What Defines Us?

Brothers and Sisters,

What defines us? If we take a real hard look at ourselves, what is it that identifies who we are? Is it our work? Is it our social life or what we own? Or is it how we love? An essential part of being a follower of Jesus Christ is a willingness to love. How many times have we heard with our ears and our hearts the words in this week’s Gospel passage, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:31-33a, 34-35) Can we say without hesitation that we love as Jesus loves us? A total giving of ourselves until the very end.

I’m reminded of a question that I try to ask myself from time to time: if I were arrested and tried for being a disciple of Jesus, would there be enough evidence to convict me?

Jesus is talking here about a sacrificial love. The kind of love that wills the good of another person, even if it involves our own suffering. So for Jesus, sacrificial love is the supreme expression of love. It’s the highest form of love to lay down your life for the other person. It’s certainly the highest form of love of neighbor. In other words, Jesus wants us to love one another sacrificially. To be willing to lay down our lives for one another. This is how people will know that we are His disciples. This is what it means to be a Christian. This is our true identity that we are God’s loved ones. This is our strength which allows us to love as He loves us. May this be at the core of our own faith and how we live our lives.

God Bless,
Deacon Howard

Happy Easter And Happy Mother’s Day!

Dear Friends in Christ,

Happy Easter and Happy Mother’s Day!

Today’s Gospel presents Jesus to us as the Good Shepherd. Ergo, we call it Good Shepherd Sunday! As we pray for our deceased shepherd Francis’s repose and for our new shepherd, and in this month of Mary and on this Mother’s Day, we should pray for a renewal in the Petrine and Marian graces in the life of the Church. What does that mean?

The Church has a Petrine, apostolic principle. We thank the Lord Jesus for entrusting and commissioning Peter and the apostles—the first bishops—and their successors to the present day with special graces to teach, to govern, and to sanctify us. The apostolic, Petrine dimension of the Church makes the living person and voice of Jesus the Good Shepherd knowable and lovable to us in word, sacrament, and mission. May the ministry of Peter continue to bear abundant fruit in our hearts and in the heart of the Church!

Additionally, antecedent, but profoundly united to the Church’s Petrine principle is her Marian principle. In her Marian dimension, the Church “contemplating Mary’s mysterious sanctity, imitating her charity, and faithfully fulfilling the Father’s will, becomes herself a mother by accepting God’s word in faith. For by her preaching and by baptism [the Church] brings forth to a new and immortal life, children who are conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of God. The Church herself is a virgin, who keeps whole and pure the fidelity she has pledged to her Spouse. Imitating the Mother of her Lord, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, she preserves with virginal purity and integral faith, a firm hope and sincere charity,” (Lumen Gentium 64).

“May attention to Mary and to her example bring us to a greater love, tenderness and docility to the voice of the Spirit, so that each one is more enriched interiorly with that dedication to the ministry of Peter,” (St. John Paul II).

Summertime Adult Confirmation Preparation: Are you a baptized Catholic who is receiving the Eucharist but has not been fully initiated into the Catholic faith through the Sacrament of Confirmation? We want to confirm you this summer! What do you need to do? Open your heart to God the Holy Spirit and join us for three sessions of preparation: June 16, June 30, July 14 at 7pm at St. Jane. Confirmation will be celebrated late in July or early August. Out of town? Do not be afraid. We will find a time that works! Please email Father John to register, john.bilenki@archbalt.org.

Pentecost: During the week leading up to Pentecost (June 8), we will have several opportunities to gather in prayer like Mary and the apostles did in anticipation of the birthday of the Church. Stay tuned for a schedule to be published soon!

Corpus Christi: At St. Jane on June 22 at the end of the 11:30am Mass, we will celebrate Corpus Christi with a Eucharistic procession. If you have never participated in a Eucharistic procession, I encourage as many people as possible to join us. Stay tuned for further communications!

May our Mother Mary intercede for our Pastorate that we may run with haste and love to proclaim Christ as she did at the Visitation—which we will celebrate on May 31 along with Our Lady of the Chesapeake’s 45th anniversary!

God bless you!
Father John

Much To Celebrate!

Dear Friends of our Pastorate,

This weekend, we celebrate the Third Sunday of Easter. Our Gospel this weekend is from the Gospel of John, and it is part of John’s post Resurrection narratives (John 21:1-19). This week, it appears that the disciples have returned to their former ways of life—they are back on the lake fishing. Jesus appears to them on the shore, but they do not recognize him. He tells them to cast their nets over the right side of the boat, and when they do, they haul in a large catch of fish. Immediately, Peter realizes it is Jesus, and he jumps into the water to swim to shore while the rest bring the boat ashore along with the catch.

This Gospel also contains an exchange between Peter and Jesus that scripture scholar sees as Jesus’ way for Peter to redeem himself after his threefold denial of Jesus during the passion. Jesus asks Peter if he loves him three times. And after each time, Peter responds that he loves him. This declaration of love then comes with a mission from Jesus to Peter to feed my lambs, tend my sheep, and feed my sheep. As Catholics, we also see that this encounter is a commissioning of Peter to lead the Church Jesus has established. There has been a successor to Peter since that day, mostly recently Pope Francis, but soon there will be another successor to Peter once the Cardinals elect a new Roman Pontiff. Please keep the College of Cardinals in your daily prayers as they prepare to enter into conclave to choose our next Pope.

