From Father Steven - January 21, 2024

Father Steven Clemence • January 19, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

As you may know, we as a parish collaborate closely with two pregnancy help centers, Birthright and First Concern. This weekend we will be having a fundraiser drive for First Concern to help them in their mission to assist women in need. I have asked Megan Paradis, the Executive Director of First Concern, to write a letter to be shared with the parish.

 

God Bless,

Fr. Steven

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This weekend we commemorate Sanctity of Human Life Sunday-a day we set aside every year to focus on the value of every human life. It is estimated that 64 million abortions have been performed in the United States since 1973. The theme for the 51st Annual March for Life is “With Every Woman, For Every Child”, and honors the work of pregnancy centers and maternity homes, focusing on the need to care for mother and child during the nine months of pregnancy and in the years after.

At First Concern PRC we show women that even if the world is telling her it’s too hard to have her baby, we will walk this journey with her. When a woman has decided to carry her child, we continue to offer pregnancy and parenting education, material help she may need, and emotional support. When people look at what First Concern is, we hope that you see our commitment to “Love them both”. We have revised our mission statement to reflect both the women we help, and the children they carry.  Affirming the humanity and life of the preborn child, we empower women and men facing unplanned pregnancies to choose alternatives to abortion by offering education, life skills, compassion and hope.

 

Two years ago, Immaculate Conception generously raised the needed funds for the ultrasound machine at First Concern. I spoke of the lives we hoped to save and the women we hoped to help. As we look back at 2023, the first year we offered ultrasound confirmation services with your partnership, we see God’s hand in all things. We served 56 women with ultrasound, and your support directly saved 23 little lives. Women who are considering abortion are finding us and through compassionate care coupled with ultrasound are choosing life!

 

What we have found since partnering with the medical office is that we are meeting women who have complicated lives, and they have been told that abortion is the solution to a whole host of problems. The nurses and our advocates have worked with women who are homeless, women in abusive relationships, in poverty, or addicted to substances. So often we hear that women with these hardships need access to abortion- we have a had a year with examples where women needed compassionate support to get out of these circumstances AND choose their child. One woman from Guatemala found us when she was already in her 3rd trimester, homeless with a young daughter in tow. She hadn’t had any prenatal care; she didn’t even know her due date. Ultrasound confirmed that she was almost 34 weeks along! We worked quickly to find her shelter, medical care, and community resources. Eventually she and her daughter moved into a maternity home, welcomed a baby boy, and are thriving. August 2023 was our most impactful month yet. We had the privilege of walking with five women who reached out for help as either abortion minded, or undecided about their pregnancies. Our incredible staff educated them on their options, the support they would find on their parenting journey, and provided them with ultrasounds in the medical office. All five of these brave moms chose life for their babies and are grateful for the compassionate support they found inside our doors. Rejoice with us over all these new families, but especially a young woman who pushed back against fear, was referred to safe shelter, and welcomed her twin boys this fall! Your support helped reach these women and empowered them to choose their babies, and we could not be more thankful. Some women visit our centers once, while other women return for weekly support. Through parenting groups, education, and community support, we touched the lives of almost 200 women.

 

This weekend you can help support the life-saving work of First Concern. We have an Amazon wish list with needed baby items for the boutique. Every month we give out up to 5 car seats, several bassinets, dozens of packages of diapers, formula, and many other necessities for babies & toddlers, completely free of charge. We depend on partners to donate these new items, so now it’s even easier to buy through your amazon account and have the items shipped right to us. Another way to support the mission is to give a financial contribution today so that we can change the trajectory of someone’s life tomorrow. The link to donate can be found at firstconcernfriends.org, and there will also be a collection of funds at each mass. Your generous gifts will provide: $2,500 - all the services necessary for 1 woman; $1,250 - ultrasound confirmation services for 1 week; $750 - utilities for 1 month; $500 - google advertising for 1 month; $150 - Brightcourse Education for 1 month. We have been blessed by your care of First Concern through your donations, time, and talents. Thank you!

 

With you, for LIFE,

Megan Paradis, Executive Director

 

