Dear Friends of St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake,
This weekend, we celebrate the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Our Gospel is the parable of the generous landowner, who hires workers throughout the day to work in his vineyard (Mt 20:1-16a). At the end of the day, the ones who were hired first thought they would receive more money than those who were hired later in the day, but all received the same amount. This is an image of God’s Kingdom, and the rewards of eternal life in the kingdom offered to all – no matter when they turn to the Lord. It is the Lord’s desire and the Church’s prayer that all people be saved, no matter when they come to know Jesus. May we continue our efforts to evangelize our community and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with all people.
To that end, we are in the final week of introducing our Pastorate’s major evangelization effort, called “3 in 1.” This weekend, we are asking all of our parishioners to make a commitment to invite 3 people over the next year to join us for Mass, pastorate activities, bible study groups, or to share your faith with them in some other way. It is all in the invitation—they do not need to say “yes.” What is important is that you extend the invitation to them—plant the seed—then let the Holy Spirit take it from there. If you would like help in figuring out how to do this, join Fr. Jim’s “Become Equipped” workshop on either October 9th at 7pm at OLC or Oct 14th at 10am at SJF.
Next weekend, our pastorate will begin offering a monthly marriage anniversary blessing at the Sunday Mass. If you were married in the month of October, be sure to join us at the 8:30am Mass at OLC or the 10:00am Mass at SJF for the marriage blessing.
Our Pastorate is also joining in the National Eucharistic Revival initiative by offering a Holy Hour (Eucharistic Adoration) on the Sundays following 1st Fridays. The Holy Hour will begin at the end of the first Sunday Mass at both parishes and last for one hour. The first event will be held on Sunday, Oct 8th following the 8:00am Mass at SJF and the 8:30am Mass at OLC. Please plan to join us and spend time in prayer and adoration before the Eucharistic presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
There are numerous activities and events coming up in the next few weeks. All of these will be great opportunities for you to invite someone to join us at our pastorate (and fulfill your “3 in 1” commitments). Be sure to check the bulletin or our websites for more information so that you can mark your calendars—and invite your friends!
Thank you for keeping our Pastorate in your daily prayers!
God Bless,
Father Steve
