Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life! This weekend is the 2nd of five passages called the Bread of Life Discourses. Starting last week with the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish, and these passages lead up to Jesus' teaching about the Lord's greatest gift to the Church: the Eucharist. Let us follow the Lord in His wisdom, and receive Him with gratitude in Holy Communion!In the Gospels, Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, added the efforts of the disciples, and multiplied them, feeding over five thousand in a wonderful and miraculous way.
He does the same for us! It is a joy to keep you posted, as there is a lot of good and busy behind-the-scenes summer work happening. I have two things this week:
1) Our new St. Mary’s Homeschool Co-op! We are blessed to have many families in our parish who have discerned that homeschooling is the best way to educate their children. It has been a joy for me to see the various families connect at Mass and realize they have this in common.
Our new Co-op will compliment what these families are already doing. They’ll meet two Fridays a month, starting with our 9am Mass, then have two classes and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. We already have about 30 children signed up, and it’s awesome to see how their parents have connected, organized, and planned for a great year.
2) The second summer work to report here is the continued enhancing of our Parish Center. The new Carlo Acutis youth room continues to take shape, with a new paint job and new furniture coming in to make it another great place for our young to build their relationships with God, the Church, and one another.
Another one of our Parish Center projects is a new conference room. The classroom right outside the parish office is becoming a conference room for our small-to-medium sized groups that regularly meet in our parish (Pastoral Council, Liturgy Committee, etc.). It will double as a classroom during Faith Formation times (some of our middle schoolers will be lucky to have a classier classroom experience!). Thank you to our flexible catechists –the open classroom downstairs will be in regular use, as well as a partitioned spot in the parish hall.
Thank you to all those working on these things. Keep your eyes open for the other things happening for the good of our parish, that we may continue to be a place to gather, pray, grow, and be sent from to be the light of the world!
Peace,
Fr. John
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ! As we pray for peace in our country and world, and concern ourselves with the state of society and politics, it is essential that we always start with what’s right in front of us. We’re called to be peacemakers in our hearts, families and closest relationships, work, play, wherever we find ourselves, including our parish.
Then, we become part of the solution. We welcome the Lord to work through us right here, in the way we hope to see Him work in the country and church as a whole.
For today - two pieces of good news for our parish!
First, I am happy to welcome Liz Mince as our Coordinator of Digital Media! Liz is a longtime parishioner, cantor, and choir member for music ministry, and regular volunteer in many ways in our parish. She’s getting to know our parish’s digital needs as a staff member now.
As we move along, she’ll take the helm of our website, Flocknote newsletter, social media (like Facebook) and other digital ministries. Thank you Liz, for your faith, and for using your gifts and talents for our spiritual family! Welcome aboard!
Second, you may have read that in September we’re having monthly Teaching Masses. Our first one will be on Saturday, Sept. 14th, at 10am (we changed it because of the Chicken Dinner!).
We’ll have signups online and in the back of the church. We’ll have slots for 10 adults for each Mass, and they can bring as many children as they want. This is to provide enough room for questions and discussions.
Let us continue to pray for one another, for our parish family, and for peace in the church, our country, and the world.
Peace,
Fr. John
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ! In today’s readings, we see the generosity, goodness, and power of God shining forth. We also see the responsibility we have to use our faith and God’s creation as He intended, and to trust that God can work through our own sins, faults, and weaknesses.
Last Saturday, I had the great joy of going to the ordination of six new priests for the Archdiocese of Baltimore! These six new spiritual fathers, ordained by Archbishop Lori, will begin their vocations in parishes, schools, and campus ministries. Please pray for them!
Last year, we had 8 ordinations to the priesthood, and next year we’ll have 4. As an Archdiocese, we currently have 46 men in formation for the priesthood! There are many signs of life in the Catholic Church, especially here in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and this is one of the brightest.
Please pray for these new priests, and pray that the Lord would continue to send spiritual fathers for the family of the Church!
Peace,
Fr. John
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ! In today’s Gospel, we are challenged to a Christian virtue that rarely finds its way on the “this is what the world really needs” list. The virtue is trust in Jesus Christ. Real, concrete trust that He is powerful and active, and does infinitely care for us. This is a daily challenge, because life on earth never just stands still.
This week, I have news from the front office. Most people who have connected with St. Mary’s in any way in the past 30 years or so have had the blessing and joy of talking with Mrs. Diana Weidner. Diana has served faithfully here since 1993, the same year Fr. Kunkel arrived.
In a tough-for-us-but-good-for-her kind of way, I’m announcing here that Diana is retiring at the end of June. Her years of gentle and organized service have borne wonderful fruit here, for several generations of Catholics.
Personally, I’m grateful for Diana’s welcome to me as the new Pastor, after having served with Fr. Kunkel for so many years. In addition to showing me the ins and outs of our parish life, she has shown me patience and encouragement.
If you have any cards or gifts of thanks for Diana, please drop them off at the Parish Office and we will get them to her.
Diana, we love you and are so grateful for you! Thank you for so much. We hope your retirement is blessed, and that you will come back and visit!
Peace,
Fr. John
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ! Both the academic and Church year swell in April and May: Holy Week, Easter and the Easter Seasons, the great closing feasts of Pentecost, Holy Trinity, and Corpus Christi, graduations, graduation parties, immediate summer prep, weddings, college semester shifts, etc., etc…
Then, Summer. Then, Ordinary Time. Not without feasts and extra planning, but a different tone and, for many, a welcomed balance and re-adjustment (for at least a few months!).
Last weekend, we had our Senior Awards at the 10am Mass! Congratulations to Liesl Miller, Jonas Mihal, and Logan Mahns! They received the St. Mary’s Discipleship Award for Dedication to Liturgical Ministries and Parish Involvement. Liesl, Jonas, and Logan – you are all a blessing!
Many thanks to Rachel Bittner, our Coordinator for Youth Ministry. I continually see the good fruits of her dedicated service. I’d like to share the words of another young person, Abby, who was confirmed this past winter. She reflects and offers insight to future confirmation classes (as well as to all of us!). Abby writes:
At confirmation, I wasn’t super overwhelmed by the spirit or suddenly filled with knowledge like some people might’ve been. But I was aware that I had been sealed with the Spirit and a door had been opened to God. I’ve had to learn to listen for God and I am still learning to ask Him to reveal the gifts he is giving to me.
My advice for you is to not stop at confirmation. Keep asking God to lead you. God doesn’t always work in big, obvious changes. Sometimes you don’t even realize that God is working on your heart, but then one day you realize that you are a totally different person than you used to be.
Get involved – even with just one thing. Pray to the Holy Spirit to show you how he is working and gifts he is giving to you.
Thank you Abby, and to all of our young people who pray and serve here, and thank you again to Rachel who leads them so well.
Many thanks also to all who dove into last weekend’s Eucharistic Procession and Parish Picnic!! With the picnic, the Community Events Group of our Pastoral Council hit it out of the park. Every details was well cared for – we had a good crowd, everyone was well-fed and clearly enjoyed the time as a spiritual family.
Many thanks to the Knights of Columbus for an over-and-above weekend of service. The Knights served at the Procession and then during the entire picnic. Brothers, thank you for the preparation, energy, and time that went into providing for your spiritual family.
We’re very blessed! As we enter Ordinary Time, let us pray that the good fruits of the end-of-season feasts would take root in our souls with deepened faith, gratitude, prayer, and service. Come Holy Spirit!
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ, the Holy Eucharist! It is really Him, and this weekend is the time to celebrate His constant fulfillment of the promise, “I will be with you always.” The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – Corpus Christi Sunday – is a time to not only stir our hearts in love and gratitude for Holy Communion, but to deepen our dedication to the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament throughout the year.
This coming Friday, on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, we will have our monthly First Friday Talk and Holy Hour. This month, our speaker will be Hannah Bittner. Hannah is a faithful Catholic young adult, and an active parishioner here. Among other things, she is a Cantor and member of our music ministry. She also is active in our youth ministry – by devotion and default! - as her mother Rachel is our Coordinator for Youth Ministry.
Hannah will be speaking on the place and power of the Eucharist in her life. The talk is at 6:30pm, then Adoration with song, quiet, and opportunity for Confession. Please come to hear Hannah and be inspired, and to have time to reflect on the place the Eucharist in your own life.
May the Lord, in the Eucharist, be our joy and the source of our strength, and the deepest, most powerful reason we exist as a spiritual family.
Peace,
Fr. John
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Praised be God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! This weekend we celebrate Trinity Sunday, moving from the Easter Season, and getting into Ordinary Time. With today’s feast, the Church focuses in on the truth that God has revealed His inner life, and has told us His name. Our God is not a concept or a force, but a living Trinity, glorious and loving.
Last weekend, we had the great joy of celebrating the First Holy Communion. The children were radiant, and it was awesome to reflect on the great delight the Lord takes in them. I hope this blessing inspires each of us to be even more grateful for the gift of the Eucharist. This points us all to…
Next weekend, which is the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ! After the 10am Mass on June 2, we’ll have a Eucharistic Procession to continue to worship and pray for our parish, community, and the whole church and the world. Then, we’ll have our parish picnic! I’m grateful for all the work being put into these, and am looking forward to being with you all to celebrate.
Peace,
Fr. JohnDear Brothers and Sisters,
Praised be the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life! This week we celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. As Catholics and members of the Church, what an awesome day to give thanks and ask for the Holy Spirit to be continually poured out upon us!
So, what’s in a name? The New Testament says that at Antioch, the followers of Jesus Christ were first called Christians. It was when Barnabas brought the newly converted Saul to the city. We don’t know much about the origin of the term, who coined it or whether it was positive or negative. We do know, however, that it was about the year 43 AD.
This was about 10 years after the main events of our salvation: Easter, the Ascension, and today’s feast of Pentecost. This was 10 years after the disciples embarked throughout the known world, especially in the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, establish the Church, hand down the faith, morals, and sacraments of the Church, and give witness to a new kind of charity and hope in eternal life. By this time, there had been at least one violent persecution – that of St. Stephen - and they were about to undergo another one – that of St. James. They were living the full Christian life before they were called Christians.
So what does this have to do with anything, Pentecost included?
We Catholics have a very specific, very bold claim about the origins of the Church. We believe that the Church that Jesus founded, as recorded in the New Testament, with its hierarchy, sacraments, beliefs, morality, and works of mercy – that this is the Catholic Church we belong to today.
But Jesus didn’t call His church Catholic. He didn’t call Peter Pope. And while the Acts of the Apostles and New Testament letters are clear about Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Sacraments, shared morality, structure, and even finances – it never says Catholic, so how can we say that the Catholic Church is the one Jesus founded?
The following isn’t meant to be the end-all/be-all of the claim. But, I think it helps answer this objection that many people have against Catholics for claiming that our church is the one Jesus founded.
How can we clarify? Well, His followers were not called Christians until a decade after He rose, yet they clearly were Christians, and they called themselves a Church. It was St. Ignatius of Antioch, who died in about 107, who first used the term "Catholic." He was a disciple of St. John the Apostle, and he wrote, “where the bishop is, there you will find the Catholic Church.” Catholic is Greek for universal.
Like the disciples, the reality was being lived before the name was given. The name is important because it links us, as Catholic Christians to the first disciples of Christ, and to the universal Church He founded. This doesn’t dismiss the name, like some bizarre “the title doesn’t matter” type of thing. Here, it does matter--there are 2,000 years of this spiritual family of the Catholic Church.
