24th Sunday B
50th Anniversary of Our Lady of Grace, Parkton
September 14, 2024
Foundations
Although we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Our Lady of Grace, its foundations go back well beyond 50 years, to the late 60’s, when a group of dedicated Catholics here in Northern Baltimore County sought to establish a parish closer to home. Their efforts, seen with the clarity of hindsight, is a study in perseverance. It began as a mission of St. Joseph’s Parish (Texas) & its pastor, Fr. John Hart. Like many parishes, it started meeting in a public high school, no doubt fueling an intense desire for a new and permanent spiritual home.
That would take time, beginning with the securing this 10 acre parcel, and with Cardinal Shehan’s decision formally to establish this parish, as also to appoint Father Edward Lynch as your first pastor. Under his leadership, the very name of your parish was arrived at synodally: by a margin of 4-1 the parishioners chose “Our Lady of Grace”. That led to the construction of a multi-purpose building in 1977, with subsequent expansions, the building of this permanent church in 1989, and the opening of Our Lady of Grace School at the turn of the millennium. Along the way you graciously received and then bade farewell to many pastors, among them, Fr. Lynch, Fr. O’Donnell, Msgr. Amato (a.k.a., Fr. Nicholas), Fr. Sam Young, Fr. Triplett, Msgr. Hannon, Fr. Farmer . . . all of whom worked with you in building up this parish and in meeting the challenges that came your way. Thus were the foundations of this parish set firmly in place.
Even as we review the history of this parish and remember with gratitude the hard work of laity, religious, and clergy, we recognize Someone and something else at work in this history. For the ultimate foundation of this, and every parish, is not our own efforts but the confession of faith that Peter uttered by the grace of the Holy Spirit: “You are the Christ! You are the Messiah!” For if Peter is the rock upon which the Church is built, Christ remains its firm foundation, indeed the only foundation, upon which we continue to build, as together, we “read the signs of the times”. On this gala occasion, this wonderful golden anniversary, let us ask for the grace to be renewed and strengthened in the faith of Peter, that with the whole Church, under the leadership of his successor, Pope Francis, we may bear witness to Christ, the Redeemer of the Human Race, and to do so, in season and out of season, as St. Paul says, “Christ the power of God, Christ the wisdom of God.”
Faith and Works
This is the faith upon which this parish is built, and it is your Patron, Our Lady of Grace, who leads you to embrace the Christ whom Peter confessed. It is she who also leads you to open your hearts ever more widely to the graces which his Holy Spirit distributes among you: the graces, the gifts, the charisms, with which all the baptized are endowed. On this anniversary day, we thank and venerate the Blessed Mother who continues to watch over this parish family and to make it fruitful in the graces her Son won for us by his Cross and Resurrection.
Yet, as we read in the Letter of James, faith without works is insufficient. We might say that the Letter of James lays the groundwork for what we fondly call the Catholic “both / and” – both faith and works, not merely one or the other, are essential and complementary components of true religion. And here again, Our Lady of Grace demonstrates that its well-founded faith continues to abound in good works, a love and a concern that extends well beyond this beautiful corner of northern Baltimore County.
Indeed, your mission statement says as much: “Rooted, living, serving in love, through Christ, by grace.” You put those words into action in many ways, including your Outreach Ministry, which collects food, clothing, school supplies, and other necessities as well as financial resources – and shares them those in immediate need. I think also of your support of Our Daily Bread in Baltimore which, as you know, provides meals for those in need seven days a week. These and many other similar ministries of outreach involve on your part not merely a financial commitment but the commitment of your time and the commitment of your heart as you affirm the dignity of those who so greatly appreciate your help.
In the same way, your parish offers support for families, outreach to inactive Catholics, formation for the young, pastoral care for the homebound . . . the list is indeed long. So let me sum up by reiterating that the foundations of your faith are rooted in Peter’s confession of faith and from that flow works of evangelization and charity rooted in James’ admonition to put our faith into action.
Perpetual Youthfulness: the Eucharist
At this pivotal moment in your history, I know you are taking stock, and perhaps asking, not how to grow old gracefully, but rather how to remain young, vibrant, alive, in these challenging times. A principal answer to that question must be the Eucharist, the celebration of the Eucharist in a vibrant, joyful way and the adoration of the Eucharist as a way of deepening our relationship with the living Lord. That’s why I was delighted to bless your new tabernacle and why I was and am filled with joy to see such vibrancy at Our Lady of Grace under the leadership and with the partnership of Fr. Ferdinand.
Let me also recognize the priests who assist at Our Lady of Grace, beginning with Msgr. Schleupner, Msgr. Farmer, Fr. Bowen, & Fr. Roth, and in the recent past, Fr. Lou Martin.
From your beginnings in Hereford high school, throughout all the ups and downs of your history thus far, your commitment to your parish, dear parishioners, has been constant and preserving. I came today to say “thank you” and to pray with you, asking the intercession of Our Lady of Grace that you and your parish may have a bright future, indeed, ‘a future full of hope’. Our Lady of Grace, pray for us!