Congratulations to all of the young members of our pastorate who have received or will be receiving their First Holy Communion. St Jane’s celebrated 1st Communions last weekend, and OLC will be celebrating this weekend.

Please join us this Sunday, May 4th, at the 11:30am Mass as we celebrate Fr. Bill Spacek’s 30th anniversary of Priesthood Ordination. There will be a reception for Fr. Bill in the parish hall following Mass. I met Fr. Bill when I was a seminarian at my first summer assignment at St. Paul’s in Ellicott City in 1998. Fr. Bill and I also share a birthday—same month, same day, same year! Congratulations Fr. Bill (and happy early birthday)!

Mother’s Day Spiritual Bouquets are available at both parishes as we prepare to celebrate Mother’s Day. Please return your offering as soon as possible. May is also the month of Mary. Our May Crowning at St. Jane’s will take place this Sunday (May 4th) after the 10:00am Mass. OLC will celebrate the May Crowning on Mother’s Day (May 11), after the 10:45am Mass. There is also a Mother’s Day breakfast being held at OLC on Mother’s day from 8:30am–1:00pm sponsored by the Knights of Columbus 10881. The breakfast is FREE, so come and join us after Mass.

Don’t forget to purchase your raffle tickets for OLC’s 45th anniversary raffle. Tickets are available online or by stopping by the parish offices at either Church. OLC’s anniversary Mass with Archbishop Lori (and Fr. Jim) will be on Saturday, May 31st at 4:00pm followed by a light reception in the Gathering Place. We will also be drawing the 20 winning numbers for the raffle. Please join us!

Thank you for keeping St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—our Pastorate of the Visitation—in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

Fear and Faith

Brothers and Sisters,

What is it that tempts you to fear in life? What is it that tempts you to lose your hope? Perhaps you struggle with the loss of a loved one, or your fear comes from something small and is only minor right now, but our human nature causes us to dwell on the fear and we perceive it to be larger than it really is. The truth is that all of us will experience temptations to fear and lose hope at one time or another. For this reason, we must all constantly listen to Jesus’ words and welcome His risen presence to dispel every fear in life, as we invite Jesus to bestow upon us the gift of His peace that comes from unwavering faith in His plan for our lives. 

In the Gospel reading this week, Jesus comes to his disciples right in the midst of their fear, pain, doubt, and confusion. He comes speaking peace, bringing faith into their anxious lives and driving out fear and doubt by His presence.

Reflect, today, upon any struggles you have with despair, fear or anxiety in life. As you do, know that all things are possible when you turn to Jesus with faith. Faith does not necessarily remove the hardships of life; it does something even better. It transforms hardships so that you can endure them with grace, joy and supernatural hope. When this happens, everything in life has the potential to be used by God for our good. All we need to do is continually reject fear and “just have faith.” Fear destroys faith, but faith drives out fear.

Instead of worrying and dwelling on your fear, ask Jesus to help you by speaking His peace into your situation. Believing that you have an opportunity to strengthen your faith and trust in the Lord even more deeply. Doing so will bring you great peace!

May the Lord’s Divine Mercy and Peace reign in our hearts.

God Bless,
Deacon Howard

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

On behalf of all of us at our Pastorate of the Visitation, 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 in the heavenly kingdom. 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 share our witness and testimony concerning the saving power of Christ. So go forth today, and every day to proclaim that Christ is Risen! 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. Because Easter is late this year, we will also begin celebrating First Communions next weekend. St. Jane Frances will be celebrating at the 11:30am Mass on April 27th, and OLC will be celebrating the weekend of May 3–4 at several Masses. 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 or have been confirmed in the Church this year! The next couple of weeks are very busy, but busy with joyous and celebratory encounters with the Risen Christ.

Also during the Easter Season, we will be reading from 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 June 8th. This year we are also planning to prepare for Pentecost by celebrating the Pentecost Novena beginning on May 30th. Stay tuned for more details.

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. I would like to highlight a few of them:

• We will be honoring the Blessed Mother with our annual May Crowning on Sunday, May 4th after the 10am Mass at St Jane Frances, and Sunday, May 11th after the 10:45am Mass at OLC.
• The Knights of Columbus at OLC will be hosting a Mother’s Day breakfast on May 11th in the Gathering Place. Come and celebrate Mom’s special day! 
• Our Lady of the Chesapeake is celebrating our 45th anniversary this year. Archbishop Lori will be celebrating the 4:00pm Mass on Saturday, May 31st followed by a celebratory toast in the Gathering Place. Fr. Jim will be with him as well. 
• We are also selling raffle tickets for our Forty-Five Fantastic Years of Faith Raffle. Tickets are $20 each and there are 21 chances to win a prize. The drawing will take place after the 4:00 p.m. Mass on May 31st. Raffle tickets can be purchased online at GiveCentral.org, after Masses, or by emailing OLCanniversary@olchesapeake.org.

Thank you for keeping our Pastorate of the Visitation—St. Jane Frances de Chantal and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—in your daily prayers! We certainly remember all of you in my daily prayers as well!

