“You will know them by their fruits.”

Dear Friends in Christ,

            This 4th Sunday of Easter is also referred to as Good Shepherd Sunday.  We are asked to pray for priestly vocations, especially from our parish.  Yes, the harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few. Please God, Michael Postadan will officially apply to the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s priestly program of formation next year.  Michael is a Junior at Archbishop Curley, so he would enter the college seminary program at St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington, DC, after graduation.   As I approach my 10-year anniversary as Pastor of St. Joseph Church & School, I am most grateful for the ways in which we have grown as a community and seen real transformation, both on a spiritual level but also on a physical level, through our church renovation, as we have built upon the past, with hope for the future.  Speaking of a hopeful future, please mark your calendars for our annual Pentecost Mass, featuring our Waswahili choir and guest instrumentalist Russell Kirk, which will take place on May 24, at the 10:30 am Mass.  On May 31, Archbishop Lori will offer the 10:30 am Mass and consecrate our new mensa/ stone altar.

            In a world in which we hear many competing voices, Jesus calls us to be attentive to the voice of the Good Shepherd.  In Matthew Ch. 7:15-16 He says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits.”  While this warning firstly applies to the danger of false teachers, it can also be applied to our own lives of faith.  An important question to bring to prayer on a regular basis is this: Am I bearing good fruit for the Kingdom?  I am happy to report that the fruit of our Lenten almsgiving has yielded a great harvest in the amount of $31,773 in support of the Center for Pregnancy Concerns and $30,158 in support of our outreach efforts in Karachi, Pakistan.  On May 10, at the 10:30 am Mass, members of our Knights of Columbus will present a check to the Director of the Center for Pregnancy Concerns on behalf of our parish.  

In the coming weeks, we will send a wire transfer to Jerome Andrades by way of the Vatican City State, in support of his efforts to serve the poor and marginalized Christians living in and around Karachi, Pakistan.  Jerome has sent us some recent photos along with a short narrative about the mission and current needs at House of Hope, a center dedicated to helping men striving to overcome drug addiction.  Jerome also provided other areas of outreach he hopes to accomplish thanks to your generosity and his tireless efforts on the ground.  Please pray for his safety, as the work he is doing is not without significant risk.  Let us entrust our efforts to bear good fruit for the Kingdom of God to Mary, Mother of the Good Shepherd.

In Christ,