From Father Steven - July 21, 2024

Father Steven Clemence • July 19, 2024

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

 

There is a lot going on the parish. Much more than what we can share at times. Today I asked Jackie Chung to speak about her calling and the new mission that she is about to start. Please keep her in your prayers and all the youth who are searching for their call. 

God Bless, Fr Steven

 

Dear Parishioners,

 

My name is Jacqueline (Jackie) Chung. I'm from Shrewsbury, MA, and Immaculate Conception is my home parish. It is here that I've received all of my Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation)! I am a regular at the 4:00pm Saturday Vigil Mass along with my parents- we usually sit in the front, left side of the Church. I have just graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in Civil Engineering. My time at UMass was incredibly formative and I encountered Jesus in very real ways.

 

Going into my freshman year, I was committed to receiving the Sacraments, but my “why” was not strong. As an underclassman, everyone tells you to “get involved,” and “keep yourself busy.” I took this to heart and decided to sign up for some clubs and find ways to fill my schedule. Thanks be to God, one of the first clubs I signed up for was the NCSA (Newman Catholic Student Association). Shortly after that, a missionary reached out to me and invited me to an event… and then to her Bible Study. It was through these simple invitations and her contagious joy that I was led to an encounter with Christ. Suddenly, I found myself desiring to learn more about my Catholic faith and forming friendships centered around the Lord. I finally found what I had been searching for, the One that will truly satisfy. The One who calls me His beloved daughter. The One who has made me in His image and likeness. My relationship with God had never felt more alive.

 

During the summer, between my Sophomore and Junior year, I participated in FOCUS Summer Projects in Newry, Maine. This experience was another pivotal moment in my faith journey. I was surrounded by 40 other Catholic college students, worked a full-time job in food service, and had some of the best Catholic formation each week. We were taught by the missionaries living there with us how to lead Bible studies and formation groups. It was there that I learned how to live out the Christian life while managing a demanding work schedule.

It was through a FOCUS missionary that I was invited and led into a deeper relationship with God. It is my desire to invite other young college students to make Jesus the center of their lives and experience the great joy of the Gospel!

I'm writing all this to share some exciting news with you: during my senior year, I felt the call to give my life to the Lord in a radical way and become a full-time Catholic missionary with FOCUS! The Fellowship of Catholic University Students sends a team of missionaries to colleges all over the United States to evangelize our young people. I have been placed at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, RI, and will be moving there in mid-August! 

 

Each FOCUS missionary has the unique opportunity to fundraise 100% of his/her mission budget. Part of the mission of FOCUS is to engage our family, friends and parish communities in the New Evangelization, inviting those outside of the college campus to participate as active members of our ministry through prayerful and financial support. This means that I will be funded by a support team of mission partners (individuals, families…etc.) who commit to supporting my mission on a monthly basis.

 

This is where you all come in! I would love to invite each of you to join my support team prayerfully and financially. If you are interested in hearing more about the good work FOCUS is doing on college campuses and joining my support team, you can visit this link: https://forms.gle/rK3TVWX9mCqBVeUL7 or scan the QR Code below with your phone. If it's easier for you, you may email your name and phone number to jacqueline.chung@focus.org. This will allow me to reach out to you and schedule an appointment soon!

 

Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity. Be assured of my continued prayers for you all.

 

All Glory to God,

Jackie Chung                                                                                                                                                                     

 

