Dear Parishioners,
Last weekend contained two beautiful ceremonial spectacles. The first, broadcast on just about every television station available, was the royal wedding from London. The second was the beatification Mass of John Paul II from Rome. It was televised on only a few channels. So the weekend revolved around a tale of two cities – London and Rome. By far, the more elaborate and colorful event was the one in London. But the more important one was in Rome. After all, that was the official pronouncement that John Paul II lived a blessed life and will one day be a saint. Whereas, London was merely legitimatizing a formerly immoral, co-habitational relationship. It was nice that the royal couple finally did the right thing, but it would have been better had they, like Princess Diana, done the right thing and lived a chaste and moral life before the wedding. John Paul II proved to be a role model throughout his life. May our young people choose good role models for their imitation, and may all of us try to become good Catholic role models for young and old alike.
- Fr. Carl
Rev. Stephen Hook is Pastor of the Pastorate of the Visitation which includes the Catholic Churches of Pasadena, Maryland: St. Jane Frances de Chantal (Riviera Beach) and Our Lady of the Chesapeake (Lakeshore). He is assisted by Associate Pastor Rev. John Belinki, Deacon Howard Klohr, and Deacon Rick Clemens. To learn more about our pastorate, please visit www.catholicpasadena.org.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Easter thanks!
Dear Parishioners,
Holy Week has come and gone but the services will not be forgotten. Those who attended were very much moved by the beauty and the spirituality of these special services. While the priests receive most of the accolades, the services could not have come out so well without the help of many dedicated volunteers from the parish. I thank them for all their hard work.
As we continue our Easter journey, today’s first reading (Acts 2:42-47) focuses on the early church and the close knit community of its early members who shared their possessions, prayed constantly, and worked together in harmony. They were good stewards sharing their time, talent, and treasures out of gratitude for God. During this Easter season and throughout the coming year, let us pray for the grace and strength to follow their good example.
- Fr. Carl
Holy Week has come and gone but the services will not be forgotten. Those who attended were very much moved by the beauty and the spirituality of these special services. While the priests receive most of the accolades, the services could not have come out so well without the help of many dedicated volunteers from the parish. I thank them for all their hard work.
As we continue our Easter journey, today’s first reading (Acts 2:42-47) focuses on the early church and the close knit community of its early members who shared their possessions, prayed constantly, and worked together in harmony. They were good stewards sharing their time, talent, and treasures out of gratitude for God. During this Easter season and throughout the coming year, let us pray for the grace and strength to follow their good example.
- Fr. Carl
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Alleluia! He is risen!
Dear Parishioners,
Alleluia! He is risen. Today we rejoice as we celebrate our Lord’s resurrection. Good defeats evil! That’s so good to remember as we see so much bad in the world. We are often tempted to embrace the words of the old manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants, Leo Durocher, who said, “Nice guys finish last.” It may have seemed like that on Good Friday, but Easter wins out at the end.
Last Saturday, we had our annual spring parish clean-up. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t very nice. However, we did have a few hardy souls show up. The Wisemans (Lawrence, Karen, Paul, Amanda, Samuel, and Karl), Mike Wist (Buildings and Maintenance Committee), and Don Kerr (Knights of Columbus) all braved the elements and did a wonderful job of sprucing up the grounds and church entrance. Speaking about the church entrance, I had a priest friend of mine, a former landscaper, give some advice about improving the grounds around our church entrance. I called a landscaper and presented his ideas to the Parish Council last week. The members voted to get an estimate and have some work done. So in the not too distant future, some of the dead trees, bushes, flowers, and grass will be replaced to make our entrance more appealing and welcoming.
On behalf of the entire staff here at St. Jane Frances, I wish you and your families a Blessed and Happy Easter.
- Fr. Carl
Alleluia! He is risen. Today we rejoice as we celebrate our Lord’s resurrection. Good defeats evil! That’s so good to remember as we see so much bad in the world. We are often tempted to embrace the words of the old manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants, Leo Durocher, who said, “Nice guys finish last.” It may have seemed like that on Good Friday, but Easter wins out at the end.
