Friday, April 5, 2024

Happy Divine Mercy Sunday!

Dear Friends of our Pastorate of the Visitation,

We conclude our Octave of Easter this weekend with the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday. The solemnity of Easter is so important that the Church gives it an eight (octave) day celebration. I would like to thank everyone who worked so tirelessly to make our Holy Week and Easter liturgies so beautiful and powerful, especially our Pastorate’s music ministries who collaborated on several of them, and all who helped with preparing and decorating our churches. I am also grateful to all who participated in the Sacred Triduum this year as we came together as one community of faith. Special thanks also go out to Melissa Boyle and all who assisted with our Pastorate’s RCIA program this past year. And congratulations to all who were baptized, confirmed and received into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. May we all continue our Easter proclamation: Christ is Risen! He is truly Risen!

Divine Mercy Sunday is a feast day established by Pope St. John Paul II based on the private revelations received by St. Faustina from our Lord, who asked her to spread throughout the world a devotion to His divine mercy. This day reminds us that God’s love and mercy eternally endures and can overcome any sin that separates us from God. We will be hosting Eucharistic Adoration this Sunday between the Masses at both St. Jane Frances (between 8am and 10am) and Our Lady of the Chesapeake. The Divine Mercy Chaplet will also be prayed at this time.

SEEKERS is a program being offered by our Pastorate for people who feel spiritually disconnected with the Catholic Church. Do you or someone you know have questions and are seeking for answers in the hope of becoming reconnected? SEEKERS is also for people who are just inquiring about God and/or the Church. There are three sessions all beginning at 7:00pm: April 8th at St. Jane School, April 22nd at OLC’s Maryland Suite, and May 13th at St. Jane School. For more information, contact Fr. Jim.

Both parishes are in the midst of roof replacement projects and are in the process of raising funds for them. St. Jane Frances is working on Phase 1 to replace the roof over the Parish Hall for about $305,000 and OLC is preparing to begin work on replacing the Church roof and extensive work on the clerestory windows and siding for about $265,000. Donations to both projects are being accepted and are “tax free” from Archdiocesan taxes. Thanks for your support!

Thank you for keeping our Pastorate of the Visitation—St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—in your daily prayers! I certainly remember all of you in my daily prayers as well!

God Bless,
Father Steve

Saturday, March 30, 2024

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

Dear Friends of St. Jane Frances and OLC,

On behalf of all of us at OUR Pastorate of the Visitation, I would like to wish everyone a very Blessed and Joyous Easter! Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen! Today is the most important day in the Christian year, even more important than Christmas. For today, we celebrate Jesus’ triumph over sin and death, offering to us the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life in the heavenly kingdom. Jesus’ Resurrection also ushers in a new era in human history, where we have been invited into a deeper union with God and sent forth into the world to share our witness and testimony concerning the saving power of Christ. So go forth today, and every day to proclaim that Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

The celebration of Easter is so important that the Church celebrates it as an Octave, meaning eight days. The Octave of Easter concludes next Sunday with the Sunday of Divine Mercy. This feast was added to the Church calendar by St. John Paul II in the year 2000. Also during the Easter Season, we will read through the Acts of the Apostles, which documents the growth of the early Church, empowered by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Easter Season concludes with the Solemnity of Pentecost, which we will celebrate on May 19th. We also celebrate on Easter the Sacraments of Initiation for those entering into the Church at the Easter Vigil. We congratulate all who have joined or have been confirmed in the Church this year!

I would like to thank everyone who has made a commitment to the Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries. Your financial support assists the Church in helping those in need throughout our Archdiocese. As of March 15, 2024, OLC has raised $29,030 from 59 gifts and St. Jane Frances has raised $20,169 from 84 gifts. If you haven’t made your pledge yet, please go to www.archbalt.org/giving. All proceeds support the charitable works of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and are protected by a trust established in 1993 for this purpose.

Both parishes are in the midst of roof replacement projects. St. Jane Frances is working on Phase 1 to replace the roof over the Parish Hall for about $305,000, and OLC is preparing to begin work on replacing the Church roof and extensive work on the clerestory windows and siding for about $265,000. Donations to both projects are being accepted and are “tax free” from Archdiocesan taxes. Thanks for your support!

There are many great events and celebrations planned for the coming weeks and months for our Pastorate. Many of them are included in this weekend’s bulletin. Please take a moment to review them and mark your calendars so that you can join us.

Thank you for keeping our Pastorate of the Visitation—St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—in your daily prayers! I certainly remember all of you in my daily prayers as well!

God Bless,
Father Steve

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Holy Week Is Upon Us

Dear Friends of our Pastorate of the Visitation,

This weekend begins our journey through the holiest week of the year with the celebration of the Passion of the Lord on Palm Sunday. Holy Week offers us many opportunities to experience Jesus’ journey from the Last Supper, to his Cross, and to his Resurrection. As a Pastorate, we will be coming together for the first time for some of these liturgies so invite you to join us as we worship our one Lord as one Pastorate Community. Our choirs have also joined together to share their gift of music with unified voices.

