Dear Friends of our Pastorate of the Visitation,

This weekend, we return to Ordinary time with the celebration of the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. The theme for this weekend continues to build upon the baptism of the Lord that we celebrated last Sunday. The responsorial Psalm this weekend proclaims: “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.” Jesus comes to accomplish the will of the Father. As his brothers and sisters through baptism, we ought to have the same desire with our lives – to do the will of God. Although we are not always successful at it, we are nevertheless encouraged to continue trying to surrender our wills to the will of God. Never give up or lose hope that you can do the Father’s will, for we know all things are possible for one who has faith.

The 2026 Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries has kicked off! The theme for this year’s appeal is “Lift Up Your Hearts.” This theme calls us to “Lift Up Our Hearts to God, Unite in Hope as a faith community, and embrace our shared mission of Service.” Many of you should have received information about the Appeal in the mail. At the parishes, next weekend is our Announcement Weekend and the weekend of January 31–February 1 will be the Weekend of Giving. Our 2026 parish goals are as follows: St. Jane Frances $61,040; and OLC $62,618. I ask you to prayerfully consider your gift to the Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries with open hearts and generous hands. Thanks.

Shelter Week is rapidly approaching. We will be hosting our guests the week of January 26–February 2 at OLC. We are still in need of volunteers to assist us throughout the week. Shelter Week information and volunteer sign ups can be found on our parishes’ websites. When you have the opportunity, please sign up to help us live out the corporal works of mercy.

This year, our Pastorate is sponsoring a seven-week group study for men and women (and couples) during the Lenten Season. Using Sr. Miriam James Heidland’s new book Restore: A Guided Journal for Prayer and Meditation and its accompanying videos, join fellow parishioners in a group study that will help you turn away from what wounds you and toward God who heals and makes you whole. Two of the weeks are completed individually; the other five weeks in a small group: in-person at one of our churches; in-person at a sponsor-home; or virtually. Additional information can be found on our websites. If you are interested in hosting a small group of your friends in your home, please email PasadenaWWP@gmail.com. Follow the Lord into the depths of your heart this Lent and you will never be the same! Sign up today!

Thank you for keeping our Pastorate of the Visitation—St. Jane Frances de Chantal and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

From the Associate Pastor’s Desk…

Dear Friends in Christ!

This Sunday the Church celebrates another epiphany (manifestation/appearance) with the baptism of Jesus. The Dicastery for Clergy and Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) speak of this epiphany in this way:

“The same Spirit that descended on the water of the River Jordan wafted over the waters during the first creation (Gen 1:2). Therefore, the Baptism in the Jordan presents yet another truth: that Jesus has started a new creation. He is the second man (1 Cor 15:47) or the last Adam (1 Cor 15:45), that comes to repair the first Adam’s guilt. He does this as the Lamb of God that takes away our sins. ‘Jesus loaded the burden of all mankind’s guilt upon His shoulders; he bore it down into the depths of the Jordan. He inaugurated his public activity by stepping into the place of sinners.’”

Monday, January 12, we commence the season of Ordinary Time. Back to green! Ordinary Time puts us back on our day to day walk towards Heaven. Jesus leads us and walks with us. The “task of the whole of our earthly existence is to bring about what baptism inaugurates,” Blessed Columba Marmion (1858–1923) says. We do this by saying “yes” to God who is always inviting us to deeper friendship—union—with Him through daily prayer, the sacraments, and concrete acts of Christ-like love and witness in our pastorate, communities, and workplaces. Say yes to the invitations!! A couple invitations are as follows!

All are encouraged to participate in Shelter Week/Winter Relief at Our Lady of the Chesapeake from January 26 to February 2. There are many ways to help. Please see the advertisement in the bulletin and sign up!

Throughout the season of Lent (which starts February 18), leaders of the Walking With Purpose are sponsoring a Lenten study entitled RESTORE. It will be available to the whole pastorate—women and men. There will be many ways to participate in this study: in person at the parishes, at host-homes, and virtually. Please see the bulletin, websites, and tables after Masses in the coming weeks for opportunities to sign-up. You won’t want to miss out on this great opportunity to spend time with other parishioners, growing in faith, friendship, and mission.

God bless you and thank you for keeping the Pastorate of the Visitation in your daily prayers!

Fr. John

Dear Friends of our Pastorate of the Visitation,

On behalf of all of us at our Pastorate, I would like to wish you and your families a very blessed and joyous New Year!

This weekend, we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. Today’s feast day recalls the manifestation of Jesus as the king and savior of the world. There are actually three epiphanies identified in scripture: today’s feast which celebrates the magi coming to pay homage to Jesus, the baptism of the Lord, and the wedding feast at Cana. Our Gospel today tells us the story of the Magi who come from the east by following the star. They arrive in Bethlehem to offer their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts reveal who Jesus is. He is our king (gold). He is our God (frankincense). He will suffer and die for our sins (myrrh). We too are called to participate in a journey, not unlike the Magi, to follow the Lord by the witness of our lives. When we follow the light of Christ, it will always lead us home.