Last Saturday, we had our annual spring parish clean-up. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t very nice. However, we did have a few hardy souls show up. The Wisemans (Lawrence, Karen, Paul, Amanda, Samuel, and Karl), Mike Wist (Buildings and Maintenance Committee), and Don Kerr (Knights of Columbus) all braved the elements and did a wonderful job of sprucing up the grounds and church entrance. Speaking about the church entrance, I had a priest friend of mine, a former landscaper, give some advice about improving the grounds around our church entrance. I called a landscaper and presented his ideas to the Parish Council last week. The members voted to get an estimate and have some work done. So in the not too distant future, some of the dead trees, bushes, flowers, and grass will be replaced to make our entrance more appealing and welcoming.
On behalf of the entire staff here at St. Jane Frances, I wish you and your families a Blessed and Happy Easter.
- Fr. Carl
Friday, April 15, 2011
Making a difference
Dear Parishioners,
If you’ve been observant, you might have noticed some differences here in the parish. First of all, the area around Mary’s statue outside has been beautified. Thanks to our Girl Scout Troop 2373, the flower bed has been weeded, mulch has been put down, and some lovely flowers were planted. Thanks, girls!
The second difference you might have noticed are the crosses and statues covered in purple. Why? According to Greg Dues in Catholic Customs and Traditions, it began around 900 A.D. where in some places, a purple cloth (symbol of sadness and mourning) was hung between the people and the altar from the beginning of Lent. It symbolized the exclusion of sinners from the altar (during a period of penitence), and hid the glory represented by the images of the saints. “By the 1600’s the practice of veiling statues and crucifixes from Passion Sunday (what the 5th Sunday of Lent was then called), marked the entry into the solemn preparation for the Sacred Triduum”, wrote Colin Donovan from EWTN.
This week, Holy Week, is the holiest week of the year. If you want to see a difference in your life for the better, come to the special services on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday / Sunday. The Lord will make a difference in you.
- Fr. Carl
If you’ve been observant, you might have noticed some differences here in the parish. First of all, the area around Mary’s statue outside has been beautified. Thanks to our Girl Scout Troop 2373, the flower bed has been weeded, mulch has been put down, and some lovely flowers were planted. Thanks, girls!
The second difference you might have noticed are the crosses and statues covered in purple. Why? According to Greg Dues in Catholic Customs and Traditions, it began around 900 A.D. where in some places, a purple cloth (symbol of sadness and mourning) was hung between the people and the altar from the beginning of Lent. It symbolized the exclusion of sinners from the altar (during a period of penitence), and hid the glory represented by the images of the saints. “By the 1600’s the practice of veiling statues and crucifixes from Passion Sunday (what the 5th Sunday of Lent was then called), marked the entry into the solemn preparation for the Sacred Triduum”, wrote Colin Donovan from EWTN.
This week, Holy Week, is the holiest week of the year. If you want to see a difference in your life for the better, come to the special services on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday / Sunday. The Lord will make a difference in you.
- Fr. Carl
Friday, April 8, 2011
Be the person God created you to be
Dear Parishioners,
Our Lord’s raising of Lazarus from death (John 11:1-45) shows us, like no other miracle Jesus performed, that God is the giver of life. On our spiritual journey through Lent, we are wise to remember that the journey we make is one that doesn’t end on that lonely hill of Calvary but at the garden’s empty tomb. We receive ashes on our forehead on a Wednesday to remind us of our mortality, only to wake up on a Sunday, transformed by God’s triumph of life over death.
It’s the answer to the age old question we face: “If we die will we live again?” Let’s make these last days of Lent days full of good choices and life-changing decisions. Be the person God created you to be. Let God’s life-giving Spirit so bless your life that all things are new for you through Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Deacon Robert
Our Lord’s raising of Lazarus from death (John 11:1-45) shows us, like no other miracle Jesus performed, that God is the giver of life. On our spiritual journey through Lent, we are wise to remember that the journey we make is one that doesn’t end on that lonely hill of Calvary but at the garden’s empty tomb. We receive ashes on our forehead on a Wednesday to remind us of our mortality, only to wake up on a Sunday, transformed by God’s triumph of life over death.
It’s the answer to the age old question we face: “If we die will we live again?” Let’s make these last days of Lent days full of good choices and life-changing decisions. Be the person God created you to be. Let God’s life-giving Spirit so bless your life that all things are new for you through Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Deacon Robert
“A HOUSE founded on the Cross will
fear neither wind, nor rain, nor storm.”
- The Saint Cure D’Ars
Friday, April 1, 2011
Use it or lose it!
