From Father Steven - April 28, 2024

Father Steven Clemence • April 26, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

This Sunday and the following one we will be having our first communions here in the parish. In preparation for that, I began reading some testimonies about receiving communion that were very beautiful. Here I would like to share with you a conversation that Pope Benedict XVI had with some children regarding receiving communion.

 

Dear Pope, what are your memories of your First Communion day?

 

I would first like to say thank you for this celebration of faith that you are offering to me, for your presence and for your joy. I greet you and thank you for the hug I have received from some of you, a hug that, of course, symbolically stand for you all. I remember my First Communion day very well. It was a lovely Sunday in March 1936, 69 years ago. It was a sunny day, the church looked very beautiful, there was music.... There were so many beautiful things that I remember. There were about 30 of us, boys and girls from my little village of no more than 500 inhabitants. But at the heart of my joyful and beautiful memories is this one - and your spokesperson said the same thing: I understood that Jesus had entered my heart, he had actually visited me. And with Jesus, God himself was with me. And I realized that this is a gift of love that is truly worth more than all the other things that life can give. So on that day I was really filled with great joy, because Jesus came to me and I realized that a new stage in my life was beginning, I was 9 years old, and that it was henceforth important to stay faithful to that encounter, to that communion. I promised the Lord as best I could: "I always want to stay with you", and I prayed to him, "but above all, stay with me". So I went on living my life like that; thanks be to God, the Lord has always taken me by the hand and guided me, even in difficult situations. Thus, that day of my First Communion was the beginning of a journey made together. I hope that for all of you too, the First Communion you have received in this Year of the Eucharist will be the beginning of a lifelong friendship with Jesus, the beginning of a journey together, because in walking with Jesus we do well and life becomes good.

 

In preparing me for my First Communion day, my catechist told me that Jesus is present in the

Eucharist. But how? I can't see him!

 

No, we cannot see him, but there are many things that we do not see but they exist and are essential. For example: we do not see our reason, yet we have reason. We do not see our intelligence and we have it. In a word: we do not see our soul and yet it exists and we see its effects, because we can speak, think and make decisions, etc. Nor do we see an electric current, for example, yet we see that it exists; we see this microphone, that it is working, and we see lights. Therefore, we do not see the very deepest things, those that really sustain life and the world, but we can see and feel their effects. This is also true for electricity; we do not see the electric current but we see the light.

 

So it is with the Risen Lord: we do not see him with our eyes but we see that wherever Jesus is, people change, they improve. A greater capacity for peace, for reconciliation, etc., is created. Therefore, we do not see the Lord himself but we see the effects of the Lord: so we can understand that Jesus is present. And as I said, it is precisely the invisible things that are the most profound, the most important. So let us go to meet this invisible but powerful Lord who helps us to live well.

 

What good does it do for our everyday life to go to Holy Mass and receive Communion?

 

It centres life. We live amid so many things. And the people who do not go to church, do not know that it is precisely Jesus they lack. But they feel that something is missing in their lives. If God is absent from my life, if Jesus is absent from my life, a guide, an essential friend is missing, even an important joy for life, the strength to grow as a man, to overcome my vices and mature as a human being. Therefore, we cannot immediately see the effects of being with Jesus and of going to Communion. But with the passing of the weeks and years, we feel more and more keenly the absence of God, the absence of Jesus. It is a fundamental and destructive incompleteness. I could easily speak of countries where atheism has prevailed for years: how souls are destroyed, but also the earth. In this way we can see that it is important, and I would say fundamental, to be nourished by Jesus in Communion. It is he who gives us enlightenment, offers us guidance for our lives, a guidance that we need.

 

