The parish hall at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish buzzed with the low, cheerful hum of voices on March 5 as people gathered around folding tables set with light refreshments. Coffee cups clinked softly while small groups leaned close to talk. Yet beneath the ordinary rhythm of a parish social hour, people kept glancing toward the doorway and shifting in line.
They were waiting.
Earlier, Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, celebrated Mass with the community as part of what will become a series of parish visits throughout the archdiocese. His stop in St. Mary’s County, Maryland marked the beginning of that effort, bringing the new archbishop to one of the southernmost corners of the Archdiocese of Washington. During the first phase of the initiative, he was scheduled to visit 14 parishes across the county between March 5 and 11.
“It’s wonderful to be here with you today. As I begin, I hope to visit many different parishes. It’s one of the things I most look forward to — being present with you,” Cardinal McElroy said.
He noted that he chose to begin in St. Mary’s County because of its historic role in the beginnings of Catholicism in Maryland. The colony founded there in 1634 was established in part as a refuge for English Catholics.
After the liturgy, people lingered in the hall for a chance to greet him.
Some stood patiently in line while others waited nearby, hoping for a brief conversation or a photograph. Children wove between adults holding cookies and cups as the archbishop moved easily through the room, greeting families and pausing to talk. At one point he accepted a bottle of Diet Coke — a favorite of his — while continuing to meet parishioners gathered for the first stop of his parish visits.
Donna Schodroski, who has been a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish since 2004, said the parish community is defined by its warmth and sense of belonging.
“I just feel like everybody is so friendly here and welcoming,” she said. “I feel like they’re all my family. I don’t know everybody’s name, but I feel like they’re my family — my church family — and I love them all.”
During his homily, Cardinal McElroy reflected on the meaning of Lent, describing it as a season that calls Catholics to allow God’s grace to reach every part of their lives.
“For most of us, we do decently well living our lives throughout the year,” he said. “There are areas where we are very strong, areas where we are pretty good, and areas that are harder. But overall, we do reasonably well.”
Lent, he said, invites believers to look honestly at the parts of their lives they still keep closed off.
“We try to give God our hearts,” Cardinal McElroy said. “But often we keep certain areas where we do not want the Gospel to come in too deeply, because we have become comfortable with the way we are.”
Using the image of a house, the cardinal said people sometimes keep small spaces of their lives closed off from God.
“We keep little ‘apartments’ in our house where we do not let the Gospel enter,” he said.
Lent invites Catholics to open those spaces fully to God’s grace, the cardinal said.
“Each one of us is called to ask whether we are willing to give God the whole of our lives — to say, ‘Lord, fill the whole of my life with your grace,’” he said.
Cardinal McElroy also emphasized the central role of God’s mercy, saying God’s love reaches every person.
“God’s love is not something that is given only to certain people who deserve it,” he said. “God’s love reaches every single person.”
Quoting an early Greek spiritual writer, he added that understanding God’s mercy allows Christians to face themselves with honesty.
“Humility for the Christian is not humiliation,” he said. “It is simply being honest about who we are, without pretense.”
Reflecting on the Gospel parable of Lazarus and the rich man, the cardinal warned against becoming indifferent to the suffering of others.
“The sin is that he simply does not notice the suffering around him,” Cardinal McElroy said, adding that Lent calls Catholics to open their eyes to that suffering and respond with compassion.
“Suffering surrounds us,” he said. “But we can become used to ignoring it.”
Father Christian Huebner, administrator of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, said the archbishop’s visit reflects his desire to connect personally with Catholics throughout the archdiocese.
“The archbishop has made it obvious that he values the local Church and has a real desire to be with the people,” Father Huebner said.
He noted that the cardinal’s homily emphasized the dignity of every person and God’s desire to encounter each individual.
“Through his actions, the archbishop is trying to show the people his belief in human dignity,” Father Huebner said.
Cardinal Robert W. McElroy’s scheduled parish visits in St. Mary’s County
- Thursday March 5, 5:30 p.m. Mass, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Lexington Park
- Friday March 6, 9 a.m. Mass, St. George Church, Valley Lee
- Friday March 6, 6 p.m. Stations of the Cross, St. Peter Claver Church, St. Inigoes
- Saturday March 7, 9 a.m. Mass, Immaculate Conception Church, Mechanicsville
- Saturday March 7, 5 p.m. Mass, Holy Face Church, Great Mills
- Sunday March 8, 8 a.m. Mass, St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church, Leonardtown
- Sunday March 8, 11:30 a.m. Mass, St. John Francis Regis Church, Hollywood
- Sunday March 8, 6 p.m. Mass, St. Michael’s Church, Ridge
- Monday March 9, 9 a.m. Mass, Our Lady of the Wayside Church, Chaptico
- Monday March 9, 6 p.m. Mass, Sacred Heart Church, Bushwood
- Tuesday March 10, 8 a.m. Mass, Holy Angels Church, Avenue
- Tuesday March 10, 5 p.m. Mass, St. Joseph Church, Morganza
- Wednesday March 11, 8 a.m. Mass, Our Lady’s Church at Medley’s Neck, Leonardtown
- Wednesday March 11, 6:30 p.m. Mass, St. Francis Xavier Church, Newtowne
