From Father Steven - January 5, 2025

Father Steven Clemence • January 3, 2025

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

Please see the letter below from Fr. Gabriel.

 

God Bless You & Happy New Year!

Fr. Steven

_______________________________________

 

Dear Parishioners of Immaculate Conception,


 I pray that you’ve been able to see the Lord’s goodness during this time of Christmas. Too often is our Celebration cut off immediately after December 25th, when in fact, there are twelve days of celebration that follow. And as the feasting continues, we come now to the Solemnity of the Epiphany. 

 

Epiphany is a word that has Greek roots meaning appearance or manifestation. It’s on this day that we celebrate the arrival of the Three Magi who, according to tradition, are named Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar. These three wise men come in search of a King’s birth, heralded by a star, and to their surprise, they find him, The Christ child, laid in a manger. The three Kings bear three gifts, Gold, frankincense and Myrrh. Three costly presents for the newborn king, each pointing to his identity and his destiny. Jesus receives gold at the hands of the Magi, because it symbolizes that he is royalty; he is the true king of Israel. He also receives frankincense, because incense is always burned and offered to Divinity, and Jesus is truly God, hidden in the appearance of a child. Finally, they give him myrrh, which was used to anoint the dead; this points to Christ’s humanity, and that he is destined to die for the salvation of all men. 

 

This also points us in the direction of understanding just why this Solemnity is so important. The arrival of the Three Kings to Bethlehem, marks Jesus’ manifestation to all the nations. That the whole world comes to be united under its one, true king, Jesus Christ. It is important to also remember that these Magi were united on their journey to Jesus Christ by that great star that the Lord placed in the sky.

 

This celebration should be especially dear to us, because its spiritual significance is shown to be true in our parish. This star that shines brightly in the sky can be understood to be the Church, who guides us and leads us to the hidden presence of Jesus Christ who we come to bow before in the Eucharist, just as the Kings bowed before Jesus in Bethlehem. Moreover, we see that it is all nations that are united under this tender little King; just consider all the different languages and cultures that are brought together in our Church, encompassing so many nations and they are all being brought along this journey of faith by this star, that is the Church, to Jesus Christ who is waiting for us every Sunday at mass. 

 

It is also essential to recognize that when we heed the wisdom of the Church, and practice the forgiveness that Jesus brings to us within our homes too, we experience a greater unity, where we can set all differences aside and start anew. That is to say that even as families we are called to follow this star and bow before Christ, because he is the true source of communion among those closest to us, as well as those who we are not so familiar with.

 

The deeper we come in relationship with Christ, the more our life reflects those stories that we hear about in scripture. The Lord desires to instill in each of us that same joy the Magi received at the sight of our Lord. And so I invite all of you to see your faith life with biblical eyes, make the same journey to Bethlehem this weekend, accompanied by the three Kings, to find the hidden presence of Jesus Christ, placed under the light of the star that is the Church, that we may rejoice in the unity that he brings by coming to live among us.

 

God Bless You & Happy New Year!

Fr. Gabriel

 