God Bless,

Fr. Steven

From Father Steven - August 9, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • August 7, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Please see the information below from Deacon Joe Cooley about their Encounter School of Ministry 2026 Summer Intensive program to be held at Meehan Hall August 17—August 20th. Come immerse yourself in the Holy Spirit and whet your appetite for more of what the Lord wants to do through you, with you, and in you! God Bless, Fr. Steven —————————— Encounter School of Ministry 2026 Summer Intensive – Marlborough "Taste and see that the LORD is good." — Psalm 34:8 Are you looking for new zeal, inspiration, and energy to live out your vocation? Do you desire a deeper encounter with God’s healing power, a breakthrough in your spiritual life, or a clearer understanding of your life's purpose? Don't let the season pass without investing in your spiritual growth. The Encounter School of Ministry Boston Campus warmly invites you to join us for our final 4-evening Summer Intensive of the 2026 season, hosted right here at Immaculate Conception Parish. Whether you serve actively in parish ministry or simply want to live out the Great Commission with supernatural confidence in your daily family and professional life, this transformative experience is designed intentionally for you. Over four powerful nights, participants will receive a rich, accelerated distillation of our first four quarters of ministry training. You will unlock foundational blueprint tools rooted in our Catholic heritage to help you live out the Gospel with joy and walk in authority in Christ. Each evening features a dynamic mix of praise and worship, foundational teachings, and hands-on activations in a safe, humble environment marked by genuine kindness and charity. Nightly Curriculum Focus: Night 1: Kingdom Identity – Discover your true identity as a beloved son or daughter of God, shifting from a performance-based mentality to a heavenly perspective. Night 2: Prophetic Gifts – Learn the "language of the Holy Spirit," grow in hearing God’s voice, and cultivate gifts to build up, encourage, and console others. Night 3: Physical Healing – Learn a basic prayer model for healing ministry rooted in love and compassion for the sick. Night 4: Inner Healing & Freedom – Partner with the Holy Spirit to find emotional renewal, freedom from hidden wounds, and deep peace. Historical data from our local campus graduates demonstrates profound, multi-layered fruits: past attendees have experienced physical healings, freedom from anxiety, strengthened marriages, and a major activation in parish life, including a deeper love for Eucharistic Adoration. Come with an expectant heart ready to close out your summer with incredible spiritual fire! Event Details: Where: Immaculate Conception Parish (Meehan Hall), Marlborough, MA When: Aug 17–20, 2026 | 6:00 PM–9:00 PM nightly | Worship begins at 5:00 PM Registration / Info: Please scan the QR code on the Marlborough flyer available at the church exits, reference our digital announcements, visit online at encounterschool.org/boston , or register at the door. Contact: For questions or group details, connect with Satellite Campus Director Deacon Joe Cooley at boston@encounterschool.org . Claim your seat today and see the new horizons the Lord is opening for you!

From Father Steven - July 26, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • July 23, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Please see the letter below from Fr. Gabriel about his experience at the retreat we recently had in Italy. God Bless, Fr. Steven ———————————————- As Father Steven mentioned in his last bulletin entry, he and I have returned from a wonderful retreat in Italy, where we were together with about 800 priests from the Redemptoris Mater seminaries of the Americas. I would like to take the time to also share a bit of my experience. The first day we arrived at the Airport in Rome, but the retreat was to take place in Porto San Giorgio, Italy, which is located on the eastern coast of the country. This presented me with the opportunity to visit Assisi on the way to the retreat house which was precisely what I was hoping to do during my travels. The Pope has named this year the Jubilee of Saint Francis as this October 4th, we will be celebrating the 800th anniversary of his passing, so there was no better time to visit. I am fond of saying that it is the saints who often choose us, inviting us into a friendship with them, which has been the case for me in a special way with Saint Francis. During the retreat, I reflected on how the spirit of Saint Francis has accompanied me most especially throughout my seminary formation, with the presence of our late franciscan spiritual director, Fr. Roderick Crispo O.F.M., the time spent with Cardinal Sean, learning from the example of his prayer life, and the honor of being the last class that was ordained by him and also being ordained on Padre Pio’s birthday. Reflecting on all of this led me to ponder the words that the Lord spoke to Francis at the beginning of his conversion, “Rebuild my Church.” Sure enough, Francis’ Jubilee in the background and those words spoken to him resounding in my heart, it all fit perfectly into the theme that threaded our entire retreat; the readings that were proclaimed each day were all taken from the Prophets calling on Israel to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem after the exile. The first day we heard from the Prophet Haggai, “be strong, all you people of the land...and work! For I am with you...and I will fill this house with glory.” These words felt very personal, that God is calling me in my ministry to participate in the rebuilding of his Church. Nevertheless, I also remembered that Saint Francis initially took the Lord’s words too literally and started rebuilding an actual Church, when in fact the Lord was calling for a spiritual renewal, not the reconstruction of a building. This also was important for me, because I have asked myself again and again in these past two years as a priest, is what I have to offer enough for this mission? Am I doing enough? The words of the retreat reoriented me to look inwardly and see that before I help anyone else, God desires to rebuild me by granting me a renewed experience of His love for me. This I saw clearly during the 2 by 2 mission that we did during the retreat, announcing the love of God as the apostles and Saint Francis did, without food, money, or cell phones, leaning entirely on the Lord’s providence. I was sent north of Rome to a port city called Civitavecchia where their Cathedral, the first Church we visited, happened to be dedicated to Saint Francis. One night during the mission, my companion and I were welcomed by a couple from the cathedral who had three teenage sons. When I entered the apartment I spotted three skateboards under their beds and proceeded to ask who of them skateboarded, two of them responded emphatically that they did. When I mentioned that I also grew up skateboarding, they were eager to take me down to the central plaza to skate together. It was moving to share that joy with them. One of the boys, Simone, at some point said, “I’ve never met a priest that skateboards.” Back at their house, I felt compelled to tell their father that I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them had a vocation to the priesthood. Their father responded saying, “as a matter of fact, the other day, we were asking them what vocation they would like to have when they were older and Simone told us ‘but if I become a priest, I won’t be able to skate anymore,’ and see now how God has sent you to us.” At that moment I saw how God was showing me that He knows my heart through and through, and that He uses my life as an expression of His tenderness toward this family and all of you that I minister to; that in serving you as a priest, you discover God’s love for you, but I also discover the Lord’s love for me and it is in this way that the Church continues to be built up. God Bless, Fr. Gabriel