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From Father Steven - February 2, 2025

Father Steven Clemence • January 31, 2025

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

Please see the letter below from Father Gabriel.

 

God Bless,

Fr. Steven

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Hello Parishioners, 


Last week I had the opportunity to accompany 49 youth from our parish to the March for life in Washington D.C. While making our way down, we visited the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia where the remains of Saint Katherine Drexel are kept. There was a particular instance in her life that stood out to me. Once, while visiting St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, she was enchanted by a painting of the Virgin Mary. While kneeling in reverence to the image, she suddenly had this sense that Our Lady was speaking to her, inaudibly she received the message: “Freely give to others what you have received.” It resonated with me, because my initial calling shares something similar, I had an experience of an inaudible voice that compelled me to leave everything behind to follow Christ, and though I did not hear a thing, this voice was more compelling than any physical voice, it cried out to me in my innermost being. 


Reflecting on Mother Drexel’s call, my own, and all of this in the context of the March for life led me to remember how the Lord, slowly but surely, softened my heart to heed this call which I initially ran away from. I began to remember my formators at the seminary preaching that there were many people that the Lord had appointed for us to reach in due time. Those words frustrated me then, I felt pinned between a rock and a hard place, wanting to leave behind the seminary, but knowing that if I did I’d be lying to myself. Nevertheless, this last pilgrimage made it apparent that in the youth that we took to the March, I was with those very people that my formators once spoke of. But far from frustrating me now, it was with great joy that I accompanied them. I was elated to see how they were moved by the experience, from the life of Mother Drexel, to the time in confession and Adoration, to the March itself. It was all impactful one way or another, and the Lord allowed me to be an instrument to bring this joy to these youth.


This experience brought me even deeper, because I also remembered that much of my resistance towards the vocation sprouted from my unmet desire to have a family of my own. I had felt that the Lord cheated me out of that life by sticking me with a vocation to the priesthood. However, on the pilgrimage to the March for Life, by ministering to these youth who received so much joy, I witnessed for myself the realness of spiritual fatherhood, and the fruitfulness of a celibate life, which is no less fruitful than that of married life. It brought me to see openness to life is not just a matter for those with a vocation to marriage, because when I was resisting and saying no to the Lord’s will before, I was saying no to the gift of life that would come in the form of those spiritual children that the Lord desired to entrust to me. I was refusing to lead these youth to happiness. This realization to some degree is painful, but also encouraging, because by seeing the abundance of grace that has come forth from trusting the Lord a little, it readies me to be less resistant and more eager to do His will in the future, even when I may not understand it.

 

God Bless,

Fr. Gabriel

 

From Father Steven - February 23, 2025

By Father Steven Clemence • February 21, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This week’s readings urge us to love our neighbors. It is certainly not easy, but not impossible either. Let us reflect on what God is asking us and how we can do it. The greatest and most important tenet of our faith, and the first commandment is to love God and Him alone. The other day someone came to my office asking how we can love God. There are many ways to love God, talking to Him, listening to what He has to tell us, and putting into practice what He revealed to us. Another way we have to love God is to love everything that he created and to love Him in other people. Sometimes we don’t see God in other people. We forget that every single person was created in His image and likeness. Therefore, God can be seen in each person. Surely if we look at a person’s actions, we might not see God. However, He is present in that person in one way or another. Then, it flows from there what Christ will tell us what the other commandment is, “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mt22:39) One important observation is that these are not merely laws or suggestions which we can follow or break. The Jews see the 10 commandments as the “words of Life.” That is, these are the words that give us (eternal) life. Sometimes we understand only the legality of the law. We don’t understand the spirit through which it was passed onto us. A father does not have to create a law for his children saying that it is wrong to stick the finger into a power outlet. He teaches his children that it will hurt them if they do that. God in his pedagogy with the people of Israel and by extension with ourselves, he also teaches us what to do and what to avoid. These teachings that are meant to help lead us to heaven are handed down to us through the optic of the legal/judiciary mentality of the Roman Law. It is no longer a matter of doing the will of God or following the path to holiness, but rather to follow the dictate of the law. Returning to the original topic of our reflection, we can now read that through a different way. The love of the other person, it is no longer a matter of personal preference, but rather, it is a path to salvation. It is interesting to observe that Christ will say to “love” one another. He never said that we have to like other people. Then he adds on, love “as I have loved you.” (Jn 13:34). Here we qualify what kind of love we are to give, that is, the same that we have received. Then the moment that we understand that by loving each other is the path to salvation, why should we not do it? What could prevent us from loving the other? Of course, to love the people that love us is easy, and to love the ones that are good to us is also natural. However, what about loving the people that persecute, hurt, and despise us? Let us look at St. Stephen while he is being stoned, or St Paul as he writes to the persecuted Christian community of Rome “bless those who persecute you.” (12:14). There are so many other testimonies of countless Christians that showed love to their executioners. Then, again, why should we not follow their example? One may add that he does not have the graces or he is not a saint like them, which is a valid response. I insist on asking the same question, what prevents us from being like them? We were all created in the same image and likeness of God. We all received the same Holy Spirit. We all received the same blessings through the sacraments. In this Jubilee year, God wants to give many special graces. These graces are all means to help us to go to heaven by putting into practice that which God has called us. That is why we will be doing many activities this year to help flourish the graces in us and reject sin and the disordered desire for worldly things. I would even dare to say that God allows difficult people in our lives as a way to help us, not the contrary. In the life of St. Therese of Lisieux, we learn how challenging her mother superior was and how providential she was to make her a saint. Then, starting in Lent, we invite you to come to adoration and take advantage of the sacrament of confession Monday, Wednesday, Friday in English, Tuesday in Spanish, Thursday in Portuguese (Monday to Friday 6-7pm). We are also preparing talks every week where everyone is welcome to attend. God Bless, Fr. Steven

From Father Steven - February 16, 2025

By 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
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