Here are the Holy Week and Triduum schedules for the Pastorate: 

  • Holy Thursday (@ SJF), March 28th – 7:00pm Mass followed by Adoration until 9:00pm
  • Good Friday, March 29th – Passion of the Lord – 3:00pm at SJF, 7:00pm at OLC 
  • Good Friday, Stations of the Cross – 12:00pm at SJF, 3:00pm at OLC
  • Blessing of the Easter Foods, March 30th – 9:00am at SJF, 12:00pm at OLC 
  • Pastorate Easter Vigil (@ OLC), March 30th – 8:00pm at OLC 
  • Easter Sunday, March 31st – SJF: 8:00am, 10am, 11:30am. OLC: 8:00am, 9:30am, 11am.

In addition to the events listed above, the Archdiocesan Chrism Mass will take place on Monday, March 25th at 7:30pm at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore. At this Mass, the Archbishop will bless the holy oils to be used for anointing of the sick and the catechumens, as well as consecrate the Sacred Chrism that will be used for Baptisms, Confirmations, and Holy Orders during the coming year. The priests of the Archdiocese will also renew the promises we made at our ordinations. This celebration is open to the public and all are invited to attend. As a priest, I know I am always thankful to see current (and former) parishioners in attendance. Please consider joining us.

Fr. Jim and I will be offering the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Tuesday, March 26th at St. Jane Frances. The morning session is from 9:30am to 10:30am and the afternoon session is from 4:00pm to 5:00pm. Tenebrae will be celebrated at St. Jane Frances at 8:00pm that evening.

Thank you for keeping our Pastorate of the Visitation—St. Jane Frances and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—in your daily prayers! I know this year is different than in the past in that we are offering only one Holy Thursday Mass and one Easter Vigil Mass. I continually pray for guidance as we work together in our Pastorate to create a shared community of faith, steeped in a desire to serve one another and evangelize our families and neighborhoods.

God Bless,
Father Steve

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

Brothers and Sisters,

How is your Lent going? Are we dying to self and bearing fruit? This week in the Gospel Jesus answers those who wish to see him with the secret to living a meaningful life, a life that he lived and calls each of us to live. Jesus says, “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” That’s his response to those who want to see him; to the Greeks, to you, and to me.

Seeing Jesus isn’t a spectator sport. It is a way to be followed, a truth to be embraced, and a life to be lived. It’s being a grain of wheat that falls into the ground and dies so that it might bear much fruit. That’s where we see him. It’s in the letting go, the emptying, the leaving behind, and the dying that makes space for new life to arise. That’s what Jesus calls us to embrace. Letting go is what allows us to be more authentically present to ourselves, to others, and to our Lord. It makes room for new life and new ways of being present to arise. Our letting go gives God something to work with. Why then would we continue to hold onto or cling to anything preventing us from truly seeing Jesus?

So, what are those things in your life today that needs to fall into the earth and die? What do you need to let go of and leave behind so that God can bear much fruit in your life? Is there anything blocking the fullness of life that we desire or God offers us? Yes, dying to self is where we can renew and change our life. And maybe that’s where we will see Jesus.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

God Bless,
Deacon Howard

Friday, March 8, 2024

Drawing Toward Jesus And The Cross

Dear Friends,

JESUS SAVES! Perhaps the most referenced Bible verse that sports fans like to call attention to is in today’s Gospel, John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” But what does it mean to “believe” in Jesus?

I’ve had good discussions with hundreds of our Protestant brothers and sisters (whom I love dearly), many of whom believe that “all you need to do is believe in Jesus and you’ll be saved.” “The Bible makes it plain and simple—just read John 3:16! We’re saved by faith alone!” What’s the problem with this (fundamentalist) Protestant perspective of salvation… of what it means to “believe” in Jesus? It’s easy to selectively pull a couple isolated Bible verses out of context, create a theology of salvation around them, and ignore the other 7,954 verses of the New Testament which contain many verses that contradict that theology. Rather, we begin to learn what it means to “believe” in Jesus from St. Paul who frames his letter to the Romans with the “obedience of faith” (Rom 1:5, 16:26), which is the Catholic perspective consistent with the entire Word of God.

It’s the Catholic Church, founded by Jesus on Peter the Rock and the apostles in 33 AD who gives a coherent and systematic presentation of faith and morals using over 4,100 references to Scripture and over 2,100 references to Church documents and the saints in one trustworthy, engaging, and easy-to-read book: The Catechism of the Catholic Church. If you do not have the Catechism, I encourage you to ask for one or buy yourself one as an Easter gift. By reading it, you’ll enable your Catholic faith in Jesus to come alive through it and the Bible.

The focus of today’s readings is Jesus, our Savior. Lent calls us to follow Jesus to the cross. In dying to ourselves, Jesus will raise us up. When we put our trust in him, he delivers us from the consequences of our limitations, weaknesses, and sin. Lent draws us toward Jesus and the Cross, who leads us to the Resurrection and eternal life.

