From Father Steven - December 1, 2024

Father Steven Clemence • November 29, 2024

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 
















Please see the letter below from Fr. Gabriel about Advent and our upcoming festivities.






















God Bless,










Fr. Steven








————————————————————————————————-

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

 

While it has been nearly six months since my ordination, it still feels like it took place just yesterday. How quickly the time has flown by! Please take a moment with me to ready ourselves for the approaching festivities.

 

In order to better prepare for the coming season of Advent, we have to recover its original meaning by taking a closer look at just what it is we are celebrating.

 

Too often the arrival of Advent comes only as a reminder to put up decorations and shop for gifts. More than preparing for the arrival of the holidays, Advent is really a preparation for the arrival of a person, Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, the word advent is derived from the Latin meaning “to come” or “approach.” The book of Revelation sums up the spirit of Advent best when our Lord says, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega…’ who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” 

 

Throughout the first part of Advent, lasting from the first Sunday of Advent (Dec. 1st this year) up until December 16th, the Church has us prepare for Jesus as the one “who is to come.” All of the readings point to Jesus’ second coming that will happen suddenly and may catch us by surprise if we are not prepared; one of the oldest prayers of the Church is “Come, Lord Jesus,” because we are called to expect his return with the loving eagerness of a bride who awaits the bridegroom that seeks to be with his beloved. 

 

The second part of Advent starts on December 17th, counting nine days until the celebration of Christmas, with special prayers to ready our hearts to celebrate that Jesus is also the one “who was;” rejoicing because the Lord has been made flesh, he has come to dwell among us and to save us. This celebration does not end on Christmas day, but continues for twelve more days, expressing just how overjoyed we are at the sight of God’s love for us, shown by His coming into the world.

 

And the Church always sees Jesus as the one “who is,” because everyday he comes to us when we listen to the Word of God, when we meet with our neighbor, but most especially, in his abiding presence in the Eucharist. 

 

Along with the coming of Advent, I would also like to take the time to cordially invite you to the Feast of our parish and our Patroness, The Immaculate Conception. This year Father Steven has kindly asked me to prepare the three talks for our Triduum leading up to the Feast. Since we belong to the same Church, our community shares one mind and one heart, that is why in the Gospels Mary shares with us her memories of Jesus so that we may be evermore united to her and to him. And so for this year's theme, I will be preaching on Mary’s Memories, drawing on three instances from her memory given to us in the Gospels. Each night we will have the opportunity to reflect and meditate together, so as to experience the nearness of our mother.

 

The Triduum will begin on THURSDAY DECEMBER 5TH, AND WILL CONTINUE ON THE 6th AND 7th. WE WILL GATHER IN THE UPPER CHURCH EACH NIGHT AT 6:00PM. Leading up to our big Trilingual special mass on Sunday at 6:00pm which will be the eve of the Holy Day. This mass does not count towards our Sunday obligation so we will go twice this weekend to mass. Since the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is so important, even though it will be on Monday, it is still a day of Obligation. Besides Sunday, we will have our normal day of obligation schedule on Monday at 7:30am, 12:10pm, 6:00pm in English, 7:30pm Portuguese and 7:30pm Spanish in the lower church.  Feel free to invite friends and family to our celebrations, as all are welcome.

 

Thank you for all of your support, I am happy to be your priest.


 

God Bless,











Fr. Gabriel






















 


