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.

A Prayer for Pope Leo XIV

Heavenly Father, you have raised your servant, Pope Leo XIV, to the Chair of St. Peter.

Pour out your abundant blessings upon him. Through him, guide your Pilgrim Church along the path to Heaven. Grant him wisdom to discern your will, courage to fulfill it, and charity to shepherd your people with the heart of Christ.

In this time of transition, bring peace to troubled hearts, joy to those who suffer, and hope to the despairing. May he be a faithful successor to St. Peter, a humble servant of your Word, and a fearless herald of your Divine Mercy and Truth. Strengthen him with the grace of the Holy Spirit, that he may lead the Church in unity, holiness, and fidelity.

We entrust him to the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin Mary and to the prayers of all the saints.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Reverence for the Holy Eucharist

As we know and commemorate on today’s feast, Holy Communion is really the Body and Blood of Jesus. It is not a symbol of Jesus’ body, but really is His Body. So after you receive Communion, don’t say, “I ate the bread” or “I drank the wine.” No, you didn’t. You ate the Body of Christ and you drank His Blood. Please use the right terms to describe this wonderful sacrament.

You should also make sure to show the proper reverence for our Lord and Savior. Before coming to Communion, you must be free from serious sins, you must have fasted for one hour from food and drink (except water), and you must show the proper demeanor as you approach the altar, not looking around to see your friends, but concentrating on the unique privilege you are about to experience.

This also means wearing modest and appropriate clothing, especially during the Summer. Don’t come to receive the Lord dressed as if you are going to the beach. You would dress appropriately if going to visit the King of England, so why not dress properly when going to visit the King of the Universe? As you approach the minister of the Eucharist, you should not be looking around or chewing gum. Your hands should be folded and you should make a reverent bow. Look directly at Jesus when the minister says, “The Body of Christ” (or “The Blood of Christ”) and say a firm “Amen.”

If you receive the Host in your hand, put your right hand under your left hand, forming a throne for the King. Step to one side and place the Host carefully in your mouth before you walk away, make the Sign of the Cross, return to your seat, and thank Jesus for coming to you.

Never carry Holy Communion back to your seat and always treat Jesus with the greatest reverence and love. After all, He has provided this heavenly Food to help you get to Heaven.

July Is the Month of the Most

Precious Blood!

In the Catholic Church, each month is dedicated to a particular devotion to increase our love for God, and to strengthen our faith. July is the month dedicated to the devotion of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus.

Special prayers will be said each morning, and there will be a special Mass to honor this devotion. Please learn this prayer as we keep this devotion: “May the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ save me, my family, my country, and the whole world.”

or

“Oh Heavenly Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, of your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins, and those of the whole world.”

or

“Blessed be Jesus, always and forever, who redeemed us by His Precious Blood.”

Summer Is Here ...

A few gentle reminders:

 • Dress modestly when you come to Church. Remember you are entering the House of God, not going to the beach, and you don’t want to be a distraction to

those around you who are trying to worship the Lord.

 • Turn off your all your electronic devices so that you can listen attentively to the Word of God.

 • And last, but not least, enjoy this time of relaxation, renewal, sun, gatherings, and fun; but remember, nev-er take a vacation from God! If you honor Him, He will reward you at the end of life! Happy Summer!

Schedules for 2025-2026

— It is imperative that you let us know what activities you are planning for the year that begins in September so that we can make sure that the Parish facilities are available and are not double-booked. You must get your schedules to Mily Nieves at the Parish Office as soon as possible or you might not be able to reserve the dates you want.

Trusting in God

to bring Good out of Evil

The first readings at daily Mass recently chronicle the adventures of Joseph, the son of Jacob who was sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers, but who by intelligence and perseverance rose to become the second most powerful man in Egypt.

He had advised the Pharaoh to store up grain during the years of plenty so there would be enough food for the people when lean times came, and the king put Joseph in charge of distributing the grain.

When the famine affected the Chosen People in Ca-naan, Jacob sent some of Joseph’s brothers to Egypt to purchase grain. They had to present themselves before Joseph, whom they did not recognize since so much time had passed following the betrayal of their brother.

But Joseph recognized them and, after putting them through some difficult moments, revealed that “I am your brother Joseph, whom you once sold into Egypt.” The brothers were astonished and overjoyed, but then began to fear that Joseph would seek revenge against them for what they had done to him. But Joseph assured them that he bore them no animosity and that what they had done to him was part of God’s plan to save their lives.

A good lesson for us, who don’t always trust in God to bring good out of evil. God’s ways are not our ways, and we need to have confidence in Him that when things seem to be going wrong, He will come to our aid and help us to deal with difficult circumstances.