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 - November 30, 2025

By Father Steven Clemence • November 26, 2025
Dear Brothers & Sisters, I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving with your loved ones! Please see the letter below from Fr. Victor about Advent. God Bless, Fr. Steven —————————————————————————————————- Growing up I have always associated ADVENT with Christmas with all the Christmas carols, food, gifts and family reunions. It was much later that I understood that Advent is the month-long preparation for that much awaited day. If we have 4 seasons throughout the year: winter, spring, summer & fall; the Church has 6: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Paschal Triduum, Easter and the Ordinary time. And Advent is the first season that ushers the first day of the Church’s liturgical year. It is like New Year, like January 1. Advent comes from the Latin word, adventus, meaning coming or arrival. A Father of the Church speaks of Jesus’ three comings. First, we all know that Jesus Christ was born more than two thousand years ago in that town called Bethlehem. Second, when he ascended to his Father, he promised to remain with us always, but will come again at the end of time. As to when, we do not know. That is why, he tells us: 'be vigilant and ready anytime as he may come at a time and hour we do not expect.’ That is why, advent fills us with so much hope and expectation. Finally, there is also his third coming. The first one was in the past. The second will happen in the future, but his third coming is today, in the daily events of our life. The book of Revelation presents this very well. ‘He is outside, knocking at the door of our heart, if we let him in, he will come and dine with us.’ What a gift, to be graced by the presence of our Lord. This year 2025, Advent coincides with the feast day of St. Andrew, November 30. Each week has its theme: the anticipation of Christ’s second coming - the first week; then John the Baptist tells us “prepare the way of the Lord.” on the second Sunday; then we switch to a joyful note, the Gaudete Sunday for the Lord is to come; and the fourth Sunday, Mary & Joseph leading us up to the nativity. The date when Advent was first observed is hard to determine as this evolved over time in several places. In its earliest form however, it may be traced back to the church in France in the 4th century. It was a time of preparation for the Feast of the Epiphany when converts were baptized. In the 5th century it was officially introduced into the church calendar. But its character was similar to Lent but later became more joyful in anticipation for the birth of Christ. The Advent we know today began in Rome. Pope Gregory I in the late 6 th and early 7th century, composed many prayers, psalms, and themes. And by the 10th century the season of Advent included 4 Sundays & weekdays leading to Christmas as we have today. Like Lent, Advent has some elements of penance in preparing, quieting and disciplining our minds & hearts for the full joy of Christmas. Its liturgical color is purple, except on Gaudete, meaning “rejoice” Sunday, where the priest may wear the rose color vestment. The late Pope Francis reminds us: “Advent is a journey towards Bethlehem,” and that memory directs us with eager longing for the second coming of Christ at the end of time.” Advent comes at the dark[est] time of the year, when the day is short and night is at its longest. Yet it is during this time when Jesus Christ, the true light comes to cast away our darkness. Truly advent is a hopeful season that keeps pointing towards the eternal light that shines in the ‘night of our life’ to show us our way back home to the Father. God Bless, Fr. Victor

From Father Steven - November 23, 2025

By Father Steven Clemence • November 21, 2025
Dear Brothers & Sisters, This week we have the opportunity to gather around our loved ones to give thanks! Eukariston in Greek… if it sounds familiar, it is because the Eucharist—Mass—is a great thanksgiving! I’m sorry for the turkey and stuffing lovers… but the Lamb of God is the one who truly satisfies us! However, how often are we grateful to God and to our loved ones? How often do we stop to give sincere thanks for all their hard work? How often do we return their goodness to us? Unfortunately, not enough… so let’s change that script. Let’s take this opportunity to voice our inner gratitude to those around us and to Jesus! Even though there can be some tension when getting everyone together under the same roof, let’s not forget what we are doing and why we are doing it. There is nothing better than to love… even when that love is not returned! The following day is known as Black Friday—deep discounts and great sales everywhere. In the past, people lined up in front of stores in the middle of the night. Now stores begin their sales almost a week before Friday. Online retailers have also kept people from waking up in the middle of the night. Here in the parish, this Friday there will be a great opportunity to score wonderful deals… and we won’t need to wake up so early! Starting at 8:00 a.m., we will have another 24-hour adoration. We thought that these days would be perfect to give people the opportunity to come and give thanks to God as well. He has been so good to us! How could we not return His infinite love through finite means? As we come together on Thursday and acknowledge what our loved ones have done for us, let us also do the same for God. I invite all of you to come and take a moment to think and contemplate all the good things God has done for us throughout our lives. Instead of having Black Friday, we shall introduce Adoration Friday! Next week will be First Friday, and I invite you to learn more about it—how the Sacred Heart of Jesus manifests itself on the First Friday of each month. As we know Friday to be a penitential day for the Church, it is also a day full of graces for those who do not miss out! I would like to take this opportunity to give you some updates regarding upcoming events. Archbishop Richard Henning has asked all the parishes in the Archdiocese to pray a Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe in preparation for the upcoming 500th anniversary of her apparition to St. Juan Diego. He will be visiting parishes and presiding at this very important moment for us. We will begin the novena on Thursday, December 4th, at 7:00 p.m. It will be trilingual so that the whole parish can participate. Each day, different parish groups will be responsible for leading the novena. We will conclude it with Mass on December 12th, with the presence of our shepherd, Archbishop Henning! It will be very important for him to meet part of his flock. It will also be a great moment for our parish to welcome him into our spiritual home! We are still planning it. We also decided that, in this Jubilee Year, we will have a Christmas Concert on December 21st at 3:00 p.m. All the parish choirs will come together to sing Christmas carols. We are very excited to gather everyone once again! I mentioned before, but I remind you again, that we also have our parish feast in the middle of all this. The Immaculate Conception will be celebrated on Monday, December 8th. We will have the regular holy day of obligation schedule 07:30 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. as well as our traditional trilingual Mass at 7:00 p.m. We will pray the novena before Mass, and then proceed with the celebration. There are many good things coming up… and many more that we cannot imagine! Let us give thanks, for God’s love is everlasting (Ps. 136). God Bless, Fr. Steven