So happy feast day, Catholics! Let us give thanks for the gift of the Catholic Church, founded by Christ and persevering through the ages. Let us ask for the grace to live as faithful Catholics, filled with the same Holy Spirit as those first disciples.
PEACE,Praised be Jesus Christ!
I’m grateful to the Knights of Columbus for many things, but especially this weekend for serving our Mother’s Day breakfast! They once again provide a place for our spiritual family to gather, but this week in a particularly blessed way: to honor our Mothers!
To honor for all of our mothers, here on earth and those in heaven. To do so as members of the Church, who is our Mother. To do as members of the spiritual family of St. Mary’s, dedicated to the honor of the woman who is Mother of God, the New Eve and Mother of the Human Race, and Mother of every Christian. What blessed ways to celebrate Mother’s Day!
Next Saturday, May 18th, we have several things that show the different parts of our parish life. Our Food Pantry is open from 10-11am, serving those in need, and the Memorial Living Rosary will be prayed after the 4pm Mass. That evening from 7-10pm is our Bluegrass Coffee House – this event took a long covid hiatus, but fortunately is back, this time to benefit our Bethany Team ministry. Serving the poor, praying the Rosary, building community – we continue to be very blessed!
We celebrate the Ascension this week, and next week is the feast of Pentecost, the birthday of our Mother, the Church! Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to pour down on each of us and all of us!
Peace,
Fr. John
Praised be Jesus Christ! Our chicken dinner was wonderful, and many thanks to our team who prepped, ran and served, and cleaned up – countless hours go into this, and it is a blessing for our parish and the whole community. This year we took a hit numbers-wise because of the weather, but it was a joy for all who were here. Thank you again.
There are many in our parish who are in the middle of the varied and numerous end-of-school-year activities, especially with graduations. These are very busy days – good and blessed, of course, but with a thousand important details. To our students, parents, teachers, caregivers, administrators, and all involved: we are praying for you to have strength and gratitude in the midst of it all!
We have two more weeks of the Easter season – next week with the Ascension, and then Pentecost to follow. This weekend, we hear the incredible words: “I no longer call you slaves… I have called you friends.”
The God of the universe – the Eternal Son through whom all things came to be – not only became a man, suffered died and rose, and is with us fully in the Eucharist – He has called us His friends. He is above us as our God and savior, with us in the flesh as our brother, and walking beside us as our friend, on the way to the Father and to eternal life.
“You are my friends if you do what I command you.” Let us be loyal, confident friends of Jesus, and pray for the grace to perseverance in holiness with Him!
Peace,
Fr. John
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ, the Vine who gives life to the Branches!
Many thanks to all who served before, during, and after our Chicken Dinner. Many thanks especially to Barbara Sadler and her leadership team who planned, mobilized, and worked this wonderful event. We’re very blessed here!
It really is awesome that our parish can offer a place of warmth, hospitality, and goodness to so many. It’s part of our calling as Catholics, and part of our calling as a parish. It is the good fruit that we invite all to enjoy.
And it always goes back to the heart of who we are: not an idea, or a wise saying, or even the people that make up our parish family, as truly wonderful as all these things are, especially you all.
The heart of it all is a Person – Jesus Himself. The living Lord who is continually drawing us closer. With the chicken dinner, and the many ways we open our doors, these things are the good fruits that come from the branches. You and I are the branches!
And today’s Gospel teaches the inspiring truth: Jesus Christ is the vine. He says:
“I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.”
This is the call to continue to return to Him in the Mass, the Sacraments, and prayer. Sometimes to give praise and thanks, sometimes to ask for His help, all the time to nurture our relationship with Him. May we always be healthy branches, connected well to the vine, so that we will bear fruit for Him and His kingdom.
Peace,
Fr. John
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ, our Risen Savior! This Sunday, called Good Shepherd Sunday, draws us into another part of the prayer “Jesus, I trust in you.” Jesus tells us that He knows us, defends us, and has the bravery to lay down His life for us.
The invitation is to trust that these things are true beyond our imagination: He knows us more than we know ourselves, He actively defends us from evil, and that we are loved perfectly as He showed at the cross. This is the God who invites us to that prayer, “Jesus, I trust in you.”
Next Saturday, April 27, is of course our Spring Chicken Dinner! What an awesome way our parish proclaims “we are here to serve!” It brings our parish together, as a spiritual family, to serve so many with warm hearts and great food. It gives our vendors a chance to show off and sell their goods, and gives people chance upon chance to admire and buy them. With these, the various games, shoppes, etc., it gives all of us the chance to enjoy and be grateful for so much goodness the Lord has poured out on us.
The dinner provides those who come with an atmosphere of goodness and love. This is so needed in our world! Not only do they get an excellent meal, but they are told “you are worthy of love, time, and sacrifice.” They are told this with each action – behind the scenes and in front of the guests.
I’m grateful for the dedication and work of all those involved, and look forward to a wonderful day. Let us pray for the event itself, for all those preparing, working, and cleaning up from it, and that each person would leave here knowing that they are loved with the very love of Christ.
Peace,
Fr. John
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be the Divine Mercy, our Risen Savior Jesus! We continue the celebration of Easter with Divine Mercy Sunday. The Lord continues to call us to trust His mercy, and this Sunday helps focus us on the greatest attribute of God.
During the Easter Season, the Church prays often for our newest Catholics – those who came into the Church at the Easter Vigil. Our newest, fully-initiated adult Catholics are Betsy, Aaron, Chris, Mia, Brynn, Shannon, and Matt. Each of them inspired me by their faith, humility, and dedication. They dove deeply into the life, teaching, and prayer of the Church. At the Easter Vigil, one of our 10th graders, Lola, joined the others for the Sacrament of Confirmation. She is part of the class that was confirmed on March 16th, but was not able to attend that Mass. She now joins the other Confirmandi in full, Catholic initiation. Like her classmates, Lola was dedicated in preparing to receive the Sacrament of the Holy Spirit. Congratulations to all of you! Thank you each for your witness. We love you and are praying for you. Each of you is a blessing to the Church and the world.
With Jesus’ Resurrection, and the Church He founded to live and proclaim it, the grace of God can bless every part of our lives. The deepest is our relationship with God – the life of prayer and the Sacraments. From that, the Church nurtures our relationships, and offers food for the body, soul, and mind. As we are built up in these, we’re called to go out and proclaim the Gospel and serve those in need with the very love we receive. We are called to be the light of the world! We’re blessed here St. Mary’s to have all of these ways the Lord gives us grace!
I encourage you to read the rest of the bulletin, look at our website, and sign up to our flocknote list. Coming up are Movie Nights (The Chosen), a Healing Mass, and of course our wonderful Chicken Dinner. A little farther ahead are our Bluegrass Coffee House and Parish Picnic. There is much more, so please take a look and invite others as well!
Peace, Fr. John
Dear brothers and sisters,
Alleluia, Jesus is Risen! What a joy to have entered into Holy Week, be with the Lord in His Passion and Death, and rise with Him in His Resurrection!
What a joy to celebrate our brothers and sisters who came into the fullness of the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil! How awesome to see the work of grace in each of them.
What a joy to see the outpouring of faith, talent, and work that went into the Triduum liturgies. Many thanks to all who served in planning, setup, cleanup, and all the liturgical ministers: sacristans, servers, Deacons Phil and Brian, Msgr. Tillman, our music ministry, ushers, Knights of Columbus, readers, EMs, and everyone else who poured themselves out so that we could enter in these holiest of days.
What a joy, most of all, to be reminded in the deepest possible way, of the reason we exist at St. Mary’s in the first place. It’s the reason the Catholic Church exists. It’s the reason that Christians have hope and are the light of the world: Jesus Christ died and rose again! Because of this single event, we can live in faith, hope, and charity, because sin, suffering, and death, do not have the last word.
During this Easter Season, let us pray for the grace to live the truth of Jesus Christ, and the power of His Death and Resurrection, in every part of our lives.
Happy Easter!
Fr. John
March 24, 2024
Dear brother and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ! Hosanna to the Son of David! As we begin Holy Week, the most sacred time of the year for us Catholic Christians, let us ask for the help of the Holy Spirit to draw us more deeply into the salvation won for us in the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ.
For our inspiration, I’d like to look at a feast we celebrated this past week: the Solemnity of St. Joseph! The feast easily gets lost in the intensity of Lent and the grandeur of Easter.
This is much like the man himself. There are no words of his recorded in the Scriptures, he is only written about in the first two chapters of Matthew and Luke.
However, his actions are so powerful that, if we let them, they can inspire us to be even more transformed and healed and converted to the peace of the Christian life.
- His belief in the angel’s words
- His faithfulness to the will of God
- His courage in marrying the Mother of the Messiah
- His with cross-continental moves to protect Mary and Jesus from danger
- His work as carpenter, daily sacrificing for his wife and son
- His teaching the Messiah the Law and the Prophets
The way that the Scriptures describe him are also powerful: “he was a righteous man.” Righteous means “in right relationship with God and neighbor.” The Scriptures don’t say “he was trying to be righteous,” or “he was righteous but here are the ways he messed up,” or “he wasn’t righteous then he repented and become so.” They simply say, “he was a righteous man.”
Because St. Joseph isn’t mentioned in the Gospels during Jesus’ public life, an ancient tradition holds that he died before Jesus began his ministry at the Wedding Feast of Cana. He would have died with Jesus and Mary with him. Because he died with the Eternal Son and the Immaculately Conceived, he is the Patron of a Blessed Death, as we are called upon to pray to leave this world with Mary and Jesus by our side.
Blessed William Joseph Chaminade, a French priest who died in 1850, said this:
Who gave life to Jesus? It was Mary. Who saved his life? It was Joseph. Be silent, patriarchs; be silent, prophets; be silent, apostles, confessors and martyrs. Let St. Joseph speak, for this honor is his alone. He alone is savior of the Savior.
Let us ask St. Joseph to pray for us this Holy Week, that our eyes and hearts would be opened to Jesus, who he served daily with righteousness and fidelity, that we would happily do the same.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ! This weekend, we have our Confirmation Mass, where 10 of our young people will receive the Sacrament from Bishop Parker. Come, Holy Spirit!
Many thanks to Rachel Bittner, our Coordinator of Youth Ministry and Confirmation, to John Enders, our Catechist, and the sponsors, parents, siblings, mentors, and friends who have prayerfully journeyed with our Confirmandi. Many thanks especially to our newly Confirmed themselves! Your perseverance and openness to the work of the Lord is a blessing to each of us, and a gift to our parish and the entire Church.
Confirmation! If we let it, I think it can be a reminder to each of us of the Holy Spirit and His presence, goodness, and power. Being in a relationship with the Holy Spirit is part of our Catholic life, and the grace of Confirmation deepens that even more.
Like all things in our Christian faith (and anything good, for that matter, spiritual or not), it’s not magic. It takes some humility and openness to really develop this relationship. The Holy Spirit is the Lord and Giver of Life who works in our souls and hearts. The Confirmation of our young people this weekend can be an invitation for us to ask for the strength and inspiration of God the Holy Spirit in a new way.
One of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit is Piety. This Gift helps us with prayer and things of God, religion, and the virtuous life. God knows that, on our best days, worship and prayer can be distracted. He also knows that it can become merely something to get through, distasteful, boring, etc., and that the temptation to just set worship and prayer aside is real. The Gift of Piety helps our minds and hearts to see the goodness of worship and prayer and the good fruit that come of these whether we’re attentive and feeling it or not.
