Father Grzegorz Okulewicz, our recently ordained and newly appointed Parochial Vicar, arrived here on Wednesday, July 7, 2022. He left on Saturday, July 9, 2022 for the Holy Land where he is serving as one of many priest chaplains for a youth discernment pilgrimage sponsored by the Neocatechumenal Way, of which he is a member. I think that it might be good to give you some background on the Neocatechumenal Way and the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Hyattsville, Maryland. You can read a bit about his vocation story in an article written by Mark Zimmerman in the June 18, 2022 issue of the Catholic Standard. I am confident he will tell us more about himself and his vocational journey in the weeks and months to come.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington recently released a Diocesan Synthesis Report now that the Archdiocesan Phase of the 2021-2023 Synod convoked by Pope Francis is finished. I want to discuss an item located toward the end of the document. This is a discussion on how the Spirit is guiding this local church on the path of synodality.

On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. In response to this ruling Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued the following statement:

On last Tuesday, June 21st, the Church remembered two martyrs of the Catholic Church in sixteenth century England: a bishop (John Fisher) and a layman (Thomas More). They were both canonized in 1935. Their feast was placed on the day of martyrdom of John Fisher, while Thomas More was put to death a few days later (on July 6).

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, granddads, step-dads out there who are reading this column. Some of you may be wondering how Father’s Day came about. Many Catholic countries observe Father’s Day on March 19th, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph.

The Pontifical Association of the Holy Childhood, a Catholic children’s association for the benefit of the foreign missions, was frequently promoted when I was a grade school student. We were encouraged to purchase and to use Christmas seals from the Holy Childhood Association on our Christmas cards and Christmas correspondence. Through the Holy Childhood Association I first came to learn about a remarkable French woman named Pauline Jaricot. As of May 22, 2022, she is now known as Blessed Pauline Jaricot (1799-1862).

On May 25, 1972, Patrick Cardinal O’Boyle, then Archbishop of Washington, decreed the building of a new Parish: St. Francis of Assisi in Derwood, MD. The church was then officially born on June 1, 1972, its boundaries drawing parishioners from St. Peter’s in Olney, St. Martin’s in Gaithersburg, and St. Patrick’s and St. Mary’s in Rockville. The first mass was celebrated on June 4, 1972 with Father John Stack presiding in the Redland Middle School gym.

Last week I talked about five of the ten blesseds who were canonized by Pope Francis on May 15, 2022. Today we will look at the other five recently canonized saints.

Last Sunday Pope Francis canonized ten men and women. Investigations by the Congregation of the Causes of Saints of these ten individuals acknowledged inexplicable healings that occurred through their intercession.

I have been impressed by a call to prayer issued by Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chair of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, in response to the leak of a draft opinion in the Supreme Court Case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Let me quote what he says:

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mothers, Grandmothers, Step-mothers, and Godmothers who are reading this column.

Today we would normally celebrate Saint Joseph the Worker. But since today is the Third Sunday of Easter, Saint Joseph the Worker is omitted. But I am going to write about this Feast Day just the same! “May Day” has long been dedicated to labor and to working men and women in Communist countries. In response to this and to foster a deeper devotion to Saint Joseph, Pope Pius XII instituted this feast in 1955. The Holy Father hoped that by doing this he would accentuate the dignity of labor and bring a spiritual dimension to labor unions. It is appropriate that Saint Joseph, a working man who became the foster-father of Christ and patron of the universal Church, should be honored in this capacity on this day.

During the fifty days of the Easter Season I enjoy reading Luke 24 where Luke discusses the Resurrection, the Appearance at Emmaus, the Appearance at Jerusalem, and the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. I particularly like to read over the account of the Appearance at Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). I am particularly struck with verses 30 and 35, which I will repeat here: “And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them” (Luke 24:30). “Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread” (Luke 24:35). To follow up on what I am writing in this column please refer to The Gospel of Luke by Father Pablo T. Gadenz in the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture series.

One of the features of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening was the Presentation of the Oils. I want to devote the column today to a discussion of three oils consecrated or blessed by the archbishop at the Chrism Mass. I am going to use a nice explanation that was printed in the back cover of the worship aid for the Chrism Mass four years ago. The blessing of the Oil of the Sick occurred before end of the Eucharistic Prayer, while the blessing of the Oil of Catechumens and the Holy Chrism came after Communion at that Mass. I was among many concelebrants who renewed our priestly promises to Cardinal Gregory during the course of the Chrism Mass last Monday afternoon. A bishop is permitted to schedule the Chrism Mass on another date during Holy Week. Cardinal Gregory exercised that option.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Pope Francis calls to walk together in synodality. He invites as we walk together on this path to reach out to people on the margins, especially to people whose voices have not been so readily heard in the past. It would be important to reach out actively to those who have been impacted by child abuse.

April is Child Abuse Protection Month. The Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has prepared a very nice resource booklet of which I am going to make use for my column today.

On March 11, 2022 Cardinal Gregory, Archbishop Lori of Baltimore and Bishop Koenig of Wilmington, the three (arch)bishops who lead dioceses in Maryland, wrote a guest commentary for the Baltimore Sun in which they urged support for women and their children and not an “unnecessary, symbolic” bill that would enshrine abortion in Maryland’s Constitution. Here is an excerpt from their op-ed commentary:

Archbishop Boris Gudziak, the archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia was in Washington on March 10, 2022 for a memorial prayer service at the Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family. The prayer service was offered to honor those killed in the war undertaken in recent days by invading Russian forces. In a press conference held before the memorial prayer service Archbishop Gudziak made the following remarks:

Jesuit Father Jean-Pierre de Caussade died on March 6, 1751 at the age of 76. We don’t much about his life except that he spent his priestly life in a series of somewhat obscure assignments. One of his assignments was to serve as the spiritual director to a convent of Visitation nuns in France. In that capacity he prepared a series of conferences and wrote a series of letters for the benefit of the Visitation Nuns at that convent. Political events in France over the next seventy-five years or so kept things in a state of upheaval. It wasn’t until a century after Father de Caussade’s death that the nuns living at the convent thought to publish de Caussade’s writings under the title Abandonment to Divine Providence.

After the 5:00 p.m. Mass on Sunday, February 27, 2022, a woman originally from the Ukraine stopped me to ask that we pray for the people of the Ukraine. This individual still has family members living there and implored with me to pray and get other people to pray for this intention as well. This was a most timely request. Both Pope Francis and Cardinal Gregory have urged us to pray for peace in the Ukraine and other hot spots in the world in recent statements.