Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ 23 August 2026
Rooted in the Eucharist, Consecrated to Mary
What a joy it is for me to join you as your Pastor this weekend. As one who strives to give himself completely to Mary and has been greatly helped on numerous occasions through her powerful intercession, I find it providential that my first Mass offered here at Our Lady of Perpetual Help would be the Feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Last Saturday, I visited the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Emmitsburg to celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption and to entrust all of you to her maternal care. As I made my way through the sacred grounds quietly praying the Rosary, I was stopped by several individuals and asked to pray for them and to bless their sacramentals. These spontaneous moments of priestly ministry reminded me of the words that Jesus spoke to his first priests on the night he was betrayed, saying, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain” (Jn 15:16).
I come to you having served for the past ten years as Pastor of St. Joseph Church & School, and I am most grateful for the good fruit produced over the past decade as a community, both spiritual and physical, as in the recent church renovation project. But now it is time for me to come to know all of you, the flock entrusted to my care. I want to thank Fr. Mike for his gracious flexibility as well as Fr. George, who allowed me to enjoy some time of rest, travel, and spiritual renewal this summer. Back in June, I had the opportunity to meet with our dedicated and faith-filled staff and learn a bit about each team member and their respective areas of ministry, including our deacons. I am looking forward to the coming months and all the Lord has in store for us. This transition will be made easier for me since my sister Maggie, her husband Paul, and their six amazing children are active members of the parish. In addition, I have also come to know some of their friends from the parish as well. The emphasis on marriage and family is strong here and I look forward to building upon that moving forward, for the family is the key to renewal in the Church and our Nation.
As a new academic year approaches here at OLPH and throughout the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and our parish prepares for another year of formation, fellowship, and evangelization, let us root our lives in our weekly worship at the altar of the Lord, nourished by the Eucharist and sustained through Adoration. What a gift for a parish to offer daily Adoration in a dedicated chapel such as OLPH’s Good Shepherd Chapel. May we use this opportunity well as we consecrate our lives to Mary under the title of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Finally, thank you for your patience as I begin to know you by name and appreciate your history as we set our course for the future and our ultimate destination, the heavenly Jerusalem.