Seek the City - OLV

The Archdiocese of Baltimore launched a process a few years ago to re-envision what the Catholic Church looks like in the city of Baltimore. We heard about it periodically and prayed for the process. The Catholic population in the city has dropped dramatically as the demographics shifted to the suburbs and the Church was now left with small congregations, struggling ministries, debt and maintenance costs. After 2 years of sessions, the tone and weight of the process increased. In Fall of 2023, the mood changed. All of a sudden with the new year what we thought was impacting our neighbors was now at our front door. Despite reassurances over the years and being located in the county and being told we were paying our bills, the mood changed and it became evident that closures were coming and coming in a huge way and that OLV was in jeopardy of closing/merging. 

By the time Lent came we realized the precarious position of OLV and many parishes. Fr Bill tried to lead with charity and kept us focused on Christ.  My goal and constant reminder was to keep my heart focused on Christ, the Church building/ location/ family are all important but they are not required. I knew God had us but what that meant for Sunday worship I didn't know.

Then the Seek the City proposal came out. Apr 13, 2024  OLV was on the list to close and merge with St. Agnes. 30 out of 60 parishes would be closing. Many people felt completely blindsided. It was a struggle to not descend into bitterness, negativity, and cynicism. There was a draw to panic and so much criticism. The feeling of helplessness was immense, but strong arguments immerged, real reasons to keep us open. We could only tell our story and pray. Growing since the pandemic, a large campus, active outreach, location, and a Burmese refugee community 

List of proposed parishes with mergers in Archdiocese of Baltimore

There was good reason to be angry with the AOB. Sexual abuse and coverup. Corruption. Financial mismanagement, Abuse lawsuits. Bankruptcy. The AOB was not communicating well. 

The parish began a letter writing campaign, We held a town hall to frame our position. AOB wide listening sessions were set up and kept changing. at one point one was scheduled to be at OLV. I designed a t-shirt which the parish rush ordered.  OLV showed up at the Archdiocese Listening sessions at Curley high school and brought 3 buses to the Cathedral. OLV got good press coverage with our people and story showing up by name in multiple TV and press spots. It was weeks of rollercoaster emotions and activity. Those along with all of our charitable letters on blue stationary made an impact.

The final plan was released May 22. OLV was to remain open and St Joseph's Monastery would merge with us but remain a worship site. St Benedict's and Transfiguration would close and merge into OLV.

Seek the City- Final Plan

There was a flood of relief and tears of joy. I expected to feel so much better but that unease in my stomach didn't abate. The nauseous feeling in my stomach raged. This was going to be hard. Merger would be hard. Losing our pastor would be painful. 

The Plan was for mergers and closures to happen by Advent 2024 or Lent 2025, but for OLV we would be thrown right into it, as there was a retirement and Fr. Bill was being reassigned as of July 1. Our new pastor was the pastor of St. Joseph's Monastery. The plan was to initially have 6 months to ease into the merger, but because of the July 1 reassignment we are thrust into change without any prep. It was clear the Fr. Mike was not eager for the new position during an open house meeting during Father Bill's last week. Fr. Mike wasn't planning to move to OLV and there was apparently OLV debt that he wasn't thrilled about. It was deflating.

Then we held Fr. Bill's last Mass and threw a going away party. I got him and Jim matching socks with their faces on it. Jim had Men's Fellowship for the last time at the rectory.  We had Fr. Bill over for dinner his last weekend and he said Mass for us around our dinning room table. 

It has been months of stress and loss and it is hard.  I have to constantly refocus my heart to look to Christ. A transition team will be put in place and our parish will rework itself into something new.  Praying that we will be fruitful and glorify God.

Our Lady of Victory - Pray for us

Mary and Ed's 25th Anniversary

August 17, 2019
Mary and Ed Kurek's 25th Wedding Anniversary

It was a privilege to celebrate a beautiful testimony to the Sacrament of Marriage.

