"Judith (Judy) Tomasky, 73, of Waldorf Maryland unexpectedly began her eternal rest the week of October 3, 2021. Judy was a devout Catholic and a member of Our Lady Help of Christians for 41 years. She was a lifelong accomplished artist, pianist, and photographer, and a loving family member. Time dedicated to her Catholic Faith brought her great pleasure, as she committed many hours each week worshipping and walking the Christian path at Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church in Charles County” (extracts from obituary). Many of us were shocked to hear...

In the amazing encounter of JESUS with the RICH YOUNG MAN (Mark 10: 17-30), the word "Look" is mentioned three times. First, JESUS is LOOKING AT the young man. Then, HE LOOKS AROUND and talks to HIS disciples and finally, HE LOOKS AT THEM. QUESTION: Right now, as you are reading this column, IS JESUS LOOKING AT YOU? The answer is YES! JESUS IS GOD. And as God, He is present everywhere, He has all powers. He knows everything about each one of us: our past, present, and future. He can certainly look at us at all times. I recall a retreat for priests given by Father George Ashenbrenner (Jesuit Spiritual Director) several years ago. He told us that every morning, as he wakes up he can hear Jesus say:

We can all give THANKS TO GOD for CELEBRATING THE EUCHARISTIC MIRACLE with Bishop Dorsonville last Sunday! OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST had invited all of us to COME AND CELEBRATE on a beautiful, sunny and long Sunday afternoon going into a refreshing evening. Many of us responded to the invitation with much enthusiasm. One could sense the presence of the HOLY SPIRIT and of OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST in our church and throughout the outdoor PROCESSION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. We can all give THANKS TO GOD for the GIFT of the large number of VOLUNTEERS who made this Celebration, this FIESTA a REALITY. It was truly an effort of the entire parish, including: the Hispanic Community, the Youth Group, the Music Ministry, the Marian Group, the Ushers/Greeters, the Altar Guild, the Altar Servers, the Knights of Columbus, the Men's Group, the Couples for Christ, our entire staff and clergy. Everything that had been planned did take place with...

This is a follow-up to last week's column announcing the OCTOBER 3rd CELEBRATION. Yes, YOU ARE ALL INVITED: COME AT 5 PM this Sunday! COME and CELEBRATE with Bishop Dorsonville. Our Lord Jesus is inviting you! You can't reject HIS invitation! There is much to celebrate: 10 Years of Hispanic Ministry, Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (anticipation of October 7), Dedication of our renovated Chapel to Our Lady of Guadalupe (Patron Saint of the Americas , Protectress of the Unborn, and Queen of Evangelization), Blessing of the new, inspirational painting of Divine Mercy (last painting by Orlando Lagman), Outdoor Procession of the Blessed Sacrament , Praying for Unity in the EUCHARIST (Paschal Mystery and Holy Communion), unveiling of the EUCHARISTIC DISPLAY to be one of the focus of our YEAR OF EUCHARISTIC RENEWAL, and FIESTA in the Father Martin Hall (food and music). Come and dress in your best attire, including

Bishop Dorsonville is coming SUNDAY OCTOBER 3rd, as we CELEBRATE 10 years of Hispanic ministry at OLHOC. On this occasion, he will also bless the recently renovated daily Mass Chapel and dedicate it to “Our Lady of Guadalupe". At the turn of the 21st century (1999), Pope John Paul II proclaimed Our Lady of Guadalupe the "Patron Saint of the Americas" (including our own country USA) and the "Protectress of Unborn Children". It is fitting that this dedication takes place at the beginning of October, which is the RESPECT LIFE MONTH, and also the month of Our Lady of the Rosary. Bishop Dorsonville is not only overseeing the large and growing Hispanic Ministry of the Archdiocese of Washington. He is also...

We had an AWESOME 40-HOUR ADORATION preceding our 41st birthday OUTDOOR MASS and annual picnic. WE THANK GOD for our staff, ourclergy and all the volunteers who made these three events possible, including the Altar Guild, Marian Group, the Knights of Columbus, the Couples for Christ and our own Parish Council. God has kept pouring so many blessings on our children, youth, parents, teachers at the beginning of a new School Year! THE 40-HOUR ANNIVERSARY ADORATION has become MORE and MORE BEAUTIFUL over the last three years. In addition, this year we experienced NEW SIGNS FROM GOD, which could be interpreted as "little” miracles. The first SIGN from GOD happened...

