From Father Steven - September 29, 2024

Father Steven Clemence • September 27, 2024


 

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

 

We wanted to share with you the importance of St. Vincent de Paul to our personal faith journey and to our community. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a world wide group with over 850,000 members in 153 countries around the globe. Almost all of their work happens in parish based groups, called Conferences, like the one here at Immaculate Conception.

 

Their mission is to serve those in need: people without jobs, the hungry or unhoused, the working poor, or sometimes families that have just had a hard time. They bring them the love of Christ and hope. They go to them two by two, they listen, pray with them, and try to help them in the best possible way.

 

One family they visited recently was getting by, living paycheck-to-paycheck. Their newborn baby started having seizures and was hospitalized at Children's Hospital in Boston for two weeks as doctors ran tests. The extra cost (gasoline, tolls, and parking) of driving to Boston every day to be with their baby put them behind in paying other bills. As a result, the family incurred late fees on their bills, which just put them further behind. It started a vicious cycle. Sometimes, that is all it takes.... circumstances beyond our control can put them in a position where they just need a little help. Through your generosity the Immaculate Conception conference of St Vincent de Paul was able to assist this family, helping them to avoid further late fees and regain control of their budget.

 

Stacey Militello, our St. Vincent de Paul President, said she has had the opportunity to grow in her faith by serving our friends in Marlborough who have reached out to St. Vincent de Paul. Each call is a chance for her to serve Christ and share the gifts God has given her and the gifts of Immaculate Conception. She often shares with her friends that our Church is open every day for quiet reflection and prayer. God is always there, especially when we feel lost. Stacey is thankful that she answered (with some hesitation) Christ’s call when St. Vincent de Paul was re-started here at Immaculate Conception 8 years ago.

 

I am asking for your support of St. Vincent de Paul in two ways this weekend. First, our annual Friends of the Poor Walk is being held on Saturday, October 5th! The walk begins at 10:00 am in the Meehan Hall parking lot. You can register starting at 9:30 am at Meehan Hall on the day of the walk, or visit www.icfopwalk.org. If you would like to sponsor the IC Walkers instead of walking yourself, please use the QR code to make a donation. This fundraiser walk along the Assabet River Rail trail raises money for the Immaculate Conception and St. Matthias St. Vincent de Paul Conferences.

 

Secondly, we are in need of more individuals that want to grow in their faith and are willing to share their love of Christ with others in the Marlborough community as members of St. Vincent de Paul. We are asking you to walk two by two with us and enrich your faith journey by answering Jesus’ call. You can learn more about becoming a Vincentian at https://catholic.lpage/face-of-christ/.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact St. Vincent de Paul at icmarlborosvdp@gmail.com or 978-763-0578 if you have questions about the Walk, joining St. Vincent de Paul or if you are in need of support.

 

 