The good news is that we can ask for ths Gift! I’d like to encourage us to do so, especially next weekend with Palm Sunday and as we enter Holy Week and Easter. Let us ask the Lord for the Gift of Piety for ourselves and for all who come to our Easter celebrations.
I’m looking forward to entering Holy Week with you, walking with the Lord in His passion, death, and Resurrection. Come Holy Spirit! Help us to worship well, and help us to imitate the Love we worship with grateful, persevering hearts.
Peace,
Fr. John
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ! This weekend we celebrate Laetare Sunday – the midpoint of Lent focused on joy. We hear this in the readings – they all point us upward to the majestic mercy of God and His work in the world. We see it in the pink vestments and, if we pay attention, can feel it in the close approach of Holy Week and Easter.
Joy in Lent! It seems contradictory, but in reality I think it connects most with the rest of our lives. For each of us, our lives on earth have sorrow and joy, penance and peace. This weekend highlights that the Lord, in His mercy, is with us in it, and the Church is a teacher and a spiritual home in all of it.
Last Sunday and Monday, we had a wonderfully successful Lenten Mission! Pat Collins was excellent in his insights, music, and talks. The first night he dove into the Bible’s teaching on mercy, focusing in part on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and the call to mercy found in both the father and the older brother. The second night was focused on St. Faustina, her teaching and the revelation to her, and the Divine Mercy chaplet.
any thanks to the Formation Group of our Pastoral Council! Christy Eller, the Group’s Chair, and the entire team hit it out of the park with every detail and every level. The setup was excellent, the food for the Sunday meal was amazing, the events ran smoothly, and everything looked wonderful. Most importantly – hearts were moved by the time with the Lord and one another.
May trust in Jesus and His Divine Mercy mark our lives, souls, and relationships. May it mark our parish family – that each of us may receive God’s mercy with our whole heart, and give His mercy with the same!
Peace,
Fr. JohnDear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ, our trustworthy Savior! The powerful and simple prayer, underneath the picture of Divine Mercy in the church, is an invitation to all of us: Jesus, I trust in You! It’s something we can say to Jesus at any moment, and with any thought and feeling.
It sounds odd, but we can pray this even if we’re definitely not trusting Him. Here’s what that would mean:
“Jesus, I’m having trouble trusting you right now. In general. With this situation. With my life, or with this person’s life, with the church or society or the possible conversion of this person or that group. If I’m honest, I’ll just tell you that I don’t trust you. However, I’m going to let myself be challenged. Even if I don’t feel consoled by this, I’m going to trust that you’re God and I’m not God, and that you became a man to be like us in all things but sin. Because of this, I’m going to trust that you understand my struggle with trust, or trust that because you’re God you see more than I see. So, Jesus I trust in You.”
This past weekend was packed with many grace-filled events, even outside of the most grace-filled event, the Mass.
Saturday was our Confirmation retreat. We had it here at the church, and our candidates were able to pray, discuss, and reflect in a day that ended with our 4pm Mass. Thank you to Rachel Bittner, our Confirmation Coordinator, John Enders our Catechist, and the Peer Ministers who served our Candidates so well.
Saturday was also our monthly Food Pantry. We served 14 households, and there was a host of children that were included in those served. Many thanks to Sue Pardo and the Team for your awesome work in these Works of Mercy.
The Knights of Columbus bookended these Saturday events. Their Friday Fish Fry was very successful. The family atmosphere and food were all excellent. On Sunday, we had the Relics of the Passion event. It was a powerful time of adoration, reflection, and learning, over 230 people from several states and around the Archdiocese. Many thanks to Venis Knight, our Grand Knight, our Knights’ Faith Director, and all the Knights who helped with setup and the service itself.
Thank you to all who participate in these events and ministries. By coming to St. Mary’s for Mass, fellowship, service, and prayer, you build up the Body of Christ, the Church, and strengthen our spiritual family here. We’re very blessed!
This weekend is our Lenten Mission! Of all the personal and parish ways we dive into Lent, this is one of the most important. I’m looking forward to having Pat Collins here, and to being edified and inspired by his guidance, music, and prayer. I have every hope that the Mission will bring us, as a parish family, into deeper fellowship with God and one another.
Peace,
Fr. John
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ! This past Saturday, we finally had our Epiphany Line Dance Party! It was a joy, and many thanks to our Bethany Team and all who helped to make it a great time.
Prayer, Fasting, the Works of Mercy! These are the three Lenten basics. Fortunately, we have many ways here that you can plug in with each of these. Check out the bulletin and website – there are many practical ways to answer the question, “how can I take the next step in my faith this Lent.” We also still have available the free Divine Mercy books daily Lenten reflections.
The most important of these, for all of us, is the Mass. It’s our greatest prayer, and it fuels every other part of our Christian life. As a Lenten discipline for our parish, we’re going reign in the tempo just a little when we pray the Creed and the Our Father. Not too slow, but a little more restrained. It may be a little clunky at times, but it is worth the muscle to help us reflect on what we are saying.
Another part of Mass during Lent and Easter is the Agnus Dei – the Latin chant of the Lamb of God. There are several reasons for this. One is that they’re not our normal or familiar ways of praying and singing.
Normal and familiar ways are good. Having them during Mass connects the Eucharist with our day-to-day lives. It is essential that the way we worship helps that connection. With the Mass, there is also another side of the coin. Latin and chant are part of that other side.
In our regular lives, there are different things that provide a natural “break” of sorts – a time that is not regular or normal, but because of that give us strength and wisdom that bolsters our normal routine.
One good analogy, I think, is a vacation. It’s not normal. It’s not normal to have little-to-no professional responsibilities, familiar schedule, or even the many household tasks that can constantly loom. With a vacation, there is still a schedule, and daily tasks (eating is still required!), but even that is different. The fact that it’s set aside makes it good in itself, and gives energy for when we return to our regular lives.
With the Mass, there are parts that are familiar. The fact that they are at Mass welcomes the Lord into the rest of our lives. For example: the others at Mass, some of the music (whether style or words), the familiar setting. All of this is familiar, and good for our relationships with God, ourselves, and each other.
With the Mass, there are also the parts that make it set apart, even from other ways we pray. These fuel the rest of our lives with grace. The most important, of course, is the Eucharist itself. Other parts are the ritual of posture: not just “Catholic calisthenics,” ways that we, as a community, love God and show our unity in loving Him. Other parts include the ritual prayer, the reverence for the Scripture, or the fact that we’re praying together in this very unique way in the first place.
All of these are ways that the Mass is set apart. Chant and Latin belong to this. They are meant to lift our minds and voices to the truth that there is something – indeed, Someone – greater. Yes, He is with us profoundly, but His majesty and mercy are greater than our imagination.
So let us pray together to our all-powerful, all-loving God. He is with us, and He is greater, and as we worship we thank and glorify Him, and receive His grace to live our Catholic faith in all parts of our life.
Peace,
Fr. John
Dear brothers and sisters, Praised be Jesus Christ! We enter the desert of Lent with our compassionate Lord - this annual retreat that the Church gives us to focus on the Lord, and who we are in the Lord. This preparation for the Easter celebration is given to us so that, as we celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord, our hearts are as open as they can be to His victorious love.
This week, I have some news that is tough for our parish family, but a blessing for another one. Our Music Director, Nick Zurowski, has taken the position of Director of Music at St. Philip Neri Parish in Linthicum Heights, MD (near BWI). Nick has served here since November 2019. He brought our parish’s music ministry through Covid lockdown and restrictions, through our beloved Fr. Kunkel’s passing, the various transitions that followed, and by welcoming me as I’ve gotten to know the ropes here. We have been blessed by his talent and leadership. This weekend - February 17th and 18th - will be Nick’s last weekend here at St. Mary’s, as he is needed at St. Philip to help them begin their Lenten journey. Thank you, Nick, for your service here. May you be blessed in your new ministry, and may they be blessed by your serving them. Please pray for me and the staff as we discern the next steps for our music ministry here. Many thanks to all our talented cantors and musicians for your excellent faith and service. You are all a great blessing!
Last year’s theme for the Lenten Season and Mission was St. Therese, with her little way of confidence. This year’s theme is Divine Mercy. It’s the beautiful image of the Lord that we have in our church (the side wall, near the pulpit). The simple prayer there is the connection with the confidence of Therese: Jesus, I trust in you. Within the truth of Divine Mercy, there can be many challenges. The call to ask for mercy, to call to give mercy, and practice the works of mercy. There is, though, an even deeper challenge. Responding to it frees us to live all the other ways we’re called to live mercy. This is the call to trust in the mercy of God. This is the call in that simple, powerful prayer: Jesus, I trust in you.
Something we’ll hear a little more about this Lent and Easter is chanting during our weekend Masses. We’ll chant the Lamb of God in Latin, and I’ll do various chants during the Eucharistic prayer. More on this to come, but for now I’ll offer this: it’s not about going back or not going forward. It’s about going upward. It’s not a “normal” way of praying, because it’s meant to elevate our minds and hearts to that which is greater than what we see. He is both with us and greater than us. Chant and Latin remind us that His strength and mercy are beyond our own
May this Lent draw each of us more deeply into the Divine Mercy, and may we live and proclaim ourselves as the spiritual family of the church.
Peace, Fr. John
February 11, 2024
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ!
This brief blast of Ordinary Time has been packed, and this Wednesday begins Lent – the Church’s annual retreat to prepare for Easter. This past November, on the Giving Tuesday after Thanksgiving, we held a Next Step Project fundraiser for an upgrade to our parish center. This was for technology for our classrooms, the making of the Blessed Carlo Acutis youth room, and for Sacred Art in the classrooms and around the building. You all responded with wonderful generosity! Like all things December, I decided to wait until After the New Year to plan, order, and set up the equipment. Well, planning and staff meetings were continually snowed out and postponed, like much of January, but all the connections were finally able to be made. So, I am happy to report that the items are being ordered and are coming in! All the tv stands and the first two Smart TVs are in, with some equipment for the new youth room, and a few other things that are being set up this week.
Artwork is a little more complicated than an Amazon order, but that ball is rolling, too. I’m looking forward to having you see the fruits of your work and generosity! Most especially, I’m also looking forward to seeing how these things help us proclaim the Gospel and continue to create an atmosphere where friendship with God and one another is grown.
This Wednesday is both Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day. It’s true that “Repent and believe in the Gospel” and “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” are not the most popular romantic Hallmark greetings. It is, however, a reminder of the core of Lent: the commandment of love, and to be willing to make the sacrifices necessary to receive the love of God, and the muscle to show that love for others.
This Lent our parish will be diving into Divine Mercy. It will be the theme of our mission, and the thread that weaves through each part of our Lenten journey.
May each of us open our heart to the profound mercy of Jesus!
Peace, Fr. John
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ! This week, in between our January celebrations and Ash Wednesday (on Valentine’s Day!), I’d like to focus on a group in our parish preparing for a wonderful and blessed event: Confirmation on March 16th!
We had our interviews with the Confirmandi (candidates) this past week. Along with Rachel Bittner, our Coordinator for Youth Ministry, and John Enders, our Confirmation Catechist, I was so blessed to hear the faith and understanding of our young people preparing to receive the Sacrament.
It’s a call to all of us to remember what we say every week in the Creed: I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life. Not a feeling or energy or just something that is only present when we feel things are going well – rather God the Holy Spirit, the Person who knows and loves us, who works both in mysterious ways and who also shows us the effects, or the fruits, of His work.
