About Us

It is my joy to welcome you to the website for Presentation of the Lord Catholic Church. We are a Roman Catholic community of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, and we stand gratefully under the leadership of  the Holy Father Pope Francis.
 
Our community is both close to its beginning and in the middle of big changes. We began in 2019 as a mission of the Cathedral of our Lady of Walsingham, which perceived the need for a new Catholic community in fast-growing Montgomery County. After growing substantially and buying our own property we have established our own community. 

Our liturgical life happens in a building we are continuously renovating to serve as our temporary church while we raise money to construct our permanent church building. Together with that we have undertaken the work to transform our 23 acre property into place where the Lord is rightly and fittingly worshipped, and where his people can gather for fellowship. To learn more visit our plans page. 

Thank you again for visiting our website. We welcome all visitors and invite you to become involved in our worship, fellowship, and striving for sanctification.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Justin Fletcher
 

The Parish Seal is the symbol for the whole parish. In a single image it gathers together the guiding themes of the community. Our seal has six key elements:  

1. The outer shape is called a vesica, which is simultaneously both an ancient symbol for a womb and for unity. Very often universities have vesicas for their seals, and for that reason they are known as alma maters, loving mothers. But the parish is our truest home, and our truest place of unity. It is the place towards which we trend, and the place from which we live our Christian faith in the world. 
    
2. The text on the perimeter comes from the words of St. Simeon when Christ is presented in the temple. It is an exclamation of joy that the Lord has kept his promised and returned to the Temple. These words form the hymn sung  each night at Compline, or night prayer. It is in Latin because the Ordinariate is a Latin Rite diocese, and thus we are a Latin Rite parish. 
    
3. At the bottom of the perimeter are St. Peter's keys. These indicate our unity with Rome, as well as our membership in the Ordinariate, whose title is "The Chair of Saint Peter." 
    
4. The central image in the interior is the staurogram,  an ancient symbol of Christ. The Greek word for cross is stauros, and from the earliest times of Christianity it was abbreviated by combining the tau and the rho. The feast of the Presentation is a Christological feast, and the Cross is the heart of Christ, so the staurogram is at the heart of the seal. 
    
5. Above the staurogram is the flame.  The feast of the Presentation has always been associated with the light of God returning to the Temple, and therefore it by ancient tradition the day for blessing candles, even being called Candlemas in the English tradition. Thus this staurogram is also a candle. And therefore also signifies  the power of the Cross to shed abroad the light of the Lord.
    
6. Finally, a pair of turtledoves adorn the staurogram. These were offered in sacrifice according to the law when Christ was presented in the temple. Like the staurogram, the reflect the humility of the Lord Jesus that although he was God, he was willingly obedient to the law. They also therefore represent the two hearts of Christ and Our Lady, for it is in the feast of the Presentation that we see Christ's pure, sacred heart offered in obedience, and Mary's immaculate heart prophetically pierced by the sword of sorrow.