From Father Steven - January 14, 2024

Father Steven Clemence • January 12, 2024

 

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

Next week we will have the annual National March for Life in Washington DC. It is important to understand that it is not a protest, but rather a manifestation of life. This particular event is focused on the right to life of the unborn babies. However, the Pro-Life movement goes beyond an “anti-abortion” ambition. It is a matter of defending all sorts of life, from conception to natural death, including the support of those who are destitute and in need of help.

 

The March for Life began 51 years ago when the US Supreme Court ruled a constitutional right to terminate any pregnancy. Then it was up to each state to legislate this right according to their constituents’ representatives. Some states were very broad in their approval terminating pregnancies almost to the last weeks of gestation, while others were stricter allowing the procedure up to 14 weeks. The March is an opportunity to voice the right to life of the unborn. The very beginning of the Declaration of Independence states that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain UNALIENABLE RIGHTS, that among these are LIFE, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Therefore, everyone has the right to live, whether they are in the wombs, in jail, or at the end of their lives. When a person is in a tremendous hardship, whatever it may be, many times their judgment gets clouded and they desperately seek a solution for their problem. In this case, the greatest help they could receive is not to accomplish their desire, but rather to enlighten them in the best course of action in the long run. Therefore, the March raises the question if ending a pregnancy is the best course of action for both the mother and the baby. It is NEVER a matter of passing judgment on anyone. It is a matter to support those in need.

 

Usually the right to life in the womb draws more attention than the rest of the pro-life issues. However, the other issues such as assisting those in distress are also very important. Here in the parish our task force is still accessing the needs of the refugees who are being hosted in the hotels in the city. Last week we were able to purchase $1,000 in supermarket gift cards to help the families to buy food. (Their resources are quite limited). They still have more needs. As soon as we identify and have a strategy, we will ask the parish for help as well. We also provided help for the Marlboro Community Cupboard (food pantry) and Our Father’s Table in the past. These are all material needs that we can help them with. There are other needs that people have such as emotional support and more mental health needs that are more difficult to provide. Nonetheless, they are also very much needed. Another issue that is also important is the elderly. Many live in isolation, forgotten by their families, or even put aside in a nursing home. They also deserve our care and support. The week after Christmas, a group of about 30 parishioners visited a couple of elderly homes to sing to them and bring them the joy from Christmas. They were very much touched by the love that children, teenagers, and adults brought them. It took only a couple of hours of our lives, but the impact of it goes beyond any quantifiable number.

 

In front of these challenges, I would like to ask for your help in adding a small contribution to the above-mentioned problems. Surely there are many more issues than the ones we spoke about, and even these issues are much bigger than the space allows us. However, as Mother Teresa of Calcutta often said, “we cannot do great things, but small things with great love.” On Thursday, January 18th starting at 6pm, I would to INVITE YOU TO THE 24 HOUR ADORATION FOR LIFE until Friday 6pm. You can decide to whom you would like to pray. Everyone needs prayers, including the 53 pilgrims (mostly from High-School students) who will be on their way to the March for Life. Another way to support pregnant women in need will be next week when First Concern Pregnancy Resource Center from Marlboro will be doing a fundraising drive at the end of all the Masses. EVERY LIFE MATTERS! This is not a political statement, but an absolute truth. God created every person and endowed them with the sacred gift of life. Let us pray for all the brothers and sisters who are struggling in life. Let us do our part in this mission to love our neighbor.