Dear Parishioners,
I’ve heard that people deprived of one sense often develop keener abilities in their other senses. For example, those who are deaf learn to read lips and how to feel the beat of music. Beethoven for example, wrote some of his best music after he lost his sense of hearing. In today’s gospel (John 9:1-41), the man born blind develops the gift of insight that allows him to see who Jesus really is. He develops the gift of faith in Jesus as the Son of Man. On the other hand, the Pharisees who had sight and faith in the Torah (the law of God), were satisfied with themselves and saw no need to further their sense of faith. Their spiritual blindness cost them a marvelous opportunity to develop a deeper relationship with God.
Lent is a season in which we are reminded that our sense of faith requires further development. The saying “use it or lose it” sums up our reason to fast, pray, and give alms to the poor. These penitential practices, carried out in humility, will give us greater insight into our human limitations as well as the greatness and mercy of God.
- Fr. Carl
I’ve heard that people deprived of one sense often develop keener abilities in their other senses. For example, those who are deaf learn to read lips and how to feel the beat of music. Beethoven for example, wrote some of his best music after he lost his sense of hearing. In today’s gospel (John 9:1-41), the man born blind develops the gift of insight that allows him to see who Jesus really is. He develops the gift of faith in Jesus as the Son of Man. On the other hand, the Pharisees who had sight and faith in the Torah (the law of God), were satisfied with themselves and saw no need to further their sense of faith. Their spiritual blindness cost them a marvelous opportunity to develop a deeper relationship with God.
Lent is a season in which we are reminded that our sense of faith requires further development. The saying “use it or lose it” sums up our reason to fast, pray, and give alms to the poor. These penitential practices, carried out in humility, will give us greater insight into our human limitations as well as the greatness and mercy of God.
- Fr. Carl
Friday, March 25, 2011
The Samaritan Woman and The Sacrament of Reconciliation
Dear Parishioners,
Today’s Gospel (John 4:5-42) gives us a glimpse into God’s unconditional mercy, love and forgiveness. When Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well, he brings up her past, but he doesn’t bring it up to condemn her or make her feel guilty. She had been married five times and was now living with yet another man, this time out of wedlock. She was the village sinner… an outcast. The woman, like all of us, was thirsting for understanding and acceptance. Jesus offers her the cleansing water of the truth of her life experience. There is no harsh, judgmental condemnation.
What a beautiful image of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This woman comes to Jesus not even knowing how burdened, thirsty and alone she is, but leaves excited and fulfilled. She knows her sins are forgiven and her guilt removed. She doesn’t keep this good news to herself. She goes back to her village and tells everyone of her experience.
This is what the Sacrament of Reconciliation is all about. It’s coming to Jesus and letting him set us free. It’s about letting Jesus gently probe us and bring our sins into the light so they can be washed away. It’s about experiencing a mercy that goes far beyond our expectation and being so transformed by it that we want to share it with everyone around us.
We all have a need for the grace of Reconciliation. We all have a need to meet Jesus and his limitless mercy. So no matter how serious your sin, whether it be adultery, abortion or simply turning away from God, know that Jesus is waiting for you by the well, ready to give you living water.
- Deacon Robert
Today’s Gospel (John 4:5-42) gives us a glimpse into God’s unconditional mercy, love and forgiveness. When Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well, he brings up her past, but he doesn’t bring it up to condemn her or make her feel guilty. She had been married five times and was now living with yet another man, this time out of wedlock. She was the village sinner… an outcast. The woman, like all of us, was thirsting for understanding and acceptance. Jesus offers her the cleansing water of the truth of her life experience. There is no harsh, judgmental condemnation.
What a beautiful image of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This woman comes to Jesus not even knowing how burdened, thirsty and alone she is, but leaves excited and fulfilled. She knows her sins are forgiven and her guilt removed. She doesn’t keep this good news to herself. She goes back to her village and tells everyone of her experience.
This is what the Sacrament of Reconciliation is all about. It’s coming to Jesus and letting him set us free. It’s about letting Jesus gently probe us and bring our sins into the light so they can be washed away. It’s about experiencing a mercy that goes far beyond our expectation and being so transformed by it that we want to share it with everyone around us.
We all have a need for the grace of Reconciliation. We all have a need to meet Jesus and his limitless mercy. So no matter how serious your sin, whether it be adultery, abortion or simply turning away from God, know that Jesus is waiting for you by the well, ready to give you living water.
- Deacon Robert
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