God Bless,
Father Steve & Father John

Holy Week

Dear Friends of our Pastorate of the Visitation,

This weekend begins our journey through the holiest week of the year with the celebration of the Passion of the Lord on Palm Sunday. Holy Week offers us many opportunities to experience Jesus’ journey from the Last Supper, to his Cross, and to his Resurrection. I encourage you to take some time this week to enter into these solemn days of prayer and fasting with a sense of reverence and reflection upon what our Savior Jesus Christ accomplished for us by his Passion. I invite you and encourage you to join us as we celebrate these liturgies together as one Pastorate Community. They are very powerful experiences of the Lord’s overwhelming love for us… a love that led him to freely take up His Cross. Here are the Holy Week and Triduum schedules for the Pastorate:

Holy Thursday (@ OLC), April 17th – 7:00pm Mass followed by Adoration until 9:00pm

Good Friday, April 18th – Passion of the Lord – 3:00pm at SJF, 7:00pm at OLC
(Communion will be distributed at these services.)

Good Friday, Stations of the Cross – 12:00pm at SJF, 3:00pm at OLC (youth led)
(Communion is NOT distributed at these services.)

Blessing of the Easter Foods, April 19th – 9:00am at SJF, 12:00pm at OLC

Pastorate Easter Vigil (@ SJF), April 19th – 8:00pm at SJF
(There will be no Confessions and no 4:00pm nor 5:00pm Masses on April 19th)

Easter Sunday, April 20th

• SJF: 8:00am, 10am, 12:00pm (Note time change).
• OLC: 8:00am, 9:30am, 11am (Note time changes).

Fr. Steve and Fr. John will be at the Triduum liturgies as well as the Easter Vigil. Fr. John will celebrate Masses on Easter Sunday at SJF. Fr. Steve will be celebrating Easter Sunday Masses at OLC. The 10:00am Mass at SJF and the 11:00am Mass at OLC will offer homilies geared toward the children of the pastorate.

In addition to the events listed above, the Archdiocesan Chrism Mass will take place on Monday, April 14th at 7:00pm at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore. At this Mass, the Archbishop will bless the holy oils to be used for Anointing of the Sick and the catechumens, as well as consecrate the Sacred Chrism that will be used for Baptisms, Confirmations, and Holy Orders during the coming year. The priests of the Archdiocese will also renew the promises we made at our ordinations. This celebration is open to the public, and all are invited to attend. As a priest, I know I am always thankful to see current (and former) parishioners in attendance. Please consider joining us.

Fr. John and I will be offering the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Tuesday, April 15th from 6:00pm to 7:30pm at St Jane Frances. Tenebrae will be celebrated at St Jane Frances at 8:00pm that evening.

Thank you for keeping our Pastorate of the Visitation—St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Fr. Steve

Mission Accomplished!

Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,

We are gaining momentum in our Lenten pilgrimage! Stay close to Jesus and the disciples by following the daily Mass readings. The daily readings are capturing the stage being set for Jesus’ Passion. Find the daily Mass readings at https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading. Perhaps even find one additional time when you are able to participate in Mass during the week! Jesus awaits you!

There has been much going on! Our Lenten mission with Father Brian Nolan was especially anointed and hope-filled! The talks were livestreamed, so you can still access them via Facebook on each church’s page online. Fr. Brian provided us with a lot of food for prayer. If anything from his reflections inspired you or resonated with you—especially that might be beneficial to our mission—continue praying about those things and connect with us!

On the note of initiatives, thank you to those who helped organize and who participated in our Pastorate 24-Hour Eucharistic adoration. We had around 50 adorers who signed up and even more who spent time praying before the living Jesus throughout the day. May this time of adoration bear fruit in our souls and in our pastorate as we seek to love the Lord and make him loved!

Mrs. Carrie, Mrs. Sam Urban, and our middle schoolers have spent several Sundays preparing for the pastorate’s Passion Play on April 11 at 7pm. Please join us for this moving meditation!

We have had MANY people asking about entering the Catholic faith as well as adult Catholics desiring to receive Confirmation along with further formation in their Catholic faith. This is so moving and inspiring! If this is you or someone you know, please write to me john.bilenki@archbalt.org and I would be delighted to connect and discuss how we can best serve you.

Do you know when you’re going to Mass on Easter?? Who is the Holy Spirit asking you to invite?? Please note the following!

The Pastorate Easter Vigil is at St. Jane Frances at 8pm on April 19.

On Easter Sunday, April 20, Masses at St. Jane Frances will be celebrated at 8am, 10am, and 12 noon. Please note this slight adjustment from our usual Sunday schedule.

Easter Sunday Masses at Our Lady of the Chesapeake will be celebrated at 8am, 9:30am, and 11am (youth ministry Mass). Please note these adjustments from our usual Sunday schedule.

But, before we get to Easter, there is much of Lent left to live. “Live and let Lent,” you might sing. Persevere in remaining open to the graces of this season as the Lord continues to reveal the depth of his love to us. Thank you for keeping the Pastorate of the Visitation in your daily prayers!