From Father Steven- June 14, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • June 12, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Every priest is called to be a man of prayer. Through ordination, we are united to Christ and configured to Him in a unique way. Therefore, when a priest prays, he not only pursues his own sanctification but also deepens his union with Jesus. Whether celebrating Mass publicly or privately, praying the Rosary, or offering short prayers throughout the day, St. Paul’s exhortation to “pray without ceasing” provides the foundation for all that we do. We all live in a world full of demands and expectations. What Frank Sinatra once called New York—the “city that never sleeps”—has, in many ways, become a description of life everywhere. There is so much happening in our lives that we can easily become like Martha in the Gospel. Some parents spend countless hours driving their children to activities and sporting events. Others have demanding jobs that consume most of their time. Still others are occupied with maintaining a household or caring for a sick loved one. Yet when do we become like Mary, who chose to sit beside Jesus and listen to Him? Martha was not doing anything wrong. On the contrary, hospitality was considered a sacred duty in her time. Nevertheless, Jesus reminds us that there is something even more important than all our responsibilities: to be with Him. When we pray, we draw close to Jesus. Suddenly, our burdens seem lighter, we become less irritable, and challenges that once felt overwhelming become manageable. Prayer is not simply a matter of reciting a few Our Fathers or Hail Marys; it is about spending time with Jesus. Next week, Fr. Gabriel and I will be away on retreat for a couple of weeks to spend time with the Lord. Although we maintain our daily prayer routines, there are moments when we need to “retreat” from the world and the busyness of parish life in order to rest our hearts and renew our souls. Fr. Fernando, who was ordained in Warsaw and is currently serving on mission in Ireland, will arrive on Friday to assist Fr. Victor in caring for the parish during our absence. We ask you to keep us in your prayers, just as we continually pray for you. I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage all of us to participate more actively in spiritual activities. Whether it is joining the Cenacle Group, which meets on Mondays from 6:00–7:00 p.m. in the lower church, attending Eucharistic Adoration at least once a week, or reading a spiritual book during the summer, each of these practices can help us grow closer to Christ. In the coming months, we are planning additional opportunities to deepen our relationship with Him through retreats, talks, and other parish events. The good news is that we do not need to wait until the end of summer. In just two weeks, we will have a beautiful opportunity right here in Boston to encounter Jesus in a special way. In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage carries the theme “One Nation Under God.” This is not merely a slogan—it is an invitation to realign our lives, our communities, and our country under the sovereignty of Christ. It is a call to foster unity through prayer and to allow Jesus, truly present in the Eucharist, to renew and heal the heart of our nation, one soul at a time. As pilgrims on this route, we walk with Christ so that His love may draw our nation back to Him. The Archbishop has invited all the faithful to participate in the Eucharistic procession on Saturday, June 27 , beginning at Boston Common. We will follow the Freedom Trail and conclude at the Bunker Hill Monument. A bus will depart from the parish at 8:00 a.m. , and we expect to return by approximately 3:00 p.m. You can reserve your seat for $15 either online using the QR code below or by calling the parish office. Although I will not be present, I hope our parish will be well represented. This pilgrimage offers a wonderful opportunity to step away from the distractions of daily life and spend time with Jesus. Through our presence, we can also invite others to follow Him, just as the Apostles did. God Bless, Fr. Steven

From Father Steven - June 7, 2026

By Father Steven Clemence • June 5, 2026
Car Show, Trinity Sunday, and Corpus Christi Dear Brothers and Sisters, I hope that this title hasn’t confused your minds! How is it possible that we can put all these three things together? Very simply, those are our hidden treasures that once a year they are celebrated. Every year I have always walked down the street to the corner of Prospect and Main St. to take a peek at the cars. Last year however, after all the masses, I adventured to look at all the cars. It is amazing how cool and awesome it was. But it is also “sad” that we don’t get to see them that often riding on the streets. Some of the cars are true hidden gems that are probably guarded very safely somewhere away from the curious eyes. The same can be said about our Celebration of The Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). Those are true gems that often are not seen/spoken about. This week we will be celebrating the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi. In the old days we celebrated it on Thursday after Trinity Sunday, but here in the States it has moved to Sunday. For almost 1000 years, the Church has always celebrated this day with a procession with the Blessed Sacrament through the streets around the churches. Even before the Reformation, the Church has always believed and affirmed that “By the consecration, the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is brought about. Under the consecrated species of bread and wine Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in a true, real, and substantial manner: His Body and His Blood, with His soul and His divinity” (CCC 1413 quoting the Council of Trent). Unfortunately, many people nowadays do not believe in the real presence of Christ on the Eucharist. In spite of many miracles around the world and even recently, where the consecrated host became the tissue of a human heart, and the consecrated wine became real human blood, people refuse to believe in it. Recent studies have shown that even a major number of Catholics (including practicing Catholics) do not believe that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist, but it’s a mere representation of him. St. Alphonsus Liguori writes in a great reflection book titled Visits to the Blessed Sacrament , “Loving souls can find no greater delight than to be in the company of those whom they love. If we, then, love Jesus Christ much, behold we are now in his presence…let us console ourselves in his company; let us rejoice in his glory and in the love in which so many enamored souls bear him in the Most Blessed Sacrament.” We are called first of all to be close to Jesus under the sacramental species, not only when he is present inside the tabernacle, but above all when he is exposed. We will have the special grace to do our own Eucharistic Procession here in the Parish. Some parishioners will be working from the early hours of Sunday creating a sawdust carpet with holy images on Prospect St., which will be closed on Sunday. After the trilingual Mass at 11am (rain or shine) all three communities will gather for a procession through downtown Marlboro. It will be our time to take our greatest gem out “from hiding” and show it to everyone!!!! Last year we had a great attendance, and I invite you to reach out to family and friends and invite them to celebrate this awesome event with us! Finally, as I mentioned before, mark on your calendars the National Eucharistic Procession that will pass through Boston as part of the 250 th of the birth of our Country. There will be events on June 26-28 in Plymouth, Freedom Trail and Lexington. God Bless, Fr. Steven