The Holy Spirit is the Giver of Life: in creation and in the life of our souls. Thinking about our upcoming Confirmation celebration is a call for us to ask for the Holy Spirit to give life to our hearts and souls! To bring His life-giving power to our faith, relationships, vocations, work, play – every part of our daily walk, whether joyful or sorrowful or quite ordinary.
Let us pray for our brothers and sisters who will be Confirmed, that their hearts will be open to all the Holy Spirit has to give them.
Peace,
Fr. John
January 28, 2024
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ!
Last Sunday, as they were preparing to leave after the reception, Archbishop Lori and Fr. Tyler both said how good it was for them to be in a place with so much joy. I completely agree! What a joy to celebrate, with them, the blessings of the Lord and the goodness of our parish.
Thank you to so many who put time, talent, energy, and love into the Installation Mass and Reception. We worship and celebrate wonderfully here, and how good for the Archbishop and Fr. Tyler to experience that.
I was grateful for Archbishop Lori’s thanks to my Dad, Fr. Greg. I’ve bragged about Dad from the pulpit, especially while pitching First Fridays, and many of you have seen him and heard his wisdom, love, and goodness. It was so good, and no surprise, to hear our Archbishop talk about the same.
It was humbling to be praying alongside the Archbishop and Fr. Tyler – priestly, spiritual fathers - and Deacons Phil and Brian – natural fathers – and my Dad who is wonderfully both. It is equally humbling to be a Pastor after Fr. Kunkel, and to take the torch from him through Fr. Rubeling. Each has a heart after the Heart of Christ, showing the goodness, wisdom, and love of God the Father. Please pray that I would learn well from all of them, and be a pastor and spiritual father to you with the same heart in Christ.
As is part of our earthly life, with its joys and sorrows, I do have sad news to share. John Olsen – Deacon Brian’s dad – passed away this past Monday in Jarrettsville at age 76. Please pray for his wife Gail, for Deacon Brian and Beth, and all of John’s children and grandchildren, his great grandson and siblings, and all who are mourning. May the Lord receive John into glorious eternal life, and give consolation and hope to those who mourn him here on earth.
May the Lord give each of us grace to be faithful inboth joy and sorrow. May He continue to make our parish, named after His Mother and ours, a place that faith, hope, and love are taught and lived.
In Jesus and Mary,
Fr. John
January 21, 2024
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ! Many thanks to all who helped with Deacon Phil and Jackie’s receptions last weekend. I am confident they felt all of our love and gratitude.
This weekend, we welcome Archbishop Lori as our main celebrant for Sunday’s 10am Mass. I was named Pastor officially in October, and this Installation Mass is a chance for Archbishop Lori to be here to bless us, receive my renewal of priestly promises, and ask God’s continued grace on me and all of you.
We have a great mission here: to be the light of the world and to draw others into a relationship with Jesus and His Church. The first mission, though, is our personal faith. Consider this wisdom from Pope Benedict XVI:
- Christian faith is not only a matter of believing that certain things are true, but above all a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
- Of course, the act of faith is an eminently personal act; it happens in the deepest part of us…It is my life that changes, that is given a new direction.
- I cannot build my personal faith in a private dialogue with Jesus, because faith is given to me by God through a community of believers that is the Church.
- The Church, therefore, from the beginning is the place of faith, the place for the transmission of the faith.
- On Sunday, in the Holy Mass, reciting the Creed, we speak in the first person, but we confess as one the one faith of the Church. That “I believe” said individually joins a vast chorus across time and space.
Our Catholic faith is meant to be personal, but never private. We are Christians as part of our parish, the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and the entire Roman Catholic Church.
This Sunday is a chance for us to celebrate that – we are part of a worldwide spiritual family, 2,000 years old and founded by Jesus Christ and passed on through his Apostles. Let us welcome our Archbishop well, and pray for him and for the whole Archdiocese, that all of us would fulfill our mission with joy.
Peace,
Fr. John
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ! This weekend, it is a joy to celebrate Deacon Phil and Jackie Seneschal. Their faith, love, and witness to marriage and ministry are an inspiration to so many in so many ways. They pour themselves out in love and service to each other and their family.
Their wonderful service to St. Mary’s is hard to put into words. They offered their wisdom and support to Fr. Kunkel in every part of his life and priestly ministry. Their strong faith and experience has blessed every part of our parish life: prayer, service, community, teaching – etc., etc…
I’d like to personally thank Phil and Jackie for their warmth and wisdom given to me from the start. They’ve done this in several ways. First, by their experience and knowledge of all things St. Mary’s, they’ve shed light on the many aspects of our spiritual family, helping me best take the torch from Fr. Kunkel and continue to serve our parish. Second, by their current wisdom and encouragement. I trust their insight and am grateful for their ideas. Finally (for now…), for their witness. Their example is a personal inspiration to me for faithfulness and perseverance.
Deacon Phil’s retirement will see some very well-earned rest for him and Jackie, but thankfully we will still see them around. Not only at Masses, but – for example – Jackie will be our speaker for April’s First Friday adoration, and Phil for May.
This weekend we’ll have receptions for Phil and Jackie following each Mass. Please come to celebrate them, and to tell them how they’ve blessed you by their love and service!
Peace,
Fr. John
Dear brothers and sisters,
Happy Feast of the Epiphany! We are very blessed here in many ways. One of the ways is how our parish
practices the works of mercy.It’s a call we hear throughout the Scriptures, said plainly by St. John:“If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in needand refuses him compassion,how can the love of God remain in him?” – 1 John 3:17
This weekend we’re distributing casserole pans for Our Daily Bread. I encourage you to dive into thisministry. Instructions for cooking and bringing the food in are given with the pans themselves.Our next Food Pantry will be Saturday, January 20, from 10am-11am. The needs are varied and help isalways needed with both providing items and working the Food Pantry itself.
Each of us is called to serve the needy in one way or another. That will vary from person to person, from
vocation to vocation, of course. However, there’s a difference between saying 1) “well, I’m not called to do what Mother Teresa did,” and 2) “well, I’m not called to help the needy.”
The first is likely true for most of us: Jesus isn’t calling most of us to be members of the Missionaries of Charity. Some of us are called to that specific form of religious life, but most are simply called to be personally inspired by it. However, saying “I’m not called to help the needy” – well, that’s nonsense.
We can’t just declare ourselves exempt from a truth that challenges us. Pick your teaching – worship, forgiveness, moralteaching, prayer, etc., etc. Everyone will have specific challenges with specific things, and the Lord gives
specific help to us according to our needs. However, the call to prayer, virtue, and mercy remains.With certain things, like helping the needy, everyone will have to discern how that’s going to play out in their own lives. A parent of young children and a single 20-something are both called to help the poor,but it will look much different.
We have to discern according to our state in life, vocation, calendar of essential tasks, age, worldly goods, etc.
Other examples in this category are personal prayer, and the call to forgive (we’re all called to forgive, but it will look different according to the relationship, offense, etc.). It takes prayerful reflection and time. But, the call is still there, no matter the season!
Our Daily Bread and the Food Pantry are two of many
ways our spiritual family responds to that call.
Let us love the Lord and one another well, and let us pray for each other!
Peace,
Fr. John
Dear brothers and sisters,
Happy Feast of the Epiphany! We are very blessed here in many ways. One of the ways is how our parish
practices the works of mercy.
It’s a call we hear throughout the Scriptures, said plainly by St. John:
“If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need
and refuses him compassion,
how can the love of God remain in him?” – 1 John 3:17
This weekend we’re distributing casserole pans for Our Daily Bread. I encourage you to dive into this
ministry. Instructions for cooking and bringing the food in are given with the pans themselves.
Our next Food Pantry will be Saturday, January 20, from 10am-11am. The needs are varied and help is
always needed with both providing items and working the Food Pantry itself.
Each of us is called to serve the needy in one way or another. That will vary from person to person, from
vocation to vocation, of course. However, there’s a difference between saying 1) “well, I’m not called to
do what Mother Teresa did,” and 2) “well, I’m not called to help the needy.”
The first is likely true for most of us: Jesus isn’t calling most of us to be members of the Missionaries of
Charity. Some of called to that specific form of religious life, but most are simply called to be personally
inspired by it.
However, saying “I’m not called to help the needy” – well, that’s nonsense. We can’t just declare
ourselves exempt from a truth that challenges us. Pick your teaching – worship, forgiveness, moral
teaching, prayer, etc., etc. Everyone will have specific challenges with specific things, and the Lord gives
specific help to us according to our needs. However, the call to prayer, virtue, and mercy remains.
With certain things, like helping the needy, everyone will have to discern how that’s going to play out in
their own lives. A parent of young children and a single 20-something are both called to help the poor,
but it will look much different. We have to discern according to our state in life, vocation, calendar of
essential tasks, age, worldly goods, etc.
Other examples in this category are personal prayer, and the call to forgive (we’re all called to forgive,
but it will look different according to the relationship, offense, etc.). It takes prayerful reflection and
time.
But, the call is still there, no matter the season! Our Daily Bread and the Food Pantry are two of many
ways our spiritual family responds to that call.
Let us love the Lord and one another well, and let us pray for each other!
Peace,
Fr. John
Dear brothers and sisters,
Happy New Year!
Many, many thanks to all who poured themselves out for our Christmas celebration. It’s all a joy, but there’s definitely been a lot of joy: the wild schedule with the 4 th Sunday of Advent into Christmas Eve in less than 5 hours, in addition to the work that’s there no matter how the dates line up. The preparation for the Masses – the sacristy, music ministry, decorating, maintenance, etc. – the Masses themselves,
and all of the clean up: all of these done by our brothers and sisters in Christ out of love and fidelity to the Lord and His Church. Yes, many, many thanks!
And now to the New Year. I know some people who do New Year’s resolutions, some who don’t, some who see it as a good chance to just put muscle into what we’ve already committed to, and some who just see it as a number to change on whatever signature requires a date, and everything in between.
Whatever the case, it is always a time for prayer: prayer of thanksgiving for how the Lord has blessed us, and prayer of petition to bear our needs to Him. How good, then, that we start 2024 with the woman who the Lord chose to be the Mother of the Son and the Mother of the Church. May we continue ask this good and powerful Queen to take our thanks and petitions as her own, and teach us from her heart to follow her Son.
It is an honor and a blessing to walk with you as we begin 2024. Let us pray for the peace that only Christ
can bring, and open our hearts to receive that peace with gratitude.
In Jesus and Mary,
Fr. John
DECEMBER 24, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters,
Merry Christmas!
The Savior came to us in the midst of it all. All the joy, busyness, turmoil, hope, delight, stress, hurt, mourning, the sheer exhaustion because of the holidays, or because life is tough no matter what season we’re going through.
The Savior came to us because of His love for us. He didn’t demand that we have it together, or have a clear plan for getting it together. He didn’t say, “I will come to you as long as you’re basically good, and maybe I’ll give you a nudge in the right direction.” He just came to us. Whether we’re good, basically good with some hidden faults, basically good with
glaring faults, bad, afraid, wicked, trying not to sin, trying to actually sin, misunderstood, well-meaning,
indifferent, and anything else.
