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
