Solemnity of Jesus Christ King of the Universe
100th Anniversary of St. Clement Mary Hofbauer
Baltimore, Maryland
November 23, 2025
The Importance of Anniversaries
Anniversaries are a time for memories and celebration. As you celebrate your 100th anniversary here at St. Mary Clement Hofbauer, you pause to remember those who went before you in faith. We think of those first families whose hard work and generosity raised money to build the church – with strawberry festivals, chicken dinners, oyster dinners. Perhaps some of you remember Msgr. Joseph Curran, your first pastor, and those who came after him, especially the Conventual Franciscans. Many priests who served here previously are with us today – let’s express our appreciation to them. Let me also single out Msgr. James Farmer – he is a native son of the parish and he also served here as an Associate Pastor – welcome home! And how grateful we are to Fr. Hector for his tireless and dedicated leadership!
Besides the markers of your official history are the personal memories you share as a closely connected community of faith – memories of growing up here, attending the school, friendships, parish and family activities, and much more. Anniversaries are indeed a time for memories and celebration.
But anniversaries are celebrated for a deeper reason. They are moments to rededicate ourselves to the Lord and to the mission which he entrusted to each of us at Baptism: to deepen our faith and share it with others; to worship him in spirit and truth and to invite others to do the same; and to love and serve Christ in the poor. You are a family of faith seeking to dedicate itself entirely to the Lord even as you open your hearts in welcome to a diversity of cultures and seek to involve younger members in church ministries.
Feast of Christ the King
There could not be a better day on which to rededicate ourselves to the Lord than the Solemnity of the Kingship of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. As a family of faith, we unite in acknowledging Jesus as Lord, and profess our undying loyalty and allegiance to the One who is Lord of lords and King of kings. It is a graced moment when we promise anew to follow Christ unreservedly.
But who is this Lord of all, this King of the Universe, whom we profess to follow? We think of kings as wearing crowns, elaborate robes, and wielding power – indeed some kings were fierce warriors . . . . Jesus could not be more different than earthly potentates. He wore, not a crown of gold, but a crown of thorns. He donned, not an elaborate robe, but a simple tunic. He won victory over sin and death, not with the sword, but with the Cross. This is the Lord we follow and seek to imitate.
Think of the example of your patron, St. Clement Mary Hofbauer. He followed Christ as his Lord and King through thick and thin. In his day, a powerful Emperor, Joseph II, hindered the Church’s mission, and your patron had to overcome many obstacles to be a priest. He became a Redemptorist, indeed, a missionary with a heart for the poor who proclaimed Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, far and wide. Your patron endured many hardships and made many sacrifices to ensure that the faith of peoples in Poland and Austria would revive, that many whose faith had lapsed would encounter Christ and claim him once more as their Lord and ruler.
Your patron saint lived in very different times and circumstances than do we. Yet we can learn from St. Clement Mary Hofbauer that spirit of prayer, that undivided love for the Lord, that zeal for the Gospel that made him such a joyful and effective evangelizer – one who proclaimed by word and deed his allegiance to Christ, the only One who is Savior of the Word, Lord of History, King of the Universe.
How to Proclaim Christ as Our King
His example inspired those established this church and supported it through the years, They were motived by faith in Jesus Christ as their only Lord, Savior, and King. They saw themselves as belonging to Christ and to his Kingdom. And belonging to Christ, they belonged to one another; they were united as members of His Body, the Church. They reached out to the surrounding neighborhoods, knocked on doors, welcomed new members to their parish community, educated the young, and were generous to the poor –and did this in difficult times, like the Great Depression and World War II. And are we not striving to do the same thing in our times in which there is no shortage of obstacles to the Church’s mission?
Let us be claim anew, that same vision and mission for ourselves, as we gather daily in this Church to listen to God’s Word, to share in the Sacrifice of the Cross in the celebration of Holy Mass, and as we come here confess our sins and to receive absolution. Here, we find the path to virtue and holiness of life. Here, we welcome new members through Baptism and Confirmation. Here, we reach out to the poor and needy who are never far from us. Here, we seek to bring the truth and love of Christ to those who no longer practice the faith and those who have never encountered the Lord whom we claim as our King. In all these ways you express your allegiance, your loyalty to Christ – as you bear witness to him in your daily lives. And for that, along with so much else, I wish sincerely to thank you!
Jesus Christ Is Lord!
Let me wish you a very happy 100th anniversary. Through the intercession of St. Clement Mary Hofbauer, may you continue to proclaim to the glory of God the Father that Jesus Christ is Lord!