Dear Parishioners,
Congratulations to our young people who are receiving the sacrament of confirmation this weekend. They are receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit which they first received when they were baptized. They underwent a lengthy period of preparation for this big day, and the parish is proud of their perseverance and growth during the past year. We also look forward to their future involvement in the parish and the church.
As we begin a new year, I would like to share a few thoughts from the pope to help us get more out of Mass. “Mass is the highest form of prayer and not an appropriate moment for small talk,” Pope Francis said. At church, Catholics should spend their time in silence before Mass, preparing “to meet with Jesus” instead of engaging in “chit chat,” the pope said Nov. 15 during his weekly general audience. “We are not going to a show,” he said. “Silence prepares us and accompanies us.”
The pope continued his new series of audience talks on the Mass, reflecting on the Eucharist as a form of prayer that is “the highest, the most sublime and at the same time, the most concrete” way of encountering God’s love. “this is the greatest grace: to experience that the Eucharist is the privileged moment to be with Jesus and, through him, with God and with our brothers and sisters,” the pope said. (Catholic Review, Dec. 2017)
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.
