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Holy Family Catholic Community in Middletown will play host to a changing of the guard of sorts on Saturday, when Monsignor Robert J. Jaskot is installed as its new pastor during 5 p.m. Mass.

The Rev. J. Kevin Farmer, who served as pastor at the church since September 2004, left in August and is now an associate pastor at three parishes in the Glen Burnie area.

Originally from New Jersey, Jaskot graduated from Mount St. Mary's University with a degree in business and finance, and worked in Baltimore for three years with an international shipping company. Though he liked the job, he said he felt a call to the priesthood.

"It was a great experience, but something was missing," Jaskot said. "I think that God was very patient, and nurtured it through my family – waited until I was able to say yes. I was anxious to respond to the call."

Jaskot was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 1998, and received his first full-time assignment at St. John the Evangelist in Frederick. Jaskot then served as chancellor of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and later lead the new archdiocesan office for worship as its director. He has also served as priest-secretary to Cardinal William H. Keeler.

Jaskot said he has already felt welcome at Holy Family.

"It's truly a blessing," he said. "I'm overwhelmed with the community here. I always knew from my times at St. John's that [Holy Family] was a beautiful collection of buildings ... I knew they had good liturgy, I had celebrated Mass here. But to come here and feel the hospitality and the kindness and the generosity of the people [was different]."

Jaskot said he was amazed to see how involved the parishioners are in the church's activities and organizations, especially the families who participate in multiple activities.

"I've never been in a parish where so many people are involved in so many things," he said. "Usually it's one thing, but ... there are so many that are saying ‘I'm involved in this and this and that.' There's just so many beautiful ways that the parishioners are involved in [the church]."

Jaskot began his duties as pastor on Aug. 21. His installation will be celebrated during Mass at 5 p.m., Saturday at Holy Family Catholic Community Church in Middletown, located at 7321 Burkittsville Road. For further information, visit www.hfccmd.org.

51st annual Lord's Acre Festival

set for Saturday

The Salem United Methodist Church will hold its 51st annual Lord's Acre Festival in Wolfsville Ruritan Community Park, with proceeds benefitting the Salem Church building & improvement fund, according to a press release.

The festival is 4 to 9 p.m., Saturday at the park on Brandenburg Hollow Road. Admission and parking are free. The event will be held rain or shine.

In addition to gospel music provided by Boonsboro-based By Faith and Middletown-based Randy Sowers, the festival also includes homemade food, crafts, fresh produce, flea market tables and silent and live auctions. Activities for children, including face painting and sand art will be available.

The silent auction is planned from 4 to 7 p.m., and the live auction begins at 8 p.m.

The Lord's Acre program was developed in the southeastern United States as a means of raising funds in small congregations with limited financial resources. A portion or "acre" of a church member's land was set aside to raise crops to be sold to benefit the church. Those without land could set aside a portion of their needlework, craft items, or any other saleable talent they possessed.

The first Lord's Acre Festival was held in the old Wolfsville School, where it existed indoors until deteriorating building conditions and crowds in forced a move to the Ruritan Park in 1970, where it has been held since.

For more information, visit www.SalemChurchWolfsville.org.

Students named

to Frostburg's dean's list

- Eric Hoffmaster of Jefferson was named to Frostburg State University's spring 2010 dean's list for outstanding academic achievement, with the distinction of a 4.0 grade point average. Robert Hoffmaster of Jefferson was also named to Frostburg's spring 2010 dean's list for outstanding academic achievement.

Area residents graduate

from military training

- Air National Guard Airman Curtis W. Scholten graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.

The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

A 2007 graduate of Frederick High School, he is the son of Terry Scholten of Frederick.

- Air Force Airman First Class Quale A. Lewis has graduated from the Radio Frequency Transmission Systems Apprentice Course at Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, Miss.

The course is designed to train airmen to install, maintain, overhaul, repair, and modify fixed, mobile, and transportable transmitters, receivers, transceivers, and related equipment. When deployed, graduates sustain, troubleshoot, and repair standard radio frequency wireless, line-of-sight, beyond line-of-sight, wideband, ground-based satellite, and encryption transmission devices and intrusion detection systems in a fixed and deployed environment. Included are multiple waveform systems operating across the spectrum, keying and signal devices; telemetry and instrumentation systems; establish and maintain circuit, and configure and manage system and network connectivity.

She is the daughter of Daima N. Lewis of Frederick and is a 2008 graduate of Binghamton High School, in New York.

Frederick County students receive

Gifts for Education grants

In the 2009-10 school year, nine Frederick County schools received funds from The Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) Gifts for Education Fund.

The fund stems from The Community Foundation of Frederick County. It was established in 1997 by the Board of Education and provides funding for programs that aren't within the school system's budget. Since 1999, more than $40,000 have gone to special school projects.

Last year, $3,294.34 was split between Brunswick Elementary, the Heather Ridge School, Linganore High, Monocacy Elementary, Monocacy Middle, North Frederick Elementary, Rock Creek School, Walkersville Middle and Whittier Elementary.

Brunswick Elementary's Reading Rocks program was able to purchase books for 531 students to read during the summer.

Heather Ridge got materials for students in social skills classes to make quilts that were donated to Boys and Girls Club, Family Partnership and the Frederick County Police Victim Services Unit.

Linganore High School Latin class students received materials for the world languages curriculum.

Monocacy Elementary School's Gator Book Club purchased starter books for the club's library.

Monocacy Middle's Reflections Art Program used its funding to host arts and music activities.

North Frederick Elementary was able to host the Frederick City Math Tournament and a chess club at the school with its portion of the funds.

Rock Creek School purchased games and fishing supplies for its students.

Walkersville Middle School's Life Skills in Society class purchased materials to make homemade blankets to donate to Project Linus, which is a nonprofit organization that provides new and handmade blankets to children who are ill, traumatized or otherwise in need.

Whittier Elementary purchased country flags for the school in order to promote multicultural awareness.

To make a donation to the Gifts for Education Fund, visit the Community Foundation website at www.cffredco.org and click on "contribute" in the upper right hand corner or send a check, made payable to The Community Foundation of Frederick County with the fund name in the memo line, to 312 E. Church St., Frederick.

Sheriff's Explorer Post program

begins next week

Young adults interested in learning more about careers in law enforcement can join Explorer Post No. 1218 at its first meeting of the season Tuesday, at the Frederick County Law Enforcement Center, 110 Airport Drive East in Frederick.

The career-oriented program is for young men and women ages 14 to 21. The program provides young people the opportunity to explore the criminal justice system and careers in law enforcement through hands-on training and classroom lectures.

Meetings allow exposure to careers in the field of law enforcement and training in police procedures such as arrest and searches, traffic control, crime prevention, accident investigation, fingerprinting, court procedures, traffic enforcement and radio communications.

To participate in the explorer program youths must "have good moral character and personal habits and comply with all rules and regulations of the Post's Operational Manual," according to a press release from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office.

For more information, contact Lt. Gordon Geesey at 301-600-3629.

Have an item for the Valley Voice? E-mail Tripp Laino at tlaino@gazette.net. Call 301-846-2130.