Happy Divine Mercy Sunday!

Brothers and Sisters,

Remember a time in your life when you were fearful and sad, and felt lost and alone. Perhaps you experienced a significant loss or change in your life or were struggling with a painful situation. At that time, it would have been a great gift if Jesus had suddenly appeared and said: “Peace be with you.”

When we feel lost and alone, we may not always have a clear sense that Jesus is with us. Typically, we do not physically see Jesus appear to us. However, at that point in your life, was there any sense of Jesus’ presence with you? Did you experience the gift of strength from your faith in Jesus? Perhaps your faith and your belief enabled you to keep on going.

We know that Jesus is always with us, gifting us and gracing us with His presence; even if we may not realize it at that moment. Jesus walks with us daily through all of life’s circumstances. Do we believe and trust that reality? As the case of Thomas illustrates from this week’s Gospel (Jn 20:19-31), even the disciples who walked with Jesus sometimes had doubts. Jesus meets us wherever we are on life’s journey and removes our doubts. Even if we do have a sense of Jesus’ presence, we may desire evidence that Jesus is with us, just as Thomas did. Thomas wanted to know if the resurrected Jesus was real. Isn’t that what we all seek and need at times? We need to live in the reality that Jesus is alive. How do we encounter him without physically seeing Him with our eyes? Jesus says that we do not have to see Him to believe in Him. We are invited by Jesus himself to believe by trusting the first-hand accounts given to us by the Apostles in Sacred Scripture. By encountering Him through prayer and the sacraments and through our neighbor. Today, if we doubt Jesus is near us and with us, may we reach out in faith and ask Him to come and be present and real in our current circumstance. Jesus will come to us and bring us His peace as we proclaim, “my Lord and my God!”

Christ is risen! Happy Easter!
Deacon Howard

 

Divine Mercy Sunday

Sunday, April 16th, the Second Sunday of Easter, is also Divine Mercy Sunday when the faithful may receive an indulgence by devoutly participating in certain pious practices, including: receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation within a week of Divine Mercy Sunday, receiving Holy Communion at Sunday Mass, praying the Apostles’ Creed, the Our Father, a prayer for the intention of the Pope, and a devout prayer such as, “Merciful Jesus, I trust in you.” Confessions are heard weekly on Saturdays 3:30–4:30 pm and Thursdays 7:45–8:15 am, or by appointment by calling the parish office. For more information on Divine Mercy, please visit: https://www.stjane.org/divine-mercy-novena/

Happy Easter!

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