God bless you!
Father John

The Prodigal Son

Brothers and Sisters,

We’ve heard the parable of the prodigal son many times. We know this parable speaks to us about repentance and reconciliation but also about the extravagant love and mercy of the father. From the first action of the father to the throwing of an elaborate party in the end, this story contains many twists and turns all of which make the point that God’s love overcomes the reckless, despairing wanderings of His children. In the end, love conquers all. The parable has two major points. First, repentance means an absolute reversal of our broken status. The lost son has become a family member again. He is fully restored. The father’s acceptance of the penitent son is total. This is God’s grace. This is why God pursues sinners. Second, all of us should have joy when the penitent returns. Reconciliation involves not only God and the individual but also the individual and the community.

Today is a good day to place ourselves in the shoes of the prodigal son or the prodigal daughter. At times in our lives, we also have left the home of our God. We have wandered away to a distant place and perhaps we also have squandered what little we had. How long will we keep our distance from God? Are we afraid that God will never forgive us? Perhaps we think we do not deserve to be forgiven. And yet, God is always on the lookout for us, yearning for us, waiting for us to return home. God will never stop loving us! He longs to restore that loving relationship with Him. He shows us that restoring broken relationships involves profound actions. Strong, loving relationships always require reaching out to the other.

Where is our Lord calling us to mend broken relationships in our own life?

God Bless,
Deacon Howard

Holy Moses!

Dear Friends of our Pastorate,

This weekend, we celebrate the Third Sunday of Lent. Our first reading is from the Book of Exodus and recounts for us the call of Moses, who sees fire coming from a bush but the bush is not burning. As he goes to investigate what is happening, he comes to realize that it is the Lord God calling him to take on a mission to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and deliver them to the Promised Land. If you read the entire passage (we only have part of it today), Moses is hesitant to accept this mission. He comes up with excuse after excuse until finally the Lord God tells him to go do it, and trust that the Lord will be with him on this journey. Ultimately, Moses is successful in his mission, even though he did not believe he had what it would take to accomplish it.

Do you ever feel that way when it comes to a task or mission that you have to do? It could be something at work or it could be something that you hear the Lord calling you to do. Whatever it may be, today’s first reading is a wonderful reminder of our call to trust in the Lord, no matter what. God’s expectations for us as disciples are to bear fruit for the kingdom, as we hear in the Gospel today. Jesus offers us every opportunity to do this, and we can accomplish it, if we trust in the ways of the Lord who is kind and merciful.

Thank you to everyone who helped with our annual St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar at St. Jane Frances last week. It was another successful evening! Special thanks to Teresa Sparklin, Melissa Boyle and all of the many volunteers who assisted us. These events are great opportunities for us to evangelize our community by helping all who attend to experience the Spirit of the Lord dwelling within us and guiding our pastorate’s mission.

Join us this week at 7:00pm on March 24-26 for our Annual Lenten Mission entitled “Hope in the Lord.” Our presented will be Fr. Brian Nolan, pastor of St. Ignatius Church in Ijamsville, MD and former associate pastor at St. Jane Frances. March 24th and 26th will be held at St Jane Frances in the Church. The Session on Tuesday, March 25th will be held at OLC and will conclude with the opportunity for Confessions. Please plan to join us!

It is not too late to register for the 2025 Catholic Men’s Fellowship Conference being held on Saturday, April 5th from 8:00am to 3:00pm at St. Joseph Fullerton Church. To register, go to catholicmensfellowship.com or talk to Fr. John for more information.

Don’t forget our weekly Stations of the Cross on the Fridays during Lent. We are offering Stations at 12:00pm on Fridays at OLC and 7:00pm on Fridays at St Jane Frances. Also be sure to come to the Lenten Fish Frys on the Fridays during Lent at St. Jane Frances hosted by the Knights of Columbus.

Thank you for keeping St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—our Pastorate of the Visitation—in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

Lenten Happenings

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

A major step in my initiation to the Pastorate took place this past Friday: the St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar! Thank you to the Chair Teresa Sparklin assisted by Melissa Boyle and to so many volunteers who gave of themselves in different ways for the success of this event. Thank you all for so many donations, your presence, and your prayers for the Bazaar.

Speaking of St. Patrick… The memorial of St. Patrick is tomorrow March 17! Consider web-searching and meditating on “The Breastplate of St. Patrick” prayer before you enjoy your corned beef and cabbage! Sláinte!

On another note of initiation, please continue to intercede for our Pastorate’s catechumens and candidates preparing to enter the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil! If you have never been to the Easter Vigil or if it has been some years, I strongly encourage you to join us this year! In our Catholic tradition, it is called the “mother of all Vigils,” because it is where we celebrate—in word and sacrament while keeping watch in the night—the Resurrection event of Jesus from the dead. In the Exsultet prayer that is chanted at the Vigil, we declare this night as “truly blessed… worthy alone to know the time and hour when Christ rose from the underworld!”

I’m very much looking forward to sharing these holiest days with you all as it will be my first Triduum in a parish setting as a priest. I am especially thankful to all of our new Altar Servers at both churches who have recently joined the ranks! We have also had teens step-up to serve as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and as Lectors – thank you for your generosity and joyful witness to our spiritual family. Thank you parents for your encouragement and support as well.