Fr. John and I would like to thank everyone for your generous gis, cards, baked goods, and good wishes during the Christmas season. We are humbled by your outpouring of kindness to us and prayers for us. May the Lord bless you and your families in this New Year. Thank you also for your generous gifts and donations to our parishes. They are very much appreciated.

Our Pastorate is gearing up for Shelter Week this month. We will be hosng our guests the week of January 26 – February 2 at OLC. If it hasn’t already been published, we will be sending out our sign up request for volunteers as well as supplies for the week. When you have the opportunity, please sign up to help us in the corporal work of mercy.

Please pray for our youth who will be celebrating their First Reconciliations this week. We will be hosting two sessions: January 6th at SJF and January 10th at OLC. They are always nervous when going to confession for the first me, so I know your prayers for them would be appreciated.

Thank you for keeping our Pastorate of the Visitation—St. Jane Frances de Chantal and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

Brothers and Sisters,

As we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Joseph, Mary and Jesus, let us reflect on the sanctity and the challenges of building a holy family. As the father, God gave Joseph the responsibility to care and protect for his family. Being the protector and father is not only a great responsibility but a great challenge as well.

Admittedly, it would be ideal to skirt around the dangers, challenges, fears, and pain along the road of life, but that does not always work toward the purpose and will of God. Joseph leaves before Herod’s threat is realized. He turns away from the new ruler’s threat both times avoiding bad things. But he did have to deal with uprooting the family. He had to start over in Egypt, then leave that behind for yet another start in Nazareth. None of that is easy, as anyone who has moved will attest. But it is in the tests of life that we grow closer and closer to God. We take our responsibility, work out the obedience in caring for our family, and converse with God about the good and the bad. Time after time, we build our trust as we obey more and more. Joseph demonstrates what our lives can be like when we surrender our fear to God, when we surrender the threats and what ifs, when we trust that He will be with us and never leave us or forsake us. Joseph realizes what the Lord is asking of him through the dreams, and he obediently and trustingly follows the angel’s direction. This is faith in action. The trust that Joseph demonstrates from the start of the scripture passage is the trust that leads his family. The story is an affirmation of God leading us and guiding us in our purpose to glorify him. He guides our hearts in all we do. We share with Him, and He leads us. This is how we cultivate a strong and deep relationship with our Lord.

May the love and peace of Christ’s birth reign in our hearts always.

Merry Christmas.
Deacon Howard

Dear Friends of our Pastorate of the Visitation,

Happy Fourth Sunday of Advent! We are coming to the end of our time of reflection and preparation. Our Readings this weekend prepare us to celebrate the birth of the Emmanuel, God with us, as we hear in Matthew’s Gospel. In Matthew’s Gospel, it is Joseph who receives the message from the angel of the Lord encouraging him to take Mary as his wife, because she will give birth to Jesus. He was planning to divorce her quietly, but after receiving this message, he takes her into his home. By this act, Joseph demonstrates to us his complete trust in the Lord, just as Mary did when the angel Gabriel appeared to her to announce that she would become the Mother of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Because of these righteous acts of Mary and Joseph, this week, we will be celebrating the Solemnity of the Nativity (birth) of the Lord, also more commonly known as Christmas! We look forward to welcoming you and your family to our Christmas Masses this week. Our schedule of Mass is as follows: Christmas Eve (Dec. 24th) at OLC – 3:30pm in the Church AND in the Gathering Place, 5:30pm, and 7:30pm (which is our Youth Mass). At St. Jane Frances, Masses on Christmas Eve are at 4:00pm in the Church (with Bishop Parker), and 4:00pm in the Lower Church, (which is a children’s themed Mass), 6:00pm, and then our Pastorate Mass at 10:00pm (at St. Jane Frances.) On Christmas Day, Masses will be at 9:30am at St Jane’s and 10:30am at OLC. We hope you will be able to join us as we celebrate Jesus’ birth.

Looking ahead, our Mass schedule for the Solemnity of Mary holy day is as follows: On 12/31, we will have a 4:00pm Mass at OLC and a 5:00pm Mass at St Jane. On 1/1, our Pastorate Mass for the Solemnity will be at 10:00am at OLC.

I would like to thank everyone who has been so generous in supporting our Advent Giving Tree, our food pantry collections, our Santa to a Senior program at OLC, and all of the many ways you have helped us to reach out to those in need in our local community. This is another sign of the presence of God’s kingdom in our midst. Thank you! Thank you also for your generous Christmas gifts and donations. Your contributions to our parishes are very much appreciated. We have also received permission from Archbishop Lori to fundraise for the organ rebuild project at St. Jane Frances. All donations will remain at the parish to cover the $106,000 cost of the project. If you would like to make a donation, please go to stjane.org and click on the Give link and select the “Organ Re-Build Project” as the Fund. Thank you for your support.

