From Father Steven - September 22, 2024

Father Steven Clemence • September 20, 2024

 

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

 

I wanted to share something that’s been on my mind after chatting with a group of adults recently about their experiences in CCD. It was interesting to hear that while they could remember fun stories and the names of their catechists, many struggled to recall what they actually learned. It got me thinking about how, as kids, we often had so much going on that we didn’t really get the chance to dig into our faith. But what if we could take another shot at it?

 

I’m excited to announce that we’re starting a new catechesis program for youth and adults on Mondays and Thursdays at 7:30 PM in the Parish Hall. This is a great opportunity to explore our beliefs, deepen our understanding of God, and build a personal relationship with Him. Every year, we see people coming through the RCIA program, eager to learn more about our faith and the Church. There’s so much about God and the Scriptures that we can all still discover!

 

In the early days of Christianity, baptism wasn’t just a quick ceremony; it was a transformative journey. Sadly, after the conversion of Constantine, many lost that deeper connection, and the focus shifted too much toward just receiving sacraments. The Second Vatican Council highlighted the importance of returning to that deeper initiation into our faith, reminding us that even those baptized as infants need to experience a genuine introduction to their beliefs (CCC 1231). However, as we grow up, so do our problems. Then our faith should also grow in order to face the challenges that we have. 

 

The program we’re introducing is something special. Approved by the Vatican in 2008, Pope Saint John Paul II called it “an itinerary of Catholic Formation, valid for our society and for our times.” It has been embraced by Popes and parishes all over the world. I can personally vouch for its impact. Growing up, my family only went to Mass on Christmas and Ash Wednesday, (yes, we were one of “them”), and we never fully understood what our faith was all about. It wasn’t until I got involved in a program like this that I really began to see how relevant and close God can be in our everyday lives.

 

St. Thomas Aquinas once said we can’t truly love what we don’t know. I remember as a teenager grappling with tough questions: “If God is love, why do I suffer?” and “Why am I not happy if I’m doing everything right?” Those questions pushed me to dive deeper into my faith and led to a personal encounter with God that changed my life.

 

At the end of Mass, we’ll be inviting everyone to join this new program. It might not be for you, but think about someone in your life who could really benefit from this experience. Maybe there are people feeling lost in their faith, don’t know how to navigate through their struggles, or looking for a fresh start with God. I encourage you to pray about it and consider inviting two people who might be interested in exploring their faith further.

 

Everyone is welcome—there are no restrictions! We’ll even have babysitters available for those with children. If you have any questions or specific needs, don’t hesitate to reach out. Let’s embrace this opportunity together and see where God leads us on this journey of faith and renewal!

 

 

God Bless,

Fr. Steven



From Father Steven - November 30, 2025

By Father Steven Clemence • November 26, 2025
Dear Brothers & Sisters, I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving with your loved ones! Please see the letter below from Fr. Victor about Advent. God Bless, Fr. Steven —————————————————————————————————- Growing up I have always associated ADVENT with Christmas with all the Christmas carols, food, gifts and family reunions. It was much later that I understood that Advent is the month-long preparation for that much awaited day. If we have 4 seasons throughout the year: winter, spring, summer & fall; the Church has 6: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Paschal Triduum, Easter and the Ordinary time. And Advent is the first season that ushers the first day of the Church’s liturgical year. It is like New Year, like January 1. Advent comes from the Latin word, adventus, meaning coming or arrival. A Father of the Church speaks of Jesus’ three comings. First, we all know that Jesus Christ was born more than two thousand years ago in that town called Bethlehem. Second, when he ascended to his Father, he promised to remain with us always, but will come again at the end of time. As to when, we do not know. That is why, he tells us: 'be vigilant and ready anytime as he may come at a time and hour we do not expect.’ That is why, advent fills us with so much hope and expectation. Finally, there is also his third coming. The first one was in the past. The second will happen in the future, but his third coming is today, in the daily events of our life. The book of Revelation presents this very well. ‘He is outside, knocking at the door of our heart, if we let him in, he will come and dine with us.’ What a gift, to be graced by the presence of our Lord. This year 2025, Advent coincides with the feast day of St. Andrew, November 30. Each week has its theme: the anticipation of Christ’s second coming - the first week; then John the Baptist tells us “prepare the way of the Lord.” on the second Sunday; then we switch to a joyful note, the Gaudete Sunday for the Lord is to come; and the fourth Sunday, Mary & Joseph leading us up to the nativity. The date when Advent was first observed is hard to determine as this evolved over time in several places. In its earliest form however, it may be traced back to the church in France in the 4th century. It was a time of preparation for the Feast of the Epiphany when converts were baptized. In the 5th century it was officially introduced into the church calendar. But its character was similar to Lent but later became more joyful in anticipation for the birth of Christ. The Advent we know today began in Rome. Pope Gregory I in the late 6 th and early 7th century, composed many prayers, psalms, and themes. And by the 10th century the season of Advent included 4 Sundays & weekdays leading to Christmas as we have today. Like Lent, Advent has some elements of penance in preparing, quieting and disciplining our minds & hearts for the full joy of Christmas. Its liturgical color is purple, except on Gaudete, meaning “rejoice” Sunday, where the priest may wear the rose color vestment. The late Pope Francis reminds us: “Advent is a journey towards Bethlehem,” and that memory directs us with eager longing for the second coming of Christ at the end of time.” Advent comes at the dark[est] time of the year, when the day is short and night is at its longest. Yet it is during this time when Jesus Christ, the true light comes to cast away our darkness. Truly advent is a hopeful season that keeps pointing towards the eternal light that shines in the ‘night of our life’ to show us our way back home to the Father. God Bless, Fr. Victor

