Dear Pastorate Family and Friends,
It is hard to believe that Summer is rapidly coming to an end. Pretty soon, our kids will be back in school (and traffic will be back on Fort Smallwood and Mountain Roads!) I hope everyone has had a good Summer and have taken time to relax and enjoy this beautiful life that the Lord has given us. As we begin gearing up for Fall at the pastorate, I wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the exciting things that will be happening soon.
First, I would invite you to commit to attend Mass regularly at OLC and St. Jane Frances. This one hour a week commitment is essential to you and your family’s spiritual life! Please plan to prioritize weekend Mass when planning your family schedules.
Second is registration is open for our Religious Education and Youth Ministry programs. Please be sure to enroll your children and teens, especially if they attend public schools. Allow us to help you continue to teach your children about our Catholic Faith so that they can continue to grow in their love for Jesus and His Church. Our faith journey is lifelong. It doesn’t end with Confirmation and we never graduate from being a Christian, so please help us help you!
Third, our registration for Confirmation is open! As we continue to implement Archbishop Lori’s plans for lowering the age of Confirmation, this year we will be preparing all Middle Schoolers to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Fall of 2027. If you have Middle School aged kids (or high schoolers who have not been Confirmed yet), please sign them up for our Confirmation preparation program.
The ladies of our Pastorate are continuing our Walking With Purpose (WWP) program. This is an excellent way for you to learn more about the Lord and His plans for you. Allow the Holy Spirit to move your heart to signing up for WWP this year. If you would like to hear more about our WWP program, please plan to join our planning team at a WWP information session being held on Tuesday, September 15th from 7:00pm to 9:00pm in the Gathering Place at OLC. No commitment required… other than attending this information session. WWP can and will change your life, if you allow it!!!
Our annual back to school Backpack Blessing will be taking place the weekend of Aug 22-23 at all
Masses at both Churches. All kids are invited to bring their backpacks to Mass for a special prayer of
blessing as they begin the new school year.
The Little Sisters of the Poor will be blessing our parishes with their presence in the coming weeks.
They will be at OLC the weekend of Aug. 22–23 and at St. Jane Frances the weekend of Sept 26–27.
Finally, our Pastorate’s Pastoral Plan for Evangelization has been approved by Archbishop Lori.
We are having copies of the plan printed up in order to distribute to our congregations. This plan was developed over the past couple of years with the help of several members from both parishes and will be our guidepost for our evangelization efforts over the next few years. I am very thankful to everyone who assisted in its development (their names will be listed on the back of the plan).
As always, thank you so much for your prayers and support of our Pastorate of the Visitation. Please
know that Fr. Kevin and I appreciate them very much!
God Bless,
Father Steve
A Letter from Our Deacon
Brothers and Sisters,
How easy is it for us to become discouraged and uncertain when it seems like our prayers are not being heard, much less answered? The Canaanite woman in the Gospel reading this weekend gives us a reminder and a repeated lesson that perseverance pays off. She teaches us not to get discouraged when difficulties arise in life and to persevere in prayer, even when it seems that God is not listening. Her persistence is an effect of her faith, and because of her faith, Jesus cures her child. Her inner strength and faith enabled her to overcome every obstacle. She was considered an “outsider” by the Jewish people and the disciples, but she addresses Jesus with a Messianic title, reverence, trust, and humility knowing he had the power to heal. Are we doing the same in our own prayer life or are we giving up when we don’t see our answer right away? Are we willing to put our faith into action and pray without ceasing?
With the stubbornness of the Canaanite woman, we should be going down on our knees as she did, adoring Jesus and pleading to Him, “Lord, help me.” Doing so with a faith that is not easily deterred. Our Lord wants us to rely on him for everything. It should be so glaringly evident to us that without him we can do nothing, whereas with him we can do all things. Is that kind of faith and trust deeply rooted in our own souls? Jesus’ concluding words to the Canaanite woman challenge us as followers to recognize the gifts of goodness and grace that Jesus offers to those who truly and deeply trust in him. May we be bold in prayer always!
God Bless,
Deacon Howard
“O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.”