At St. Jane, we have some newly built/refurbished picnic tables courtesy of parishioner Blake Greenbeck-Marsh. This project not only furnishes the grounds we enjoy at SJF, but also brings Blake near the reception of his Eagle Scout award. Thank you, Blake and congratulations! Blake’s labors are a great segue to mentioning… 

The Solemnity of St. Joseph, this Wednesday March 19! He is a model for us in many ways, especially of being faithful during the “ordinary, unspectacular flow of daily life” as they say at Mount St. Joe. In his 2020 apostolic letter Patris Corde, Pope Francis wrote, “Each of us can discover in Joseph—the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence—an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble. Saint Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation. A word of recognition and of gratitude is due to them all.” May St. Joseph intercede for you as YOU fulfill YOUR “incomparable role in the history of salvation”—in your prayer, in your home, at work, in all of your daily duties and encounters.

May St. Joseph and St. Patrick, St. Jane and Our Lady of the Chesapeake intercede for us as we follow Jesus in this Lenten season. Let us pray for and encourage one another in Christ.

God bless!
Father John

40 Days Of Lent

Dear Friends of our Pastorate,

We have begun our Lenten Journey this past Wednesday with the celebration of Ash Wednesday. This weekend, we celebrate the First Sunday of Lent. Our Gospel each year on this Sunday is the account of the temptation of Jesus in the desert. This occurs immediately after his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Luke’s account tells us that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit after his baptism and that it was the Spirit that led him into the desert for forty days to be tempted by the devil. Strengthened by the Spirit, and being united to the will of the Father, Jesus is able to resists the devil’s temptations. All of us have received the Holy Spirit at baptism as well. Therefore, we too have been given the grace we need to resist the temptations of the evil one. Even though we sometimes fail at this, the Lord continues to reach out to us and offer us forgiveness and renewed vigor to fight the battle, so don’t give up! Continue to proclaim and profess every day that Jesus is Lord!

The St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar is this Friday, March 14th from 2pm to 9pm in the St. Jane Frances School hall and classrooms. The bazaar is always a great time as well as a wonderful fundraiser for our parish. Please plan to join us for the festivities this Friday with great food, games of chance, silent auction items, and an Irish pub with live music. The “Winning of The Green” 50-50 Raffle Tickets are still available to purchase at the Parish Office and will be sold at the Bazaar. Special thanks to Teresa “Sparky” Sparklin and her team for pulling together once again our annual St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar!

This Sunday at the 11:30am Mass, we will celebrating the Rite of Sending for our O.C.I.A. candidates and catechumens. O.C.I.A. stands for the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults for people seeking to be baptized, enter into full communion with the Catholic Church, or being Confirmed. Our Pastorate has been blessed this year with 13 people who are seeking to enter the Church at the Easter Vigil this year, including a couple of children. We are “sending” them to the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen later today to be welcomed by the Archbishop into the final stages of preparation for receiving the Easter Sacraments. Please keep them and our O.C.I.A. team in your prayers during these days.

Don’t forget our weekly Stations of the Cross on the Fridays during Lent. We are offering Stations at 12:00pm on Fridays at OLC and 7:00pm on Fridays at St. Jane Frances. Also be sure to come to the Lenten Fish Frys on the Fridays during Lent at St. Jane Frances hosted by the Knights of Columbus.

Thank you for keeping St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake – our Pastorate of the Visitation - in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

Be Productive!

Dear Friends of our Pastorate,

This weekend, we celebrate the 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Our readings this weekend challenge us to reflect on our lives and see how well we are putting our faith into practice. Sometimes we want to be quick to react and respond to others, to “help” them see the errors of their ways while at the same time believing we “know” everything. But when we are guided by the Holy Spirit, then God’s Wisdom is active within us, assisting us to speak only the words that are necessary, therefore producing good fruit for the Lord. How much fruit have you produced this week? There is still time to become more productive!

This week, we begin our annual Lenten Journey on March 5th with Ash Wednesday. The distribution of Ashes will be offered at all Pastorate Masses. Our Mass schedule for Ash Wednesday is 8:30am (both churches), 12:00pm (OLC) and 7:00pm (both churches). Stations of the Cross will be held at both Churches on Fridays during Lent. Stations at OLC will be at 12:00pm and at St. Jane Frances at 7:00pm. Please plan to join us!

BUT…before we begin the Season of Lent, we are celebrating Mardi Gras on March 4th! Please join us for a family friendly Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner at St. Jane Frances Parish Hall from 4:30pm–7:00pm. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for kids 3-12, and include games, raffles, and fun activities. We will also be celebrating Mardi Gras at the Rumor Meal on Mountain Road. Stop by from 4pm–9pm and order dinner and a drink from the “Guest Bartender.” Bring a copy of the flyer when you order your meal, and some of the proceeds will be donated back to the pastorate (dine in and carry out only). All Mardi Gras proceeds from both events will benefit our Pastorate Youth Ministry Summer Workcamps.

I would like to thank everyone who has made a pledge or donation to the 2025 Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries “Go Forward with God’s Mission.” The Annual Appeal supports a wide range of ministries throughout the Archdiocese including Catholic Charities, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Vocations and College Campus Ministry, Hospital and Prison Chaplaincies, Hispanic Ministry, Tuition Assistance, and our parishes. As of 2/13/25, St Jane Frances has received 55 gifts totally $17,425 toward our goal of $57,782. OLC has received 42 gifts totally $18,330 toward our goal of $60,379. If you haven’t done so yet, please make your pledge today to the Annual Appeal. Thank you for your prayers and your support for the Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries!

