Dear Friends of our Pastorate of the Visitation,
This weekend, we are celebrating the Solemnity of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This feast day, which celebrates Jesus’ triumph over the cross, takes precedence over the Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Our readings for this weekend raise up for us the power of the Cross of Jesus Christ over sin and death. Although the cross was seen as a sign of cruelty and torture in the days of Jesus, his victory over sin and death transforms the cross into a sign of hope and expectation. Catholics use the sign of the cross in many ways including when we bless ourselves with Holy Water, begin Mass, at the reading of the Gospel, and through the blessings we receive from the clergy. The sign of the cross is also traced upon the foreheads of those being baptized and those receiving the Sacrament of the Sick. Plus there are numerous other ways we may use the sign of the cross in our daily devotional practices. The Cross of Jesus Christ is our sign of our faith and hope in the Lord. “We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world!”
Our parishes’ financial statements are included in this weekend’s bulletin and will be posted on our websites. We accomplished quite a bit over the past fiscal year (which ran from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025). St. Jane Frances completed the replacement of the St. Jane School roof which hadn’t been replaced since the mid-1980s. OLC replaced the church’s roof as well as the clerestory windows and church siding. Thank you all for your generosity to our parishes, which made these projects possible. I would also like to thank the members of each parish’s finance committees and their chairs—Mary Jo Barranco (OLC) and Gail Krondon (SJF)—for their continued assistance and due diligence in helping me to oversee the finances.
We will be launching our Fall Stewardship program in a couple of weeks entitled “Called to Serve: Sharing our Blessings, Strengthening our Church.” Over the next couple of weeks, I ask each of you to reflect upon your weekly offertory commitment to your parish and prayerfully consider increasing your giving. As we all know, expenses keep rising—at home as well as at the parish—so any increase in your giving will be appreciated. Stay tuned for more information during Announcement Weekend on Sept. 27–28.
We are celebrating Catechetical Sunday this weekend as we call forth and bless our parishioners who have volunteered their time to serve as teachers and catechists at our pastorate. Is the Holy Spirit calling you to assist us? I believe some of you are being asked to help, so please consider signing up and becoming a teacher of our faith!
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