 

God Bless,

Fr. Steven

 

From Father Steven - August 23, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • August 19, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, I hope you are enjoying your summer! I, along with some of the youth of our parish, attended the Steubenville East conference in Springfield a few weeks ago. It is a 3 day catholic conference for high school teens to encounter Christ through eucharistic adoration, the sacraments and dynamic sessions all produced by Lifeteen and Franciscan University. The conference was attended by thousands of youth from all over New England with the hope to ignite life long discipleship in our teens. We have asked one of our youth to share with you a bit of his experience. Please see the letter written by Gabriel Torres below. God Bless, Fr. Gabriel ——————————————— Hello and Happy Sunday, or whenever it is that you read this. I am Gabriel Torres and I am a part of the youth group here, at Immaculate Conception. We, the youth, Fr. Gabriel, and a handful of chaperones recently attended a life changing 3 day Steubenville conference in Springfield. And when I say life changing, I really mean it. I thought the same as you, when Cecilia, our religious education director told us about it. I wanted to go, but was kinda doubting that it could be that fun and life changing, as it is a big statement. I thought that it would just be us, listening to priests talk about Jesus, and I would have gone for that, but it turned out to be so much more. On the first day after the first talk and mini worship concert (with a mosh pit and everything), we were asked to come up with one word to describe how we felt about the conference so far. The word that I chose was Connection. And I still agree, and I think anyone that went would agree. Just feeling the connection between yourself and the Lord, and how that connection spread between each signing heart was just purely gorgeous and fulfilling. Seeing thousands of youth come together and praise the Lord was inspiring. The conference was fun with singing and dancing breaks, with people trying to be as close to the music as possible, and games that got the whole center laughing, all the way down to the serious moments when the speakers were speaking the truths of our hearts. The way that you could just raise your hands and pray to the Lord without having to worry what others might think, but instead feeling the connection to those around you and feeling how through God we were all connected, loved, and worthy, brought tears to even those of us who ‘never’ cry. There was just a rawness at this conference that I have never felt anywhere else. So, if you are a youth, teen, or know someone who might be interested in this conference, I encourage you to come next year. If you have friends that are not fully in the faith, or are Christian and not Catholic, invite them. A Christian teen that I got closer to at the conference told us on day one that he didn’t fully understand everything we did or why, but that he believed in Jesus Christ and that he wanted to follow Jesus, wherever it took him. And that was here. Thank you to all who donated to make this possible, and thank you for allowing us to experience the Lord in a new way. Thank you, and God Bless you all. Your brother in Christ, Gabriel Torres

From Father Steven - August 16, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • August 14, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, I hope you are enjoying your summer! Please see the letter below from Fr. Javier. God Bless, Fr. Steven ——————————————— Hello Brothers and Sisters, Time flies, it has already been a few months since my ordination but I feels like it was only yesterday. The ordination has been a gift and a joy. Thank you all for your support in my formation. I would like to share with you two things that have been close to my heart since my ordination to the deaconate and now the priesthood. The first is on God's Providence and the second is a particular part of the Eucharist. My diaconate ordination marked the end of my time of mission and my return for the final year in the seminary. As many of you might remember I was in mission in American Samoa, Samoa, and a short but impactful time in Saipan. During that time I experienced how God opened doors that I never even knew existed. In difficult times God always had a solution in ways that I didn't expect. In short, I experienced God's Providence and I was awe-struck. I felt that God was my Father who was providing what I needed. Looking ahead into my priesthood, I know that there will be challenging moments but I have these core memorials that serve to remind me that God provides the grace needed to carry out his will. Providence comes to you when you seek out God and his will, everything else falls into place. Now as a priest there is a particular part of the Eucharist that I really enjoy, the Holy sung during the Eucharistic Prayer. "Heaven and Earth are full of your glory". That line has stuck with me because it calls to mind all the wonders that I have seen God work in my life, the life of my family, and in the lives of others. Not only this, but the action of singing Holy, Holy, Holy during the Liturgy fulfills our heavenly calling to one day join the angels and saints in Heaven singing the perpetual praises of God. The Book of Revelations says that they never cease to sing Holy, Holy, Holy. In the Eucharist, and in this moment in particular Heaven and Earth come together. What a blessing to celebrate the Eucharist! I remember you in my prayers, please pray for me. In Christ, Fr Javier Alexis Padilla