Brothers and sisters,

Are you a prophet?

Sharing in the ministries of Jesus through baptism, you are most certainly called to be a prophet. Our impression of prophets might be the eccentrics. After all, Isaiah wandered around naked, Jeremiah put on a yoke of oxen, and Ezekiel shaved his beard, taking the three portions, burning them, stabbing them with the sword, and tossing them into the wind. It’s a wonder anyone listened to them (in fact, they rarely succeeded). Yet they were faithful. They listened intently to the Lord and courageously embraced obedience.

But beyond these dramatic gestures, while quite creative in their methods to get attention (God knows we sometimes need quite the scene for him to get his message through), the prophets were not about imposing undue burdens on people. They desired that people follow the Lord to true freedom. They were all about alleviating the hardships caused by sin and disobedience. They desired to bring about conversion: the conversion that we know is only realized through the grace of Jesus Christ. This same prophetic witness continues today, especially in those who dedicate their lives to forming young hearts and minds in the faith.

As we celebrate Catholic Schools Week from January 25–31, 2026, let us give thanks to God for the blessings of Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, as well as for the many Catholic and Christian schools that have helped form and shape our Christian identity. We are blessed by the teachers who have journeyed with us, courageously bearing witness to the love and mercy of God. For many of us, teachers helped us discern our vocation. They helped us to know our gifts and encouraged us to live in service.

Here in our own parish community, I’m incredibly grateful for our school leadership, Principal Jon Pressimone and Assistant Principal Kristie Lofland, and the exceptional teachers, dedicated staff, engaged parents and families, supportive School Board, and invested community members. Our students are outstanding, living up to the high academic standards of being a National Blue Ribbon School (most recently named last year). Still, more importantly, they excel in their creative and passionate ways of service. I continue to appreciate our school, many of our neighboring schools, and our parish faith formation team, which has really helped invigorate our students’ faith. I encourage all our parishioners to pray for all our formation efforts and to give thanks to God for the wonderful witness of our children and youth, who certainly encourage me.

This prophetic witness through education is sustained by prophetic generosity. This Sunday marks our announcement weekend for the 2026 Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries. Generosity is not a once-a-year nor even a once-a-week invitation. God calls us to be heroic in our generosity, recognizing the need to embrace sacrifice and self-denial to give of our time, our abilities, our resources, and, yes, even our whole selves. The Lord wants it all. I hope that you take healthy appreciation for all that our Church enables and for the far-reaching and lasting impact of the countless ministries we support. This appeal is the primary means for maintaining these ministries and allowing them to prosper in helping our neighbors. The appeal supports Catholic Charities and outreach efforts, seeks to accompany those in need of care through Crisis Pregnancy Centers or Pastoral Counseling services, aids our Catholic schools and formation, empowers our Catholic Campus ministry at colleges and universities like UMBC and Towson, and aids young men discerning a vocation to the priesthood. The appeal further enables us, as a parish, to support our sister parishes, St. Veronica in Baltimore and Our Lady of the Nativity in Haiti, as well as to allocate a tenth of our rebate to Christ Life and OLPH School tuition assistance each.

I recognize this call to generosity isn’t easy. I know that many of you are struggling. The stress and anxiety of providing for a family can become overwhelming, as Inflation and the cost of living outpace the value of our paycheck. Yet, God calls us to be generous as a witness to our trust in him. God provides. The resources we have are meant to do the Lord’s work. Please pray about participating and making a contribution to the appeal. I’m certain that if you research the great benefits that your dollar has, you too will be a committed donor. Last year, I made a concerted effort to increase the number of intentional gifts or pledges to the appeal: it barely moved the needle as we went from 237 gifts to 242. Let’s reach a goal of 300 intentional gifts among our parishioners and families!