Then He promised to be with us always. And we need Him! Desperately. Deeply. We all need Him. We need His salvation and peace. He is with us, and invites to acknowledge that we need Him. It takes muscle to say, “Lord, I need your salvation. Today. I need your peace and your help. At this moment in my life.” Fortunately, He’s even with us if we have trouble saying that. We can even say, “Lord, I don’t even know what it would mean for me to say I need your salvation, so please just be with me in that!”
He is with us, and what a blessing to thank Him together, asking His peace in our lives and world once
again.
Come, let us adore Him!
Merry Christmas!
Fr. John
DECEMBER 3, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Happy Advent! We begin the Church Year as we end the Calendar Year, and as we enter one of the busiest and most blessed times of the year.
Advent is a season of hope: the word adventus means “arrival” or “coming” in Latin. To “await in joyful hope” for His arrival – this call that permeates Advent.
I think there’s a cynical or negative part of many of us that says,
“how can we hope when so much is messed up?” That mess can be in the world, the church, our own lives and the lives of those we love, even our own hearts and souls.
Sometimes that cynicism is exaggerated, but most of the time it’s rooted in something very real: a series of bad experiences, the reality of sin and sorrow and grief, an event that confirms how bad things are. The question is reasonable: how can we hope?
There’s no magic answer, of course. But, St. Paul does tell us this very difficult, often painful, truth: “hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance” (Romans 8:24-25).
The heart of hope isn’t that we comprehend how the mess is going to cleaned up, or at least see enough positive details that help us know that we’re moving in the right direction. That has it’s place, of course – those things are good and encouraging.
The heart of hope is the conviction that there is something greater happening – indeed, Someone Greater who is working whether we see His work. Someone greater who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and humbled enough to become flesh, starting as the tiniest and most vulnerable of humans in the womb of Mary. Hope is acting according to His will, trusting that His work will show itself eventually.
Hope takes muscle and endurance. The Perfect One and His Perfect Mother are with us – to answer us when we humbly pray for them to give us hope.
In the Coming Savior,
Fr. John
I hope your Thanksgiving was blessed. This weekend we close out Ordinary Time and get ready for Advent next week.
Today’s feast is the Solemnity of Christ the King. Today’s Gospel shows how He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. He identifies so closely with the poor and those in need, that He makes our service to them a condition of where we spend eternity: “I was hungry, and you gave me food… I was hungry and you gave me no food… Whatever you did to the least of these, you did to me.” Let us ask the Lord for the grace to be attentive and loving to Him, however He comes to us.
This Tuesday is Giving Tuesday, and I’m happy to announce a “next step” project of sorts. Not a capital or mini-campaign, but something smaller to boost our ability to minister – here specifically for our young people.
The project is an Upgrade to our Formation Center. It has two main parts:
- A Technology Upgrade for our classrooms and gathering spaces. This includes Smart TVs for each classroom and digital signs for efficient advertising.
- The Blessed Carlos Acutis Room – this will take our largest classroom (across from the Youth Room) and transform it into a space for ministry-style learning and fellowship. A teacher tech station, comfortable furniture, and materials for prayer and spiritual development.
For all of the spaces, the project includes funds for Sacred Art and inspirational pictures for the walls and hallways. All to strengthen our relationships with God, the church, and each other, by creating an atmosphere for formation in our Catholic faith, ease of access to resources, and excellent technology for learning and inspiration.
The total cost is about $9,000, and with everyone giving some, this small project can go a long way to strengthen our parish family. Please click here for our parish’s Giving Tuesday link. Checks for this project can have “SMA – Formation Center Upgrade” on the memo line.
While it’s definitely hard to believe that Advent is here, I’m looking to diving into this season of hope. Praying for you and our St. Mary’s family, and I ask for your prayers for me, as well!
Peace,
Fr. John
November 5, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ! Thank you for any prayers and congratulations at my being named Pastor. It is a true joy!
With the Catholic Review, in addition to the three announcements last week (Deacon Phil’s Dec. 1 retirement, and the start of ministry here for Deacon Brian and me), the staff and I were also pictured on the front page of their newsletter. Now that our parish is just about world famous, at least for last week, it’s exciting to tell you what we were doing in the picture itself.
Last Wednesday, the Archdiocesan held its annual Pastoral Staff Day. We had adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, an incredible talk by Deacon Keith Strohm, then breakout sessions on team building and parish life.
Deacon Keith talked about parish culture – the parish as a whole, the staff and volunteer leaders, the ministries, the Mass itself. The culture is the air we breathe, and each of us contributes.
That is one of the main points: each of us contributes to the air we breathe. Each of us is called to personally follow Christ and personally live out the Catholic life. But that affects others – our households, relationships, workplaces, and our spiritual family.
Fortunately, the Holy Spirit is continually working in our souls and in our spiritual family. Let us continue to plead for the Holy Spirit to come down upon us! Let us pray that our parish culture would continue to be one of prayer and charity, welcoming whoever comes with the love of Christ, and bringing us all deeper into His life!
Peace,
Fr. John
October 29, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This past week, the Catholic Review announced the December 1 st retirement of our wonderful brother in Christ, Deacon Phil Seneschal. For the past 15+ years, Deacon Phil and his wife Jackie have poured themselves out in ministry and charity for our parish. Not only in service to the community at large, but the support and care they
showed to our beloved Fr. Kunkel. Look for more announcements about celebrating Deacon Phil and Jackie on the weekend of January 13th and 14th .
This week we celebrate All Saints Day and All Souls Day. The beginning of November proclaims the truth that we are called to become holy here on earth, and are created ultimately for eternal life with God. For Wednesday, Nov. 1 - All Saints Day - we’ll have Mass at 10am and 6:30pm. We’re moving the evening Mass back 30 minutes (our normal time recently has been 7pm) to try to accommodate families with younger children. We’ll do the same for the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8).
Please let me or the staff know what you think, as well as any other ideas on how to best accommodate our families with kids at home!
Let us pray for one another, and respond well to the call to be saints!
Peace,
Fr. John
October 22, 2023
Last weekend, we were blessed to welcome Deacon Brian Olsen, to congratulate him on his ordination and give thanks as he starts his ministry here.
This week (to confirm the word that has slowly spread) with joy and thanksgiving, I am glad to announce that Archbishop Lori has appointed me to be your Pastor here at St. Mary’s!
It is an honor and a blessing. I ask our Lady, St. Joseph, and Fr. Kunkel (and the whole host of angels and saints!) to continue to pray for us and encourage us here.
While my appointment officially started last Sunday (Oct. 15), we will still have an Installation Mass with Archbishop Lori. On Sunday, January 21, at the 10am Mass, the Archbishop will be here to pray and bless you and me, asking God’s continued grace upon us.
Last weekend, we were also blessed to have Heller Kreshtool, a second generation Holocaust survivor. Her talk was inspiring in both wisdom and bravery. Her parents’ bravery from the horror of the Holocaust to their new lives here in the States, to Heller’s own bravery in learning her parents’ past and sharing their story with so many.
During the Q/A following the talk, someone asked Heller, “what is one thing you would like us to get out of this talk?” There were many things to take from the talk, but her answer was striking: “that you would know that words matter.” One of the first ways the doors to the Holocaust were open were words. Let us feel the weight of that, and practice it in our speech to and about others.
Many thanks to the Knights of Columbus for bringing Heller to speak to us. Look for more to come in with lessons and reflections from this powerful speaker.
God bless you many times! Let us pray for one another.
Peace,
Fr. John
October 15, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ! This weekend, I am so blessed to welcome Deacon Brian Olsen to our St. Mary’s family! Married to Beth with five children and one grandchild, Deacon Brian was just ordained to the permanent diaconate on September 30.
Deacon Brian comes to us with a host of experience in ministry – from founding a flourishing men’s ministry, to decades of work in youth ministry, including the poor at work camps in Appalachia, and many things in between. He is an architect, owner of Skorpa Design company in Bel Air, and is one of only eleven members of the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Liturgical Commission.
I am excited to see how Deacon Brian enhances what is already here, and what new he will bring by his preaching, teaching, service, and witness to the blessing of our Catholic life. Welcome Deacon Brian!
May each of us flourish in our vocations, and respond to the daily call to love God and neighbor, faithful to Jesus and the teachings of our Catholic faith.
Peace,
Fr. John
October 8, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We continue our blessed and busy Catholic lives, as we are connected in so many ways to the Lord and to one another. This weekend the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. The rosary is one powerful way to connect with Jesus and His Mother, and with Catholics throughout the world for at least 800 years. Spanning cultures, historical periods, countries, continents, vocations, personalities, prayer preferences, etc., etc. – it’s staggering to think about how the Rosary has persevered through the centuries. Yet we are connected with everyone who has prayed it – not only because it’s such a part of our Catholic life, but because it answers a need of the human heart. So much changes, but we can connect with the hearts of those across time, cultures, and personalities - because human nature is constant.Human nature is constant, for good, bad, light, and darkness.
Next weekend, on Sunday, October 15 at 2pm, we’re hosting speaker Heller Kreshtool. Heller is a SecondGeneration Holocaust Survivor, and she will share her personal story and that of her family. To hear her is to hear the brightness possible in the human heart, with the bravery and perseverance that she shares. To hear her story also shows the darkest parts of the human hearts – what we are capable of: both by the horror of those who committed the atrocities, and those who, in one way or another, allowed the holocaust to happen, or didn’t do what they could to save or help at least some of the victims. The phrase “Never Again” must be kept true, and listening next Sunday is a way to ensure this.
May we receive the grace of the Lord to be the very best of who God has called us to be, for ourselves, others, and the good of the world.
Peace,
Fr. John
OCTOBER 1, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ! The Lord continues to work in big and small ways, and I’m grateful to the wonderful team here of staff and volunteers that continue His holy work.
A couple weeks ago, we had our Opening Meeting for our revamped Pastoral Council. As I wrote in an earlier letter, the Council is now split into 3 Sections, each with a focus for advising and a specific event.
We met, and after going through some of the details of the structure, the participants joined a group that they will serve in for the next two years. Here are the groups, their advising field and event, and their new leadership.
General Section
o Advising: all of parish life (similar to the previous council)
o Event: Ministry Fair
o Leadership
§ President: Jim Edwards
§ Vice-President: Joanne McConnell
§ Secretary: Paula Mackey
-Formation Group
o Advising: Formation and Education
o Event: Lenten Mission
o Leadership
§ Chair: Christy Eller
§ Secretary: Sharon Alasandro
Community Events Group
o Advising: Community events, in and surrounding our parish
o Event: Annual Parish Picnic
o Leadership
§ Chair: Bob Hoopert
§ Secretary: Susan Miller
After we split into groups and they chose their leadership, it was so inspiring to hear the faith, creativity and excitement that filled the conversations. As the concrete details of the events were discussed, the many ideas of how to boost the life of the parish (the advising part) were also stirred.
Many thanks to those who stepped up in leadership, and many thanks to all who are participating. If you missed the meeting, but would like to either make a commitment to serve or help with an event, please contact me or the General Section leadership – our info. is on the front of the bulletin.
Let us continue to ask the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us!
PEACE,
FR. JOHN
SEPTEMBER 24, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Our Ministry Year is off and running, and I’m grateful to all our Catechists that we were able to thank, bless, and commission last week.
This past week, we added a new slot for Confessions, so now the weekly times are:
- Tuesdays, 6-6:50pm
- Saturdays, 3:15-3:45pm
Confession (or Reconciliation, or Penance, or any of the other wonderful names the Catechism gives it) is one of the greatest gifts the Lord gives us through the Church. There is healing and strength there that we can’t anywhere else.
