Sunday, April 22, 2012

Happy third Sunday of Easter! In these days of Easter, as we continue to rejoice in the Lord’s Resurrection, I pray that you are experiencing the power of His risen life in very real ways in your own life, through freedom from sin and a greater hope and faith in the promises He has made to us.

Our entire Archdiocese is looking forward to the installation of Archbishop Lori as our new shepherd on May 16 at the Cathedral of Mary our Queen. In the meantime, Cardinal O’Brien continues to serve as our apostolic administrator, caring for the people and parishes of Baltimore. At his urging, the parishes of our Archdiocese will each be taking part in a petition drive to bring to referendum the recently passed state bill that completely redefined marriage. The bill was moved and forced through the state legislature in such a way that many were left believing the best solution is simply to bring it to the people of Maryland as a whole, so that we can each have a voice in something so significant and radical as the very redefining of the institution of marriage. On the weekend of May 5 and 6 we will hold the petition drive here at OLPH. As we stand up for marriage, we must be mindful of our love and compassion for all individuals, but ask in return that our right to express our beliefs about this fundamental issue be treated with equal respect. I hope that you will join with me in adding your signature to the referendum petition drive so that each of our voices can be heard on so great and important an issue.

Please know of my prayers for you and your families this new week! God bless you all!

Sunday, April 15, 2012 – Divine Mercy Sunday

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Happy Easter! With joy we continue our Easter celebrations for 50 days, culminating in the Solemnity of Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit after Jesus ascended into Heaven. I hope you were all able to enjoy at least a little bit of an Easter break and  that we are able to soak in the grace and joy of these days, not moving too quickly back into the busyness of life so that we forget the Church is still celebrating. Today, the 2nd Sunday of Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday, when we celebrate the gift of Mercy won for us by the Lord Jesus by His Passion, Death and Resurrection, and then entrusted to His Church after the Lord was raised from the dead.

I hope you might join us today for our 2nd Annual Easter Walk on Divine Mercy Sunday sponsored by our John Paul II Hiking Club, It will be in the Pataspco Valley State Park on the paved trail from 1-4pm – all are welcome! This easy walk on the paved path along the river is geared for families and hikers of all abilities; wheelchair participants are welcome too! Please gather today in the church parking lot at 12:30 pm. We plan to be back to the church by 4 pm.

During this Easter season our parish has two very celebrations approaching: 

- On Saturday, April 28, Bishop Rozanski will be with us to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with our 8th graders. We will have two Masses on that day, the first at 12:30pm and the second at 4:30pm, which will take place in our regular 4:30pm Vigil Mass. As always, you are invited to come to the 4:30pm Mass but please know that we will be reserving the majority of pews for the families of our Confirmandi.

- On Saturday, May 5, we will celebrate our First Communion Masses with our 2nd graders. This has been a big year for them as they received the gift of mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation this past Fall, and now are looking forward to receiving the Lord Jesus for the first time in the gift of the Eucharist. Please pray for both our 8th graders and 2nd graders as they get ready for these wonderful celebrations!

God bless you!

Easter Sunday – April 8, 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Happy Easter to each of you and your families! The Resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the foundation of our entire Christian faith. To sum up the words of St. Paul: if Jesus has not been raised from the dead then there’s no reason to be Christian (see 1 Corinthians chapter 15). Paul’s point is that everything depends on his being raised from the dead. His Resurrection confirms that there is forgiveness for our sins, that the gates of heaven have been opened for us, that the resurrection of our body is a reality, that we should look forward to seeing our loved ones in the joy of heaven, that our life here on earth has a purpose and aim greater than we could ever imagine. All of this is guaranteed by the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. His victory over sin and death tells us that all of the claims He made are valid and true – His Resurrection is the sign that He is exactly who He said he is: the very Son of God. 

I pray that you will experience the deep personal joy that is meant to be ours this Easter, as you see your own life in the light of the Resurrection. Because Jesus has been raised there is forgiveness for your sins, the gates of heaven have been opened for you, your own future resurrection is now a reality, you can look forward to seeing your loved ones in the life to come, and your life now has a purpose that goes far beyond just surviving from one day to the next. What is really wonderful is that all of these promises don’t exclude suffering or fall apart because of our suffering. Rather, just like Jesus, these promises are the result of what happens when in love we cling to God the Father in our trials and sufferings. God’s promises are fulfilled not in spite of suffering, but often through suffering. 

Thank you to everyone who worked so hard in preparation for our Holy Week and Easter celebrations and made everything so beautiful: our parish staff, our sacristan and assistants, church cleaners and decorators, our musicians and choirs, ushers, altar servers, lectors and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion as well as our greeters and everyone else who served so faithfully. Thank you so much! I pray you have a very blessed Easter Sunday and I look forward to the fifty days we have to celebrate. God bless you all!

Palm Sunday – April 1, 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We begin Holy Week today, commemorating the Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem as he was hailed by the crowds who waved palms at his presence. As we carry our own palms we begin a very special week of prayer that links us to the events that marked the Lord’s final days leading into his Passion, Death and Resurrection. Please join us during these special days as we celebrate the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7:00pm, including the washing of the feet, and then on Good Friday at 3:00pm for our solemn commemoration of the Lord’s Passion, and 8:00pm on Saturday evening for the great Easter Vigil when we celebrate his Resurrection from the dead. On Easter Sunday our Masses will be celebrated at 7:30am, 9am and 11am in the church, as well as a 9am and 11am in the Parish Center. Please know that I am praying for you in these special days!

I have some good news about this year’s Archbishop’s Annual Appeal: our parish family has pledged over $124, 000, coming from 23% of our families. Thank you so much for your support of the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal and all of those who are helped by your gifts, both here locally and in our sister parish in Haiti. It’s not too late to give and support our parish work in Haiti, in Cherry Hill at St. Veronica’s, and in and the work of evangelization being done by ChristLife. You can still find envelopes in the narthex literature racks in order to make a gift.

I look forward to seeing you all for the special times of prayer this Holy Week and Easter. May God bless you!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As we begin this fifth week of Lent, I hope you’re remaining encouraged in your prayer, sacrifices and works of charity. As always, it’s never too late to begin, knowing that God’s grace can accomplish wonderful things in us when we open the door of our hearts to Him. Don’t forget the Little Black Book as a great guide for our daily prayer! For those whose Lent has felt scattered or distracted, just remember that the Lord is able to be at work in us, even when we may not feel it.

Please pray for our new shepherd in Baltimore, Archbishop William Lori, whom Pope Benedict just appointed this past week. He has been serving as the bishop in Bridgeport, Connecticut and has been helping to lead the bishops in the fight for religious freedom here in our country. We rejoice in his appointment and pray that the Lord will bless him as he prepares to lead us! 

I hope you’ll join us next Saturday night, March 31, as we celebrate our next Family Dinner Night. We have a wonderful meal planned with Lucia’s homemade penne alla vodka and fresh grilled sausages – what a great night to take a break from cooking and join your family and friends for a wonderful night out. All are welcome!

Finally, please keep in your prayers the men and women who will be entering the full life of the Church at Easter through the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. We are blessed to have them join our parish family and rejoice in what the Lord has been doing to draw them close to Himself.

Have a blessed week!