Finally, the St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar is around the corner—Friday, March 14th. Be sure to purchase your raffle tickets as well as drop off your donations at the parish office. More information can be found on St. Jane Frances’ website. The next planning meeting is Tuesday, March 4th at 7:00pm in Room 106 in the school. Contact Teresa Sparklin at 443-623-3564 for more information or to volunteer.

Thank you for keeping St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—our Pastorate of the Visitation—in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

Gifts and Measures

Dear Friends in Christ,

There is an impactful video called “A Valuable Lesson for a Happier Life” by Meir Kay that circulates occasionally. It shows a professor putting before his students an empty jar. He gradually fills it with golf balls, so that it is full; then it is filled with small chocolate chips until, again, it appears full; and then sand is added, shaken down continually, until it seems truly full; then it is topped off at last with coffee (or other libation of choice.)

The professor offers an impactful meditation on what we fill our lives with. I also like this image as an analogy for the lavish goodness of God. There is always more that he wants to give and more for us to receive.

As we hear in the Gospel for this Sunday: “Give, and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

In another teaching, Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will be given to us like streams of living water will flow out of our hearts (see John 7:37-39) This is the ultimate destiny of our Christian lives—to be full of the Holy Spirit who brings Christ to life within us, to be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (see Ephesians 3:19).

Am I being filled up through daily prayer and meditation on God’s Word, through reception of the sacraments, through Christ-centered friendships? Am I walking the narrow, radical path of Christian love? How does the measure Christ measures out to me spill out into the lives of others in my home, neighborhood, and workplace? These are worthwhile questions as we look towards Lent which starts in a week and a half!!

May the Lord enlighten us and fill us with the greatest of gifts—Himself!

Father Steve and I are thankful for your prayers for us. We each respectively now have enjoyed a little bit of time off over the last few weeks. Please know of our daily prayers for you and our joy in serving you!

May the Holy Spirit continue to enliven and expand our hearts to be filled with every good gift as we seek to love Christ and make him loved in our homes, our Pastorate, and wherever the Lord leads us. God bless you abundantly.

In Christ,
Father John

Hope Sighting

Dear Friends in Christ,

God Bless you! In our readings this weekend, we encounter our Jubilee Year of Hope.

“Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD.” A fair question to ask in our life of faith is: how do I get hope?

I will share that my most common “hope-sighting” is Reconciliation—both as a recipient and in hearing confessions. It is beautiful to receive and to witness the comfort and healing work of God's grace.

St. José Maria Escrivá once said that a saint is a sinner who keeps on trying. What good company to be in! As we hear the Beatitudes in the Gospel, perhaps another we could add is: Blessed are the ones who keep trying. Reconciliation is our reminder that we are known and loved, that Jesus is the Good Shepherd Who is risen, Who is alive, and Who has come to seek and to save the lost, not to condemn. God is for us.

A trusted spiritual director once told me that we move at the pace of grace—no falling behind and no getting ahead. Reconciliation is the moment of allowing the Lord to reset the pace, to get up and be led by Him. To add another Beatitude: Blessed are the ones moving at the pace of grace.

As you may have seen by now, Fr. Steve has shared a letter with the Pastorate about Archbishop Lori’s decision to lower the age of Confirmation to nine years old. Please keep our faith formation team in your prayers as we discuss and  plan for the implementation of this.

Since I have not written for the bulletin since it happened: we had a moving time of Eucharistic adoration with our families on February 2. We hope to plan another one, so be on the lookout!

Know of my prayers for you all and please keep the spiritual family of our Pastorate in your daily prayers!

In Christ,
Father John

I Am Not Worthy

Dear Friends of our Pastorate,

This weekend, we celebrate the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Our readings this weekend all speak to us about being called by the Lord to do the work of the Lord. The interesting theme that runs through each is that those being called—Isaiah, Paul, and Peter—all have a similar response: I am not worthy. Yet, that does not deter the Lord from challenging them to grow beyond their fears of unworthiness. We all acknowledge the same sentiment each weekend as well before we receive Holy Communion. We acknowledge that we are not worthy to receive the Lord, but at His word, we will be healed. God can make us worthy for His ministry, if only we cooperate with God’s grace, as St. Paul indicates in his letter to the Corinthians. Once we do that, the Lord can work wonders in our lives and help us to become faithful followers and disciples.

I would like to thank everyone who has made a pledge or donation to the 2025 Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries. The Annual Appeal supports a wide range of ministries throughout the Archdiocese including Catholic Charities, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Vocations and College Campus Ministry, Hospital and Prison Chaplaincies, Hispanic Ministry, Tuition Assistance, and our parishes. This year’s theme is “Go Forward with God’s Mission”. There is still plenty of time to make your commitment to the Annual Appeal and help us reach out parish goals of $57,782 for St. Jane Frances and $60,379 for OLC. I encourage you to respond in faith and help support the many ministries of our local church. Thank you for your prayers and your support for the Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries!