Our gift to Mary and Ed for their 25th Anniversary was to make decorations and set up the reception for their celebration. We gathered supplies, added spray paint and glitter, some cutting, folding and  and gluing and we gave the party a lovely atmosphere to celebrate their vows, commitment, and the fruits of their marriage. I gave the dress that I wore as a bridesmaid in their wedding to Teresa so she could wear it to the celebration. They brought out the wedding photo albums for everyone to look through, and remember the beginning of their journey as husband and wife.

We had Mass together at Our Lady of Victory, where the Kureks sang for Mass and then went to Hindley Hall for a dinner reception. Ed finally got his Tastey Cake cake that he had requested for the wedding. 

May God bless them always and keep them covered with His Grace.

Emmitsburg Trip

August 14, 2019
Emmitsburg, MD
The Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

I admit I spend too much time on Facebook, but in this instance it proved fruitful. I saw that the Shrine was offering living history tours over the summer and a pilgrimage was born. My mother was drawn to Elizabeth Ann Seton and had great respect for her being a mother of five and being dedicated to charitable Works of Mercy. Mom went to Seton High School in Baltimore City, and experienced the forwarding of her cause to Sainthood.  I was named after Elizabeth Ann Seton, whose canonization came two years after my birth. The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is located in Emmistburg, Maryland just an hour away and somehow I had never been. The timing seemed overdue.

We checked Jim's schedule and we found a day they were offering the tours. We were especially interested in the tour because Johanna (and really all of us) find them engaging and are an accessible way to experience a historical site. The day of our visit was beautiful weather, Jim, Hanna, Bridget and I approached the visitor center and checked in for our tour. We had some time before the tour so we explored the grounds on our own and watched an introductory movie about her life.

Our tour started with the historical Stone house where Seton first began her work in Emmitsburg. The tiny room used as a chapel gave a sense of the simplicity and devotion to the house. The Stone house had received a number of additions over the years and functioned as the sister's laundry for many years. Johanna listened actively and asked questions, Bridget listened and soaked things in.

Chapel of the Stone House

Next we walked over to the White House which they turned into the school and dormitory for most of it's existence. Our guide was a historical reenactor, playing Catherine, Elizabeth's daughter, and the timing was after Seton's death when Catherine came back to Emmitsburg for a time of discernment. Here is where Catherine told many stories of her mother and living and growing up here. Another reenactor was the Mother Superior who took over after Seton's death and it was an engaging way to learn about the life of Seton and of the building's legacy.

The tour ended with the graveyard and the headstones of generations of sisters who lived and worked in Emmitsburg. Bridget said her favorite part was climbing up the few stairs of the grotto to look out over the cemetery. Afterward we discovered that they had a scavenger hunt through the museum on dry erase clip boards and that was Johanna's favorite part. We also discovered that they had a patch program that required a series of activities most of which we had already done.

From the steps of the Grotto

Our last stop was to the Basilica, where we prayed a novena prayer and appreciated the church's beauty of mosaics and stained glass. We offered prayers at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton's tomb and enjoyed the quiet. Before we left we reviewed the patch list and checked the last few things off so we could earn the patch and head out.

Windows depicting Our Lady's Seven Sorrows

Windows depicting the Corporal Works of Mercy

Touring museums and religious sites isn't really Jim's chosen way to spend his day, although he did enjoy it. We sweetened the day a little by stopping in Frederick, MD on the way home, walking the town and visiting one of the craft brewpubs he had been wanting to try. We enjoyed a nice dinner, talked of our day, and Jim tasted a few beers before we headed back home.

It was a blessing to spend the day surrounded by the life and work and faith and example of our first American born Saint.

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Pray for Us

Summer Camps and Activities

June and July 2019

It was another summer of Howard County Girl Scout Day Camp. Megan and Bridget signed up for Session 1 and the theme was A Space Odyssey. It ran from June 24-28. Megan was working the camp in the role of PA (Program Aide) so she had a series of training sessions in the months prior to camp. She worked in the Kitchen again, which is hot and sweaty but comes with free lunch everyday. Bridget has aged out of being a camper and this summer signed up to be a PAT (Program Aide in Training).  They put on their camp mindsets, bug spray, sunscreen, and camp names of Overalls and Smidge respectively, and happily settled into sweat, dirt, service, and fun.

