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.

“We are facing an enormous and dramatic clash between good and evil, death and life, the ‘culture of death’ and the ‘culture of life’ .... We are all involved and we all share in it, with the inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally pro-life.”

PRAYER FOR THE SOULS IN PURGATORY

Heavenly Father, in union with the merits of Jesus and Mary, I offer to You for the sake of the poor souls all the satisfactory value of my works during life, as well as all that will be done for me after death. I give You my all through the hands of the Immaculate Virgin Mary that she may set free whatever souls she pleases, according to her heavenly wisdom and mother's love for them. Receive this offering, O God, and grant me in return an increase of Your grace. Amen.

INDULGENCES FOR THE SOULS IN PURGATORY

On all the days from November 1st through November 8th, inclusive, a plenary indulgence applicable only to the Poor Souls is granted to those who visit a cemetery and pray, even if only mentally, for the departed. Here are the conditions for both indulgences:

1. Only one plenary indulgence can be granted each day that the conditions are met.

2. It is necessary to be in the state of grace at the time the work is completed.

3. Freedom from attachment to a particular sin, even venial sin, is necessary, or the indulgence will only remove part of the temporal punishment.

4. Holy Communion must be received each time the indulgence is sought.

5. Prayers must be recited for the intentions of the Holy Father on each day the indulgence is sought. For example, one may recite the Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be, and then at the end, "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen."

6. A sacramental Confession must be made within twenty days of completion of the prescribed work. One Confession made during this time, made with the intention of gaining all the indulgences, is sufficient. Indulgences can remove either all (plenary) or some (partial) of the temporal punishment due to sins that have been forgiven. What a wonderful way to help our departed loved one get to Heaven.

Get In On the December Raffle

Want a chance to win $100 a day during December, or $200 on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and on Christmas Eve? Then you need to buy a $10 raffle ticket for our special December Parish Raffle. Many of you will be receiving your raffle tickets in the mail, but you can pick up a book at the Parish Office during the week, beginning November 12th. This is a great fund-raiser for St. Stephen Parish, and we hope you will take part. There are $3,200 in prizes and you have 31 chances of winning. You must turn your tickets in by November 30th.

PRAYER FOR THE ELECTIONS

Mary Immaculate, living tabernacle of the Divinity, where

the eternal Wisdom lies hidden to be adored and served by

angels and men, Queen of Heaven and earth, beneath whose

sway are subject all things that are lower than God, Patroness

of the United States of America, sorrowful and mindful of our

own sinfulness and the sins of our nation, we come to you, our

refuge and hope.

Knowing that our country cannot be saved by our own

works and mindful of how much our nation has departed from

the ways of your Son, we humbly ask that you would turn your

eyes upon our country to bring about its conversion.

We consecrate to you the integrity of the upcoming election

and its outcome, so that what is spiritually and morally best for

the citizens of our country may be accomplished, and that all

those who are elected would govern according to the spiritual

and moral principles which will bring our nation into conformity

with the teachings of your Son.

Give grace to the citizens of this land so that they will

choose leaders according to the Sacred Heart of your Son,

that His glory be made manifest lest we be given the leaders

we deserve. Trusting in the providential care of God the Father

and your maternal care, we have perfect confidence that you

will take care of us and will not leave us forsaken.

O Mary Immaculate, pray for us. Amen.