The Devil Is Alive and Well

Some people think the story in the Gospel about Satan tempting Jesus doesn’t have much to do with us today since the Devil is really just something out of Hollywood fiction. Satan is happy to have people think that since it makes his evil work so much easier.

One person who knows how active the Devil is today is Fr. Chad Ripperger, who has been involved in exorcisms for many years and knows first-hand of the spiritual warfare being waged against us. He says that the rates of

diabolical influence have risen dramatically in recent years.

In a talk at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City last year, Fr. Ripperger said that among American adults, about 0.5 percent are possessed by demons, about 15 percent are oppressed by attacks on family, health, and finances, and about 25 percent are obsessed through attacks on the emotions and the imagination.

He said that the rise in demonic oppression and obsession is due to “people doing a lot of evil things” and be-cause members of the Church are less holy. “Every mortal sin is an open door to possession,” he said.

Why does God allow demons in our lives? The principal reason, the exorcist said, “is to sanctify us because when we combat them … that is meritorious in the eyes of God, and it actually raises our place in Heaven. St. Paul said: ‘Engage the ancient serpent and win the crown of glory.’”

How can we resist the power of the Devil? “

By leading an authentic Catholic life; staying out of sin; avoiding temptations; avoiding persons, places, and things that could cause us to fall; receiving the Sacraments on a regular basis; praying on a regular basis,” said Fr. Ripperger

The Transfiguration of the Lord

Peter, James, and John were given a foretaste of Heaven and of the glory of God when Jesus took them up a high mountain and was transfigured before their eyes. It wasn’t a case of the bright sun shining on Him, but rather it was His glory radiating out from within. While He was praying, His face became radiant, and His clothing became dazzling white in appearance.

The timing of this phenomenon came about a week after Jesus’ first prediction of His coming Passion and Death. It was the Lord’s way of giving the apostolic trio a sign of hope by demonstrating for them that His suffering and Death would not be the end, but would lead to glory on Easter Sunday.

Peter wanted to keep the glorious event going, so he offered to erect three tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, the two Old Testament heroes who appeared with Jesus. But while he was speaking, a cloud overshadowed the mountain and from the cloud came a voice, saying: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (Matthew 17:5).

What good advice for us! Imagine how different our lives would be, not to mention the situation in the world, if every-one listened to Jesus, who told us on another occasion that we will only get to Heaven by following Him faithfully.

Another lesson from the Transfiguration is the condition of our risen bodies in Heaven. They will be glorified like that of Christ. In the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Christ “will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body” (n. 999).

We are family!

A message of love and solidarity.

Here at Saint Stephen Parish, we will never stop living and promoting our Catholic Faith!

Each day we will post news, initiatives and information that is important to all of us as a parish family.

We are going to use, to the best of our ability and creativity, the means that this era of technology offers us, to stay connected with our brothers and sisters because “We are family”.

That is the title of the brief posts you’ll find on our web page or on the Parish Facebook page. Since we are a bilingual community, everything will be posted in the two languages, you just need to scroll down the page to find the English post. So, log on to www.ststephenparish.org each day and let us stay connected with each other.

Feel free also to comment and sent suggestions that may be helpful, thanks.

Altar Servers Invited Back

After a hiatus of several years, we would like to have our young people resume their role of serving at Mass.

This is a great privilege in assisting the priest as he brings Jesus down from Heaven into our parish churches.

This service is open to boys and girls who have served in the past or who would like to serve now. You must have received your First Communion to be eligible and you must be available to fulfill your assigned Masses.

Training will be provided. If you are interested, please contact Mr. Drummey at classes on Sunday,

Helping the St. Vincent de Paul Society

We know that many of you gave up things during Lent that may have saved you some money. Some of that money has been used in past years to help different charities, like the Rice Bowl program, the Bethany project to help prisoners, the Pro-Life movement, etc.

How about this time donating the money you saved by denying yourself certain pleasures to the St. Vincent de Paul Society? The SVDP does a wonderful job helping the most needy among us. This is the way we try to respond to our call to help the poor here at Saint Stephen's

Faith Formation in the Fall

Religious Education in English and Spanish for the young people in our Parish, especially for those receiving First Communion and Confirmation, will begin on Sun-day,

 September 17th, at 10:15 a.m. for grades 1 to 6 and at 11:45 for grades 7 to 10.

Registration forms will be going out shortly or you can scan the QR code here to sign up on line. If you have any questions, please call Mr. Drummey at (508) 875-4788.

Visits and Holy Communion to the sick and homebound.

As Catholics, if we have the misfortune to end up being sick for a while, or in recovery; one of the most comforting things for us is, to be able to watch Mass on TV, and that is why we continue to broadcast our Masses that you may follow each weekend by linking to our webpage and, most of all, to receive Holy Communion. If you hap-pen to know any of our Parishioners to be in this situation, please, call the office and notify us about it. One of our Priests, Deacons or Extraordinary Minister of Communion will be more than happy to visit your relative and bring him/her Holy Communion. Please, let us know!

