From Father Steven - July 7, 2024

Father Steven Clemence • July 5, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 


As we celebrated Independence Day this week, I would like to share with you some important historical figures from our faith who have contributed to the birth and development of our country. I did write about some of them in the past, but I thought that it would be important to remember some of them.

 

Before the first shots were fired on the Independence War, we had great people who set the foundations of our country by loving one another as God has loved us. Holy men like saints Isaac Jogues, John Brebeuf and their companions, were some of the first ones to bring the Gospel to the Northeast at the beginning of the XVII Century. Their work bore fruits very quickly, and more saints quickly appeared. Before the end of the Century, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha instructed by other Jesuits decided to follow Christ and love Him wholeheartedly by migrating North to Canada and entering a convent. 

 

Right before the Declaration of independence, we have St Junipero Serra who established the first Franciscan missions in San Diego (de Alcala). This was the first of nine missions that he himself established on the West Coast, later earning the name of Apostle of California. Many missions later became very important cities, such as San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Clara. We know that many more missions were established in the Southwest of the US. 

 

With the establishment of the United States of America, the first bishop was assigned to lead the Catholics in the new country. Ordained as a Jesuit on 1765, John Carrol was prominent leader among Catholics and on 1784 was named by the Vatican the first Bishop of Baltimore in Maryland. Before his death in 1815, the US had grown into 5 Dioceses. Under the counseling of John Carrol, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton converts into Catholicism and founds the first religious order in the US. The sisters of Charity were responsible for the creation of many Catholic centers of education that favored many women and other unprivileged people. 

 

Born in Germany and sent to Buffalo to minister to the German Catholics, Saint John Neumann was one of many Catholics who served and helped the immigrants in the US. In 1852 he was named the bishop of Philadelphia. There he advocated for parochial education and the construction of church buildings. Another person who served many immigrants was St. Frances Cabrini. With a desire to go to the far East, St. Frances founded a congregation on 1880 in Italy and was commissioned by the Pope not to the East, but to the West. She arrived in New York on 1889 and ministered to the large numbers of Italians as they arriving each day from Europe. The work of Mother Cabrini spread quickly throughout the US and even abroad. In 1946 she was the first American Citizen to be declared a saint.

 

There are still many more men and women who have tirelessly promoted the Gospel and set examples of charity in the US. Now is up to us, to continue building the Kingdom of God, to continue the work of love and service to one another. Saints Fr. McGivney and Katherine Drexel, along with Blessed Fulton Sheen, have fought their battles and kept the faith. Let us ask that the Lord may help us to remain faithful to Him, so that we may keep living as one nation under God!

 

God Bless,

Fr. Steven

 

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