Dear Parishioners,
I hope you and your families all had a joyful Easter and were able to relax a bit during Easter week. This weekend we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, and rejoice in the fact that we have Jesus as our good shepherd who will give us eternal life and never allow us to perish. This year the Catholic Church on earth has a new shepherd, Pope Francis, who never tires of asking people to pray for him. Of course, between Pope Benedict’s resignation and the election of Francis, there were worries and some apprehensions concerning the future. That’s part of the human condition when any flock is without a shepherd.
Last Monday, April the eighth, the shepherd of our school, Michelle Jones, informed me she and her husband, the principal of Arthur Slade School, were not renewing their contracts. Right now, I imagine there are some concerns and worries here at St. Jane Frances. There need not be. I have formed a search committee to look for a new principal, contacted the Archdiocese to put an ad in the Catholic Review and on the archdiocesan website, and am meeting with human resources to help in our search and selection process. Our school is blessed with great, dedicated, and loyal teachers, has an outstanding curriculum, and has the best STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) program in the Archdiocese. This year, thanks to a new online registration program, we are ahead of last year’s enrollment numbers. While Mrs. Jones’ leadership, hard work, and dedication will be missed, I am not worried at all and quite confident that our school will continue to be a beacon of academic excellence in Pasadena and the surrounding areas. In the meantime, like Pope Francis, I ask for your prayers for the school, the new principal, and the pastor.
- 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.
