If your would like to make a donation and help this ministry at Saint Stephen Parish, please click on the link.
Thank You!
Donations
We would like to thank you for your continued generosity to your parish.
Defending Christopher Columbus
You have surely noticed the frenzied attacks on many of our ancestors, those who established the foundations of Western civilization but are now being falsely denounced for a variety of alleged crimes. It goes without saying, of course, that all humans are sinners and have transgressed the moral law to greater or lesser degrees. This does not mean, however, that our flawed ancestors did not do some good for our country and for our world.
Which brings us to Christopher Columbus. The deconstructionists want his name and images removed from our schools, parks, and public squares, and cities have re-named Columbus Day “Indigenous People’s Day.” But does this libeling of Columbus as a “genocidal maniac” have any basis in historical fact. The answer is no, and here are some truths about him.
First, he did not come to the Western Hemisphere seek-ing wealth for himself, but rather to find enough wealth to help finance a crusade to free the Holy Land from Islamic invaders. Second, he did not come to enslave natives since he didn’t even know that they existed. When he did discover them, he wanted to convert them to Christ by persuasion, not force.
Third, he did not come to “paradise,” but rather to lands where tens of thousands of natives were sacrificed to pa-gan gods each year. Christianity brought an end to that. Fourth, while some Spanish explorers — e.g., Cortes and Pizarro — were bad guys, Columbus was not. He was, ac-cording to the Spanish priest Bartolome de las Casas, a “gentle man of great force and spirit.” Fifth, Columbus brought the saving message of Christianity to this part of the world. That is why he is hated and demonized today.
Prayer to St. Michael
— At the request of Pope Francis, we will recite the Prayer to St. Michael at the end of all Masses in the New Year to counter the power of the Devil.
Here is the prayer. Let’s try to learn it by heart:
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, drive into Hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
Prayer of surrender to the Holy Spirit by Cardinal Mercier.
I am going to reveal to you the secret of sanctity and happiness. Every day for five minutes control your imagination and close your eyes to all the noises of the world in order to enter into yourself. Then, in the sanctuary of your baptized soul (which is the temple of the Holy Spirit) speak to that Divine Spirit, saying to Him:
O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do; give me Your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me and to accept all that You permit to happen to me. Let me only know Your Will.
Amen.
If you do this, your life will flow along happily, serenely, and full of consolation, even in the midst of trials. Grace will be proportioned to the trial, giving you the strength to carry it and you will arrive at the Gate of Paradise, laden with merit. This submission to the Holy Spirit is the secret of sanctity.
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.
From the Facebook Fan Page
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 com
forting 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.
WEEKEND MASSES
Saturdays:
4 p.m. English
7 p.m. Spanish
Sunday:
9:00 a.m. Engish
10:30 a.m. -Spanish
12:30 p.m. - Spanish
WEEKDAY MASSES
Monday to Saturday: 8 a.m.
Wednesday: 7 p.m. (in Spanish)
HOLY DAY MASSES
As announced
STAFF - Rev
Rev. Francisco J. Anzoátegui, Pastor
Rev. Mark T. Olejnik, Parochial Vicar
STAFF - Deacons
Deacon: Alfredo Nieves
Deacon: Francisco Eli Mesa
Deacon: Hugo Ochoa Rodriguez
Deacon Emeritus: Pedro L. Torres
STAFF - Seminarian Deacon:
Deacon: Deacon Jorge Reyes
STAFF - Music
Music Directors:
Kim Lisbon and Fito Alvarado
Religious Education Coordinator:
James J. Drummey
STAFF - Assistant Coordinator
Assistant Coordinator:
Maria M. Nieves
STAFF - Pastoral Associate
Pastoral Associate:
STAFF - Secretary
Secretary: Maria M. Nieves
STAFF - Financial Manager
Financial Manager: Mrs. Helena Siciliano
STAFF - Sacristan
Sacristan: Mily Nieves
Mass Media Coordinators:
Osvaldo & Margarita Calderon
Cemetery Director
Cemetery Director: Joe Viel
CONFESSIONS
We Priests here at Saint Stephen have decided to be more available for the reception of this Sacrament, and you may come to Confession during the weekend Masses. Please take advantage of this opportunity.
Confessions will still be held regularly every Saturday from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., and on Thursdays from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. You may also call one of the priests to hear your confession by appointment.
(updated 9-5-21)
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.
RCIA and Adult Confirmation
— If you or someone you know would like to learn more about the Catholic Church, or would like to become a Catholic, we will start classes on Sunday, October 20th. We will meet every Sunday, except for holiday weekends, from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. in the School up through Easter, which is April 20th next year.
Anyone who is a baptized Catholic but never received First Communion or Confirmation is also invited to be part of these classes. Mr. Drummey will teach the classes in English, and Deacon Freddy Nieves the classes in Spanish. Please call (508) 875-4788 to register for them
We welcome among us our
new Deacon Seminarian from Pope Saint John XXIII
Every year since 2010 we have received with great joy one or more of the
Seminarians who are preparing for the priesthood at the Seminary of Saint John XXIII.
Each one of them leaves us great love, example, and much to learn; At the same time, they are enriched by working in our Faith Community... for this reason, we receive with great joy Deacon Jorge Reyes, from the Diocese of Miami in Florida, of Cuban-American origin, and we extend our customary and cordial welcome to him.
October Is Pro-Life Month
Even though the Supreme Court struck down the legali-ty of abortion nationwide, this crime against humanity is still legal in many states, including Massachusetts, even up to the moment of birth. We ask your continued prayers and witness for the sanctity of life in the womb. One way you can witness is to take part in the 40 Days for Life Vigils in front of Planned Parenthood in Boston, which began on September 25th and will continue until November 3rd. This inspiring effort has saved over 25,000 babies, over 261 abortion workers have left their jobs, and 154 killing cen-ters have closed.
The vigil hours are from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily in front of Planned Parenthood, 1055 Commonwealth Ave-nue, Boston. If you would like to spend an hour or two in-terceding for these babies, and their mothers, please con-tact Rita Russo at 40daysforlifeboston@gmail.com or call her at (781) 762-4391. As always, you can pray fervently for these children on your own, particularly the rosary in the month of October.
October Is the Month of the Holy Rosary
October is the month dedicated to the recitation of the Most Holy
Rosary. Many miracles have been attributed to this wonderful prayer.
Our Blessed Mother has promised peace in the world if people stop sinning and pray the Ro-sary fervently. We encourage you to listen to our Lady and make recitation of the Rosary a daily practice in your life.
All Souls Remembrance
— On No-vember 2nd, the Feast of All Souls, we will memorialize t
hose dear members of our Parish family and our own families who have died during the past year. One Spir-itual Work of Mercy is to Pray for the Liv-ing and the Dead. Here is a wonderful chance to help per-sons who may be in Purgatory to get to Heaven.
Families and friends are invited to inscribe their names on a Special Memorial Candle that will be available at the back of the Church after all the Masses beginning on the weekend of October 19th and 20th. The cost of the can-dles is $7 each or three candles for $20.
