the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time and have another parable about a vineyard. This one is about a father with two sons. He asked one son to go work in the vineyard, and the son says in reply, “I will not” but later changed his mind and went to work. He asks the other son to go work in the vineyard, and he replies, “Yes, sir” but doesn’t go. Jesus asks who did the father’s will? Ultimately, it was the first son, because he eventually went to work in the vineyard. He goes on to chastise the chief priests and the scribes, because they did not believe the teaching of John the Baptist, yet tax collectors and prostitutes did. They initially were saying “no” by the example of their lives, but ultimately came to believe; while the others were “saying: ‘yes’” but never actually believed John.

This weekend is the Renewal weekend for our “Faith Renewed – Mission Sustained” Fall stewardship program. Last weekend, you were asked to reflect upon the ways that faith has sustained you and our parishes while beginning to recall how grateful you are for God’s grace and blessings in your life. This weekend, we will be asking you to help our parishes sustain our mission by making a commitment to support our parishes by praying, increasing your offertory gift (and consider moving to online giving), and volunteering of your time. We have many needs that would benefit by your financial gifts and gifts of time. For example, at St. Jane’s, we have had a difficult time with the trees around the campus. Some were damaged over the summer by storms (as some of you had to deal with at home), and others have succumbed to pine beetles. At OLC, we had to replace part of the entrance road due to a wash out of the soil beneath the asphalt. Both have been unexpected (and therefore unbudgeted) expenses. And we are always in need of additional volunteers to serve at Mass including lectors at SJF and EMs, and altar servers at both Churches. Consider this the Lord’s invitation to come and work in His vineyard at our Pastorate!

We continue to announce that our Pastorate now has a Formed.org account that is available to all of our
parishioners! Formed is an online tool offered by the Augustine Institute that contains a wealth of programs, movies, bible studies, etc. that you can access from home. Create a FORMED account by going to www.formed.org and click on “Find your parish subscription” at the top of the screen. The account is under Our Lady of the Chesapeake but also includes St. Jane Frances.

Wednesday Night Group (WNG) for our Pastorate high schoolers occurs every Wednesday evening from 6:30pm–8:30pm and rotates between OLC and SJF. Both Tim (OLC) and Carrie (SJF) co-sponsor this weekly activity. The schedule for the high school WNG can be found at https://www.olchesapeake.org/grow.

We are in the midst of a Jubilee Year in honor of the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi. The Blessing of Animals in honor of St. Francis will take place at St. Jane Frances on Sunday, October 4th at 5:00pm and at OLC on Monday, October 5th at 6:00pm.

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

God Bless,
Father Steve

Fair Or Just?

Dear Friends of our Pastorate of the Visitation,

There is nothing more confusing and at times frustrating for a child than when something seems unfair. It’s a phrase that they learn early and pronounce with vigor: “But that’s not fair!” Of course, with the benefit of time and life experience, we learn to evaluate fairness a bit more broadly. That is, until something doesn’t go our way.

Our gospel this weekend reminds us that God does not always look at what is fair but rather what is just and often what is necessary (Mt 20:1-16a). In the parable in Matthew’s gospel, all of the laborers are paid the same amount regardless of the hours worked. God’s generosity knows no limits—and certainly not the limits of human fairness. It is good to regularly remind ourselves of God’s abundant generosity for each of us.

This weekend, we celebrate the Rite of Enrollment at the 10:00 Mass at St. Jane for our Confirmation students preparing to be confirmed by Bishop Parker in November. The liturgical ritual allows the candidates to declare their personal commitment to complete their formation in preparation for full initiation in the Catholic Church. It allows them to speak with their own voice rather than that of their parents or godparents. Please keep all of our candidates in your prayers in these remaining weeks.

Our gospel reminder about the generosity of God is a good reminder that our Fall stewardship program entitle “Faith Renewed, Mission Sustained” begins this weekend. The good work of both parishes in our pastorate is only possible thanks to your generous sacrificial giving, whether by cash, check, parish envelopes, or electronic giving. In these difficult economic times, many of you are giving from your poverty and not from your surplus. In the name of Fr. Steve and the pastorate staff, thank you in advance for your ongoing financial and spiritual support.

Blessings on your week!
Fr. Kevin