Dear Friends of St. Jane Frances and OLC,
This weekend, the Church celebrates the Second Sunday of Lent. Our Gospel reading this weekend is the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus. Imagine the wonder and awe (and a touch of fear) that came upon Peter, James, and John when they saw Jesus transfigured before them and conversing with Moses and Elijah – the two great Old Testament figures who represent the Law and the Prophets. Even the voice from on high acknowledges Jesus as God’s beloved Son. It had to have been a life changing experience for them. After it ends, Jesus comforts them with his reassuring words “do not be afraid.” On the contrary, we ought to be very blessed by such a clear sign from God. This event is seen as both a glimpse of the resurrection as well as the manifestation of Jesus, as the divine Son of God.
We are looking forward to our Lenten Mission, which begin next Monday, March 13th through Wednesday, March 15th. Our presenter is Fr. Josh Laws, the pastor of the Catholic Community of South Baltimore. The theme for Monday will be Seeing God in Reality and will be held at SJF. Tuesday’s theme is Seeing God in a Decision and will be held at OLC, with Confessions being offered following the presentation. On Wednesday, the theme will be Seeing God Together and will be at SJF. The start time for each night will be 7:00pm. I hope you can join us each night.
I would like to announce that I have established our Pastorate Mission team who will assisting Fr. Jim and I in our work over the next two years to put together a Pastorate Mission Plan based on the foundation of Archbishop Lori’s Archdiocesan Mission plan called A Light Brightly Visible 2.0. The Archbishop’s plan can be read in its entirety at www.archbalt.org. The members of our Pastorate Mission team from SJF are Ning Wist, Gary Peters, and Randy Gardner; and from OLC are Jerry Mulcahy, Terrie Deters, and Tina Shorter. I would ask you to please pray for the success of our pastorate planning process so that we may renew the church in our area and engage more effectively in the work of evangelization and proclaiming Jesus Christ to all. Stay tuned for more information and how you will be able to assist us in our pastorate planning process.
Thank you for keeping our Pastorate of St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake in your daily
prayers!
God Bless,
Father Steve
