Dear Parishioners,
I live in Annapolis, and I love looking out on the water as I go over the several bridges to get to St. Jane Frances parish. There are usually a scattering of sailboats, some power boats, and a big ship or two. My grandfather was a sailor, and I think I’ve got some of that love of the water in me as well. But it goes beyond the water. I have backpacked the Appalachian Trail and the Adirondacks, and gone up Pike’s Peak. We have traveled the Rockies and the mountains of Alaska. I think in order to stay reasonably sane, you need a hit of the ocean and the mountains regularly. There is such beauty in nature but there is also the message of God’s grandeur and power. It is humbling to be in the presence of the immensity of the ocean or at the foot of a mountain range.
I grew up in Philly so it wasn’t until I was a young man that I saw the Milky Way in the big sky of South Dakota. God has given us a beautiful place to be. He himself even said that it was good as he created it. As we witness the destructive power of Dorian, we must be aware of God’s gift in our world but also the need to respect its power. Like our faith, we can’t take the earth for granted. We must nurture and care for it. So as we move from the heat of summer into the cooler days of fall, let us thank God for the great gift of our world. Let us be mindful of our role in being good stewards, not simply taking advantage, abusing, and desecrating it, but seeing it as a gift from our Creator who lovingly gave us a place in which to live, to grow, and to love.
Blessings,
Deacon Steve
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.