Consider the Eucharist: there are many ways that Jesus is present to us Scripture, our souls, the poor, where two or three are gathered, to name a few. However, He is present in the most powerful way in the Eucharist. This doesn’t mean the other ways are somehow not-Jesus, but He is with us in the greatest and most-present in the Blessed Sacrament.
It’s like that with Confession. There are many ways we receive mercy, and God is in each. When we ask His mercy in private prayer or during Mass, when we receive forgiveness from others, even when we forgive ourselves – when we stop defining ourselves and our futures by our sins, faults, and weaknesses.
All of that is real, and God’s mercy is active in each part. However, Confession offers mercy in the most powerful way. The priest represents Jesus in a unique way: throughout the Scriptures, we see priests given specific authority to offer forgiveness. The priest represents the Church in a unique way, too. In Confession, we have the chance to say “I did this” and it affected not only me and God, but others as well. With absolution, we’re reconciled to both God and the Church.
All of this is made safe by the Seal of Confession. It is absolute. Confession is the place that our sins can go to be absolved and erased. Even with the leftovers of the sin – the desire/temptation for future sin, fear that we’re not forgiven, or discouragement because we sin again, etc. All of these are part of life on earth. Confession, however, erased the sins from our souls. We are no longer bound to them.
Confession also gives us grace to pursue the virtues opposite of the sins we confessed. It gives us more power to trust the mercy of God and persevere in charity.
The distinction between mortal and venial sins is essential – given to us both by Scripture (e.g 1 John 5:14-21) and a little common sense - there’s just a difference between snapping at someone because of a bad day and really harming someone’s reputation by detraction – both call for an apology, but the second takes some extra muscle. Whatever the level of sin, though, Confession gives us needed strength to love God and neighbor in our daily lives.
More to come on this wonderful blessing. Praying for all of us to receive the mercy of God in all the ways He gives it, especially the Sacrament of Confession.
Peace,
Fr. John
September 17, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters,
"Think about it!" The continual call from our good Fr. Kunkel – the invitation to go deeper into what we have heard, experienced, and spoken. I feel like he not only continually reminded us, but showed us how to live it; as he thought about it, he saw the goodness and mercy of God go through every part of our life. Fr. Kunkel did think about it, and from there had the trust, courage, and calm to be faithful as a Christian and as a priest.
Last summer, in the bulletin of August 7, 2022, Fr. Kunkel wrote this:
Our Christian faith offers us no illusion that we are a people chosen for exemption from loneliness. It holds out no promise of a trouble-free life of easy comfort. It grants us no immunity from evil and its consequences. Rather, our Christian faith provides us with the spiritual equilibrium – the spiritual stamina – that we really need to face up to the burdens and evil days and the fears that overtake us, often in the most unexpected ways!
With the eyes of our faith we can see things as they are in the light of things as they will be.
This wasn't his last letter to the parish, and I encourage you to look at his other letters (in the bulletin section of our website). This does show us where his mind and heart were as he approached the end of his days here – to "see things as they are in the light of things as they will be." He knew the providence and love of God here on earth, and he saw that we were not made only for this world.
That faith was what drove him to serve countless of you as your pastor and spiritual father. That faith drove him to offer you Mass after Mass and prayer after prayer, and it is what gave him the grace to be your brother, friend, uncle, guide, teacher, and shepherd for so many years here.
This Monday, Sept. 18, is the one-year anniversary of Fr. Kunkel's death. For those that knew him and were served so well by him: I encourage you to take some time to reflect on how God showed you His love through Fr. Kunkel. For those who didn't know him or didn't know him well: I encourage you to ask those who did, reflect on our spiritual family here, and Fr. Kunkel's witness to the goodness of the Lord. Yes, think about it!
May the Lord glorify Fr. Kunkel, and may his prayers and examples inspire each of us to greater faith.
Peace,
Fr. John
September 10, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ! Our Fried Chicken Dinner is a such a great blessing. A thousand thanks to so many who served before, during, and after to make this great event happen. Thanks especially to our Business Manager, Barbara Sadler and the Parish Activities Ministry for leading the way.
This Monday, September 11, at 7pm, we're having our annual 9/11 Memorial Prayer Service. It is ecumenical service held by the Mason-Dixon Ministerium, and it is an honor for us to host it.
This year's 9/11 Memorial is meaningful in that we will remember Fr. Kunkel in a special way. Last year's Ecumenical Prayer Service was Fr. Kunkel's last public act before his health turned even more and he entered his last days here on earth. This good shepherd – who most of you knew, loved, and were served so beautifully by - went home to the Lord on Sunday, September 18th, 2022.
Next weekend, we'll remember Fr. Kunkel at the different Masses. In addition, the 10am Mass will be our Catechetical Sunday Mass, beginning our Faith Formation Year and blessing our dedicated Catechists. At that Mass, we'll also have the renewal of wedding vows for Deacon Gary and Ellen Dumer. What a gift that this is the weekend before Fr. Kunkel's first anniversary – his love for our parish families and religious education, and Gary and Ellen's ministry with him, was all truly an inspiration.
Praying for you and I ask for your prayers for me, as well.
Peace,
Fr. John
September 3, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Many thanks to all who served and participated in our last Food Truck Night and First Friday Adoration. These were great times of fellowship and prayer, especially as so many in our parish leap into the new school year.
This coming Saturday, Sept. 9, of course, is our Fall Chicken Dinner! From Noon-5:30pm, we will host many from near and far at this incredible event. It's a time for us, as a parish family, to shine in our hospitality – providing a space for people to connect with each other, have an incredible meal, browse and buy crafts, books, baked goods, etc., enjoy games, raffles, and bingo, and many other ways to build up our community.
It is my hope that the guests not only have a great time with a great meal, but also connect or re-connect with the church in a positive way. The Lord has wonderful gifts to give through each of us, our parish family, and the deepest parts of our Catholic life: the sacraments, beliefs, prayer, and charitable work of the church. Our Chicken Dinner not only provides a great time of fellowship and teamwork as a parish, but has the potential to open a person's heart to the deep healing that the Lord desires for each of us.
Let us open our own hearts to His healing, and let us welcome and serve our guests well!
Peace,
Fr. John
August 26, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
In today's Gospel, there are many things happening with Jesus and the founding of the Church. In the midst of the conversations and questions between Jesus and the disciples, there is a central question. Jesus asks Peter, and each one of us: "who do you say that I am?"
Each of us – personally – needs to answer this. In a way, it's like anything that was either handed down to us, or anything that other people are talking about. After we consider what we were taught, and think about what others are saying, we eventually have to ask, "what do I think about it? What is my personal conviction?"
This Friday, September 1st, from 6:30pm-8pm, we're having our next addition to the Eucharist Revival. On First Fridays, we'll have a talk about someone's personal experience of the Eucharist, then about an hour of Eucharistic Adoration, with praise and worship music and some quiet reflection time. Confession will be available, as well.
Our First Friday Adoration is one of many ways you and I can come to a deeper personal understanding of who the Lord is. It's a time to be with Him in the Eucharist, offering praise and reflecting on our relationship with Him. We need the time set aside in our busy worlds. It helps us remember who He is, and have Him teach us more and deeper ways to know Him.
This question – "who do you say that I am?" – isn't something He asks us just once. It's something He continually asks us, so our faith and trust in Him can grow and bring the peace that only He can give.
Peace,
Fr. John
August 20, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
"My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." This is from the prophet Isaiah, centuries before Christ, but he is pointing ahead to the Church! The Church is the universal family in which is person is called to meet Christ, be transformed by Him, and invite others in. Our parish is the Pylesville edition of this house of prayer for all peoples.
One of the main parts of any Catholic parish is the Pastoral Council. Today I'm writing to tell you about our new Pastoral Council, and invite you to be a part of it. I'm most grateful to Jim Edwards, Jo and Bob McConnell, and the entire Pastoral Council for their years of excellent service. By God's grace (and their patience!), they will continue to serve and for this I am most grateful, as well.
After consultation with our Parish Staff and Pastoral Council members, I've decided to start a new structure for our Pastoral Council. The mission is the same: to offer council to the Pastor, and to be a vehicle of leadership for the life of the parish. The Opening Meeting will be on Tuesday, September 12, at 7pm. But, for now, here are some basics:
- The Pastoral Council will consist of three Sections. Each Section will have an advising role and will plan one specific activity per year.
After the Opening Meeting, each Section will meet Quarterly (and separately)
Membership is open to anyone who is a parishioner and will commit to 2 years of service
Section Leadership (Chair, Co-Chair, Secretary, etc.) will be voted on within each Section.
With the Section roles, I recognize that there are plenty of essential parts of parish life that don't have specific Sections, e.g. Liturgy, Works of Mercy, Grounds/Maintenance, Advertising/Development. Reasons for this include:
1) We had to start somewhere. Having a Section for each essential part of the parish life would have been too much for a new structure. Formation and Community Events are open-ended and currently growing fast, so those seemed like good places to start.
2) Many of the other essential parts of our Parish life have strong structures in place, i.e. the Liturgy Committee, Chicken Dinner, Food Pantry, etc.
3) The General Committee includes all those other areas. Similar to how the Pastoral Council has operated for decades, the General Committee will advise on all aspects of parish life.
The next two years for this will be kind of an experiment. After that, we can discern adding/changing Sections. If the whole thing is a flop, then it's back to the drawing board. That's fine – we're building a plane in mid-flight.
All parishioners are invited to the Opening Meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 7pm. I'll present the template and have some Q/A. You'll have the chance to hear about the different Sections and sign up for one or more. Please feel free to call me with any questions or suggestions at the parish office or email me at jrapisarda@stmaryspyleville.org.
May the Holy Spirit continue to build up our parish family here. Let us pray for one another!
Fr. John
August 13, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters,
Happy Feast Day! It is the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary - a wonderful celebration for Catholics throughout the world, but especially for us here. It’s the title - the identity - of our parish family. This is why, in addition to Tuesday, we’re celebrating our feast at all the weekend Masses.
Similar to a birthday or anniversary, a feast day is a time set aside to give thanks and remember who we are meant to be - with us, as Catholic Christians and as members of St. Mary of the Assumption parish.
The rosary is a deeply embedded part of the Christian – 8 centuries, countless cultures, spiritualities, personality types, generations, etc. Whether it's a decade, five decades, all four sets of mysteries, or anything in between - the Rosary is a way to honor our spiritual mother, ask her to pray for us to Jesus, and invite her to be part of our daily walk with the Lord.
As we celebrate this spiritual mother, given by Jesus to the family of the Church, let us ask her help in following her Son, becoming the spiritual family God created us to be.
Peace,
Fr. John
July 30, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters,
The Food Truck night last Saturday was a great success! There were many people from every generation, the food and drink were well-enjoyed, and Ashley and Brett had a great sound and great setlist to fill the air with music. The weather was also perfect, and the games and raffles were a hit.
These events are being put on by our newest ministry in our parish: the Bethany Team for Parish and Community Life. In the time and place of the Gospel, the town of Bethany was, among other things, the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. These siblings were close friends of Jesus, and His disciples. At some of the parties and gatherings they had at their house – many people were invited. They provided hospitality, a place to rest, and – because He was among them as both Savior and Brother – they invited Jesus.