From Father Steven - July 19, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • July 17, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, As you may remember, Fr. Gabriel and I were away on a retreat in Italy these past few weeks. I would like to share a bit of my experience with you. Hopefully, in the near future, he will be able to share his experience as well. You may know that the three of us priests were formed in a missionary-diocesan seminary called Redemptoris Mater , which is a seminary that was first created by Pope Saint John Paul II in Rome. His desire was to have priests who belonged to the diocese and, at the same time, were missionaries (either outside the diocese or within it) to assist in the new evangelization born after the Second Vatican Council. Also, the vocations to this seminary come from the Neocatechumenal Way, which is an itinerary of Christian formation that is present all over the world. This way, those who feel called by God to this specific mission can also continue the growth of their faith in this reality. From Rome, other bishops also desired to have such priests in their own dioceses. In 2005, Cardinal Seán requested that this seminary begin here in Boston, and that's how we all ended up here. Well, this retreat we attended was for all the priests ordained in the approximately 40 Redemptoris Mater seminaries present throughout the Americas (North, Central/Caribbean, and South). We were about 800 priests who were able to be there. It took place in Porto San Giorgio, which is on the Adriatic Sea. The initiators of the Neocatechumenal Way were there to give us a word of encouragement, to help us convert, and to rest. We were given a special place in St. Peter's Square for the Pope's Audience, and later we celebrated Mass inside the Basilica, at the Chair of St. Peter. We also went twice to Loreto, which houses the walls of the house of Mary in Nazareth. We also had the opportunity to be sent throughout all of Italy to announce the Kingdom of God two by two for four days, like the Apostles, without money, a cellphone, extra clothes, or a place to sleep... no securities, except God. We only took the Bible and the breviary. I was assigned to the city of Trent, where the famous council took place 500 years ago. After the retreat, I was able to visit the house of St. Maria Goretti, her tomb, and the place where she died. On my way back, I had a 24-hour layover in Barcelona, where I got to visit the Basilica of the Holy Family and the Shrine of Montserrat. What impacted me the most was being reminded of what God has done in my life. There were a few old friends from my childhood and people whom I have met along the way (Fr. Adriano sent his greetings to everyone). At every step of the way, He was there leading me, comforting me, and lifting me up when I fell. It was good also to rest in the Lord. No, I did not watch the World Cup games, but I had something much better: a time of intimacy with God. Running around all day, every day sometimes takes the focus away from my mission. Like Martha, we can tend to important things and leave the Lord behind. If anything, it is by being close to Christ that I will be enabled to help some people. Lastly, we were also presented with a beautiful symphony performance. In it, they sang the words of St. Victorinus of Pettau, who is an impressive saint from the early Church: "Having come as the Lion to conquer, He became the Lamb, taking upon Himself the wickedness of man, so that He might lead him from death to life."  The mission of the priest is to be Christ to the people. As we heard last week, Jesus is meek and humble of heart. The only answer to the suffering of people is to become a lamb and die for them out of love, just like Christ. The Lion came to conquer and was made the Lamb to die because He loves me. In the retreat, I see that God gives me His Spirit to (hopefully) be a lamb who dies for others. Please keep praying for me and be patient, as I still have a long way to go! God Bless, Fr. Steven

From Father Steven - July 12, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • July 10, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This week I would like to bring to your attention a very important matter. Recently, electronic cigarettes were developed, and they have become widely popular among teenagers today. Also known as vaping, they can have all sorts of shapes and colors, but they are nonetheless nicotine-based cigarettes that are immensely harmful to consumers. Here in town, there is a petition to ban the sale of nicotine products to the younger generation (the ban would be for anyone born after Jan. 1, 2010). Vaping is like smoking cigarettes; however, vapes are odorless, widely accessible, and very discreet. The electronic device can be as small as a USB drive. You may have seen people with a pen-like device that produces a white smoke, at times with a sweet smell. Many of the flavors come in fruit and candy flavors that appeal to youth. E-cigarettes produce an aerosol, which users inhale from the device and exhale. The aerosol can contain harmful and potentially harmful substances, including: nicotine; ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs; flavoring such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to a serious lung disease; volatile organic compounds; cancer-causing chemicals; and heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, e-cigarettes are not safe for youth, young adults, pregnant women, or adults who do not currently use tobacco products. E-cigarettes have not been approved by the FDA as a smoking cessation device, and additional research is needed to help understand the long-term health effects of e-cigarette use. Furthermore, e-cigarettes contain nicotine. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance. According to the Surgeon General, because the brain isn’t fully developed until the mid-20s, youth and young adults are uniquely at risk for long-term effects of exposing their developing brains to nicotine. These risks include nicotine addiction, mood disorders, and permanently lowered impulse control. Nicotine also changes the way synapses are formed, which can harm the parts of the brain that control attention and learning. Another danger is that other substances may be used with vaping, such as cannabis/marijuana or other CBD or THC products, which could cause a person to become high. The latest reports from the CDC from 2024 show that 43.6% of students (both middle and high school) report current use of vaping. Another study reports that 63.9% of students who currently use e-cigarettes reported wanting to quit or having tried to quit. I have seen firsthand the destructive power of vaping among our youth. Unfortunately, many parents are not aware of their use. They even hide and use them in their schools. They are too young to understand the harm caused by vaping and the future consequences it can have. Nicotine pouches are increasingly more popular among youth. Therefore, in order to help them, we are supporting the Nicotine-Free Generation program that is currently being revised by the Board of Health, and it will be presented to the mayor. The idea behind it is to aid those already using nicotine products. The city will offer robust smoking cessation programs, ensuring adolescents and adults alike have the resources to quit. Additionally, by restricting access to nicotine products, we can deter adolescents from starting to use these harmful substances, significantly reducing the risk of lifelong addiction and potential cancer.  Therefore, at the end of the Masses for the next two weeks, we will be collecting signatures from those who would like to support this petition. God Bless, Fr. Steven