God Bless,

Fr. Steven

From Father Steven - July 12, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • July 10, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This week I would like to bring to your attention a very important matter. Recently, electronic cigarettes were developed, and they have become widely popular among teenagers today. Also known as vaping, they can have all sorts of shapes and colors, but they are nonetheless nicotine-based cigarettes that are immensely harmful to consumers. Here in town, there is a petition to ban the sale of nicotine products to the younger generation (the ban would be for anyone born after Jan. 1, 2010). Vaping is like smoking cigarettes; however, vapes are odorless, widely accessible, and very discreet. The electronic device can be as small as a USB drive. You may have seen people with a pen-like device that produces a white smoke, at times with a sweet smell. Many of the flavors come in fruit and candy flavors that appeal to youth. E-cigarettes produce an aerosol, which users inhale from the device and exhale. The aerosol can contain harmful and potentially harmful substances, including: nicotine; ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs; flavoring such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to a serious lung disease; volatile organic compounds; cancer-causing chemicals; and heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, e-cigarettes are not safe for youth, young adults, pregnant women, or adults who do not currently use tobacco products. E-cigarettes have not been approved by the FDA as a smoking cessation device, and additional research is needed to help understand the long-term health effects of e-cigarette use. Furthermore, e-cigarettes contain nicotine. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance. According to the Surgeon General, because the brain isn’t fully developed until the mid-20s, youth and young adults are uniquely at risk for long-term effects of exposing their developing brains to nicotine. These risks include nicotine addiction, mood disorders, and permanently lowered impulse control. Nicotine also changes the way synapses are formed, which can harm the parts of the brain that control attention and learning. Another danger is that other substances may be used with vaping, such as cannabis/marijuana or other CBD or THC products, which could cause a person to become high. The latest reports from the CDC from 2024 show that 43.6% of students (both middle and high school) report current use of vaping. Another study reports that 63.9% of students who currently use e-cigarettes reported wanting to quit or having tried to quit. I have seen firsthand the destructive power of vaping among our youth. Unfortunately, many parents are not aware of their use. They even hide and use them in their schools. They are too young to understand the harm caused by vaping and the future consequences it can have. Nicotine pouches are increasingly more popular among youth. Therefore, in order to help them, we are supporting the Nicotine-Free Generation program that is currently being revised by the Board of Health, and it will be presented to the mayor. The idea behind it is to aid those already using nicotine products. The city will offer robust smoking cessation programs, ensuring adolescents and adults alike have the resources to quit. Additionally, by restricting access to nicotine products, we can deter adolescents from starting to use these harmful substances, significantly reducing the risk of lifelong addiction and potential cancer.  Therefore, at the end of the Masses for the next two weeks, we will be collecting signatures from those who would like to support this petition. God Bless, Fr. Steven

From Father Steven - July 5, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • July 2, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States, I would like to reflect with you on the words, “One Nation under God.” I am not sure how much these words have meant in your life. They can be one of those expressions that we hear all the time but never stop to reflect on their meaning. I confess that I did not have time to research their historical origins as I usually do. However, these words have always impressed me because they are proclaimed publicly as part of the foundation of this country. To be ONE nation requires a unity that does not come from men alone. Unfortunately, because of original sin, there is always mistrust among people. There is also the temptation to take advantage of one another for personal gain. God inspired the Founding Fathers to live the apostolic life, that is, in communion with one another. Only Christ is capable of changing the human heart so that we may truly love one another. Therefore, whenever suspicion arises, only love can overcome it. It is the love of Jesus, who, though He is God, made Himself the Lamb in order to give us His life. He taught us that the true way is not to reign through power. Rather, true victory comes through the humility and love manifested on the Cross. While hatred and jealousy condemned Christ to the Cross, His love forgave and redeemed us. Finally, if we are to be ONE nation, love must reign in our hearts. At this moment, when politics and ideologies have polarized and divided our people, we are called to be signs of Christ's love, like the Lamb who is capable of uniting one person with another.  The second part of the sentence is also very important. To be “under God,” we must submit ourselves, our plans, and our expectations to Him. The moment we surrender everything we have to God, He can transform it according to His design of mercy. As much as we may desire holy things, God says through the prophet Isaiah: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Is 55:8–9). Yet, there are times when we hold on to our own plans for dear life. We believe that we know what is best for ourselves and for those around us. How many discussions have we heard in which people passionately defend what should or should not be done? And how many conversations have we heard about people sincerely discerning God's will and asking Him for wisdom to understand and accept His plans? I do not mean any disrespect, but even Jesus, in His humanity, struggled to accept the plan of God in the Garden of Gethsemane. Yet, in the end, He desired not His own will but the will of the Father. The Lord invites us to love Him with ALL our heart, strength, and life. In other words, He invites us to live under God with everything we are and everything we have. As Americans, we are also called to entrust our country and everything that is happening to God. Only He knows what is best for us in the long run. Only He sees the whole picture of what lies ahead. Therefore, He alone can prepare us for what is to come, so that His love may reign forever and His will may be done on earth as it is in heaven, beginning with us. As the Gospel tells us this weekend, we are also called to be grateful and thankful that God has revealed His mysteries to us, the little ones. If today you feel burdened and tired by everything that is happening in the United States—and throughout the world—then listen to His voice: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Finally, let us learn from Him, who is meek and humble of heart. If anything is ever going to change, let it begin with us! God Bless, Fr. Steven