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 - November 1, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • October 30, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This weekend we observe All Saints Day, and on Monday we will remember all the faithful departed (All Souls’ Day). It is important for us to understand the relationship we have with the saints and the dead. First of all, it is crucial to know that the saints are great examples of our faith. They are to be venerated, not worshipped, and serve as role models for us. Their lives show us a path that can lead us closer to God. In a similar way that Tom Brady, Larry Bird, and Big Papi inspire young people around here to become professional athletes, the saints do the same for those who want to be part of Team Jesus. We not only look up to them, but we can also model our lives according to their practices of faith. Secondly, not all the saints lived perfect lives. Some had very troubled pasts, others were known for their vices, and still others converted near the end of their lives. What is important is how they responded to God's grace and surrendered their lives to Him. St. Augustine, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Charles de Foucauld all experienced periods in their early lives when they were far from the holiness they later embraced. St. John of God was admitted to a psychiatric hospital before fully embracing his mission after his conversion. St. Bartolo Longo became involved in satanism before turning to Christ. St. Dismas, the Good Thief who was crucified alongside Jesus, was not a follower of Christ during His public ministry. Yet, at the very end of his life, he professed his faith in Jesus and received the promise of paradise. Therefore, our past does not have to define our future. What matters is whether we turn to Christ, repent of our sins, and accept His forgiveness and the salvation He offers us. Finally, the saints want us to be with them in heaven. Therefore, we can ask for their help and intercession, especially for spiritual goods that will help us conform our lives to Jesus. Getting to know the saints and their lives is extremely rewarding. I personally read the description of the saint of the day every day. Do not treat them like the genie in the lamp, asking for mundane favors or help finding lost objects. Of course, they can also intercede for us in our daily needs as a sign of their love for us. But imagine asking Tom Brady to come here to the parish to help us find our keys! It would be a waste of his time. This weekend, all the relics we have will be exposed in the church, with a brief description of each, for veneration after Mass. Take advantage of this opportunity to ask the saints for a special spiritual favor that will help you get to heaven. On Monday, we will pray for all the faithful departed. We believe that those who die face the particular judgment of God. At that moment, their eternal destiny is determined: those who die in God's grace and friendship and are fully purified enter heaven; those who definitively reject God separate themselves from Him forever in hell. Those who die in God's grace but still need purification before entering heaven undergo that purification in purgatory. Our prayers cannot change the fate of those who are in hell, and the saints in heaven do not need our prayers. However, the souls being purified in purgatory can benefit from our prayers. We can offer prayers, sacrifices, and indulgences for them. That is why we pray for the souls in purgatory and for all the faithful departed. We do not know with certainty whether a particular person is in heaven or hell, unless the Church has declared someone a saint. Therefore, it is always good to pray for those who have died. We have a book in which you can write the names of your deceased loved ones, and we will pray for them throughout the month of November. Lastly, and briefly, Fr. Carlos Martins, who has a special ministry, will be coming to our parish on Monday, November 16, to host a “Night with an Exorcist.” He will give a talk to clarify some of the misleading information about spiritual warfare circulating on social media. It is important to hear how the Church understands evil and how we can protect ourselves spiritually. Save the date on your calendars! 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