From Fr. Steven - September 1, 2024

Father Steven Clemence • August 30, 2024


Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

 

I hope you are enjoying these last days of summer! Please see the letter below from Fr. Gabriel.

 

God Bless,

Fr. Steven

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I remember being a child and talking to my father about the mass; I had some understanding of how it related to Jesus’s life, the Last Supper, and his sacrifice on the cross. And I remember turning to my father seeking clarity by asking, “so the mass is like a symbol of what Jesus did, right?”

 

My dad responded firmly saying, “it’s not a symbol! You are really there!”…I was terribly confused. But he kept repeating it to me, “it’s not a symbol, when we celebrate the mass we are there with Christ, his sacrifice is made present. We are united to that moment.”

 

It was something that I would come back to study when I was in the seminary, that Christ is truly present in his body and blood, it’s not a simple commemoration of the past; that when we priest’s say “do this in memory of me” we really are brought into Christ’s sacrifice.

 

This brings me to ponder how God is so great that his “memory” is capable of really drawing the past into the present. It’s not just nostalgia of a sweet moment that’s gone by and we reminisce about. When we celebrate the mass we are really there with Jesus Christ.

 

On the other hand what has also been striking to reflect on is the power of the Lord’s forgetfulness. Recently I came across a story I had heard sometime ago about Saint Margaret Mary, who would receive visions of Jesus Christ. And Jesus once told her to seek out a certain priest to be her spiritual director. When she told the priest about her request, he was skeptical and asked her to prove that she was really having visions of Jesus by having him divulge to her the last mortal sin that he had confessed. Later on the two met again, Margaret Mary told the priest that she did as he requested and that Jesus responded saying, “I can’t remember.”

 

Such is the mercy of God. He no longer remembers the sins we confess. But this truth runs even deeper. In the sacrament of confession we get a real taste of our Lord’s forgetfulness. His amnesia is so powerful that what he forgets is totally erased. That is to say that when God forgets our sins they no longer exist, they are totally gone.

 

Often times we return to the sins committed in the past and dwelling on them we fall back into shame and regret. And while it is important to be sorry for what we have done it is not for us to go back and scratch at the wounds of sins that the Lord has already forgiven and healed. It may be quite difficult to believe that the Lord has forgiven us because of the gravity of our sins, but Christ has promised that all sins will be forgiven and that we are called to forgive each time, because he forgives us every single time.

 

If you are doubting of the Lord’s forgiveness I challenge you to come to confession during our weekly hours or to set up an appointment with one of us priests, because God seeks to heal you, restore you, and quickly forget whatever it is you have done.

 

In Christ,

Fr. Gabriel Hanley

 

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