Dear Friends of St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake,
On behalf of all of us at the Pastorate of St Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake, I would like to wish everyone a very Blessed and Joyous Easter! Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen! Today is the most important day in the Christian year, even more important than Christmas. For today, we celebrate Jesus’ triumph over sin and death, offering to us the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life. Jesus’ Resurrection also ushers in a new era in human history, where we have been invited into a deeper union with God and sent forth into the world to offer our witness and testimony as to what Christ has done for us and desires to do for all people. So go forth today, and every day to proclaim that Christ is Risen! Jesus is Alive! Alleluia! Alleluia!
The celebration of Easter is so important that the Church celebrates it as an Octave, meaning eight days. The Octave of Easter concludes next Sunday with the Sunday of Divine Mercy. This feast was added to the Church calendar by St. John Paul II in the year 2000. Also during the Easter Season, we will read through the Acts of the Apostles, which documents the growth of the early Church, empowered by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Easter Season concludes with the Solemnity of Pentecost, which we will celebrate on May 28th. We also celebrate on Easter the Sacraments of Initiation for those entering into the Church at the Easter Vigil. We congratulate all who have joined the Church this year.
I would like to thank everyone who has made a commitment to the Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries. Your financial support assists the Church in helping those in need throughout our Archdiocese. As of March 23, 2023, OLC has raised $27,375 from 85 gifts and St Jane Frances has raised $19, 125 from 71 gifts. If you haven’t made your pledge yet, please go to www.archbalt.org/giving. All proceeds go to support the charitable works of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
There are many great events and celebrations planned for the coming weeks and months for our
Pastorate. Many of them are included in this weekend’s bulletin. Please take a moment to review them
and mark your calendars so that you can join us.
Thank you for keeping our Pastorate of St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake in your
daily prayers! As we approach the first anniversary of the launch of our Pastorate, we are
contemplating a way to identify our Pastorate under a common name while still maintaining our parish
names and identities. Stay tuned for more details as all members of the Pastorate will be invited to
participate in this endeavor!
God Bless,
Father Steve
