From Father Steven - February 16, 2025

Father Steven Clemence • February 14, 2025


Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

I hope these recent bulletins have helped you look forward to this Jubilee Year. Many exciting events are coming up to help us receive the special graces that this year offers.

 

Before diving into what we, as a parish, have planned, I would like to make one final observation. The Church has restored the Jubilee to help us receive the graces necessary for our sanctification. However, these graces are not given magically - they require a disposition of heart, an openness to receive them, and a willingness to put them into action. These special graces are meant to help us grow in the divine nature we received at baptism and continue to nourish through the sacraments. But as the challenges of the spiritual life increase, so does our soul’s need for strength and renewal. Indulgences and the other spiritual opportunities we will have this year serve as a means to detach ourselves from worldly distractions and remove what hinders our full communion with God and one another. In a way, they are like spiritual supplements that help our souls function properly and bear the fruits that God has planted in us - the fruits of the Spirit.

 

As Archbishop Henning has chosen our parish to be a pilgrimage site, we will have both regional and parish-level events. I have been asked to help guide parishioners in their desire to draw closer to the Lord and to provide meaningful opportunities to satisfy that longing.

 

As a parish, we will launch the Jubilee Year with a trilingual Mass on March 1st at 4:00 PM, followed by a brief time of adoration and a fellowship gathering with appetizers.

 

As we enter Lent the following week, starting March 10th, we will begin offering daily adoration from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM (in addition to our morning adoration from 6:30 AM to 7:30 AM). Confessions will be available during adoration. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in English, Tuesdays in Spanish and Thursdays in Portuguese. Note: This will be our new confession times and will replace the Tuesday, 5:00pm - 6:00pm confession for the time being.

 

Additionally, we will have a weekly talk every Wednesday after adoration on various topics. These talks will be led by different members of our parish and the archdiocese. Spanish talks will be held on Tuesdays, and Portuguese talks on Thursdays. The goal is to encourage participation, rekindle our faith, and deepen our spiritual lives.

 

We have three committees - one for each language - working on more events, including a Parish Recollection Day and retreats. We will have a 24Hr Adoration at the end of March. We are also exploring the possibility of organizing a local pilgrimage later in the year.

 

To foster fellowship and strengthen our community, we are planning a trilingual bingo night on March 22nd. While some details are still being finalized, we encourage you to save the date! We also hope to host two Fish Fry events during Lent, with dates to be announced soon.

 

Brothers and sisters, all of these efforts are meant to draw us closer to Christ. They help us recognize our deep thirst for His love, and by satisfying that thirst, we can share it with others, no matter who they are. We are all called to spread God’s love and fulfill the mission Christ gave us: “Go and make disciples of all nations!”

 

Let us take advantage of the opportunities before us and make the most of them! I also invite you to pray for these initiatives, that they may bring many people back to the Lord and reignite His fire in our hearts.

 

God Bless,

Fr. Steven

 


From Father Steven - October 25, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • October 23, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, How fitting is the Gospel we have this weekend as we welcome the Marlboro Fire Department for Firefighter Sunday! As we continue our observance of Respect Life Month, it is important to remember that we are called to respect not only the vulnerable and those in need, but every single person. Throughout the years that I have served as chaplain of the fire department, I have always been impressed by their kindness and willingness to serve all those in need. Certain calls, such as house fires, accidents, and dire medical emergencies, make it easy to understand why they rush to the truck and are ready to rescue the victims. However, I have also seen them give their best in response to other calls, whether to help someone in a nursing home, provide lift assistance, or respond to a residential lockout, regardless of the time of day or the weather. They don't rescue cats from trees anymore, but if there were a call for such a need, I am sure they would be there. Now it is time for us to reflect on how often we respond to the call to help someone and what our attitude is when we do so. The call we have received is not simply to perform a task, but to do it out of love. We can help someone with kindness or do so begrudgingly, like teenagers taking out the trash. The Gospel this weekend is a call to love God and our neighbor. The call to love God is to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. The call to love our neighbor is to love our neighbor as ourselves. No one treats himself or herself with contempt, rolls their eyes at their own needs, or remains indifferent to them. Therefore, we are called to follow the example of the men and women who serve in our fire department as we fulfill our Christian call to love. Sometimes, love means responding to an ordinary need, even when it is inconvenient. To respect life is to respect the other person, regardless of their color, race, religion, or sex. God does not treat us as we deserve, nor is His love based on our merits. Rather, God has loved us with a love beyond all telling, even when we have misbehaved, been disobedient, or disregarded Him. In another passage of the Gospel of John, Christ commands us to love one another as He has loved us (Jn 13:34). To show us that this call is not impossible, next week we shall celebrate All Saints' Day! Since it falls on a Sunday this year, all the weekend Masses will celebrate this solemnity. The saints were not superheroes, nor were they special beings. They were ordinary people like you and me. I am sure that some of them had difficult personalities, some had a rough past, and others did not always walk a straight line. However, they all loved! They allowed God's grace to transform their lives and learned to love as Christ loved. In the Gospel, Jesus concludes that the whole law depends on loving God and our neighbor. Everything else is secondary. The moment we choose to act out of love, God will give us the necessary graces to bring that action to completion. Lastly, as we do every year, we invite all the children (and I would invite the adults as well!) to dress up as a saint for the 11 a.m. Mass. We shall have the procession of the saints during Mass. It will be both a fun moment and a special devotion to our favorite saints. I am sure this devotion will go a long way in helping us when we need their intercession. For All Souls' Day we shall have a trilingual mass at 6:00pm in addition to the regular 7:30am mass. We will honor all the deceased of the parish of this past year, and all of those you would like to include in the book located in front of the St. Joseph statue (on the right side altar). Please join me as we honor, acknowledge, and pray for our firefighters, asking God to always give them courage, protect them, and bless them and their families. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE! God Bless, Fr. Steven