From Father Steven - March 8, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • March 6, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This week I would like to share with you a reflection of Pope Saint John Paul II from 2002. It is a beautiful reflection that allows us to dive deeper in the mystery of this weekend’s liturgy. "Lord ... give me this water, that I may not thirst " (Jn 4,15 ; cf. Gospel Acclamation). The request of the Samaritan woman marks a crucial turning-point in her long and intense conversation with Jesus that takes place at Jacob's well, near the city of Sychar. St John recounts it in today's Gospel. Christ asks the woman " Give me a drink " (v. 7). His material thirst symbolizes a far deeper reality: it expresses his ardent desire that his dialogue partner and her fellow-citizens will open themselves to faith. The Samaritan woman, when she asks Christ for water, is basically revealing the need for salvation present in every heart. And the Lord is revealed as the one who offers the living water of the Spirit, that satisfies forever the infinite thirst of every human being. The liturgy for this Third Sunday of Lent presents a splendid commentary on the Johannine episode when it says in the preface that Jesus " so deeply thirsted" for the salvation of the Samaritan woman that " he set on fire in her the flame of God's love ". The episode of the Samaritan woman charts the journey of faith that we are all called to pursue. Even today Jesus continues " to thirst ", namely, to desire humanity's faith and love. From our personal encounter with him, if we recognize and receive him as the Messiah, come our attachment to his message of salvation and the desire to spread it in the world. This is what happens in the rest of the Gospel passage. The bond with Jesus totally transforms the life of the woman who hurries without delay to proclaim the good news to the people in the nearby village: "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ? " (Jn 4,29). Revelation received with faith asks to become a word proclaimed to others, witnessed in the concrete choices of life. This is the mission of believers, coming from and growing in their personal meeting with the Lord. "Hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us " (Rom 5,5). The words of the Apostle Paul in the second reading refer to the gift of the Spirit, symbolized by the living water, that Jesus promises to the Samaritan woman. The Spirit is the "pledge" of the definitive salvation that God has promised to us. Man cannot live without hope. Many hopes go down when they crash against the rocks of life. However Christian hope "does not disappoint" because it is based on the solid foundation of faith in the love of God revealed in Christ. To Mary, Mother of hope, I entrust your parish and the Lenten journey towards Easter. May Mary, who followed her Son Jesus to the Cross, help us all to be faithful disciples of the one who makes well up in our hearts the water for eternal life (cf. Jn 4,14). God Bless, Fr. Steven

From Father Steven - March 1, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • February 27, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This week we will hear how Jesus goes up the mountain and is transfigured before His apostles. God also wants us to be transfigured according to His image and likeness. However, how far are we willing to go? This weekend, we will see Archbishop Henning urging us to participate in the mission of the Church. It is not only a matter of helping financially, but also of serving with our own hands and feet. The Archdiocese supports the work of parishes in many ways. It also helps us priests in various times of need. Furthermore, it carries out many initiatives to serve the people of God, including the deaf and mute ministry, immigrants, seminarians, and those seeking a declaration of nullity (also known as annulments). Our contribution goes a long way. We are all called to be part of the mission of the Church. We are also encouraged, at the local level, to help in whatever ministry God calls us to—whether St. Vincent de Paul, one of the pregnancy help centers in the city, the community cupboard, or the bereavement ministry. It can be something as simple as inviting people back to church, bringing their prayer intentions to Mass, or helping those around you, beginning in your own home. The transformation that God wants to accomplish in us also affects our spiritual lives. Helping others is certainly a great start, but we also need help ourselves. God is a jealous God, as we hear many times in Scripture. He will not allow us to forget Him. Nor will He allow us to continue living in sin and vice. However, He cannot act unless we give Him permission. He wants to purify us from every stain of sin that may affect us. A little bit of pride, envy, laziness, or resentment cannot remain. Every sin is serious. It kills the divine life within us. It separates us from the love of God. As Jesus goes up the mountain, He reveals the glory that will be given to Him. However, this glory will come through His painful Passion. Are we willing to be purified through a similar purification? How far are you willing to allow God to transform your life? It is never too late to begin living with God. Perhaps we say our prayers and consider ourselves good people, yet we are not willing to go deeper. The Lord is patient and persistent. There are times when we feel called to go to confession, to attend adoration, or to participate in one of the Church’s activities, but we resist. It is time to let the Lord enter fully into our lives. As Pope Saint John Paul II said at the beginning of his pontificate, “Do not be afraid to open wide the doors of your heart to let Him enter.” We have about 30 people, between teenagers and adults, who will be baptized in our parish this Easter. Others will be receiving First Communion, and still others will be received into full communion. For one reason or another, they fell off the path and are now returning. There are also a good number of couples getting married who have lived together for many years. God is also calling us to follow His path. It is different for each one of us. So let us pray during this time and ask the Lord what He wants us to do and how to love Him with all our hearts. And let us not be afraid—He has conquered all our fears. God Bless, Fr. Steven