Coming Easter Season, 2024… Seekers

SEEKERS is a 3-session series that provides an opportunity for people who feel spiritually disconnected in their relationship with the Catholic Church to ask questions, to seek answers in the hope of becoming reconnected.

SEEKERS focuses on questions that seekers bring with them, and prompts discussion from the Catechism to stimulate discussion on topics such as the desire for God, God’s loving Revelation, man’s response to God, and other topics. I hope to see you or someone you invite there. Especially consider inviting those coming to Easter Mass with you who do not typically go to weekly Mass. See today’s bulletin or Flocknote for details.

Peace in Christ,
Father Jim

Friday, March 1, 2024

Lenten Misson This Week!

Dear Friends of our Pastorate,

There are two options for our readings on this Third Sunday of Lent. This is because the Church celebrates special rites called the Scrutinies during the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of Lent. These rites are celebrated with those who are to be baptized at the Easter Vigil, although many parishes also celebrate them with those who are going to be confirmed or enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. The regular Gospel for this Sunday is John’s version of Jesus’ Cleansing of the Temple, while the Gospel for the Scrutinies is the Samaritan Woman Jesus encounters at the well. Both are powerful Gospels that tell us much about Jesus’ mission and ministry. I would encourage you read and reflect upon them both this week.

Please plan to join us this week for our Pastorate Lenten Mission being offered by Fr. Jim. The theme for the mission this year is “Time for God” and is based on Fr. Jacques Philippe’s international bestselling book of the same name. The first talk will be offered on Monday, March 4th, at 7:00pm at Our Lady of the Chesapeake. The second talk will be offered on Tuesday, March 5th, at 7:00pm at St. Jane Frances. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered on Wednesday, March 6th, starting at 6:30pm at Our Lady of the Chesapeake. Please plan to join us!

There is still time for the men of our Pastorate to sign up for the Catholic Men’s Fellowship conference being held at St. Philip Neri this Saturday, March 9th. To register, go to catholicmensfellowship.com.

Stations of the Cross and the Knights of Columbus Lenten Fish Fry Fridays continue this Friday, March 1st at St. Jane Frances. Stop by for a delicious Lenten appropriate seafood meal at St. Jane Hall from 4:00pm to 7:00pm, then attend Stations of the Cross at 7:00pm in the Church. Eucharistic Adoration will take place during Stations.

We are still looking for volunteers and donations for the St. Patrick’s Day Bazaar on Friday, March 15th at St. Jane Hall and School. Gift cards, wine and liquor, and silent auction items can be dropped off at the office at either St. Jane Frances or Our Lady of the Chesapeake. This is a great family friendly event! Thank you for your support!

Thank you for keeping our Pastorate in your daily prayers!

Father Steve

Friday, February 23, 2024

How Is The Transfiguration Relevant To Me?

Dear Parishioners,

You might be saying to yourself, “How is the Transfiguration of Christ relevant to me? I cannot seem to
relate to it.” Here are three considerations. First, each of us can probably relate to at least one of the men present with Jesus: Moses and Peter did not initially want to answer God’s call, Elijah fell into despair, and Peter was sometimes double-minded and even denied Christ. They were human just like you and me, with strengths and weaknesses. Second, we can relate to the apostles’ experience of the presence of the transfigured Christ on the mountain when we receive the presence of the Christ in the Eucharistic at Mass—a real Communion with the living God in our midst. Just as Christ’s transfiguration strengthened Peter, James, and John to endure Jesus’ impending suffering and death, so Jesus in the Eucharist gives us grace to endure our trials and suffering while looking forward to the glory of the Resurrection. Third, each of those five men did not choose God, but God chose them first—just like He has called each of us, regardless of who we are or what we’ve done or not done, and has given each of us a particular mission He has not entrusted to another.

“Listen to him.” The context of the Transfiguration is also significant. It follows after Jesus had just
taught the apostles that he must suffer and die before rising from the dead, and that the apostles too must deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow him to their death… THIS message—the message of the cross before the resurrection—is what the Father reinforces by saying, “Listen to him.” The cross and glory belong together. Christ’s transfiguration also foreshadows the changing of our own bodies at Jesus’ Second Coming, when Paul says that Christ will “change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body” (Phil 3:21). Lastly, when we receive Jesus’ crucified and glorified Body and Blood in Holy Communion, we too hear the Father’s voice speaking to us in the depth of our hearts: “This is my beloved Son; listen to Him.”—a perfect segue to…

Our Pastorate Lenten Mission on March 4th and 5th will teach you how to listen to Him speak in the depth of your soul through what the saints have called “mental prayer.” Fr. Steve has asked me to present Fr. Jacques Philippe’s book on mental prayer, “Time for God”— a book that I’ve found invaluable in helping me find God “in solitude and silence …in order to enter into intimate, loving communication with Him” (page 1). This 2-part mission (each lasting only 1 hour) will summarize Fr. Jacques’ most important tips and include time to actually practice mental prayer using these tips. Day 1 is March 4 at 7 pm at OLC in the church; Day 2 is March 5 at 7 pm at SJF in the church.

Peace in Christ,
Father Jim