Thank you for keeping the Pastorate of the Visitation—St. Jane Frances de Chantal and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—in your daily prayers!

God Bless,
Father Steve

Rejoice Friends In Christ!

Gaudete or ‘Rejoice’ is the message of this Third Sunday of Advent. This comes from the opening antiphon of today’s Mass: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near” (Phil 4:4-5). We also hear about patience this weekend. Let’s look at joy and patience.

St. Thomas Aquinas writes that joy is a fruit of love (charity). He teaches that we get joy when we are in the presence of the one we love and when the one we love has what they need to flourish.

The presence of the one we love. This Sunday, we rejoice because God is with us! In this season of preparation, we are seeking to make space in our hearts and in our lives so that we can receive even more of Him. We do this through prayer and recollection, through reconciliation and penance. The Lord is always drawing nearer to our souls by the promptings and invitations of His grace. How am I responding? Lord, increase my faith and my desires to draw near to you in every opportunity for prayer, in every moment, in every circumstance.

This deeper gift of God into our lives is not only for us: joy comes when the one we love has what they need to thrive. So, in this season and beyond, we strive to love and serve our neighbor with the love of the heart of Christ. Our choices of love become ‘advents’ of Christ into the lives of others.

To have joy, we must love well; and to love well, we need patience, because it is not always easy or comfortable to choose to love. In today’s Gospel, we find John the Baptist in prison. He never saw a miracle of Jesus. But he still believed when his disciples came and told him all the marvelous things Christ was up to. He never gave up his faith or love.

If we feel a little like John the Baptist, struggling to find the presence of God; if we feel like God is concealing Himself in this season of our lives, let us renew our faith moment by moment. The words of the first reading are for us in difficult times, “to those who are frightened”: “Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak… Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you.”

Tonight at 6:30pm at Our Lady of the Chesapeake, the choir will lead us in a beautiful Lessons and Carols service. This is a beautiful way to enter into the loving promises of God to us through Scripture and song. We hope to see many of you there!

Who is the Lord putting on your heart to invite to Christmas Mass this year? It isn’t an invitation to the dentist! It can’t hurt to invite them. And, be assured: there are really beautiful things happening in peoples’ hearts. A simple invitation could be all that they need. May they have a deep, profound experience of the love of God through the sacraments and in the presence of our spiritual family.

Thank you for keeping the Pastorate of the Visitation—St. Jane Frances de Chantal and Our Lady of the Chesapeake—in your daily prayers!

In Christ Jesus our Joy,
Father John

Dear Friends in Christ,

The second week of Advent traditionally focuses on the gift of Peace. The fiery preaching of John the Baptist that we hear this Sunday reminds us that peace comes as a result of Jesus Christ entering more deeply into our hearts and into lives with “fire and the Holy Spirit” to purify, to make new, and to make fruitful. Be not afraid! This is some of Christ’s best work.

We pray… Jesus, nothing is more desirable, nothing is more pure, nothing is more trustworthy than your love for me. I trust in your loving attention to every detail of my life. You make all things new. Grant me peace through your abiding presence at every moment and help me to be Your vessel to bring peace, understanding, and forgiveness to others.

Please remember that Monday December 8 is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and is a holy day of obligation. There is 8:30am and 5:30pm Mass at St. Jane Frances and 8:30am and 12noon Mass at Our Lady of the Chesapeake. St. John Paul II wrote, “This important Marian feast occurs during Advent, a season of watchful and prayerful preparation for Christmas. She who knew better than anyone how to wait attentively for the Lord guides us and shows us how to make more vital and active our journey to the Holy Night of Bethlehem. With her, we spend these weeks in prayer, and—guided by her bright star—hasten to make the spiritual journey that will lead us to celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation with greater intensity.” Mary is the patroness of the United States under the title of the Immaculate Conception.

We will pray the Stations of the Crib once more on Friday December 12 at 7pm at St. Jane. All are welcome!

Please join us next Sunday evening Dec. 14 at 6:30pm at Our Lady of the Chesapeake for a night of Lessons and Carols! This is a service with beautiful music and Scripture readings to take us more deeply into our spirit of expectation and longing during this Advent. We are grateful to Kevin Garner and our choir and musicians for this special opportunity!

Another Marian feast on Friday of this week is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe who is the patroness of the Americas. Hear her tender words spoken to St. Juan Diego during the apparitions. She speaks also to you and me: 

“Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear that sickness, nor any other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything!”

Let us continue to pray for each other.

Come Lord Jesus!
Father John