We are entering our fifth decade! We are no longer a baby. HAPPY 41st OLHOC!!!We are getting up in age. But we remain one of the youngest parishes of the Archdiocese. MAY GOD CONTINUE BLESSING our parish and all our parishioners! May we keep the pioneering spirit of our founders! When Cardinal Hickey established our parish, he put us under the "double" protection of OUR BLESSED MOTHER. First, he chose her as our patron saint. Our name will always remain "OUR LADY HELP OF CHRISTIANS”. Second, he also chose the Feast Day of OUR LADY OF SORROWS, SEPTEMBER 15, to be the day of our birth. I will never forget my first day...

Lots of excitement in the last few days as our children and youth are coming BACK TO SCHOOL or entering college. Vacation time is over! Also, a great change from last year: teaching will now be in person! With the excitement comes some anxiety about adapting to a new situation and also possible future changes/uncertainties. ONE SIMPLE MESSAGE: "BE STRONG, FEAR NOT!” says the LORD to those whose hearts are frightened (through the great prophet ISAIAH: 35:4 in First Reading of this coming Sunday Masses). YES! DO NOT BE AFRAID! Do not be anxious. May all children, youth, parents and teachers have TRUST IN GOD! Parents and teachers you are the ones to witness that LOVE OF GOD to your children and youth. Recall the powerful words of St Paul to the Philippians: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the PEACE OF GOD, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in CHRIST JESUS" (Philippians 4:6-7). Parents, you are invited...

Tuesday morning (August 24), as every morning I was spending time in silent meditation in the presence of the exposed BLESSED SACRAMENT in our little chapel at the rectory. This is the best moment of my day. A time for silent ADORATION. A time for silent REFLECTION in the presence of the Lord. I was meditating on the Gospel of the day, Feast of St BARTHOLOMEW APOSTLE: JOHN 1:45-51. Three simple WORDS touched me: "COME AND SEE". These are the words Philip told Nathanael, who is identified later as Bartholomew. Philip was filled with the JOY of having encountered Jesus who had asked him: FOLLOW ME! He wanted to share that JOY with his friend Bartholomew: He had just encountered the Messiah. This is what EVANGELIZATION is all about: to be a living WITNESS OF OUR FAITH IN CHRIST, to share the JOY OF OUR FAITH with others and invite them to encounter Christ: COME AND SEE! COME AND SEE JESUS! COME TO MASS! I was looking at

Exactly two years ago, many Catholics were SHOCKED by the results of a Pew Research Center survey on the BELIEF in the real presence of Jesus, body and blood, in the EUCHARIST. The headlines in the media were: "Just one-third of U.S. Catholics agree with their church that Eucharist is body, blood of Christ", or "Pew Survey shows majority of Catholics don't believe in Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist". I too was shocked at the headlines...but looking at the details of the survey, I was less shocked. The survey selected people who identify themselves as...

Some parishioners have asked me to use the weekly column to talk about MAINTAINING REVERENCE IN OUR CHURCH. I am happy to do so for two reasons: 1. REVERENCE is an integral part of our on-going parish focus on EUCHARISTIC RENEWAL and 2. in my 11 years at OLHOC, at different times we have tried different ways to encourage such REVERENCE IN OUR CHURCH and clearly the TIME HAS COME TO RENEW OUR PAST EFFORTS ! How can we...

"EUCHARIST, PRIESTHOOD, UNITY" are the three words that summarize the legacy of Father Narcisse Martin (1845-1923), who spent the last 29 years of his life as PASTOR evangelizing and serving the entire area of Waldorf (St Peter) and Brandywine (St Michael and St Dominic). This large territory included the one now covered by our own parish OLHOC, which was established in 1980, 57 years later (territory served earlier by St Peter). Before coming to Waldorf, and for over 16 years,...

Through the prophet Isaiah, GOD INVITES ALL OF US: "COME TO ME: LISTEN, THAT YOU MAY HAVE LIFE" (Isaiah 55:3). THIS IS AN INVITATION TO CONVERSION. This is an invitation to the NEW COVENANT with God, leading to Eternal Life. This is an invitation to RETURN TO GOD. This is an invitation to leave behind our worldly foolishness and attachments to sin. This is an INVITATION TO RETURN TO THE CONFESSIONAL (RECONCILIATION with God) and return to MASS and the EUCHARIST. Because of the pandemic,...