People of all sorts met Him there, knew that they were loved. They saw in Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, that following Jesus brought both peace and community. They saw they didn't need to be afraid of Him, and that even if there were going to be challenges to discipleship, the first thing needed was for them to know that He is with us and loves us.
We imitate Martha, Mary, and Lazarus in many ways at our parish – our famous chicken dinners, Knights of Columbus (like the upcoming Car Show!) and Belles of St. Mary's events (like our monthly BINGO!), and more, and now with our new Bethany Team.
Whether in prayer, fellowship, the works of mercy, or teaching the treasures of the life of the Church, let us be open to meeting Jesus, and invite others to meet Him and His life-changing ways.
Peace,
Fr. John
JULY 23, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ! What a blessed week here – Vacation Bible School is a joy. The dedication of the volunteers is an inspiration (as is their patience!), and the kids are a delight.
Many thanks to Karen Dietz, our Coordinator of Religious Education. In addition to her normal, multi-faceted ministries, and leading our Bethany Team (busy prepping for the Food Truck night!), Karen has been the main lead for this year's Vacation Bible School. Her excellent work and leadership has shone as she has spearheaded the practical and administrative details, and as she guides the entire camp for such a grace-filled week. Working many, many hours alongside Rachel Bittner, our Coordinator of Youth Ministry, and all the teachers, youth and adult volunteers for food, crafts, first aid, etc., etc., Karen has led a camp that glorifies God, brings us together as the church, and strengthens our relationships with Jesus and one another.
This past week we also had our first Tuesday evening weekly Adoration. The church was open for quiet prayer from 4pm-8pm, with the Blessed Sacrament exposed on the altar.
Adoration can be seen like this: consider the Consecration – the part of the Mass where the priest holds up the Host, which has just become the Body of Christ with the words "This is My Body." Adoration is like taking that Sacred time, and hitting "pause." It prepares us to receive Jesus with greater love and openness to His grace, it strengthens His work in our hearts and minds – whether it's healing of wounds, conversion from sin, or the gift of courage in the face of fear.
This year is another part of the Eucharistic Revival, being celebrated by the Church throughout the United States. Starting Tuesday evening Adoration is a part of that, and I look forward to seeing it grow, and to the many other ways our parish will celebrate the most profound gift the Lord gives us on earth: the Blessed Sacrament.
Peace,
Fr. John
July 16, 2023
Many thanks to our great teams who put on our Respect Life Baby Shower, and who are preparing for Vacation Bible School, our next Food Truck night, and so much more. We're very blessed here.
In addition to diving into the summer life here – Mass, VBS, Bingo, Food Truck, etc. – by participating or helping, I encourage you to check our FORMED. Our parish has a subscription to this fantastic streaming service. FORMED is a massive website with hundreds of video and audio resources – Catholic content, long and short, for adults, families, children, wherever a person is or isn't with the Catholic faith – FORMED.org has many excellent ways to dive in, learn, understand, and live the life of the Church.
Here's how:
Go to www.formed.org and click on "Sign In"
Type in "St. Mary's Pylesville" or "21132" to get to our parish name, and simply click to enter. Browse and enjoy!
God bless you these summer days. Let us pray for each other!
Fr. John
July 2, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I'm grateful for the many ways our spiritual family is growing, and for the many ways we get together during the summer months. Vacation Bible School is coming up, our first food truck night was a great success, our Knights and Belles continue to gather and serve in so many ways, our youth ministry continues to gather and form our young people, and all of our different groups on campus show that "summer mode" does not mean a pause from living the Christian life and the life of the Church.
The heart of it all is the Mass. The continued offering of the Eucharist – the continued gathering to give thanks and together look to the Lord for His grace. This is the deepest joy - whether we feel it or not, the Lord pours out His grace in the Mass more powerfully than any other way on earth. He is with us in the Eucharist and calls us to worship, and brings light to every kind of thing on our schedule – rest, play, work, projects, vacation, and everything else. With the Mass as the continued center of our lives, everything else receives God's life even more deeply.
Many thanks to all who serve at Mass, prepare for Mass, clean up for Mass, pray for those who come to Mass, and pray and reach out to those who, for whatever reason, are not with us at Mass.
The Mass is the greatest way God fulfills the promise written above our sanctuary, that He is with us always.
Peace,
Fr. John
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ!
Our Eucharistic Procession was a great joy! Many thanks to Deacon Phil for planning our Eucharistic Procession, to our Grand Knight Lee Surkin and all of our Knights of Columbus, sacristans, music ministers and all who served and participated.
This week, I'd like to highlight our June 24th Food Truck Night, and one of our newest ministries here at St. Mary's – the Bethany Team for Parish and Community Life.
Karen Dietz, our Coordinator of Religious Ed., and a group of dedicated volunteers formed the Bethany Team as a response to the ever-growing need for outreach and connection. I am grateful for Karen's excellent and hard work across the board, and with the Bethany Team this is showing even more.
Our Food Truck Night on Saturday, June 24th, from 5pm-8pm, is the Bethany Team's first major event. It's a time to simply be together as a spiritual family and provide a place for the larger community to gather. We'll have Food Trucks and AleCraft Brewery providing food and drink, games and the playground for children and basket drawings for everyone, and a great time to simply be together and connect with each other at our parish home.
Looking forward to seeing you there! Let us pray for each other!
Peace,
Fr. John
June 11, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Happy Feast of Corpus Christi! This weekend, after the 10am Mass, we’re having a Eucharistic Procession around the church. We’ll walk, singing praise and adoration to the Lord as we do, and we’ll stop four times to offer Benediction to the world around us.
Why do we do these things? One reason is because the Eucharist is the greatest gift Jesus offers to us here on earth, and it’s the greatest gift the Church offers to the world. Like Mary, who at the Birth of Jesus and the Presentation in the Temple, the Church holds up the Body of Christ - the true light that has come into the world.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore is part of the National Eucharistic Revival started last year by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). This Revival - following Baltimore’s Year of the Eucharist - is a real call to each of us to love Jesus in the Eucharist even more deeply.
It’s a call to be grateful for Holy Communion and the Mass, and to stir our faith in the promise written above the altar at our church: “Remember, I am with you always.”
It’s a call:
for each of us to consider the impact that the Mass has on our daily lives and relationships, and to be intentional about letting the Mass impact us more.
for each of us to tell others how the Mass impacts our daily lives and relationships.
for our parish to increase our regular practice of Eucharistic Adoration.
to be more intentional about participation in Mass, even if that means different things for different stages in life (like according to how old your children are!).
to ask the Lord, as we receive Him, to live the more challenging teachings of the church, and to proclaim them with bravery and charity.
to let the Lord, filled with love in Holy Communion, help us actually love more deeply, more heroically, more mercifully to all we meet or talk about.
to ask Jesus, when we receive Him, for the wisdom and courage to tell others about Him, and by word and example draw them to the Catholic life.
There are many other parts of this call, and the Lord will give us the grace to respond with trust in Him. Brothers and sisters, let us receive that grace well!
Peace,
Fr. John
June 4, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! This weekend is Trinity Sunday. The life of the Church is so good. From Pentecost, the birthday of the Church – we see how our Perfect God works in the mess of the world, bringing forth the Catholic Church for the ages. On Trinity Sunday, our hearts and minds are lifted to just who God is in the first place.
Thank you to all who came to Session 1 of Vine and Branches, and thanks to all who helped set up, prepare food, and clean up. I'm looking forward to Session 2 this Tuesday! We'll start again at 6:45 with some fellowship and light food, and at about 7, dive into the content. This week, we'll review some of the parts on prayer, but then talk about service: what it means, and how to go about it.
Praying for all who are in the last weeks of the school year – teachers, administrators, students and their parents – and all that goes into these busy days.
Let us pray for each other!
Peace,
Fr. John
May 28, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Happy Feast of Pentecost! Today we celebrate the fulfilled promise of Jesus: to send the Holy Spirit, the Advocate and Giver of Life, to us. Pentecost is the birthday of the Church – the same Church that you and I belong to you, and the same Church that we are called to build up by faith, prayer, and good works.
This Tuesday, we'll have the first of two sessions of Vine and Branches – meant to bring us together to look at prayer and service, what they are and how we can grow in them. I hope it will be a good time for our spiritual family here to grow together.
Many blessings on all of you, especially the students, parents, teachers, administrators, and all who are busy closing out the school year.
Let us all pray for each other!
Peace,
Fr. John
May 21, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord. He returned to the Father while declaring, “I am with you always.” He is with us in many ways, and most powerfully in the Eucharist.
What a blessing, then, to celebrate our First Communion Mass! This is a joyful call to each of us to think about the gift of the Mass and the Eucharist. Many thanks to all involved, but especially to Kathy Ayers and Karen Dietz for all of their wonderful ministry to help prepare the children. Please pray for our young parishioners and their families!
Also, at all our Masses this weekend, we'll pray a blessing over all our seniors graduating this year. At the 10am Mass we'll also have our annual St. Mary's Emmaus Awards. Our graduating senior recipients are:
- Julia Eakes –Outstanding Peer Ministry and Servant Leadership
- Ryan Mahns – Outstanding Service in Parish and Liturgical Ministry
Thank you to Julia and Ryan for your faith, service, and example. Thank you to their parents for all their support. Many thanks to Rachel Bittner for her excellent work in youth ministry. The opportunities she provides for our young people to grow in faith, friendship, and service, are awesome.
We are very blessed here at St. Mary's. Let us keep praying for the Holy Spirit to pour out on all of us!
Peace,
Fr. John
May 14, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ! The Easter Season continues, and the life of the Church offers us the chance to keep our eyes and hearts on the Lord.
This Sunday He teaches us about the Holy Spirit – the Advocate and Spirit of Truth. Next Sunday we raise our hearts to heaven with the Ascension, and then the Sunday following is the great birthday of the Church – the celebration of Pentecost. Each of us these show us part of the great gifts given in Christ and His Church: we are shown who God is, and we are shown who we are created to be.
Next Saturday, May 20, however, we have an especially joyful event. That morning, twenty of our parishioners are celebrating their First Holy Communions! Let us pray for these children and their families, that this would be a time of increased love for the Eucharist for all of us!
Peace,
Fr. John
May 7, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ! We are very blessed here at St. Mary's, and last Saturday's Chicken Dinner was an incredible blessing!
I would like to honor and thank our incredible team who prepared, planned, set-up, served, and cleaned up for this wonderful event. The joyful dedication I saw in each person was inspiring. Each guest was welcomed and served with love, and because of that the whole atmosphere was one of charity. This is so needed in our world, and how good it is to see it offered here.
I'd like to also announce a 2-part series coming up here at St. Mary's. It's called Vine and Branches and will be on May 30th and June 6th, both Tuesday evenings, from 6:45pm-8:15pm, in the Parish Hall. I've only been here a short while, but already I've heard many of our parishioners share about their prayer lives and experience in serving. It is inspiring and good, and many times is coupled with the questions, "How can we grow? How can we grow in prayer? How can we grow in service? How can we invite others to do the same?"
With Vine and Branches, I'd like to offer us a chance to look at these questions together. I hope it will be a great way for us to get together as a parish family, and be encouraged in living out our faith. Look for more details in the next couple weeks.
Praying for you, and grateful to the Lord and His Mother for the many things they show us love.
Peace,
Fr. John
April 30, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters,
The Easter season continues! What a gift to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit. This weekend we do that with Good Shepherd Sunday – in Christ, we have a Shepherd who is perfectly worthy of trust.