From Father Steven - October 18, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • October 16, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This week, we continue our observance of Respect Life Month in October. This weekend, I would like to share with you the importance of caring for the sick and the dying. Facing an illness can be very difficult and full of fear. It does not have to be a life-threatening illness; even a simple medical exam that detects some levels that are too high or too low can already cause anxiety. That is why caring for the sick is so important, all the more so when there is a serious illness. Last week, I injured my wrist while playing soccer and found myself in the emergency room. Many things were going through my head as I contemplated the possibility of having a broken bone. I have broken many bones before, and it was never much of a big deal. However, this time, there was the possibility of surgery. Additionally, having my arm immobilized would make life very difficult. I cannot imagine what goes through the head of someone having open-heart surgery, a hip replacement, or some other more serious intervention. In light of the difficulties we can experience with our health, we are always invited to lean on the Lord. He is our strength and our consolation. For those facing a serious illness, especially when there is a risk to life, Christ has given us a special sacrament, namely, the Anointing of the Sick. It is meant to help the sick live through their illness with faith, sustained by the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, the sacrament has become known as the Last Rites or Extreme Unction. As a result, many people are afraid of receiving it, thinking that it means they are going to die. However, as its name indicates, the Anointing of the Sick is a sacrament for the sick, not only for those who are dying. It is best received when the person is still conscious and alert and can receive the sacrament with faith and devotion. Therefore, we encourage anyone who has a serious illness, or who knows someone who is seriously ill, to ask for this sacrament. Please do not wait until someone is at the point of death to call a priest. If you or a loved one is facing a serious illness or a significant decline in health, contact the parish office (or the local parish) so that we can offer the sacraments and spiritual support when they are needed. Moreover, in danger of death the Church mandates in Canon Law that the sick should be receiving Holy Communion more frequently while danger lasts. The strength of the Body of Christ can help the person remain strong in faith and trust in God. The Eucharist is also food for the journey home to the Father. Prayer for the sick is also very important. We earnestly ask that if you ever become sick or are admitted to the hospital, please call the parish office and let us know. An important part of our ministry is to pray for all of you, which we do daily before the Blessed Sacrament. However, it is especially meaningful when we can pray for a specific intention and a particular person. Although our resources are limited, the parish also has some ways to help those who are sick. Along with prayer, caring for the sick is very important, not only medically but also emotionally. We have all been sick before, and we know how frustrating and lonely it can be. It is easy to become sad when we feel weak, isolated, or dependent on others. A phone call, a flower, or some other gesture of kindness can go a long way in caring for the sick. I am always impressed by how gentle nurses can be with their patients. They understand that the way they treat and interact with a patient is one of the most important elements of care. We should do the same with those we know who are sick. Caring for the sick is not always about ending or removing their pain. Sometimes, it is about giving them the strength and love they need to carry their cross and follow in the footsteps of Christ on Calvary. By dying with Christ, they can also hope to rise with Him, as St. Paul teaches us. Finally, I would like to offer you a challenge for this week: reach out to someone who is sick, whatever the illness may be, and try to make a simple gesture of love toward that person. It does not have to be anything extraordinary. Sometimes, a small act of kindness can make a tremendous difference. Additionally, we must remember the caregivers. At times, caring for someone who is sick can be very difficult, demanding, and even overwhelming. Let us pray for them as well, reassure them that what they do is important, and let them know that they are not alone. As for my wrist, it should take six to eight weeks to heal. Hopefully, I will not need surgery! Your prayers are always welcome, as it is very difficult to keep up with the rhythm of parish life with only one hand. God Bless, Fr. Steven