We are less than a month away from the start of Lent. Ash Wednesday this year is March 5th. We will be publishing our Lent and Easter calendar soon, but a couple of additions this year include a 12pm Mass on Ash Wednesday at OLC, and 12pm Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent at OLC (in addition to the 7pm Stations at St Jane Frances). There is also a “rumor” going around that there may be another guest bartender appearance on Mardi Gras (March 4th) at the Rumor Meal! Stay tuned for more details.

Please continue to drop off your donations for the St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar. We are accepting wine and liquor donations for the liquor wheel and items we can sell. The raffle tickets will be coming soon as well! Information can be found on our Facebook pages (both parishes) and will soon be included on our websites. Mark the date… Friday, March 14, 2025 at St. Jane Frances!

The Catholic Men’s Fellowship Conference is scheduled for Saturday, April 5, 2025 and will be held at St. Joseph Church on Belair Road in Fullerton. Registrations are now open and can be found at https://www.stjane.org/catholic-mens-conference/.

Thank you for keeping St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—our Pastorate of the Visitation—in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

Candlemas

Dear Family in Christ,

Presenting: Presence. Today the Church celebrates the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, narrated in Luke 2:22-40. This is a ritually rich feast day: the Church blesses candles for liturgical and home use. We begin Mass with a special candlelit procession that symbolizes Mary and Joseph bringing Jesus into the Temple. With all the candles, this feast is also called “Candlemas”. Candlemas reminds us of Jesus the Light of the world who illumines every soul. We remember our baptism: we received the Light of Christ “to be kept burning brightly.” Through Word and sacrament and prayer, Jesus the Light, His real and true Presence is presented to us and enkindled in us. May the Light shine brightly through us for all to see. Please take a blessed candle for your domestic church for devotion and prayer!

Thank you for your attention and prayerful support during this giving weekend for the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal. As has been
explained, this appeal contributes greatly to the important work of sharing and living out the Gospel in our local Church.

The goal amount for St. Jane Frances is: $57,782.
The goal amount for Our Lady of the Chesapeake is: $60,379.

Your gift may be made with the envelopes provided in the pews or online by following the instructions at the following link: https://www.archbalt.org/mygift/. Thank you for your support!

At our 10am and 10:45am Masses, we held a special rite of enrollment for our children preparing for their first Holy Communion this Spring. Let us pray for them as they prepare for such a wonderful moment in their lives! Finally, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord is the Church’s World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life. Please pray for and encourage vocations to the consecrated life, especially from our Pastorate. I am certain that we have future religious sisters and brothers and priests in our pews!

And if you know any consecrated religious, thank them! A few come to mind… Sister Sally Russell (Sisters of Saint Joseph) who has generously served us; Brother Joe Krondon (Conventual Franciscan) from St. Jane; the Little Sisters of the Poor in Catonsville who visit us annually; Nashville Dominican Sisters at Mount de Sales. And many more! May they continue to be inspired by Jesus and respond generously to God’s gift of their vocation to be Christ’s light.

May the Light shine brightly in our souls, our homes, and Pastorate! Let us pray for one another.

Father John

What Is Your Mission Statement?

Brothers and Sisters,

Have you heard of a mission statement and do you know what it is intended for? The mission statement is usually created to form the vision or purpose of a company, organization, or individual. It communicates the entity’s reason for being and guides its day-to-day decision making. At the beginning of this new year, it may be wise of us to examine our own mission statement and to revise it if necessary. We have all been given a specific mission in life.

The Gospel this week, shows Jesus beginning His mission (Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21). He reads from the prophet Isaiah in the synagogue, announcing that He has come to bring good news to the poor, freedom to captives, and sight to the blind. Jesus announces the mission statement of His public ministry. He declares this prophecy as being fulfilled in Himself.

Our mission, like Christ’s mission, is to do what we have been uniquely commissioned by Christ to do. Have we made our mission in life to be what Jesus has called us to? Is our mission statement aligned with His? The mission and ministry of Jesus is a reminder to us of our Christian responsibility to our world. This is based on the understanding that every good thing we do has an eternal value. Each time we do good according to God’s will, we participate in the mission statement of Jesus. May the vision and ministry of Jesus be our vision in life and the joy of the Lord be our strength.

God Bless,
Deacon Howard

Welcome Deacon Phillip!

Dear Friends of our Pastorate,

This weekend, we celebrate the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. We will be in ordinary time until the season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which this year is March 5, 2025. Our Gospel this weekend is the Wedding Feast of Cana from the Gospel of John (John 2:1-11). As was mentioned last weekend, this is the 3rd Epiphany of the Lord that is referenced in the Scriptures. Jesus is manifested or revealed to us as the Son of God by the changing of the water into wine. This Gospel also reveals to us the faith that Mary has in her Son and his ability to “fix” this embarrassing problem for the host. Even though it seems that Jesus is not ready to begin his ministry, he listens to his mother and does what she asks, thereby revealing or manifesting that he is the Messiah. Jesus is ready to “fix” our problems as well, if only we turn to him in faith and trust. He may not do what we want, but he will give us what we need, if only we believe.