From Father Steven - June 21, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • June 18, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, I hope you are enjoying this beautiful start of summer! Please see the letter below from Gabriella Lindhurst, our Director of Music. Happy Father’s Day!! God Bless, Fr. Steven —————————————————————————————— My name is Gabriella Lindhurst, and I am the Music Director at Immaculate Conception Parish. As many of you know, I began serving in this role in January, and my experience here has been wonderful. Everyone has been incredibly welcoming, and I am grateful for the kindness and support I have received from parishioners, staff members, cantors, and volunteers. Over the past several months, I have enjoyed getting to know many members of our parish community, and I look forward to meeting many more in the months and years ahead. I am originally from Southborough, Massachusetts, and much of my love for sacred music grew out of my involvement in my home parish. As a child, I served as an altar server, learned to play the organ there, and eventually began accompanying Masses as an organist and serving as a cantor. Throughout my school years, I also sang in school and church choirs. Looking back, these experiences helped shape both my faith and my vocation as a church musician, and they continue to influence the way I approach music ministry today. Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. What began as a childhood interest gradually became a vocation and a ministry. Along the way, I pursued studies in music and sacred music at Assumption University and the University of Notre Dame, but some of my most meaningful lessons have come through serving the Church and helping others encounter God through prayer and music. That is what continues to inspire me in my work as Music Director today. If you regularly attend one of our English Masses, you have likely seen me at the organ or piano. One of the great joys of my position is helping to lead the congregation in song each week. I have enjoyed getting to know the different communities that make up our parish through the Masses, as well as through my work with the children who attended CCD this year. I am continually inspired by the voices of parishioners who join together in worship, and I believe that sacred music plays an important role in helping us pray and participate more fully in the liturgy. One of the things that has impressed me most about Immaculate Conception Parish is the strong sense of community that exists here. Whether through worship, faith formation, service, or fellowship, so many people generously share their gifts for the good of the parish. Music ministry is one of the many ways that people can become involved, build friendships, and deepen their faith while serving others. Over the past several months, I have become increasingly excited about the future of music ministry at our parish. One of my goals for this fall is to reestablish the Adult Choir. I have heard many wonderful things about the former choir, and I look forward to bringing this ministry back. Rehearsals will be held on Thursdays beginning at 6:00pm, and the choir will primarily sing at the Saturday 4:00pm Mass, as well as for special liturgies throughout the year. Our first rehearsal will be on Thursday, September 3rd. The Adult Choir is open to anyone who enjoys singing and would like to share their time and talent in service of the liturgy. If you have ever considered joining a choir, I warmly encourage you to come to a rehearsal and give it a try or reach out for more information. Choir membership is a wonderful opportunity to serve the parish, grow in friendship with fellow parishioners, and participate more deeply in the liturgy. I am also excited to begin a new Children’s Choir this fall that will be separate from CCD. All children ages 7 and up are welcome. Rehearsals will be held on Thursdays from 4:30pm–5:30pm, and the choir will sing once each month at the 11:00am Mass. Our first rehearsal will be on Thursday, September 10th. The Children’s Choir will help young people develop musical skills, build confidence, and learn about the important role music plays in our Catholic faith. Most importantly, it will give them another opportunity to become active participants in the life of the parish while sharing their gifts with our community. If you are interested or have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at gabriella5110@gmail.com, I would be happy to speak with you. As we prepare for the fall, I ask for your prayers for all of our music ministries. Please also consider whether God may be calling you, your children, or another member of your family to become involved. Whether as a choir member, cantor, instrumentalist, or simply as a member of the congregation singing with enthusiasm, every voice contributes to the prayer of our parish community. Thank you again for the warm welcome you have shown me over these past several months. I am grateful to be part of Immaculate Conception Parish, and I look forward to continuing to grow with all of you in faith, fellowship, and song.  God Bless, Gabriella

From Father Steven- June 14, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • June 12, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Every priest is called to be a man of prayer. Through ordination, we are united to Christ and configured to Him in a unique way. Therefore, when a priest prays, he not only pursues his own sanctification but also deepens his union with Jesus. Whether celebrating Mass publicly or privately, praying the Rosary, or offering short prayers throughout the day, St. Paul’s exhortation to “pray without ceasing” provides the foundation for all that we do. We all live in a world full of demands and expectations. What Frank Sinatra once called New York—the “city that never sleeps”—has, in many ways, become a description of life everywhere. There is so much happening in our lives that we can easily become like Martha in the Gospel. Some parents spend countless hours driving their children to activities and sporting events. Others have demanding jobs that consume most of their time. Still others are occupied with maintaining a household or caring for a sick loved one. Yet when do we become like Mary, who chose to sit beside Jesus and listen to Him? Martha was not doing anything wrong. On the contrary, hospitality was considered a sacred duty in her time. Nevertheless, Jesus reminds us that there is something even more important than all our responsibilities: to be with Him. When we pray, we draw close to Jesus. Suddenly, our burdens seem lighter, we become less irritable, and challenges that once felt overwhelming become manageable. Prayer is not simply a matter of reciting a few Our Fathers or Hail Marys; it is about spending time with Jesus. Next week, Fr. Gabriel and I will be away on retreat for a couple of weeks to spend time with the Lord. Although we maintain our daily prayer routines, there are moments when we need to “retreat” from the world and the busyness of parish life in order to rest our hearts and renew our souls. Fr. Fernando, who was ordained in Warsaw and is currently serving on mission in Ireland, will arrive on Friday to assist Fr. Victor in caring for the parish during our absence. We ask you to keep us in your prayers, just as we continually pray for you. I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage all of us to participate more actively in spiritual activities. Whether it is joining the Cenacle Group, which meets on Mondays from 6:00–7:00 p.m. in the lower church, attending Eucharistic Adoration at least once a week, or reading a spiritual book during the summer, each of these practices can help us grow closer to Christ. In the coming months, we are planning additional opportunities to deepen our relationship with Him through retreats, talks, and other parish events. The good news is that we do not need to wait until the end of summer. In just two weeks, we will have a beautiful opportunity right here in Boston to encounter Jesus in a special way. In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage carries the theme “One Nation Under God.” This is not merely a slogan—it is an invitation to realign our lives, our communities, and our country under the sovereignty of Christ. It is a call to foster unity through prayer and to allow Jesus, truly present in the Eucharist, to renew and heal the heart of our nation, one soul at a time. As pilgrims on this route, we walk with Christ so that His love may draw our nation back to Him. The Archbishop has invited all the faithful to participate in the Eucharistic procession on Saturday, June 27 , beginning at Boston Common. We will follow the Freedom Trail and conclude at the Bunker Hill Monument. A bus will depart from the parish at 8:00 a.m. , and we expect to return by approximately 3:00 p.m. You can reserve your seat for $15 either online using the QR code below or by calling the parish office. Although I will not be present, I hope our parish will be well represented. This pilgrimage offers a wonderful opportunity to step away from the distractions of daily life and spend time with Jesus. Through our presence, we can also invite others to follow Him, just as the Apostles did. God Bless, Fr. Steven