3rd Sunday of Lent
March 20, 2022
St. Patrick Church, Havre de Grace
Introduction
I am delighted to return to St. Patrick Church, this time to celebrate with you the beginning of your 175th anniversary year. I extend to all of you, the parish family of St. Patrick, warmest congratulations, together with my prayers, that the year ahead will be rich in God’s graces, a time when this historic church sets out anew to fulfill its 21st century mission.
Of course, my visit nearly coincides with you patronal feast, the feast of St. Patrick. So a belated happy feast day to you and to every member of your parish family. As you know, St. Patrick was truly a missionary disciple. Enslaved in Ireland, he gained his freedom and went back to his native Britain. There, he resolved to become a priest and to use his freedom to evangelize the nation where he had been a slave . . . and in the process turned the Emerald Isle into a beacon of faith for all the world. Through the intercession of St. Patrick, may your parish continue to be a light brightly visible, aglow with faith in Christ and in his Church, a light that attracts those searching for something more than the world offers.
No celebration such as this would be complete were I not to join with all of you in thanking your pastor, Father Francis Ouma, for his dedicated leadership and service to your parish family. Thank you, Father Francis, for your priestly love and for working closely and lovingly with your parish family, and together, writing a new chapter in this parish’s illustrious history.
A Word about the History of St. Patrick Parish
As many of you know, St. Patrick’s was an offshoot of St. Ignatius Parish in Hickory. Its pastor founded your parish as a mission, which he named St. James the Lesser, but after only five years, it became a parish in its own right and changed its name to St. Patrick Parish. For $250, Fr. Thomas O’Neill, the pastor purchased a lot, and with the support of parishioners, built the first church, completed in 1850. Yet, as Havre de Grace grew and became a busy crossroads, a young and zealous pastor, Fr. James Fitzgerald – who served as pastor from 1890 until 1930 – saw the need for a new church. He brought together the Irish and Italian immigrants living in the area and worked with them to complete the present church in 1907. Fr. Fitzgerald, however, not merely a builder of buildings. He built up this community of faith, welcomed all, and served the poor. Truly, we are standing on his shoulders!
He was followed by a succession of good and zealous pastors, and I would be remiss not to mention in this regard, Fr. Dale Picarillo. This community of faith has also been built up by the dedication of countless parishioners, women and men of great faith, undying hope, and generous love. St. Patrick Parish has always been “a family of families” – supporting vibrant families, who in turn, contributed to parish vitality. Some of you may also remember the school that was established here, and staffed by the religious Sisters of the Union of the Sacred Hearts. May God bless them and the lay co-workers for their service. I would like to thank you, the current parishioners of St. Patrick Parish, for your love, dedication, zeal, generosity, and zeal for the Gospel. The history of a parish is not written by only a few individuals; it is something that we write together!
What Brought Us Together?
Even this brief and inadequate sketch of your illustrious history prompts us to ask: Why did our ancestors make so many sacrifices to establish a parish here? Why did they expend so much time, talent, and treasure to ensure that this parish would not only exist but flourish? Perhaps today’s Scripture readings will help us answer that question.
In the first reading from Exodus, we meet Moses tending the flocks in the desert. While he was doing so, he noticed that a bush was on fire. Taking a second look, he discovered that burning bush was not consumed by fire. So he approach it cautiously, only to encounter the true and living God. There, Moses met the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There Moses met the God whose name is “I AM”, a name that indicates God’s eternal existence and his omnipotence. Yet, as God engaged Moses further, he revealed himself as a God who understood the plight of his people in Egypt, a God who is not only powerful, but also kind and merciful.
We go to great lengths to build our churches because there, we encounter the living God, just as Moses did. No longer we no longer encounter the Lord in a burning bush. Rather, the Lord is with us in Word and Sacrament. The Lord speaks to us words of spirit and life whenever the Scriptures are proclaimed. The Lord is truly and substantially present to us in the Holy Eucharist. Every time we walk into this church to pray, we can encounter the living God no less than Moses encountered God in the desert at Horeb.
The Gospel bids us to compare our parish to the fig tree in Jesus’ parable. As you recall, a landowner noticed a fig tree in his orchard. It looked healthy but it wasn’t bearing any fruit. He wanted to cut it down but the gardener urged patience. Perhaps by tending the tree, watering and fertilizing, it would produce fruit. Jesus’ parable says something about your responsibilities now. You and I understand that it’s not enough for a parish to look good. Rather, for a parish to be healthy, growing, and bearing good fruit, your pastor, together with all of you, have to tend it – to water and to fertilize. You do so first by listening to the Word of God, and allowing God’s words to set your hearts aflame. You tend your parish when you avail yourself of God’s mercy in the Sac. of Penance, when you and your families participate actively in the Eucharist, and when you continue to allow yourselves to be strengthened as a community of faith. You tend to your parish’s vitality when you are formed in the faith to such an extent, that you can courageously and lovingly share it with others – including those who no longer practice their faith and those who are searching. You tend your parish by engaging in charity for the poor for in serving the poor we serve Christ.
Conclusion
As you enter upon your 175th anniversary year, I pray that, thru the intercession of St. Patrick, your parish may stand for years to come at the mouth of Susquehanna River and the head of the Chesapeake Bay as light brightly visible for all to see. May God bless you and keep you always in his love!