From Father Steven - November 3, 2024

Father Steven Clemence • November 1, 2024


 

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

 

It is with great joy that I announce two big events coming up in our parish. The first one is a Mass and Adoration Concert on Tuesday, November 12th, with a special group called Harpa Dei. The second event will be our first senior group meeting on the following day in the lower church. I will expand on both initiatives in this letter.

 

Harpa Dei is a choir of sacred music that feels called by God first to glorify Him, because that is the primary purpose of sacred music. It also re-sensitizes people to the sacredness of the liturgy, to the transcendence, and to the beauty of God that is expressed in these songs. This Catholic vocal ensemble is made up of four blood siblings that also share the same spirituality: Nikolai (bass/tenor), Lucia (soprano), Marie-Elisée (alto), and Mirjana (tenor) Gerstner. Although they were born in Germany, they began their singing ministry in 2011 in Ecuador, where they were living at that time, as a campaign against violence, and this peace initiative has brought them to evangelize the whole world. As they have collected the most beautiful songs from different traditions, they were able to bring many people to glorify God and to transmit the beauty of the Lord that shines so eminently in sacred music. Sacred music is a bridge for people to get in touch with God, with His beauty, tenderness, and love. It provides an easy way to reach the heart of people as it helps them to open to God’s love. That is one of the reasons for which we play Gregorian chant during confessions. If you have come here to IC for confessions, then you would have heard them. All the music we play is from Harpa Dei. I first came across them while searching for a specific chant, which they were the best I have ever heard. Then I met them in Jerusalem and last year on their tour in the US. This year we have the special grace to meet them and listen to them live. On Tuesday, November 12th, we will celebrate Mass at 7:00 PM where they will chant all the songs. Then, we will have a Holy Hour led by reflections and chants sung by them. St. Hildegard of Bingen, a mystic and doctor of the Church, says that music is the only memory, almost forgotten, of our state in Paradise. I invite you all to join us for this special event free of charge.

 

Our Senior Group is ready to begin. The idea behind this group is to offer a space where anyone can come and spend time in prayer and fellowship. There are no restrictions on who can come. All are invited. We will begin with some snacks while we get to know each other a bit, followed by prayer. Since our meeting will be on November 13th, Fr. Victor will make a presentation on the apparitions of Fatima. Then we will have a time of prayer and some questions. Each month we will focus on different topics. There will always be a spiritual and social component to each meeting. As this new ministry is starting, we are leaving room for the Holy Spirit to operate and grow. There are no sign-ups, nor any registrations ahead of time. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Lee Ann at the parish office and she will assist you. I would like to invite anyone who would like to participate in our first meeting on Wednesday, November 13th, from 10:00am to 12:00pm at the Lower Church.

 

As the Gospel will exhort us this weekend to love God and our neighbor, I invite you to take advantage of this special moment in our parish to grow in holiness together! Let us also keep our country and state in our prayers as we will have our elections on Tuesday. May our Blessed Mother intercede for us and show us the way to heaven!

 

 

God Bless,

Fr. Steven




From Father Steven - October 4, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • October 2, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, As your pastor, I am charged with the responsibility of the care of souls of everyone who lives in the parish territory, even if they are not Catholics. The care is summarized in the three “functions” of every priest, that is, to teach, govern, and sanctify. Today I would like to exercise the first office, even if it is a bit controversial. Already in Biblical times, life has always been considered sacred by everyone. Moreover, the Greek philosophers also have defended the right to life, even to the point of including it in the oath that every doctor made in ancient times “to do no harm.” It is true that times have changed, and we live in a totally different world. However, the TRUTH has not changed. Whether religious or philosophical thoughts, they all have agreed that life is sacred no matter who, where, when and it should be defended at all times, no “ifs, ands, or buts". Pope Saint John Paul II has written, in 1995, a beautiful encyclical Evangelium Vitae (Gospel of Life). If you have never heard of it, I highly recommend you read what he wrote on the value and inviolability of human life. It is important to stress that we are not anti-abortionist, or anti-euthanasia, anti-deportation, but we are in favor of all lives, regardless of age, race, sex, condition of life, political party, etc. In this encyclical the Pope has declared that society has adopted a “culture of death.” He exhorts us to understand that we the issues affecting life “to make us all fully aware that we are facing an enormous and dramatic clash between good and evil, death and life, the "culture of death" and the "culture of life". We find ourselves not only "faced with" but necessarily "in the midst of" this conflict: we are all involved, and we all share in it, with the inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally pro-life.” (#28) This is not a matter that we can remove ourselves because we are uncomfortable, or it does not express our ideas. He continues “For us too Moses' invitation rings out loud and clear: ‘See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil. ... I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live’ (Dt 30:15, 19). This invitation is very appropriate for us who are called day by day to the duty of choosing between the ‘culture of life’ and the ‘culture of death’.” We are not ideological, religious, or fanatic activists. We are speaking because we believe human life has an inherent dignity that must be respected and defended. In the month of October, the Church has always observed “Respect Life Month”. Life means everything in between conception and natural death. We will be promoting different activities that highlight different stages of life. This week we begin with the baby’s. We will have a bassinet from birthright pregnancy help center which we will be collecting clothing (boys and girls 0-2T), diapers (sizes 5-7), wipes, baby products, and monetary donations (write and mail a check for birthright). Also, we will be collecting signatures to repeal the law recently approved allowing the abortion throughout the pregnancy for any reason. (PLEASE OBSERVE WHERE YOU ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE - the forms are according to the town you are registered to vote in). Next week the Knights of Columbus will be doing their annual Tootsie Roll drive for children with disabilities for the Special Olympics. Next week too, we will gather as our Archbishop recommended to pray for life. We will do our 24Hr adoration from Sunday into Columbus day. Please set a time to come to pray for life. I conclude with another quote from John Paul II (same encyclical), “To all the members of the Church, the people of life and for life, I make this most urgent appeal, that together we may offer this world of ours new signs of hope, and work to ensure that justice and solidarity will increase and that a new culture of human life will be affirmed, for the building of an authentic civilization of truth and love.” (EV #6) This is what the Church is about, namely, “LOVE ONE ANOTHER, AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.” (Jn 13:34) God Bless, Fr. Steven

