You are not alone

Dear Parishioners,

Jesus knew we would face different challenges as Church in our world over the centuries. His commandments give us broad outlines, value statements that guide us. He also promised that he would not leave us orphaned and that he would always be with us. He sent us the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete to guide and inspire us, calling us to intimacy with the Father and sustaining the purity of the witness of the Church. And in the current day, with the challenges we as church face today, aren’t you glad Jesus did not leave us to face those challenges on our own?

- Deacon Robert

“Let us pray to the Blessed Virgin, and she
will go with us on the road to Heaven.”
- The Saint Cure D’Ars

“The weed patch is history.”

Dear Parishioners,

“The weed patch is history.” These words were written by an appreciative parishioner about the landscaping and hardscaping done around the front of the church. The entrance really needed the facelift it received just in time for Mother’s Day, and it would not have happened without your support of the monthly “Building and Maintenance” collection. Thanks for your generosity.

Last Sunday, Good Shepherd Sunday, marked the beginning of “Vocations Awareness Week.” Hopefully, you have been praying at home, as we do at each Sunday Mass, for an increase to priestly vocations.

We also inserted Archbishop O’Brien’s April letter on the shortage of priests and the plans to deal with an even greater shortage looming in the immediate future. With fewer priests, the number of Masses and schedule of Masses will need to be examined. Already parishes are reducing the number of weekend Masses. As a matter of fact, Our Lady of the Chesapeake will eliminate one Mass beginning this June. St. Jane Frances will be looking at its Mass schedule in the coming year to see how many Masses are actually needed. I foresee no changes in the next 6 months, and probably not until next summer. Of course, the parish will be consulted beforehand. However, if you were to bring all your Catholic family, friends, and neighbors, and fill all the pews (that’s called evangelization), I would be forced to retain the current Mass schedule. Nothing would make me more pleased that that!

- Fr. Carl

A Message From Our Deacon

Dear Parishioners,

In our reading today from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:14a, 36-41), Peter tells us that we who follow our Lord have choices to make. Those choices define who we are and just importantly who we believe Jesus is. When faced with the problems and difficulties of life, Christians make choices that define not only who we are but whose we are.

- Deacon Robert

“Prayer makes time seem to pass
quickly, and so pleasantly, that one
fails to notice how long it is.”
- The Saint Cure D’Ars

Who is your role model?

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

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

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

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