From Father Steven - November 23, 2025

By Father Steven Clemence • November 21, 2025
Dear Brothers & Sisters, This week we have the opportunity to gather around our loved ones to give thanks! Eukariston in Greek… if it sounds familiar, it is because the Eucharist—Mass—is a great thanksgiving! I’m sorry for the turkey and stuffing lovers… but the Lamb of God is the one who truly satisfies us! However, how often are we grateful to God and to our loved ones? How often do we stop to give sincere thanks for all their hard work? How often do we return their goodness to us? Unfortunately, not enough… so let’s change that script. Let’s take this opportunity to voice our inner gratitude to those around us and to Jesus! Even though there can be some tension when getting everyone together under the same roof, let’s not forget what we are doing and why we are doing it. There is nothing better than to love… even when that love is not returned! The following day is known as Black Friday—deep discounts and great sales everywhere. In the past, people lined up in front of stores in the middle of the night. Now stores begin their sales almost a week before Friday. Online retailers have also kept people from waking up in the middle of the night. Here in the parish, this Friday there will be a great opportunity to score wonderful deals… and we won’t need to wake up so early! Starting at 8:00 a.m., we will have another 24-hour adoration. We thought that these days would be perfect to give people the opportunity to come and give thanks to God as well. He has been so good to us! How could we not return His infinite love through finite means? As we come together on Thursday and acknowledge what our loved ones have done for us, let us also do the same for God. I invite all of you to come and take a moment to think and contemplate all the good things God has done for us throughout our lives. Instead of having Black Friday, we shall introduce Adoration Friday! Next week will be First Friday, and I invite you to learn more about it—how the Sacred Heart of Jesus manifests itself on the First Friday of each month. As we know Friday to be a penitential day for the Church, it is also a day full of graces for those who do not miss out! I would like to take this opportunity to give you some updates regarding upcoming events. Archbishop Richard Henning has asked all the parishes in the Archdiocese to pray a Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe in preparation for the upcoming 500th anniversary of her apparition to St. Juan Diego. He will be visiting parishes and presiding at this very important moment for us. We will begin the novena on Thursday, December 4th, at 7:00 p.m. It will be trilingual so that the whole parish can participate. Each day, different parish groups will be responsible for leading the novena. We will conclude it with Mass on December 12th, with the presence of our shepherd, Archbishop Henning! It will be very important for him to meet part of his flock. It will also be a great moment for our parish to welcome him into our spiritual home! We are still planning it. We also decided that, in this Jubilee Year, we will have a Christmas Concert on December 21st at 3:00 p.m. All the parish choirs will come together to sing Christmas carols. We are very excited to gather everyone once again! I mentioned before, but I remind you again, that we also have our parish feast in the middle of all this. The Immaculate Conception will be celebrated on Monday, December 8th. We will have the regular holy day of obligation schedule 07:30 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. as well as our traditional trilingual Mass at 7:00 p.m. We will pray the novena before Mass, and then proceed with the celebration. There are many good things coming up… and many more that we cannot imagine! Let us give thanks, for God’s love is everlasting (Ps. 136). God Bless, Fr. Steven