From Father Steven - October 20 2024

Father Steven Clemence • October 18, 2024

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

 

With the election right around the corner, this is a very important time right now for our country. As we are inundated with political ads  on our TVs, radios, cell phones, computers, it is easy to be confused. It is important as Catholics to know what we are voting for and ensure that our vote is consistent with our faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church exhorts that as Christians, we are co-responsibles for the common good. Therefore, there is a moral obligation to pay taxes, to exercise the right to vote and to defend one’s country.” (CCC 2240).

 

As your priest and pastor, I cannot endorse a candidate nor tell you what to do. However, it is my duty as your shepherd to instruct the flock entrusted to me by the Lord in matters of faith and morals. Therefore, I write this letter to help you discern which way to go in these elections. It is not only about the presidential candidates, but it also includes the ballot questions of Massachusetts. One of them, Question 4, deserves special attention (the Limited Legalization and Regulation of Certain Natural Psychedelic Substances.) Psychedelic drug research is showing signs of hope for those suffering from mental health conditions, however, Question 4 goes too far. If passed, Q4 would allow the use of 5 federally illegal psychedelic drugs (psilocybin, psilocyn, DMT, mescaline, and ibogaine) outside of the safeguards of the medical community, and Massachusetts would be the first state in the country to allow these 5 psychedelics to be grown at home, consumed without supervision, and freely shared with others. We’re not arguing against the medicinal benefits. It just needs to be done right. It needs to be done safely. And the way this is written doesn’t do that.

 

Last month I received a video produced by a Catholic Organization prior to the elections of another country. I believe that it helps us to see faith in the political arena. In short, it exhorts Catholics to be aware of what they are voting for and its consequences. Here is the translation of its transcript: 

 

“The suffering from religious persecution by socialists’ governments cannot help but awaken our conscience at this dramatic time in our elections! As priests, we cannot be complacent, for we know that the audacity of the wicked is due to the omission of the good. We cannot pray to God for religious freedom and then vote for candidates who support countries governed by socialists that today persecute over 360 million Christians. We cannot pray to God as Christians and vote against the Gospel. We cannot pray to God for life and then vote for candidates who support abortion. Abortion is not a public health issue; it is a crime, an attack on innocent lives. We cannot pray to God for the expansion of the Gospel and then vote for candidates who want to close churches and oppose evangelical values. We cannot pray to God for the family and then vote for candidates who support the breakdown of the family structure as we know and Christian morality. We cannot pray to God for our children and vote for those who want to impose gender ideology and sexual immorality on them! We cannot pray for God to protect young people from drugs and then vote for those who advocate drug legalization. We should not pray for freedom and democracy and then vote for those who desire censorship and control of the media… Your vote is worth a life, it is worth democracy, it is worth freedom. What future do you desire for your children and grandchildren? The decision is in your hands. May God bless our country, our state, and may the name of Jesus be exalted in our land.”

 

Issues vary from country to country, but our Catholic obligations are the same – vote based on our faith. In front of all of it, we need to ask ourselves, what do you think we, as Catholics, should do? Who should we vote for? I urge you to pray to the Lord and inquire exactly who says what. Do not go by what other people say. Investigate for yourselves. The future of our children, our Church and our nation is all in our hands. Let us pray about our voting choices and be responsible Catholics for our actions.

 

God Bless,

Fr. Steven

 

