Welcome to the Portsmouth & Chesapeake Cluster of Parishes

Welcome to our Cluster Parishes of Portsmouth & Chesapeake website.  Please feel free to explore and learn more about each of our four parishes and our wide range of ministries.  Our Cluster provides a welcoming Christ-centered environment for everyone who desires to follow the teaching of Jesus Christ by offering the Sacraments and Scriptures under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  We want to welcome you not only to our website but also to our churches.

We want you to know we are here to support you and your loved ones through our prayer and action.

Sincerely in Christ,

Father David Cupps

Information Regarding the U.S. Health and Human Services Mandate 

Response from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to the latest announced change to the mandate may be found here.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Letter from Bishop DiLorenzo

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

I write to you concerning an alarming and serious matter that negatively impacts the Church in the United States directly, and that strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith.  The federal government, which claims to be “of, by and for the people,” has just dealt a heavy blow to almost a quarter of those people—the Catholic population—and to the millions more who are served by the Catholic faithful.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that almost all employers, including Catholic employers, will be forced to offer their employees health coverage that includes sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs, and contraception.  Almost all health insurers will be forced to include those “services” in the health policies they write.  And almost all individuals will be forced to buy that coverage as a part of their policies.

In so ruling, the Administration has cast aside the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, denying to Catholics our Nation’s first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty.  And as a result, unless the rule is overturned, we Catholics will be compelled either to violate our consciences, or to drop health coverage for our employees (and suffer penalties for doing so).  The Administration’s sole concession was to give our institutions one year to comply.

We cannot—we will not—comply with this unjust law.  People of faith cannot be made second class citizens.  We are already joined by our brothers and sisters of all faiths and many others of good will in this important effort to regain our religious freedom.  Our parents and grandparents did not come to these shores to help build America’s cities and towns, its infrastructure and institutions, its enterprise and culture, only to have their posterity stripped of their God given rights.  In generations past, the Church has always been able to count on the faithful to stand up and protect her sacred rights and duties.  I hope and trust she can count on this generation of Catholics to do the same.  Our children and grandchildren deserve nothing less.

And therefore, I would ask of you two things.  First, as a community of faith we must commit ourselves to prayer and fasting that wisdom and justice may prevail, and religious liberty may be restored.  Without God, we can do nothing; with God, nothing is impossible.  Second, I would also recommend visiting www.usccb.org/conscience, to learn about this severe assault on religious liberty, and how to contact Congress in support of legislation that would reverse the Administration’s decision.

With my gratitude and every best wish, I remain

Sincerely yours in Our Lord,
Most Rev. Francis X. DiLorenzo
Bishop of Richmond
January 26, 2012

No matter how long you have been away from the Catholic Church, you can always come home.   God is inviting you to dive into your faith in a deeper way than you ever have before.

You may already be feeling a strange inner pull to look into the Church again.  That spiritual longing you feel is God drawing you back to Himself.  God never forces; He only invites.  He leaves the decision to return to the Catholic Church up to you.

There are as many reasons for coming back to the Church as there are people who left.  While Christ is at the heart of the many reasons to come home to the Church, each individual’s experience in returning can be unique, depending upon whatever speaks to his or her heart.  Many people come back to the Catholic Church because they feel an intense longing for the Eucharist.  Sometimes it happens at a wedding, a funeral, a baptism, a First Communion or a Confirmation.   Sometimes it happens when people are alone or facing difficulties in life.  It's a deep hunger for the spiritual nourishment that comes when they receive the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.  Others come back to the Catholic Church because they need healing or to forgive others.  Some of us carry deep spiritual wounds.  We struggle with anger at God over bad things that happen–a terminal illness, a debilitating injury, a broken relationship, mental or emotional problems, an act of violence against an innocent person, an unexplainable accident, some natural disaster, the death of a loved one or some other deep disappointment.  Sometimes we hold on to anger and resentment toward individuals who have hurt us deeply.  But this anger and bitterness can eat at the heart of a person.  The Catholic Church provides the opportunity to seek God's help in the process of spiritual healing and help you get on with your life.

Beginning January 21, 2012, we will offer information sessions for anyone who wishes to explore their faith after having been away from regular Mass attendance.  In these sessions, you can discuss your questions and concerns with other returning Catholics.  If you would like to learn more about our faith community and today’s Catholic Church, please contact Marisa Beebe, Coordinator of Christian Formation, at 757.966.5461 or by email at christianformation@clusterparishes.com .

Novena for a Fuller Participation in the Sacrament of the Eucharist

A Novena is a prayer which is prayed for nine days, consecutively.  This Novena for a Fuller Participation in the Sacrament of the Eucharist may be begun at any time and prayed for nine days.  Each day's video may be found below, or watched in larger version through the full-screen option.

Day 1:  That priests will celebrate the Eucharist worthily.

Day 2:  That all will celebrate the Eucharist with wholehearted trust in God.

Day 3:  That parents will help lead their children to more conscious and active participation in the Eucharist

Day 4:  That our participation in the Eucharistic Liturgy will lead us to greater care for all members of the Body of Christ.

Day 5:  That those in consecrated life will keep the Eucharist at the center of their lives.

Day 6:  That the Eucharistic Liturgy will be a source of strength and hope for all the faithful.

Day 7:  That all Christians will grow in unity so as to one day share the one table of the Lord.

Day 8:  That all the faithful will proclaim the death and resurrection of the Lord through their words and deeds.

Day 9:  That all those who have died in faith may celebrate at the wedding feast of the Lamb.

Roman Missal Changes

Changes to the Roman Missal are coming this Advent with the implementation of the English translation of the 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal.  Want to learn more about the changes?  Visit our Roman Missal page here.