On the last day of camp Bridget completed the PAT program and bridged to PA. They hold a ceremony so I went up to camp mid-day. Meg is the busiest in the kitchen at that time and she wasn't sure she could duck out and be there for the bridging. I was so glad when she arrived. Megan had the honor of pinning Bridget. I am so proud of both of them.

Camp sign up happened back in March and we made the decision not to sign Rachael up, because we had no idea what she would be doing work wise. Rachael did get a job and she had off on one of the Camp days. She went in and helped out for the day. One day was not enough, so she decided to take a week off work and she signed herself up to volunteer for Session 2 which is the 2nd week of July.

While the big sisters were at Session 1 of Girl Scout Camp, Johanna was keeping busy at VBS. Johanna was thrilled to attend with her cousins, Claudia, Victor and Teresa and to have some of her cousins helping as group leaders. Johanna did really well and was engaged with the activities, songs, crafts and theme. The theme was Athens:Paul's Dangerous Journey to Share the Truth. Johanna was in the Galatians small group and she liked learning about all of the cities where Paul visited and wrote letters. Her favorite song from the week was "Love" which was sung in a round.
Love, Love, Love
Christians this is your call
to love your neighbor as yourself
'cause God loves us all.

Johanna and I on 7/11 before sister pickup

Summer Stretch coincided with  Session 2 GSHCDC. Summer Stretch is the middle school service camp that is run out of St. Agnes. The theme was Moana this year so we donated some of our old party decorations, like the Maui drawing and the kakamora pinata. Bridget was a participant for Summer Stretch and got a lot out of visiting a nursing home, cleaning a soup kitchen, and making sandwiches for the hungry. She also had a blast being in her cousin Peter's group for all of the service as well as the fun games that make up the rest of the week's activities, including on-site laser tag and Water Olympics.  Megan volunteered as a Peer for the week, lead her service group at ARC, cemetery cleanup and the pregnancy centers storage facility and fun activities. Megan got to make the water Olympics trophy and I was delighted at the whimsy she put into it. They had new adult leaders this year as the staff at churches have changed and Wayne and Sue moved to other roles. The peers were a little unsure as to how it would go while doing all of the planning but everything went off without any issues.

That same week Rachael spent her time at Girl Scout camp working in a Unit of rising 6th graders. she didn't want to miss her last year as a PA, so she jumped in enthusiastically. She had to skipWednesday because she and I ventured off to UMBC orientation. But she went back that night to camp to work the 6th grade sleepover. She came home regaling stories of being the loudest singer and having a great time energizing the overnighters.  On Friday I went up to camp for her Bridging ceremony. All of the seniors bridged to Adults and I was proud to be there to pin Rachael as she crossed over. It is a sentimental moment as you reflect on how little these girls were when they first came to camp, and the reality that the way they will interact with camp will be different going forward. I am so proud of Rachael and all of the service she has done over the years.

Megan also got a the opportunity to attend Steubenville Youth Conference in New York. The teens from Our Lady of Victory piled in a white van and they spent a weekend in pray and praise. Megan came back with her soul feed and refreshed. She also had a great time hanging out with friends.

Johanna spent many of her summer mornings at the pool with Jim. she joined the swim pre-team and got intensive lessons. she was a much stronger swimmer in a short time. Jim said that the coach said she has never had a little kid talk so much while swimming.

Spring of Sacraments

May 2019

The first weekend of May we gathered at OLV for Claudia's First Communion.

May the 15th we celebrated Confirmation with Katherine and Sophia. I had the honor of being Sophia's sponsor. She chose Narcisa de Jesus as her confirmation name for an Ecuadorian Saint who was canonized in 2008.

And the Last weekend of May we celebrated John's First Communion.

It is such a blessing to get to witness our nieces and nephews receiving sacramental graces. For each of these events, my siblings and their families, as well as extended family, came out to witness to the significance of the sacraments, to offer our support and joy. As my brother Will offered grace before a celebratory meal, his words caught in his throat as he expressed his joy that John now gets to enjoy Christ's gift of Himself. It truly is a blessing to witness.

May they each continue to enjoy God's graces and grow in their faith.