I wanted to announce that one of our Archdiocesan Permanent Deacon Candidates has been assigned to our Pastorate. His name is Phillip Snyder, and he and his wife, Cathy, will be with us through the rest of 2025 as part of his pastoral year of formation. Phil lives in Pasadena and has been an active member of St. Philip Neri parish for over 26 years. Phil will be introducing himself over the coming weeks as he rotates between the churches. When you see Phil and Cathy, please be sure to welcome them to our Pastorate!

The 2025 Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries has begun! This year’s theme is “Go Forward with God’s Mission.” Many of you should have received information in the mail about the appeal along with a way to make your pledge/donation. I encourage you to respond in faith and help support the many ministries of our local church. Our parish goals for this year are: St. Jane Frances $57,782 and OLC $60,379. 

The Red Cross is hosting a Community Blood Drive on Saturday, January 25, 2025 from 8:00am to 1:00pm at St. Jane Frances School Hall. Please be sure to sign up to donate blood. You can go to Stjane.org or redcrossblood.org.

Planning for the St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar has begun! Information can be found on our Facebook pages (both parishes) and will soon be included on our websites. Mark the date…Friday, March 14, 2025 at St. Jane Frances! The Catholic Men’s Fellowship Conference is scheduled for Saturday, April 5, 2025 and will be held at St. Joseph Church on Belair Rd in Fullerton. Registrations are now open and can be found at www.stjane.org. This year’s speakers are retired Baltimore Raven Matt Birk, and Mark Hartfiel, Vice President at the men’ leadership organization, Paradisus Dei.

Thank you for keeping St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—our Pastorate of the Visitation—in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

Thank You!

Dear Friends of our Pastorate,

This weekend, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Jesus’ baptism is one of the epiphanies that occur in the scriptures. You will recall from last weekend, we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany which was marked by the coming of the Magi to pay homage to the infant Jesus, but there are two other epiphanies of Jesus in the scriptures. In addition to Jesus’ Baptism, the third epiphany—or manifestation of Jesus—is his self-revelation at the Wedding Feast of Cana. Today’s celebration marks the official end of the Christmas Season and the return to Ordinary Time.

I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who helped our pastorate celebrate our Advent and Christmas liturgies. It was a busy few weeks, but our celebrations were filled with solemnity and joy as we commemorated the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and honored his Blessed Mother. For everyone who helped and for all who participated—thank you!

On behalf of Fr. John, I would also like to thank everyone who shared Christmas gifts with us. We were overwhelmed with many cards, gifts, and baked goods. Thank you so much for remembering us at Christmastime.

Our Shelter Week program starts tomorrow, Monday, Jan 13th. We will be hosting a group of men from Arundel House of Hope who are in need of housing and shelter during the winter months. This is a great ministry of service to others so I invite you to volunteer your time to help. We are always in need of volunteers… no experience needed! A sign up link can be found on either parish’s website. Thank you for volunteering!

Planning for the St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar has begun! Information can be found on our Facebook pages (both parishes) and will soon be included on our websites. Mark the date… Friday, March 14, 2025 at St. Jane Frances!

Finally, believe it or not, we have already started planning for Lent! This year, Ash Wednesday is March 5th and Easter Sunday is April 20th. Our initial plans include offering Stations of the Cross on Fridays during the day at OLC (in addition to Friday evenings at St. Jane’s). This year, Holy Thursday will be celebrated at OLC and the Easter Vigil will be held at St. Jane Frances (the reverse from last year). This is part of our continued rotation of major liturgical celebrations between the two parishes.

On behalf of Fr. John and all of us at our Pastorate of the Visitation, I would like to wish you and your family a very joyous New Year! Thank you for keeping Our Lady of the Chesapeake and St. Jane Frances—our Pastorate of the Visitation—in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

What Shall We Offer?

Merry Christmas!

This weekend’s celebration of Epiphany brings us near the end of the Christmas season. Epiphany Sunday traditionally points us to a few different “epiphanies” or “theophanies” in Scripture – these are to say: revelations of God’s love for us.

There is the epiphany to the wise men which we hear in this weekend’s Gospel. This epiphany reveals that the newborn King Jesus is the Savior of all, the Light for all nations.

A second epiphany is Christ’s baptism in the Jordan (celebrated next Sunday). Christ’s baptism reveals that he is the Father’s beloved Son and that we are to listen to him. Christ’s baptism reveals that he is united to our human condition in a profound way, so that we may be united to his divinity in a profound way.

Finally, a third epiphany, recorded in John’s Gospel, is the wedding feast at Cana where Jesus performs his first miracle at his Mother’s intercession, revealing his mercy and power to turn our water into wine.

Epiphanies reveal God’s love for us and his presence with us. What epiphanies have there been in your life recently?

God’s love has been shown in Advent preparations and Christmas celebrations. There have been many occasions of great mercy and hope. While there are different struggles and sorrows we carry in these times, I have been humbled and inspired to see Christ bring hope and light through Reconciliation, our Christmas Masses, and our pastorate’s gatherings and works of charity.

As a concluding Epiphany thought, the carol “In the Bleak Midwinter” comes to mind. For all of God’s goodness to us, what shall we offer in return?

What can I give him
poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring a lamb.
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
yet what I can I give him,
give my heart.

Let us pray for one another and our pastorate in these festive days. May the Lord richly bless you and keep you always in His love!

Father John