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 - September 14, 2025

By Father Steven Clemence • September 12, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Saint Augustine defines sacraments as visible signs of an invisible reality. We have all heard about the sacraments and we know them, but we do not always fully understand what they mean. This week, I would like to reflect with you a bit more on the sacraments. God has chosen specific ways to share His divine nature with us. There are concrete actions which, when carried out with the right intention and proper form, bring about special graces for the recipient. The Catechism of the Catholic Church summarizes the definition of a sacrament as “efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions” (1131). That is a lot to take in, but each term is important. Let us begin with “efficacious.” It means that each sacrament has an effect on the recipient. We may not feel the effects immediately, but they are always there. Perhaps you have heard someone say they walked out of Mass the same way they came in. That is impossible! Even if we do not see or feel them, special graces are at work in our souls. Each sacrament imparts different graces. The seven sacraments were instituted by Jesus and entrusted to the care of the Church. No one has the power to change or modify them, not even the Pope; they are Christ’s gift to us. The sacraments are regulated by the Church in terms of who may minister them, how, and where they are celebrated. Their effectiveness does not depend on the personal holiness of the minister, but on the action itself and the openness of the recipient. As the Church teaches: the grace of the sacrament works by the action performed, not by the performer. This means our openness to sacramental grace is essential for the sacrament to bear fruit. If we close ourselves off, God respects our freedom. That is our greatest danger—that we can reject God’s grace. For example, when a couple chooses not to marry in the Church, they ultimately refuse the graces God desires to give them. Similarly, when someone sins and refuses to go to confession, God cannot forgive them, because they have chosen to remain apart from the sacrament of reconciliation. I do not intend to enter deeply into sacramental theology here, but I want to share these key ideas with you. This is also the time when our parish begins sacramental preparation. Whether a person is a child, a youth, or an adult, everyone can receive the sacraments with the proper preparation and instruction. Recently, our Archdiocese made a change regarding the Sacrament of Confirmation for teenagers: it is now offered in 7th grade. For younger children, we provide a two-year program for sacramental preparation. Our goal is not simply to “sacramentalize,” but to truly catechize—to form them in faith. The sacraments are the way to salvation. They make present here on earth the invisible reality of heaven that God longs to share with us. Therefore, if you or someone you know has not yet received one or more of the sacraments—Baptism, Eucharist (Communion), Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders, Reconciliation (Confession), or, for those in danger of death, Anointing of the Sick—this is the time to consider it. If someone is not Catholic but wishes to receive the sacraments—that is, to become Catholic—we also form a group each year for the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (formerly known as RCIA). Please see the religious education section of the bulletin for more information. Catechetical instruction is a volunteer based initiative. We are always in need of volunteers to help us. If you feel called to help in this important ministry, please call the office and let us know. Finally, we are resuming our Jubilee Talks after the summer break. They are offered every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., following Adoration. Let us take advantage of the opportunities God places before us, and let us not refuse the graces that prepare us for heaven. God Bless, Fr. Steven

From Father Steven - September 7, 2025

By Father Steven Clemence • September 5, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Next Monday, 9/15, the Church will celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. In this jubilee year, we are called to console the sorrowing. The intention of our 7:30 a.m. daily Mass that day will be for all who are in need of consolation. Loss is never easy. If a dollar slips from our pocket, we feel upset—more so if it is $20 or $100. When what we lose carries emotional value, the pain is even deeper, because it cannot be replaced. Those are only objects, yet they can cause sadness. How much more difficult it is to lose a loved one. Even when illness makes death seem inevitable, it remains painful. Sudden loss is harder still. Moments of grief can weigh heavily, like a storm cloud blocking the sun. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, shared a profound bond between her Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of her Son. She shared His joys, but also His deepest sorrows as she witnessed His suffering. I once read an exhortation on the EWTN website that said: “If you are enduring intense sorrow, flee to our Blessed Mother. Take refuge in her Immaculate Heart, and implore her maternal consolation and guidance. For she who endured unspeakable grief will never fail you as your spiritual mother. As St. Louis de Montfort said: If you put all the love of all the mothers into one heart, it would not equal the love of Mary’s Heart for her children.” Here in our parish, we will begin a bereavement ministry on October 14. Meetings will take place Tuesday evenings (time to be announced) in the lower church. Using a Scripture-based program, we will encounter the healing power of God’s Word. We invite you—or someone you know who is grieving—to come and be consoled by the Lord. Humanity has reached the moon, explored the depths of the sea, and advanced technology beyond imagination. Yet we still have no human answer to death. Only Christ holds that answer. We must listen to Him, encounter the Risen Lord, and discover that death is not the end. I also recommend My Son Carlo by Antonia Salzano Acutis, the mother of Saint Carlo Acutis. She testifies to the power of Christ and how He sustained her through the sudden loss of her son. I have only read the first chapter, and it is already inspiring. Whatever pain of loss you carry, God desires to console your heart and strengthen you to endure the storm. We never fully “get over” a loss, but we learn to live with it. Yes, it is hard, but not impossible. Please join us for the special Mass on Monday, 9/15, for all who need consolation. And remember, you are welcome to speak with one of the priests if you would like to share more about your loss. God Bless, Fr. Steven