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 26, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • July 23, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Please see the letter below from Fr. Gabriel about his experience at the retreat we recently had in Italy. God Bless, Fr. Steven ———————————————- As Father Steven mentioned in his last bulletin entry, he and I have returned from a wonderful retreat in Italy, where we were together with about 800 priests from the Redemptoris Mater seminaries of the Americas. I would like to take the time to also share a bit of my experience. The first day we arrived at the Airport in Rome, but the retreat was to take place in Porto San Giorgio, Italy, which is located on the eastern coast of the country. This presented me with the opportunity to visit Assisi on the way to the retreat house which was precisely what I was hoping to do during my travels. The Pope has named this year the Jubilee of Saint Francis as this October 4th, we will be celebrating the 800th anniversary of his passing, so there was no better time to visit. I am fond of saying that it is the saints who often choose us, inviting us into a friendship with them, which has been the case for me in a special way with Saint Francis. During the retreat, I reflected on how the spirit of Saint Francis has accompanied me most especially throughout my seminary formation, with the presence of our late franciscan spiritual director, Fr. Roderick Crispo O.F.M., the time spent with Cardinal Sean, learning from the example of his prayer life, and the honor of being the last class that was ordained by him and also being ordained on Padre Pio’s birthday. Reflecting on all of this led me to ponder the words that the Lord spoke to Francis at the beginning of his conversion, “Rebuild my Church.” Sure enough, Francis’ Jubilee in the background and those words spoken to him resounding in my heart, it all fit perfectly into the theme that threaded our entire retreat; the readings that were proclaimed each day were all taken from the Prophets calling on Israel to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem after the exile. The first day we heard from the Prophet Haggai, “be strong, all you people of the land...and work! For I am with you...and I will fill this house with glory.” These words felt very personal, that God is calling me in my ministry to participate in the rebuilding of his Church. Nevertheless, I also remembered that Saint Francis initially took the Lord’s words too literally and started rebuilding an actual Church, when in fact the Lord was calling for a spiritual renewal, not the reconstruction of a building. This also was important for me, because I have asked myself again and again in these past two years as a priest, is what I have to offer enough for this mission? Am I doing enough? The words of the retreat reoriented me to look inwardly and see that before I help anyone else, God desires to rebuild me by granting me a renewed experience of His love for me. This I saw clearly during the 2 by 2 mission that we did during the retreat, announcing the love of God as the apostles and Saint Francis did, without food, money, or cell phones, leaning entirely on the Lord’s providence. I was sent north of Rome to a port city called Civitavecchia where their Cathedral, the first Church we visited, happened to be dedicated to Saint Francis. One night during the mission, my companion and I were welcomed by a couple from the cathedral who had three teenage sons. When I entered the apartment I spotted three skateboards under their beds and proceeded to ask who of them skateboarded, two of them responded emphatically that they did. When I mentioned that I also grew up skateboarding, they were eager to take me down to the central plaza to skate together. It was moving to share that joy with them. One of the boys, Simone, at some point said, “I’ve never met a priest that skateboards.” Back at their house, I felt compelled to tell their father that I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them had a vocation to the priesthood. Their father responded saying, “as a matter of fact, the other day, we were asking them what vocation they would like to have when they were older and Simone told us ‘but if I become a priest, I won’t be able to skate anymore,’ and see now how God has sent you to us.” At that moment I saw how God was showing me that He knows my heart through and through, and that He uses my life as an expression of His tenderness toward this family and all of you that I minister to; that in serving you as a priest, you discover God’s love for you, but I also discover the Lord’s love for me and it is in this way that the Church continues to be built up. God Bless, Fr. Gabriel 

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