Dear Parishioners,
“The weed patch is history.” These words were written by an appreciative parishioner about the landscaping and hardscaping done around the front of the church. The entrance really needed the facelift it received just in time for Mother’s Day, and it would not have happened without your support of the monthly “Building and Maintenance” collection. Thanks for your generosity.
Last Sunday, Good Shepherd Sunday, marked the beginning of “Vocations Awareness Week.” Hopefully, you have been praying at home, as we do at each Sunday Mass, for an increase to priestly vocations.
We also inserted Archbishop O’Brien’s April letter on the shortage of priests and the plans to deal with an even greater shortage looming in the immediate future. With fewer priests, the number of Masses and schedule of Masses will need to be examined. Already parishes are reducing the number of weekend Masses. As a matter of fact, Our Lady of the Chesapeake will eliminate one Mass beginning this June. St. Jane Frances will be looking at its Mass schedule in the coming year to see how many Masses are actually needed. I foresee no changes in the next 6 months, and probably not until next summer. Of course, the parish will be consulted beforehand. However, if you were to bring all your Catholic family, friends, and neighbors, and fill all the pews (that’s called evangelization), I would be forced to retain the current Mass schedule. Nothing would make me more pleased that that!
- Fr. Carl
Rev. Stephen Hook is Pastor of the Pastorate of the Visitation which includes the Catholic Churches of Pasadena, Maryland: St. Jane Frances de Chantal (Riviera Beach) and Our Lady of the Chesapeake (Lakeshore). He is assisted by Associate Pastor Rev. John Belinki, Deacon Howard Klohr, and Deacon Rick Clemens. To learn more about our pastorate, please visit www.catholicpasadena.org.
