Fr. Joseph Jenkins
 | john on Ask a Priest |
 | Sarah on Ask a Priest |
 | Aidan on Ask a Priest |
 | "Alyssa on Ask a Priest |
 | mike shannon on MARY OUR MOTHER |
Pass the word. Holy Family Parish will be the only venue where the PG Choral Society will be performing for Christmas. Support the arts. Enjoy traditional music. Make the season a time of special remembrance.
Filed under: Christmas, Church, News, Parish | Leave a comment »
Given that not everything is as it seems on the internet, a few people have asked if I am a real priest. I can assure readers that I am. I established the first parish web page in the Archdiocese of Washington in the 1990’s and have posted reflections on the faith on message boards and later on blogs. Indeed, when the Archdiocese began its own blog, a priest contacted me and said that I had inspired their effort. I try to be respectful to authority and faithful in transmitting Catholic truths. Pope Benedict XVI has commended priests to make the presence of the Church felt online. As for my credentials, I was ordained a priest in 1986 by the late Cardinal Hickey. I am currently the pastor of Holy Family Parish in Mitchellville, MD. The picture of me above was taken with my Ordinary, Cardinal Wuerl at a deanery meeting last year.
CLICK HERE for a previous post on this subject.
This blog is a personal effort, but always that of a Catholic priest in good standing. Hope this allays any fears or reservations. God bless!
FATHER JOSEPH JENKINS
Filed under: Archdiocese, Catholic, Parish, Personal, Photos | 1 Comment »
Dave Thomas, a parishioner of Holy Family Parish and a long-time Knight of Columbus, passed away today. Keep him and his family in prayer. Dave delighted in jokes and magic! Rest in Peace.
DAVID M. THOMAS
On Sunday, July 9, 2017 of Glenn Dale, MD, formerly of Johnstown, PA. Beloved husband of Mary Jane Harbrant Thomas (married 54 years); loving father of Michael D. Thomas and his wife Susan McGuirk Thomas. Dear brother of the late Mary Jane Thomas. Devoted grandfather of Justin and Kendra Thomas. Also survived by many cousins four brothers-in-law, two sisters-in-law, and many dear friends. Family will receive friends at the family-owned BEALL FUNERAL HOME, 6512 NW Crain Hwy. (Rte. 3 South), Bowie, MD on Sunday, July 16, 2017 from 1 to 4 PM. A Memorial Mass will be held Monday, July 17, 2017, 11 AM at Holy Family Catholic Church, 12010 Woodmore Road, Mitchellville, MD. Interment private.
He passed away at Hospice of the Chesapeake, surrounded by his loving family. He was born September 5, 1937 in Johnstown, PA, son of Kenneth and Rose (Coco) Thomas. Preceded in death by his loving parents and sister, Mary Jane Thomas.
A member of Holy Family Catholic Church in Mitchellville, MD, Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus Sacred Heart Council, and charter member of three Knights of Columbus councils in MD, and the Bowie Magic Club.
Dave will be remembered as a caring, loving, faithful, and thoughtful son, husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He loved to entertain, do magic for children and at convalescent homes, and organize and MC local events.
Interment at St. John the Baptist Cemetery, New Baltimore, PA will be scheduled at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to For the Kids, Inc., a charity founded by Dave’s son, Mike, to benefit local children with serious medical issues. Donations may be sent to For the Kids, Inc., 1119 MD Route 3 North, #210, Gambrills, MD 21054.
Filed under: Obituary, Parish, Uncategorized | Leave a comment »
B24 crew of Sgt. Robertson. Standing Bob Fromkin, Don Ostrand, Evert Kron and Tony DeRose. Kneeling: John Kushner, Joe Kling, George Lawson, Charles Gill, Joe Kruger, and Bobbie Robertson. All survived the war but Bobbie.
John Kushner was a dear friend and a parishioner of mine at Holy Spirit Church in Forestville, MD. He was a daily communicant. Crippled, partially blind, he still loved to ride motorcycles. He was also an American hero. He was called to report back for active service when he was sick and in his 80’s. It took some arguing that the powers-that-be had made a mistake. No one had the qualifications he had, but they had neglected to look at his date of birth. Had they allowed him, he would have reported to serve. Whenever Andrews AFB had an air show they would call him because no one else knew how to repair the old planes. John was a Flight Engineer and had served 33 years in both fronts of WWII, Korea and Vietnam. He tells the story of coming back from a mission over Germany and the plane is shot full of holes. He held his best friend in his arms as he bled to death. In Vietnam they tied him to a boom and he would grab the wounded while a helicopter made quick passes through the sharp grass. It cut him like razer blades. He had about every medal you could think of. When I knew him, he was an old man who missed his wife Mary and regularly fed the deer outside the church doors. When consulted about lasers on the new planes he insisted that it was a mistake to place them in the nose. No one listened to him. He was an old man. What did he know? A few weeks later the technicians came back to him and asked, “Okay John, where would you put the lasers?” John shook his head, knowing that the poor pilots would be blinded by the light. He said, “There is only one place you can put the laser, in the belly of the plane!” Guess what, that is where they are… now. John is circled in the picture here with his gang from a B24. Miss you John. Rest in peace.
Birth: Dec. 24, 1922 / Death: Sep. 29, 2011 / Forestville, MD
M.Sgt., U.S. Air Force – John J. Kushner passed away on September 29, 2011. He is survived by his daughter, Teresa Kushner.
