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 - January 18, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • January 16, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This week I would like to share with you some news from our parish. We had a great year during the Jubilee, with many wonderful events. There are also some updates on other things that are happening that people may not be aware of. Lastly, we have a few upcoming events that I would like to bring to your attention. In the past fiscal year (July 2024–June 2025), many people accepted the grace of receiving the sacraments. We had 65 baptisms, 95 confirmations, and 82 First Communions. Some of these were received by adults, others by teenagers, and most by children. We also had 29 couples married during this time. Another statistic worth noting is the number of funerals celebrated. We honored the lives of 76 brothers and sisters who were called home to the Lord. Looking back on the year 2025 as a whole, there were many beautiful moments in our parish life. A few are worth highlighting. In January, we took 56 pilgrims to the March for Life, and we will be doing so again this week. We were also blessed to be designated a Jubilee Pilgrimage Site for the Jubilee Year. After forming four planning groups, we began offering Adoration and Confessions Monday through Friday from 6:00–7:00 p.m. Countless people experienced the mercy of God during this time. We also offered talks three times a week—one in each language—with excellent speakers covering a wide variety of themes. Throughout the year, we hosted 11 retreats and welcomed special guests for various events, including Immaculée Ilibagiza and Sean Forrest. We also held our annual Corpus Christi procession and Parish Festival, both of which were very well attended. We began a bereavement ministry and launched a new parish group, Friends in Faith. In addition, we enjoyed several social events, such as fish fries, bingo, Spanish Family Night, and other dinners. We conducted a parish-wide 33 Days Consecration to Mary and celebrated the Marian feasts of Our Lady of the Rosary, Our Lady of Aparecida, the Immaculate Conception, and Our Lady of Guadalupe. This last celebration marked the first visit of our Archbishop, Richard Henning. This is a very brief summary of the 45 events we held in 2025. Looking ahead, we will have 24-hour Adoration this Sunday, taking advantage of the holiday. (If you are able, please sign up online so we can ensure all hours are covered.) Then, on Thursday, 55 youth will travel on pilgrimage to Washington, D.C., to participate in the March for Life. On the weekend of January 31–February 1, Sister Lisa, MSC, will be with us for the Mission Appeal. On February 15, after the 11:00 a.m. Mass, we will hold the annual Anointing of the Sick in observance of the World Day of the Sick. As noted on our cover page, we will host a couples’ retreat on February 21. This will be a wonderful opportunity for couples to rekindle their love for one another. Lent will begin on February 18 with Ash Wednesday. Finally, on February 28, Sister Olga will visit the parish to give two talks: one for women and young ladies on vocation, and another open to the public (topic to be determined). One more novelty, we are very happy to introduce you to Ms. Gabriella Lindhurst as our new Music Director. She got her music degrees from Assumption College (Bachelor) and Notre Dame (Masters). She comes from Southborough and has sang and performed in many different places for the past 10 years. Please make sure to welcome her as you see her this weekend.  There are many other things happening in our parish, but I wanted to share just some of them with you. These events are inspired by the Holy Spirit to fill us with grace and bring us closer to Jesus. I understand that some events may feel challenging or even intimidating, but I encourage you to ask yourself, “Is God calling me to attend this?” If you have any questions or need clarification, please feel free to contact the parish office. As John the Baptist pointed Jesus out to those around him, so do we. Hopefully, one day we can all say, “Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.” God Bless, Fr. Steven

From Father Steven - January 11, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • January 9, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This weekend we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which brings the Christmas season to its conclusion. On Monday, we enter Ordinary Time. On this occasion, I would like to reflect with you on the meaning and importance of Baptism. In our baptism preparation classes, I often ask parents a simple question: What is Baptism? I invite you to ask yourself the same question. After a long silence, words usually begin to surface—original sin, the Holy Spirit, entering the Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church offers a beautiful definition in paragraph 1213: “Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit… the sacrament of regeneration through water and the word.” Through Baptism, God forgives original sin, gives us new life in the Holy Spirit, incorporates us into Christ and His Church, regenerates us, and makes us His adopted children, sharers in His divine nature. Practically speaking, as St. Paul teaches, the old person dies in the waters of Baptism, and a new person rises—conformed to Christ, filled with grace, and called to live in His likeness.  However, Baptism is not a magical ritual. It is not simply a matter of “going through the motions” and then moving on with life. The graces we receive must be nurtured in order to grow. The divine life within us is like having a Ferrari parked in the garage but never taking it out for a drive. It is something so extraordinary that, in the early Church, people were willing to die simply to receive Baptism. To share in the life of Christ makes us capable of loving as He loved, forgiving as He forgave, trusting in the Father, and hoping beyond all hope. In the early Church, Baptism was preceded by a long period of formation called the Catechumenate, during which people learned how to live as disciples of Christ. Today, especially with infant Baptism, the Church reminds us that this formation must continue after the sacrament is received. The Catechism (no. 1231) speaks of the need for a post-baptismal catechumenate—a lifelong formation in faith. It is not enough simply to receive the sacraments; we must allow them to shape our lives. While our parish strives to offer solid faith formation for our children, this formation often ends with Confirmation. But our faith journey cannot stop there. We all need ongoing formation. Here at our parish, we offer opportunities for adult faith formation through talks and through the itinerary of faith of the Neocatechumenal Way. The Church also provides godparents at Baptism, who are called to be guarantors and witnesses of the faith for the child. This is why the Church is rightly serious about the requirements for godparents. They must have received all the sacraments of initiation and strive to live a sacramental life—attending Mass regularly, receiving the sacraments, and living according to the teachings of Christ and His Church. Godparents are meant to be role models and guides in the Christian life. If they do not walk this path themselves, they cannot effectively guide their godchildren in faith. Finally, this leads to the most important question: How do we live our Baptism? Do we act and live as children of God? Do we truly believe that we have a loving Father who provides for us; a Savior who died to forgive our sins and give us new life; a Holy Spirit who guides us and reminds us of all that Jesus taught; a Church who is our Mother, guiding us on our journey; the communion of saints; that all sins can be forgiven when we desire to sin no longer; the resurrection of the body; and heaven? It is never too late to begin again. We are not called to follow the values of our culture, but the values of Christ. The commandments and the Gospel have not changed—why should our faith change? Perhaps this new year is the moment for a fresh start. That divine nature we received at Baptism—like a powerful Ferrari ready to be driven—is waiting to lead us along the path of God. It is never too late. Let us take advantage of this new beginning and start again, living our lives as they were meant to be lived. God Bless, Fr. Steven