From Father Steven - September 27, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • September 25, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, I hope you all had a wonderful summer and are settling into your Fall schedule! We have a lot of exciting things going on here in the Parish! Please see the letter below from Gabriella Lindhurst our Music Director about our new upcoming Adult & Children’s Choirs starting up October 1st. God Bless, Fr. Steven —————————————————————— Growing in Faith, Fellowship, and Song It is hard to believe that I have now been serving as the Music Director at Immaculate Conception Parish for nearly ten months! When I first arrived in January, I was excited to begin this new chapter, but I could not have anticipated how warmly I would be welcomed into this parish community. Over these past several months, I have had the joy of getting to know many parishioners, families, cantors, volunteers, and staff members, and I am deeply grateful for the kindness and support you have shown me. One of the greatest joys of my ministry has been getting to know our parish through music. Each weekend, I have the privilege of helping lead our communities in song at our English Masses, and I have also greatly enjoyed working with our Spanish and Brazilian communities. Through these experiences, I have seen again and again how music can bring people together and help us enter more deeply into prayer and the celebration of the liturgy. Earlier this summer, I shared my hope of reestablishing our Adult Choir and beginning a new English Children’s Choir. I am very excited to share that the time has finally arrived! Both choirs will begin rehearsals this coming Thursday, October 1st. The Adult Choir will rehearse on Thursdays from 6:00pm - 7:15pm, beginning October 1st. The choir will primarily sing at the Saturday 4:00pm Mass, as well as at some special liturgies throughout the year. Our first rehearsal is an open invitation to anyone who is interested in possibly joining the choir . There will be no auditions beforehand. I would love to meet everyone who is interested, get to know you, your voices, and your musical backgrounds, and begin building this new choir together. Whether you have years of experience singing in a choir or have simply thought, “I’d love to try that someday,” you are warmly invited to come to our first rehearsal! The Adult Choir will be an opportunity not only to share our musical gifts, but also to form friendships and serve our parish community. My hope is that our rehearsals will be a place where we can grow together in music, prayer, and fellowship while preparing to help lead our parish in worship. I am also excited to begin our English Children’s Choir, which is open to children ages 7 and up and will be separate from CCD. Rehearsals will be held on Thursdays from 4:30pm - 5:30pm, beginning October 1st. The Children’s Choir will sing approximately once each month at the 11:00am Sunday Mass. Through this choir, children will have the opportunity to develop their musical skills, grow in confidence, make new friends, and learn more about the important role that music plays in our Catholic faith. Most importantly, I hope it will give our young people another way to become active participants in the life of our parish and to discover the joy of using their gifts in service to God and others. As we begin these new ministries, I invite you to consider whether God may be calling you—or your children—to become more involved in the musical life of our parish. Music ministry takes many forms: singing in a choir, serving as a cantor or instrumentalist, or simply joining wholeheartedly in the singing at Mass. Every voice and every gift has a place, and together our music can become an offering of prayer. If you are interested in the Adult Choir or Children’s Choir, or if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at gabriella5110@gmail.com. I would be very happy to speak with you! Please keep both of our new choirs in your prayers as we begin this new chapter of music ministry at Immaculate Conception Parish. I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve this community, and I look forward to growing together in faith, fellowship, and song.  God Bless, Gabriella