“Will Only a Few People Be Saved?”

Jesus was asked this question and responded that we must “enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and restricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14).

People have debated for centuries about what Jesus meant by “many” and “few.” No one knows. What we do know, however, is that we want to be among the few. How can we do that? Well, for one thing, we can keep the Ten Commandments, as Jesus told the rich young man who wanted to know what he had to do to get to Heaven.

The Commandments explain in more detail what Jesus called the two great commandments. First, we must love God with all our hearts, all our minds, and all our souls. Second, we must love our neighbor at ourselves.

If you were to ask people if they expect to go to Heaven, many would respond in the affirmative. If you ask them why, they will say, “Because I’m a good person. I shop for my elderly neighbor, I help out at a homeless shelter, I coach youth sports, etc.”

But that’s only the second great commandment — to love our neighbor. What about the first great command-ment — to love God above everything and everyone else?

Does helping other people make up for neglecting God? Does coaching sports on Sunday morning make up for not going to Mass? We would say no.

A good person should first of all be a “Godperson.” The two should go hand in hand, always putting God first in our lives and others second. Then we can be sure of being saved.

Baptisms and Marriages

Two great Sacraments that God has given to His Church are the sacraments of Marriage and Baptism. We encourage those who are planning to get married to contact one of our priests for an initial meeting at least six months prior to the wedding date you have in mind. And for newborn babies, bring them to the fountain of Baptism as soon as possible to give them the greatest gift of all — the grace to become children of God.

Baptism begins our journey to Heaven. We cannot receive any of the other Sacraments without having been baptized. It is imperative that parents not neglect to have their children baptized shortly after birth.

On the steps of Saint Paul: A Pilgrimage to Greece, Ephesus and Greek Isles Cruise.

Join Father Paco, the Angel Connection Group and fellow Parishioners and friends for an unbelievable Pilgrimage that will include the First Christian Communities formed by Saint Paul, the House of the Blessed Mother in Ephesus, a relaxing cruise to the Greek Islands, Athens, Santorini, and much more.

September 9 to the 19, 2025 $ 5,783 per person from Boston (based on double occupancy) For Reservation and more information go to: 206tours.com/angelconnection

From now until March 15th, Knights of Columbus Council 87 of Framingham is helping the American Red Cross

to collect blood for those in need. You are invited to join them at a Red Cross blood drive or donation center.

Please use the Bloodlink below to sign up. Once you have done so, you will be given an appointment at the nearest Red Cross donation center.

Your Bloodlink ID is 1713 and your reference number is 1380501:

https://rcblood.org/3ZvgBzp

Remember, hospital patients are counting on us, so spread the word, bring a friend, make an appointment and donate together, and then celebrate your accomplishment by knowing that you have helped someone in need.

Thank you on behalf of the patients you may have touched.

Qualifications for Sponsors for Baptism and Confirmation

If you have been asked to be a godparent or sponsor, you should know that you yourself must have received the sacraments of Baptism, Holy Eucharist, and Confirmation (if you need those sacraments, see the notice above). You also must be at least 16 years of age and be leading “a life in harmony with the Faith and the role to be undertaken.” What does this mean?

It means weekly participation in Sunday Mass, ful-filling the Lord’s commandment. It also means that those who are married must have been married in the Catholic Church because all baptized Catholics are required to be married before a priest and two witnesses.

“Mardi Gras” celebration March 3 - 2025

Photos

Communion/Confirmation

Classes for Adults

Classes for adults who have not received

First Communion or Confirmation will be held on nine Wednesday evenings, from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m., in the meeting room in the basement of the Parish Office, beginning on March 12th and continuing until Confirmation on May 22nd.

You can sign up by calling (508) 875-4788. If you were baptized elsewhere, please bring your certificate.

 March 12 — What Do Catholics Believe

 March 19 — Jesus: True God and True Man

 March 26 — The Sacraments

 April 2 — Mass and the Holy Eucharist

 April 9 — Confirmation and the Holy Spirit

 April 16 — Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell

 April 23 — NO Class

 April 30 — The Blessed Virgin Mary

 May 7 — Sin and Reconciliation

 May 14 — Penance Service and Individual Confession

 May 20 — Confirmation Rehearsal. 7:00 p.m.

May 22 — Confirmation Mass with Bishop Robert Reed, 7:00 p.m

You can come to the first class on Wednesday.

Rite of Election

Seven members of our Parish went to the Holy Cross Cathedral in Boston last Sunday and joined more than 400 other catechumens who were blessed by Bishop Mark O’Con-nell as they continue their journey to entry into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil.

Please keep the following in your prayers:

Ashley Contreras

Ariel Flores

Luis Gutierrez

Cecilia Jaldin Silva

Sophia LaPorte

Sebastian Macakenney

Stanli Tacuri