Dear Friends of our Pastorate of the Visitation,
This weekend, we celebrate the 33th Sunday in Ordinary Time. As we come to the end of the liturgical year, our readings take on a more apocalyptic tone as they focus on the end time. On the surface, they may give us some pause as we hear about times of trial and tribulation, but this is not meant to be a time for us worry and fret over our future. Instead, it is a reminder to us of what is to be accomplished by Christ when He comes again in glory. Christ the King (whose feast day we will celebrate next weekend) will ultimately triumph over sin and death. He will conquer the world and fully establish His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. This is all meant to be Good News! If we are worried, then now is the time for repentance and conversion. The Lord is always ready to forgive us and welcome us back to his flock.
The end of the liturgical year also ushers in the beginning of the Advent season. The St. Jane Frances Giving Tree will be set up this weekend and ready for you to support our parish and local charities including Mary’s Center, NCEON, and others. Please choose a tag from the tree to donate. All gifts should be unwrapped and have the tree tag attached.
Next week, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. Our Pastorate’s Thanksgiving Day Mass is on Thursday, November 27th at 8:30am at St. Jane Frances. We will be collecting donations of food for the food pantry, so please bring your donations to the Church. We will also be blessing your Thanksgiving foods after Mass.
In next weekend’s bulletin, we will be publishing our Pastorate’s Advent and Christmas schedule. This will include the Mass schedules for the Immaculate Conception and Christmas Masses as well as our Advent Penance Service. We will also be offering a new service called Stations of the Crib. This is like the Stations of the Cross but is based on fourteen events in the infancy narratives from the Sacred
Scriptures. Stay tuned for more information.
Please keep everyone in your prayers who has been impacted by the shutdown of the Federal Government. We have parishioners who have been impacted on many levels, not only those who work for the government, but others who receive assistance for food and other services. Please pray that our elected oĸcials will find a way through this political impasse and restore civility to our political process.
Thank you for keeping our Pastorate of the Visitation—St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—in your daily prayers!
God Bless,
Father Steve