Spouse: Mary Sue Kushner (1934 – 2000)
Filed under: Parish, Photos, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
The weather is certainly surprising this year!
Filed under: Parish, Uncategorized | Leave a comment »
Cardinal Wuerl attended a meeting of all the priests in the PG County Deaneries. He took this photo with me. Father LaHood was our gracious host at St. Mary of the Assumption.
Filed under: Archdiocese, Bishops, Catholic, Parish | Leave a comment »
Litany Composed by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P. (MAGNIFICAT)
Offered at the 12 Noon Mass at Holy Family 12-13-15
Throughout the ages, almighty God has manifested his unfailing mercy.
Oh infinite, divine mercy, you are:
Response: Lord, have mercy on us.
Beauteous Creation brought forth from the abyss of nothingness.
The breath that turned muddy clay into a living human being.
The leather garments that clothed sinful man and woman.
The ark that saved Noah from the cataclysm of the flood.
The rainbow—sign of your covenant with the earth.
The halt put to building the haughty Tower of Babel.
The everlasting covenant made with Abraham.
The angel who stayed Abraham’s knife above his son Isaac.
The stairway shown to Jacob in a dream.
The forgiveness Joseph offered to his treacherous brothers.
The hope of liberation promised in the burning bush.
The miraculous passageway through the parted Red Sea.
The authority of Moses and the attained Promised Land.
The manna in the wilderness for those facing famine.
Flowing water to drink from a rock in the desert.
The gift of the tablets bearing the Ten Commandments.
The Ark of the Covenant.
The certainty that filled Joshua to serve God alone.
The strength of Samson.
The tenderness that moved Ruth to stay with Naomi.
The voice that beckoned Samuel in the nighttime.
The kingly anointing of Saul.
David’s defeat of the Philistine Goliath.
The Temple built by Solomon.
Third Sunday of Advent
December 12 & 13, 2015
Celebrant: What is mercy? Mercy is the experience of God’s love that forgives faults, heals hurts, and connects us more deeply to God and each other. Pope Francis describes mercy as “the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness” (MV, 2). This Advent as we prepare our hearts to welcome Jesus and to share His love, reflect on how you can open your heart to God’s mercy and share that mercy with friends, family, and those most in need.
(Archdiocesan Resource Prayer)
Filed under: Archdiocese, Mass, Parish, Pope Francis, Prayer | Leave a comment »
Prayed on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (7:30 PM Mass)
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us.
Response: We trust in You.
Mercy of God, supreme attribute of the Creator,
Mercy of God, greatest perfection of the Redeemer,
Mercy of God, unfathomable love of the Sanctifier,
Mercy of God, inconceivable mystery of the Holy Trinity,
Mercy of God, expression of the greatest power of the Most High,
Mercy of God, revealed in the creation of the heavenly Spirits,
Mercy of God, summoning us to existence out of nothingness,
Mercy of God, embracing the whole universe,
Mercy of God, bestowing upon us immortal life,
Mercy of God, shielding us from merited punishments,
Mercy of God, raising us from the misery of sin,
Mercy of God, justifying us in the Word Incarnate,
Mercy of God, flowing from the wounds of Christ,
Mercy of God, gushing from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Mercy of God, giving to us the Most Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of Mercy,
Mercy of God, shown in the revelation of the Divine mysteries,
Mercy of God, manifested in the institution of the universal Church,
Mercy of God, contained in the institution of the Holy Sacraments,
Mercy of God, bestowed upon mankind in the Sacraments of Baptism & Penance,
Mercy of God, granted in the Sacraments of the Altar & the Priesthood,
Mercy of God, shown in calling us to the Holy Faith,
Mercy of God, revealed in the conversion of sinners,
Mercy of God, manifested in the sanctification of the just,
Mercy of God, fulfilled in the perfecting of the saintly,
Mercy of God, font of health for the sick & the suffering,
Mercy of God, solace of anguished hearts,
Mercy of God, hope of souls afflicted with despair,
Mercy of God, always and everywhere accompanying all people,
Mercy of God, anticipating us with graces,
Mercy of God, peace of the dying,
Mercy of God, refreshment & relief of the Souls in Purgatory,
Mercy of God, heavenly delight of the blessed,
Mercy of God, crown of all the Saints,
Mercy of God, inexhaustible source of miracles,
Lamb of God, Who did show us Your greatest mercy in redeeming the world on the Cross, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who mercifully offers Yourself for us in every Holy Mass, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world through Your inexhaustible Mercy, Have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
V. The tender mercies of the Lord are over all His works.
R. The mercies of the Lord I will sing forever.
Let Us Pray.
O God, Whose Mercy is infinite and Whose treasures of pity are inexhaustible, graciously look down upon us and increase in us Thy Mercy so that we may never, even in the greatest trials, give way to despair, but may always trustfully conform ourselves to Thy Holy Will, which is Mercy itself. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Mercy, Who with Thee and the Holy Spirit doth show us Mercy forever and ever.
R. Amen.
Filed under: Catholic, Mass, Parish, Prayer, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Father Kidd Council of the Knights of Columbus had a little Papal help with the Tootsie Roll Campaign. We continue to walk with Pope Francis in making a difference for others!
Filed under: Parish, Parody, Photos, Pope | 1 Comment »
Blogger Priest 