We see this connection to the 2nd Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday, and that beautiful and simple prayer on the bottom of the painting we have in our church: "Jesus, I trust in you." The second reading this weekend has these wonderful words: "By his wound you have been healed. For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have not returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls."
Everything we do here – from our amazing chicken dinner to the depths of our faith, the Mass – points to the Good Shepherd. Each person is made for him, and each person is made to be part of His flock.
I encourage you to invite others to connect here: whether it's the Mass itself, or our various social and service events. We are very blessed, but that blessing is not just for ourselves.
Praying for you and ask for your prayers for me!
Peace,
Fr. John
April 23, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Praised be Jesus Christ, our Risen Savior! The celebration of Easter cannot be contained in one day. The Octave of Easter – the eight days between Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday – is one continual celebration of the Resurrection.
The Easter Season goes 50 days – from the Easter Vigil to Pentecost Sunday (Pentecost is Greek for Fiftieth – originally a Jewish feast, now both Jewish and Christian because it was the day of the birthday of the Church). This glorious Season lifts our heart to the person and event that defines us as Catholic Christians, preparing to celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Next Saturday, April 29th, is our Spring Fried Chicken Dinner! I can't wait for it. It will be my first (of many, hopefully and God-willing!). What a great blessing – I'm amazed by the work that Barbara and the committee are pouring out in service to our parish and community. How awesome.
The Gospel this week is about the road to Emmaus, where Jesus meets two disciples, walks with them and teaches them, and leads them to the Eucharist where He is revealed to them.
I had a professor in seminary, Fr. Tom, who used to say "God loves you perfectly where you are, but too much to keep you that way." One example of this is how Jesus met the disciples along the way – he walked with them from exactly where they were – frustrated, not having all the right data, discouraged and arguing. He loved them there, but then walked with them to teach them, transform them, and lead them to the Eucharist.
Each one of us is going to have a little more "love others where they're at" or "love others too much to keep them that way." Both are from love. Sometimes it's in general, sometimes it depends on the person or situation. If we cancel out one or the other, it goes against love, and the result is either enabling or condemnation.
It is difficult and takes effort to understand and live out both. Part of the power of Easter is that the Lord Jesus is the perfection of both. He offers us the grace to let Him love us where we are, and the grace to convert and grow into who he made us to be.
May we all receive this powerful grace!
Peace,
Fr. John
APRIL 16, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Happy Easter!
The celebration continues this weekend with Divine Mercy Sunday. His mercy is, in a way, the deepest consolation of faith and the greatest challenge.
It's the deepest consolation because the Lord initiates perfect mercy and always offers perfect mercy. He doesn't wait
around for us to be 100% ready, understanding, etc. to give it. As St. Paul says to the Romans, "God proves his love for
us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us." St. John, in his first letter, puts it this way: "In this is love, not
that we have loved God, but that He has loved us, and sent his Son as expiation for our sins" (expiation = amends).
Yes, we are called to respond – in repentance, humility, and pursuing faith and virtue. But, it doesn't start with us. It
starts with God and His perfect, divine mercy. This is a great consolation.
It is also the greatest challenge. Jesus is clear:
- "Love one another as I have loved you."
- "Be merciful, as your Father is merciful."
- "The measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you."
- "Not seven times, but seventy-seven times."
And finally, the challenging prayer we pray often in the Our Father: "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who
trespass against us."
It's a little easier to have mercy if the person is at least a little sorry, or if the offense was clearly more a mistake than
anything else. It's a little easier if it once or twice, or clearly a bad habit that a person is actively working on fixing. It's a
little easier if the consequence is something light or quickly fixable.
However… what if the person refuses to admit wrongdoing, or refuses to repent? What if the harmful consequences are
lasting, or there is little-to-no earthly hope that the person will ever change? What if the harmful behavior is being
approved or encouraged by others? What if we have mercy, and the person takes that as license to continue the sinful
or harmful behavior?
Jesus doesn't say, "be merciful, as your Father is merciful, except if the person doesn't repent." It is true that, for our
hearts to change, we need to receive mercy, repent, and change our ways. However, that is on the offender, not on the
offended. The Christian offended is called to forgive and offer mercy as Christ: "while we were still sinners, Christ died
for us."
Mercy will look different in each situation:
- Sometimes it's in the re-establishment of a relationship, sometimes distance needs to be kept.
- Sometimes it's communicated, other times communication is impossible for one reason or another.
- Sometimes it involves "tough love," sometimes it requires an intentional gentleness.
An so on, and everything in between. Whatever the case, the statement "so I don't need to have mercy" is not from the
Lord. It's hard, it takes discernment and maturity, and sometimes it's a daily decision.
The good news is that the Lord, in His perfect, divine mercy, continues to offer us the grace to see as He sees and to be
merciful as He is merciful. He is trustworthy, and knows us – in our struggle to accept mercy and in our struggle to give
it. Today we celebrate that it starts with the Lord, and his grace and providence are more powerful than we can imagine.
Peace,
Fr. John
April 8, 2023
Happy Easter! Jesus is risen!
Thank you to so many who served, prepared, cleaned up from, transitioned through, and in any way made possible the beautiful liturgies for Holy Week into Easter Sunday. We are very blessed here.
The Resurrection changes everything, and the person who is changed by the Resurrection sees God,themselves, others,and the world through new, grace-filled eyes. It doesn't make suffering magically go away.
Pope Benedict said the following, and it was quoted by Pope Francis in his first major letter (encyclical):
Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person,
which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.
Yes, there are ethical choices involved in being a Christian! Any way of life or relationship involves this. Imagine the absurd opposite: two people in a relationship who say, "Yes, our relationship is healthy, but we don't have any real standards, like honesty, fidelity, or kindness," or a person who says, "I want to be part of the baseball team, but I don't really want to play, coach, assist, or make any life choices that show I'm part of the team." This is nonsense. Of course there are choices involved.
Yes, there are lofty ideas in being a Christian: the Christian way of life, forgiveness, even the teachings about God, the soul, or other parts of our faith. Again, imagine the absurd opposite: "I want to be part of this business, but I don't think we need any real thought into good office morale, good management and the improvement of the product." Again, nonsense.
However, it is easy to answer the question,"What does it mean to be Catholic?" with an immediate list of things to do or a few sentences on how we see the world. These things are important, but they are not the heart.
What is the heart of it? We have encountered the Lord, and He is risen from the dead.
As we enter into Easter season, let us ask this Lord to help us to meet Him and follow Him with faithfulness and trust. Let us ask for the grace to make Easter the event that changes our lives even
more and fuels everything that we do.
The Lord is alive! He is risen indeed.
Peace,
Fr. John
PALM SUNDAY MESSAGE
Dear brothers and sisters,
It is Holy Week! The word holy means set aside for God and the things of God.
For example, we have the Commandment "keep holy the Sabbath" – because the Lord's Day is set aside for worship and for our vocations and families.
We are made holy by our Baptism – set aside to live the truth and love of God in Jesus. We are made part of the holy Catholic Church – the community set aside by Jesus with His seal to be a light to the world.
We are strengthened in holiness by Confirmation, and given power to grow in holiness by Holy Communion. We are cleansed from that which is not of God through Confession, and sent out to live holiness in our daily lives.
We are invited to take holy time during the day, even a short minute here or there set aside for God, and trust that – even if we don't feel it – the opens the door to grace and strength for other parts of our days.
Holy - set aside for God and the things of God.
It doesn't mean "inaccessible" – but in our busy lives the holy can seem impractical.
And so, the goodness of Holy Week – the week set aside in a substantial way for God and the things of God: the deepest and most powerful things of God. To walk with the All-Holy One who became flesh, dwelt among us, and became like us in all things, yet without sin.
Friends, I invite you to enter Holy Week as much as you can – to set time aside for the Liturgies and prayers, to walk with the Lord, even in the midst of our busy worlds.
And then, emerging with Him victorious from the tomb, to welcome God and the things of God into more and more of our lives and our world, looking to the eternal holiness and perfect joy of heaven.
It is an honor to walk this week with you. God bless you and I will see you around!
Fr. John
March 26, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters,
There is much happening in our Catholic life! Lent forges on. The season offers daily grace to open ourselves to the power of God and strength our love and resolve to following.
Next week is Palm Sunday, which begins Holy Week. Saturday, March 25th, is our Confirmation day, with 20 of our young people sacramentally receiving the gift of Pentecost. It is inspiring to see the preparation for Holy Week and Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday, our April 29th Chicken Dinner, and much more. I urge you all to take part in all of this, by both receiving and giving.
The Catholic life is good and blessed. Beneath it all, however, is a feast day that is powerful beyond our imagination, and quiet and hidden. So quiet, that it's easy to miss every year, but especially this one. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary - and she conceived of the Holy Spirit. March 25th is the Solemnity of the Annunciation. Nine months before Christmas, this was the moment that the Uncreated Son took flesh in Mary's womb.
This event was known with rejoicing to the holy angels and every holy soul who had gone before. It was known with trembling by the Devil and his army, who refused to serve a God who would become a creature. It was known with perfect love and humility by the eternal God who brought forth this majestic plan for our salvation.But to all on earth, except the handmaid of the Lord, it was unknown. Mary - quiet, with trust, concern, discernment, and love - the Immaculately Conceived gave flesh to God, and the entire universe changed.
There is a reason that this is the moment we bow in the Creed. Every part of the Creed is sacred and life-changing. But this one – by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary – is when we bow, because this gives power and salvation to everything else. We are saved because the Word became Flesh.
We are called to love God and neighbor, not just in thoughts or feeling but in the flesh. We receive, in the Eucharist, the flesh given to God by Mary. We look to the Resurrection of the dead – why? Because the Word became Flesh.
Let us ask for the grace of faith that God is with us –in every way, quiet or grand. Let us prepare for Holy Week and Easter with Mary, knowing that this Jesus is the Eternal God who took our flesh – to offer His Body in love and rise from the dead. Come Holy Spirit, give us faith and gratitude!
Peace, Fr. John
March 19, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters,
Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her!
This Sunday – the 4th Sunday of Lent – is Laetare Sunday. Every Mass has an opening antiphon – a prayer or Scripture verse that serves as a kind of theme for the Mass. Laetare is Latin for rejoice, and this verse from the Prophet Isaiah is the opening antiphon for Mass this Sunday.
So, rejoice! Why are we rejoicing? We are mid-way through Lent, mid-way to Easter – maybe a cause for joy for some, but this rejoice goes to the depths. It is, in part, joy that comes from confidence in God's divine mercy. St. Therese, our teacher this Lent, has this to say about the heavy sins that can weigh down a heart:
I know for certain that even if I had on my conscience all the sins that can be committed, I would go and cast myself in the arms of Jesus with a heart torn by repentance, for I know how much he cherishes the prodigal child that returns to him.
She continues about the daily call to love, with its ups and downs:
I am not always faithful. I often fail to make one of those little sacrifices which give so much peace to the soul; but I do not get discouraged. Instead, I abandon myself in the arms of Jesus: I endure the trial of having less peace at that moment and try to be more watchful the next time.
The most powerful way to receive this mercy is by Confession – the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
For Lent, we have the following times for Confession:
- Tuesdays, 6pm-7pm
- Saturdays, 3:15pm-3:50pm
- Penance Service, Tuesday, April 4th, 7pm
May we deeply receive the mercy of the Lord, and rejoice in the freedom this mercy brings!
Peace,
Fr. John