Announcement from the Jesuit Provincial

 
June 4, 2016
 
Dear Parishioners of St. Therese,
 
In the forty-six years that the Jesuits of Maryland Province have served St. Therese, the parish has grown dramatically and flourished beyond expectations. I am grateful for the many Jesuits who have served with you and helped lead St. Therese to its current thriving. Your beautiful new church, joyful liturgies, active lay leadership in Ignatian Spirituality, stewardship, outreach to the poor, and faith formation all speak of a vibrant faith community. With prayer and discernment, I have come to believe that St. Therese can continue to flourish without the continued accompaniment of the Jesuits. The Jesuits will return the care of St. Therese Parish to the Diocese on July 11, 2017, a little over a year from now. Bishop Jugis has been made aware of our decision.
 
I realize that for many of you this is a surprising and unwelcome announcement. You have formed bonds of affection for the Jesuits serving your community, as they have for you. This is a wonderful sign of the presence of God and part of the reason for your strong community. Yet, in the midst of your blessings, I cannot overlook the fact that the average age of this Jesuit community is 80 years old. The Parish needs younger priests to accompany the larger community into the future. In truth, with the shrinking number of available Jesuits, we cannot provide these younger priests.
 
Another reason for this difficult decision is that our Superior General, Fr. Adolfo Nicolás, S.J., has asked me to reduce our apostolic commitments in order to serve the most pressing needs of the Universal Church. I am aware of how many of you have experienced the Spiritual Exercises and have heard the call to freedom to follow where God leads. I hope you can support our efforts to discern where, with our limited resources, we can best serve those in need. I am confident that God will continue to guide and bless the community of St. Therese in the years to come.
 
My great hope is that in the months ahead that all of you and the Jesuits now missioned to the Parish, and others who have served in the past, can celebrate the many warm years of shared faith, service, and friendship. I thank you for understanding this difficult decision as together we hold in prayer the mission of both the Society of Jesus and the parish community of St. Therese.
 
Sincerely in Christ,

Very Rev. Robert M. Hussey, S.J. Provincial
 
Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam