From Father Steven - January 21, 2024

Father Steven Clemence • January 19, 2024

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

As you may know, we as a parish collaborate closely with two pregnancy help centers, Birthright and First Concern. This weekend we will be having a fundraiser drive for First Concern to help them in their mission to assist women in need. I have asked Megan Paradis, the Executive Director of First Concern, to write a letter to be shared with the parish.

 

God Bless,

Fr. Steven

—————————————————————

This weekend we commemorate Sanctity of Human Life Sunday-a day we set aside every year to focus on the value of every human life. It is estimated that 64 million abortions have been performed in the United States since 1973. The theme for the 51st Annual March for Life is “With Every Woman, For Every Child”, and honors the work of pregnancy centers and maternity homes, focusing on the need to care for mother and child during the nine months of pregnancy and in the years after.

At First Concern PRC we show women that even if the world is telling her it’s too hard to have her baby, we will walk this journey with her. When a woman has decided to carry her child, we continue to offer pregnancy and parenting education, material help she may need, and emotional support. When people look at what First Concern is, we hope that you see our commitment to “Love them both”. We have revised our mission statement to reflect both the women we help, and the children they carry.  Affirming the humanity and life of the preborn child, we empower women and men facing unplanned pregnancies to choose alternatives to abortion by offering education, life skills, compassion and hope.

 

Two years ago, Immaculate Conception generously raised the needed funds for the ultrasound machine at First Concern. I spoke of the lives we hoped to save and the women we hoped to help. As we look back at 2023, the first year we offered ultrasound confirmation services with your partnership, we see God’s hand in all things. We served 56 women with ultrasound, and your support directly saved 23 little lives. Women who are considering abortion are finding us and through compassionate care coupled with ultrasound are choosing life!

 

What we have found since partnering with the medical office is that we are meeting women who have complicated lives, and they have been told that abortion is the solution to a whole host of problems. The nurses and our advocates have worked with women who are homeless, women in abusive relationships, in poverty, or addicted to substances. So often we hear that women with these hardships need access to abortion- we have a had a year with examples where women needed compassionate support to get out of these circumstances AND choose their child. One woman from Guatemala found us when she was already in her 3rd trimester, homeless with a young daughter in tow. She hadn’t had any prenatal care; she didn’t even know her due date. Ultrasound confirmed that she was almost 34 weeks along! We worked quickly to find her shelter, medical care, and community resources. Eventually she and her daughter moved into a maternity home, welcomed a baby boy, and are thriving. August 2023 was our most impactful month yet. We had the privilege of walking with five women who reached out for help as either abortion minded, or undecided about their pregnancies. Our incredible staff educated them on their options, the support they would find on their parenting journey, and provided them with ultrasounds in the medical office. All five of these brave moms chose life for their babies and are grateful for the compassionate support they found inside our doors. Rejoice with us over all these new families, but especially a young woman who pushed back against fear, was referred to safe shelter, and welcomed her twin boys this fall! Your support helped reach these women and empowered them to choose their babies, and we could not be more thankful. Some women visit our centers once, while other women return for weekly support. Through parenting groups, education, and community support, we touched the lives of almost 200 women.

 

This weekend you can help support the life-saving work of First Concern. We have an Amazon wish list with needed baby items for the boutique. Every month we give out up to 5 car seats, several bassinets, dozens of packages of diapers, formula, and many other necessities for babies & toddlers, completely free of charge. We depend on partners to donate these new items, so now it’s even easier to buy through your amazon account and have the items shipped right to us. Another way to support the mission is to give a financial contribution today so that we can change the trajectory of someone’s life tomorrow. The link to donate can be found at firstconcernfriends.org, and there will also be a collection of funds at each mass. Your generous gifts will provide: $2,500 - all the services necessary for 1 woman; $1,250 - ultrasound confirmation services for 1 week; $750 - utilities for 1 month; $500 - google advertising for 1 month; $150 - Brightcourse Education for 1 month. We have been blessed by your care of First Concern through your donations, time, and talents. Thank you!

 

With you, for LIFE,

Megan Paradis, Executive Director

 

From Father Steven - June 8, 2025

By Father Steven Clemence • June 6, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This weekend, we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. We often associate this great solemnity with the coming of the Holy Spirit, the apostles gathered in the cenacle, and the tongues of fire descending upon them. While all of that is true, there is much more depth to this feast. To better understand its significance, we must first look back to the Old Testament, in the Book of Exodus, and then reflect on how this celebration speaks to each of us personally. The Feast of Shavuot—also known as the Feast of Weeks—commemorates the manifestation of God at Mount Sinai, where He gave the Law to the people of Israel. Through the Ten Commandments, God handed them a Way of Life . According to Jewish tradition, this was an expression of God’s love for His people. The Law was never meant to limit us with a list of do’s and don’ts, but rather to guide us toward true happiness and eternal life. However, due to Original Sin, we often mistrust God’s ways. We see anything that restricts our desires as a burden, leading to thoughts like, “I have to do this,” or “I should do that, but I can’t.” The reality is quite the opposite: every law of God should be interpreted as, “This is what will make me happy.” Take for example: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Only by living this way can we be truly happy and saved. The Prophet Jeremiah foretold that, when the Messiah comes, God would reveal Himself again—not by writing the Law on tablets of stone, but by writing it on our hearts (Jer 31:33). And that is precisely what happened in Christ: the Law of God is now written by the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, who speaks directly to our hearts. Jesus promised that the Spirit would remind us of all He taught (John 14:26), and the heart of His teaching is love—for God and for our neighbor. The Holy Spirit gives us God’s love . This love, revealed in Jesus Christ, is new: it does not resist evil, but forgives; it prays for those who persecute; it loves those who are hard to love. On our own, we cannot love this way. At best, we can tolerate those who hurt us. But forgiveness? That’s divine. True forgiveness is not simply “letting go,” but praying for those who wound us—just as Christ did on the Cross: “Father, forgive them.” The Holy Spirit comes to give us this love. If we want to be Christians—Christ-like—we desperately need the Holy Spirit. On our own, we cannot love like this. St. Paul, in his Letter to the Romans, recalls Psalm 44, saying that we are like sheep led to the slaughter. And in truth, this happens every day. We all face moments, big or small, that cause us suffering. In those moments, we need God’s love, because we cannot carry the cross on our own. That’s why it is so important to ask for the Holy Spirit! St. Paul also writes, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed... struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (2 Cor 4:8–10). In other words, this Pentecost , God wants to manifest His love for the world through us . So I invite you: ask for God’s help. Welcome the sweet Guest of our soul. Ask the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth through love. Ask for His fruits: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, modesty, and chastity. Only with His help can we become holy .  God Bless you all, Fr. Steven

From Father Steven - June 1, 2025

By Father Steven Clemence • May 30, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters, You may have seen news reports about immigration officers arresting immigrants in Martha's Vineyard. This is happening across Massachusetts, including here in Marlborough. While I do not wish for this letter to be political or to focus on what is right or wrong, I do feel compelled to share with you what is happening to some of our parishioners here at IC. Initially, immigration officers (ICE) were arresting immigrants with criminal records or those involved in criminal activity. Many people in the Metro West area, including Marlborough, were affected. When ICE arrived to arrest these individuals, anyone undocumented in the household was also detained. These additional arrests were referred to as "collaterals"—unintended, but still a reality. Then, around Easter, a troubling shift occurred: individuals with no criminal record, nor deportation orders, began to be arrested. Multiple parishioners, who have families, pay taxes, and have never even received a parking ticket, were taken into custody. This triggered a wave of fear within the immigrant community. People began fearing deportation to their home countries. Good, hardworking individuals—some of whom may have sat next to you at Mass, sang at the trilingual Masses, or volunteered to help with church repairs—started to panic. Daily videos of arrests began circulating within the community, only deepening their fear. Some lost their jobs out of fear of leaving their homes; others lost employment because their employers were detained. Many now work with the constant fear that they could be pulled over and never return home. As a consequence of the fear, the Brazilian Festival that we have every year, with 10,000 people coming last year, is uncertain. I want to emphasize again that this letter is not a critique of the current administration, nor is it about politics. My intention is to share the current state of some of our people. Numerous families have reached out to the parish seeking letters of recommendation, legal assistance, financial support, and moral encouragement. After being detained for up to three weeks, some were granted a court hearing where they were able to post bail and regain their freedom. Others remain detained. This is an incredibly difficult time for our immigrant community. Many left their countries seeking refuge from hardship, with the hope of building a better future for their families. I hope you read last week's bulletin, where Archbishop Henning spoke about the positive contributions of the Portuguese community in the United States. The same can be said about our Latino population. I ask for your prayers and support for these families. We do not know how long everything will last, and Marlborough in particular, but they are here nearly every day. I know some of the parishioners who have been detained, and I can assure you that they have done nothing wrong—other than trying to build a better life, just as many immigrants have done throughout the history of this country. As Christians, we are called to care for the poor, the orphan, and the alien. The parable of the Good Samaritan reminds us of our duty to help those in need. As a parish, we are working to provide resources to support those who come to us. Along with St. Vincent de Paul, who have always assisted those in need, we also need financial help to support these families. One case involves a person who was detained, leaving behind a wife who is 32 weeks pregnant, along with their 6-year-old son. Several parishioners have already stepped forward to help this family, but it takes a village. When you come to Adoration, whether in the morning (6:30–7:30 a.m.) or in the evening (6:00–7:00 p.m.), please pray for these families. When you pray your Rosary, remember those who are incarcerated. When you come to Mass, pray for those sitting next to you. Besides prayer, if anyone is also able to contribute to the costs of supporting these families, please contact the parish office. As Christ loved us to the end, let us also love one another. God Bless,  Fr. Steven
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