From Father Steven - April 12, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • April 10, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, HAPPY EASTER!!! We are still celebrating Easter (and we will continue until Pentecost!). I would like to share with you this weekend the article that the Archdiocese has written in response to some media requests to comment on the rise of people coming back to the faith. Over the past 4 years we have seen a steady and significant increase in non-Christians [or unbaptized] becoming Catholic during the Easter season. Regarding specifically catechumens participating in the Rite of Election, these are the numbers for the Archdiocese of Boston: 2023: we had 299; 2024 - 360; 2025-438; 2026-680. What’s the reason? Probably a combination of factors including a fundamental need to be closer to God. The first observation is that we believe it to be the direct action of the Holy Spirit, and not simply a sociological phenomenon or the success of some program or another. In fact, Archbishop Henning has said that “this seems to be something that the Lord is doing - the Spirit of the Lord is always at work in the world and in the Church and we are happy to see such a response in people’s hearts to Jesus’ call to follow Him.” The Archbishop notes that ”we seek to cooperate with the action of the Spirit; but it is His work, not ours.” Has Pope Leo had an impact? Yes. It’s not just being the First American Pope; it is that he has captured a sense of community with Catholics across the world and very clearly in the US Catholic Church. The wave had been growing before his election but is now picking up speed and size. There is a sense of spiritual renewal in the Archdiocese of Boston. We have seen it in our parishes across the Archdiocese. Archbishop Henning has put an emphasis on engaging with Catholics across the archdiocese at the parish level and in our schools, with a particular focus on youth and young adults. In a recent interview, Patrick Krisak, the archdiocese’s director of faith formation and missionary discipleship said, “There may not be a revival across the country, but there are revivals,” he said. “And at what point do all of those pockets of revival that we’re seeing all over the country add up to a revival?” The two main categories of folks we see being welcomed into the Church are children/adolescents, who mostly did not receive their sacraments on the typical schedule, and adults. A key component is the work at the parish level in welcoming and accompanying families where adults and children seek to join communities of faith. In addition, Rev. Eric Cadin, Director of Vocations with the Archdiocese, said that “among college age young people, there is a profound openness to the big questions. This includes questions such as, where do I come from? What is my purpose? What does all this mean? More importantly, so many who are exposed to division and even cruelty, especially online, as well as in real life, are actively resisting and moving away from that. And it leads them to an openness to faith, especially one that promotes love your enemy. That is a radical truth, that captivates young people, especially in the world in which we live. They meet people in the church who engage their real questions with generosity and grace and mercy, and it is very attractive to them.” Here in the parish we are happy to announce that 39 people received Baptism on Easter, and 3 people were welcomed into the Catholic Faith (they were baptized Protestant). Some of them were children, others teenagers, and some adults as well. They were baptized, confirmed and received their first communion all together. Please continue to pray for them as they really began their journey and for those who are still being called into the faith. Congratulations to all of you that received your sacraments and we look forward to walking along with you!  Finally, I would like to invite you all to the Divine Mercy celebration that will take place this Sunday at 3:00pm in the Church. If you have never attended, it is a beautiful moment! If you are not familiar with it, search about and be ready to be marveled by it. God Bless, Fr. Steven

From Father Steven - April 5, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • April 2, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Happy Easter! The other day, Archbishop Richard Henning shared an example during the Chrism Mass that stayed with me: the image of a broken clock. While I will take the idea in a slightly different direction, it offers a helpful way to reflect on the meaning of Easter. A clock is a remarkable piece of craftsmanship. It is made up of springs, gears, dials, and wheels, all carefully designed and assembled. Once everything is in place, we call it a clock. It may come in different shapes, sizes, and styles, but its purpose is the same: to tell time. But what happens when it stops working? Do we still call it a clock? Is it only a clock when it functions properly? In a similar way, we can reflect on our own lives. Each of us has been wonderfully made, with a complexity far greater than any clock—our bodies, our minds, our souls, all working together in harmony. And we, too, have a purpose: to love. Yet there are times when we fail. There are moments when we struggle to love as we should. But do we cease to be who we are because of that? Of course not. Just as a broken clock is still a clock, we do not stop being children of God—created in His image and likeness—even when we fall short. This is precisely why Christ comes to us. Through His Resurrection, He does not simply “fix” us in a superficial way. He comes to restore us completely—to make us whole. He does not just replace a part or patch us up; He offers us new life. He gives us His Spirit, a life that can overcome sin, temptation, and despair. A clock cannot repair itself, and neither can we. We often think that if we just try harder, we can fix everything on our own. But what we truly need is the One who made us. We need God to restore in us what is missing. And He desires to do so—if only we allow Him.  The Gospel of the Resurrection tells us about Mary Magdalene going to the tomb of Jesus. She and the other women wondered who would roll away the stone. It seemed like an impossible obstacle. And yet, when they arrived, the stone had already been removed. The angel announced to them that Jesus was no longer among the dead. Later, Mary encountered the Risen Lord, though at first she mistook Him for the gardener. How often do we experience something similar in our own lives? We see obstacles that feel immovable—stones we believe we cannot roll away. But Easter proclaims to us today that the stone has already been moved. What seems impossible to us is not impossible for God. This message is like the voice of the angel speaking to each of us: do not be afraid. The Risen Christ is near. But we must be willing to seek Him. Among all those who knew Jesus, it was the women—those who went looking for Him—who first received the joy of encountering Him alive. It is not a matter of worthiness or merit, but of desire. Those who long for Christ, who seek Him, will find Him. Those who remain indifferent or closed off may miss the grace that is being offered. So today, we are invited to make a decision. Do we want to remain as we are, or do we want to be made new? Christ rose from the dead to give us a new life—life in abundance—for all who are willing to receive it. And this life is given so that we may love one another as He has loved us. Finally, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all who made these Holy Week celebrations possible: our staff, volunteers, musicians, and all who worked so generously behind the scenes. Please keep them in your prayers. And to all of you who have come today—whether you attend Mass every week or are here for the first time in a long while—know this: you belong here. This is your home. If there is anything we, as a parish, can do for you, please reach out. We may not be perfect, but we promise to give you our very best. Christ is Risen! Alleluia! He is truly Risen Alleluia, Alleluia! God Bless, Fr. Steven