GOD WANTS US TO REMEMBER the LITTLE EUCHARISTIC MIRACLE that happened at OLHOC last April. GOD WANTS US TO SHOW UTMOST REVERENCE and RESPECT for the EUCHARIST. GOD WANTS US TO REMEMBER the picture of the host with blood after having been abandoned for 15 hours on the floor of our church (see picture below). For the next five Sundays, GOD WANTS US to HEAR JOHN's ENTIRE CHAPTER SIX, all about the GREATEST MIRACLE ON EARTH: the transformation of the bread and wine into THE BODY and BLOOD of OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, a miracle that occurs at every Mass and is much greater than our "little" Eucharistic miracle of last April. Every three years, in the Year of Mark and during the Summer, we hear...

Pope Francis has just established a NEW WORLD DAY From now on, every fourth Sunday of July, beginning SUNDAY JULY 25 this year, will be "WORLD DAY FOR GRANDPARENTS AND ELDERLY." The theme this year is: "I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS" based on the last verse of Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 28:20): "BEHOLD, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, UNTIL THE END OF THE AGE." Why having a new World Day to be celebrated by the entire Catholic Church in every parish in every country? Many countries...

"MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU, FOR POWER IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS," says the LORD to PAUL in an amazing, private REVELATION (2 Corinthians 12:9). This second major Revelation to Paul is not as famous as the first one on the road to Damascus: "SAUL, WHY DO YOU PERSECUTE ME?" (Acts 9:4), which led Paul to a total CONVERSION from a persecutor of the first Christians to one of the greatest Christian evangelizers of all times. In my homilies last Sunday (8:30 am, 10 am and 1 pm), I invited...

We can all be thankful to God for the many gifts Fr. Ben has brought to our parish. This weekend we will all have plenty of opportunities to show him our appreciation. It is never easy to say goodbye. In French we simply say " Aurevoir", which literally means: "See you again!" In the last 10 years our parish has been blessed with five parochial vicars: Fr. John, Fr. Lopez, Fr. Santiago, Fr. Philip and Fr. Ben. Each one brought us their pastoral experience of parishes they served before joining us. Each one brought us their very rich personal experience (including in four different countries of origin: USA, Ecuador, Spain and Chile). All of us, parishioners, volunteers, staff and clergy have benefitted greatly from such a diversity of pastoral experiences. I recall the shock many of you had when...

Today was filled with much JOY. I was able to go and visit Fr. Eamon Dignan, our former pastor at OLHOC who served for 17 long years: 1987-2004. It was a most JOYFUL morning. I had been told that Fr. Dignan's memory was failing him. I was simply planning to give him the Eucharist and say some prayers. I discovered that we could have a small conversation talking about his old days at OLHOC. He may not know where he is now or may not recognize people he has known for the last 10 years. But as soon as I mentioned Waldorf and Our Lady Help of Christians, his eyes brightened. He had a BIG SMILE. When I reminded him that he was the one who built our church (completed in 1990), he immediately...

Last week at the Sunday 7 pm Mass, I preached in Spanish about the "HUMILITY OF GOD". Talking in my imperfect Spanish about our "little" miracle of the Eucharist at OLHOC was not easy (a humbling experience). Just one hour before the Mass, the Holy Spirit led me to share another "little" miracle in my life, a 4-page LETTER I received from a LIVING SAINT in 1978 ...a letter that changed my life. In earlier occasions, I have spoken about my personal encounter with MOTHER TERESA in Calcutta when I was living next door in Dakha, Bangladesh. I have even shown the original 4-page letter she wrote me...

Do you believe in Eucharistic Miracles? I do! Do you believe in the "little" Eucharistic miracle that happened at OLHOC end of April 2021? I do! I pray you do too. ÀMEN! Looking back to the last 12 months at OLHOC, we have much to be THANKFUL TO GOD. The pandemic has reminded many of us that we took the EUCHARIST for granted. THE TIME OF EUCHARISTIC REVIVAL HAS COME! We had a record participation of parishioners at our outdoor PROCESSION ON CORPUS CHRISTI. The 90-degree heat and humidity did not stop us! It was TIME FOR JESUS TO GO OUT of our church and remind us that we need to strive for BRINGING ALL TO HIM, SHARING HIM WITH ALL AND BEING ONE IN HIM THROUGH THE EUCHARIST! In the last few weeks,...