Letter to Parishioners
Fr. Peter J. Daly
PO Box 15723
Washington, DC 20003
October 31, 2022
Fr. Paul Lee and the People of
The Shrine of St. Jude
12701 Viers Mill Road
Rockville, MD 20853-3598
Dear Fr. Lee and the People of St. Jude’s parish:
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
My deepest thanks for the opportunity to be with you for nine days as we prayed the Novena to St. Jude, asking for our most urgent and deepest needs in prayer. It was a graced time for me.
I have written to Cardinal Gregory to tell him about the great work that you are doing. I thought that he should hear good news about one of the most vibrant parishes in the Archdiocese. St. Jude’s is a parish that is really hitting on all cylinders.
I told the Cardinal that Fr. Paul Lee is a thoughtful man and a good leader. He trusts and encourages his people and allows them to take initiative. He is ably assisted by Fr. Jorge Ubau, the parochial vicar, and by Fr. Robert Kosty, the senior priest in residence. The parish also has the help of a great deacon, Nicholas Scholz, who cheerfully undertakes many tasks from leading the novena prayers and coordinating the parish web site to volunteering with the Food Pantry.
I told the Cardinal that I observed that the parish grounds are in excellent condition. The people appear proud of their parish and its facilities. There are numerous volunteers which is always a good sign. Most important to the Lord, the poor are not forgotten. There is an active Food Pantry that serves 150 families per week. The regional school at St. Jude’s is full of students and is exceptionally diverse, a “little UN.”
In fact, the parish itself is a “little UN.” The parishioners speak some 28 languages as their first language. The largest group is Hispanic, but many are from Africa and various parts of Asia. In a time of divisions and brokenness in our country and our world, it was reassuring to see so many people from so many backgrounds working and praying together.
There is much more to be said about your great parish. But most importantly I need to say thank you for the great blessing of spending nine days with you. The good news of the Lord is living and effective on Veirs Mill Road.