From Father Steven - February 18, 2024

Father Steven Clemence • February 16, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

In the year of the Eucharist we began this initiative of 24Hr Adoration to help us to get closer to Jesus present in the Eucharist. Now, we try to have it once a month in our parish, besides the first Friday all day and our early morning daily adoration (6:30am-7:30am) before daily mass. There are some people who have approached me lately asking questions on what to do during adoration, or how to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Here are a few tips for you.

 

First, there is never a “wrong way” to pray. The holy monks (fathers of the desert) always said that we pray by praying. Every sort of prayer counts. Whether they are recited or from our hearts, whether on the beach, driving, or at church, whether by yourself or with other people, whether using the correct words or from your hearts. Prayer is every sort of communication with God. Even when someone cuts you on the road and you exclaim, “Holy Jesus, Mary and Joseph, have mercy on me.” Indeed, I tell people that have problems by saying the name of the Lord in vain to add a petition after saying OMG, and it turns a sin into a prayer.


Second, before we pray we need some quiet time to gather our thoughts in order and to let the worries out of our head. That is why it is always good to arrive 10 minutes before mass to prepare our hearts for what we are about to do. The same with adoration. Allow some minutes when you arrive to settle down your mind and heart. Don’t worry about the rest of the world. You are in the presence of the Lord himself. Let him worry about it for a second. Then (or as a way to calm your heart) you may thank God for the graces received that day or that week or that month. Realizing the awesomeness of God, it helps us to open our hearts to receive the graces that he has in store for us. If you get distracted in prayer, just get back from your thoughts and get going again. Don’t be discouraged…it happened to the saints as well!

 

Third, invite the Holy Spirit into your heart. You can recite, “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love…” prayer or you can make your own. Repeat it a few times pausing between one and the other. Have the intention to receive the Holy Spirit, the sweet guest of our soul. Then you can follow with the prayer of Samuel, “Lord, speak for your servant is listening.” By now you will be allowing the graces of God to enter your heart. You will experience peace and tranquility in your heart.

 

Fourth, you can choose whatever you want to meditate about. You can pray the Rosary meditating upon each of the mysteries (how God’s power of the resurrection can help you in your struggles, how Christ ascending to the Father is a sign that He is waiting for us, etc…). You can also read a passage from the Scriptures, I would recommend the Gospels. You can read that paragraph or two, and wonder in your heart, how that relates to what you are going through. Read it a second time, and then a third. You will see how there are some words that will pop out. Meditate, reflect on what they mean to you in front of your struggles, difficulties, whatever weighs upon you. Then do a moment of silence and let the Lord speak to you. Not always will the Lord speak to us, but most often He does, or at least guides us in your decisions and feelings.

 

Lastly, you can present before the Lord who is there listening to your petitions. Following the example of Jesus, we can say, “Lord, if it is your will, please _____ and there you add whatever petition you have. Whether something that the Lord enlightened you in prayer, your personal intentions, the intentions that you would like to pray regarding people around you, etc. It is always good to pray for the Pope, our Bishops, our priests, our parish community, those who have left the Church and those who never entered the church. It is also good to pray for the souls in purgatory and those who don’t have anyone to pray for them. After you conclude your prayers, just thank the Lord for that wonderful time with Him and whatever He may have revealed to you. Don’t forget to thank the Father and the Holy Spirit and Mary, who always works behind the scenes. 

 

This is only a suggestion. There are thousands of ways of praying. What is important is to pray. The way we pray is secondary. Blessed Carlo Acutis says “If we get in front of the sun, we get sun tans…but when we get in front of Jesus in the Eucharist, we become saints.” Let us take the opportunity this weekend to pray in our 24Hr Adoration, from 6pm on Sunday to 6pm on Monday. Bring your children, although if they are little, I would not have them sit for 1hour…but incrementally you can get there! Be assured of my daily prayers to you and your loved us! Together we can all be saints! 

 

God Bless, 

Fr. Steven

 

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

From Father Steven - November 16, 2025

By Father Steven Clemence • November 14, 2025
Dear Brothers & Sisters, As we continue honoring the faithful departed during the month of November, I would like to speak about something that can sometimes feel uncomfortable or awkward—but is also very necessary: funerals. This week, I read an article in the National Catholic Register titled “Why Are Fewer Catholics Having Church Funerals?” It noted that over the past 20 years, the number of Catholic funerals in the United States has dropped by about 30%. The article went on to explain that many families now prefer holding funeral services at funeral homes rather than having a funeral Mass in church. One of the main reasons for this shift, according to the study cited, is that families of the deceased are often no longer religious. They may feel uncomfortable going to church, or they may not see the need for it. At times, the person who passed away was a faithful parishioner who attended Mass regularly. Yet when the moment of loss comes—with the grief, family tensions, and emotional exhaustion that follow—families often choose a simpler service rather than a funeral Mass. It is important, however, to understand the deep value of offering a Mass for someone who has died. From a psychological standpoint, it provides closure as we entrust the soul of our loved one to God. There is a beautiful prayer of commendation at the end of the funeral Mass, in which the priest commends the soul of the deceased into the hands of the Father. On a spiritual level, the value is even greater. The sacrifice of Christ made present on the altar has immeasurable power. To offer a Mass for the soul of a loved one has a profound effect—especially after death. In every Mass, Christ offers Himself for the salvation of souls. While a Mass cannot change the free choice of someone who rejected God, it can assist souls in purgatory on their journey to heaven. For that reason, it is vital that we not only pray for our departed loved ones but also have a Mass offered for them. Additionally, the graces of a funeral Mass extend to all who attend—especially to the family and friends who gather in faith and hope. A funeral Mass does not need to be complicated. In fact, simplicity often brings greater peace and focus. It is even recommended that each person plan his or her own funeral Mass in advance—choosing the readings and hymns, and letting loved ones know their wishes. This both expresses the person’s faith and eases the burden on the family, especially if they are no longer active in the Church. Our parish office can help you choose readings and music and answer any questions you may have. I would also like to mention that, technically, the words of remembrance is not part of the funeral liturgy. While the Archdiocese allows something brief at Mass, it is not preferable. The Mass is primarily an act of prayer and intercession for the soul of the deceased, rather than a time for praise or personal remembrance. Lastly, a quick word about cremation. Until relatively recently, the Church discouraged cremation because it could obscure the sign of our belief in the resurrection of the body. Although cremation is now permitted, the Church still requires that the cremated remains be properly buried. The same article I mentioned earlier noted the growing practice of scattering ashes or keeping them at home. While these gestures may come from love or sentiment, our faith teaches that the remains of the deceased should rest in consecrated ground—together with others who “sleep in Christ,” awaiting the resurrection. The word cemetery itself comes from the Greek koimeterion , meaning “dormitory”—a place of sleep, not of death. If you have the ashes of a loved one at home, please contact us; we will gladly assist you in arranging a proper burial. Here in our town, we are blessed to have three excellent funeral homes with compassionate and capable staff who can help you with any questions and guide you through the process. I hope this reflection helps you better understand the beauty and meaning of the funeral Mass—a sacred act of love, faith, and hope in the resurrection. God Bless, Fr. Steven