Rev. Stephen Hook
PASTOR

 I am very excited to be beginning this newest journey of my priesthood with all of you as pastor of Our Lady of the Chesapeake. I look forward to meeting everyone in the near future. It can be challenging to follow a beloved pastor such as Fr. Rafferty who has been at a parish for a long period of time, but I look forward to joining you in continuing the good work of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I grew up in Lutherville, MD and went to school at Immaculate Conception in Towson. Fr. Raff was the associate pastor when my family moved to the area so I guess you could say I have known him for most of my life! I went to Towson High School and then Towson University, graduating with a BS in Business Administration and Marketing. For eleven years, I worked for Citibank, both in Towson and in Long Island City, NY, first in Information Services and then in Risk Management. I entered St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore in the fall of 1997 and was ordained a priest in May, 2003.

My first assignment as a priest was as associate pastor of the Catholic Community of South Baltimore, where I first worked with Deacon Rick Clemens. After three years, I was appointed Administrator (and eventually Pastor) of St. Augustine in Williamsport.MD and St. James in Boonsboro, MD. In January, 2011, I begin my assignment as Pastor of St. Ursula in Parkville, MD. It is from St. Ursula that I am coming to Our Lady of the Chesapeake. During my priesthood, I have served on the Priest Retirement Board and the Priestly Life and Ministry Board. I am currently a member of the Archdiocesan Risk Management Board and the Msgr. O’Dwyer Retreat House Board.

I am the “middle child” of Walter and Betty Hook. My mom passed away earlier this year but my dad is still alive and kicking. I am sure he will be venturing his way down to the parish at some point! I have an older brother and a younger sister. My dad and sister still live in Lutherville, while my brother lives in Parkville. I also have two nieces who live in Baltimore County as well.

I have a dog named Seamus. He was a five month old beagle mix puppy I was blessed to find at the Maryland SPCA a couple of years ago. He loves people and hopefully will be seen around the parish on a regular basis. If I am not taking Seamus for a walk or visiting with my family, I enjoy being in the outdoors, especially on the water, which is another reason why I feel blessed to be coming to Our Lady of the Chesapeake. In my spare time, I enjoy working on genealogy and trying to fill in my family tree. I have discovered many distance relatives this way, including some that live in the Pasadena area.

Again, I am very excited to be joining all of you at Our Lady of the Chesapeake in January. In the meantime, please keep me in your prayers as I go through this transition as I have been keeping you in my prayers. May the Holy Spirit watch over us and guide us on this journey of faith as we continue the work of becoming missionary disciples of Jesus Christ.