Donations
We would like to thank you for your continued generosity to your parish.
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
Monday to Saturday: 8 a.m.
Wednesday: 7 p.m. (in Spanish)
As announced
Rev. Francisco J. Anzoátegui, Pastor
Rev. Andrew T. Grelak - Senior Priest in residence
Deacon: Alfredo Nieves
Deacon: Francisco Eli Mesa
Deacon: Hugo Ochoa Rodriguez
Deacon Emeritus: Pedro L. Torres
Deacon: Luis Marquez (Seminarian)
Music Directors:
Kim Lisbon and Fito Alvarado
Religious Education Coordinator:
James J. Drummey
Assistant Coordinator:
Maria M. Nieves
Pastoral Associate:
Secretary:
Financial Manager: Kelly McPherson
Sacristan: Mily Nieves
Building and Grounds Supervisor:
Cemetery Director: Joe Viel
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)
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
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.
If your would like to make a donation and help this ministry at Saint Stephen Parish, please click on the link. https://ststephenparish.weshareonline.org . Thank You!
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!
Communion/Confirmation Classes for Adults
Classes for adults who have not received First Communion or Confirmation will be held on seven Wednesday evenings, from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m., in the meeting room in the basement of the Parish Office, beginning on February 28th and continuing until Confirmation on April 12th. You can sign up by calling (508) 875-4788. If you were baptized elsewhere, please bring your certificate.
February 28 — What Do Catholics Believe
March 6 — Jesus: True God and True Man
March 13 — The Sacraments and Holy Eucharist
March 20 — Confirmation and the Holy Spirit
March 27 — Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell
April 3 — Sin and Reconciliation
April 10 — Penance Service and Individual Confession
April 11 — Confirmation Rehearsal. 7:00 p.m.
April 12 — Confirmation Mass with Bishop Robert Reed, 7:00 p.m
Ways to Make Lent More Holy
With the celebration of Ash Wednesday last week, we are now in the solemn season of Lent in preparation for Easter. We are all invited to work to enter more deeply into the mystery of Christ, namely, prayer, sacrifice, and charity.
In view of this call to conversion, think seriously about what you would like to offer to the Lord in these forty days. Maybe you could come to Mass more often or, certainly, make a good confession during Lent, abstain from things that you like and enjoy in order to be more mindful of the Lord’s Passion, come to the Stations of the Cross, and help a local charity.
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.
Speaking in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on February 1st, 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 at-tacks 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 it: ‘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
SCHEDULE FOR HOLY WEEK
Holy Thursday, March 28
Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper
7:00 p.m. (Bilingual)
Adoration of Blessed Sacrament
9:00 p.m. to Midnight
Good Friday, March 29
Service of the Lord’s Passion, Veneration
of the Cross, Holy Communion
3:00 p.m. (English)
7:00 p.m. (Spanish)
Holy Saturday, March 30
Easter Vigil Liturgy
8:00 p.m. (Bilingual)
Easter Sunday, March 31
Masses 9:00 a.m. (English)
10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. (Spanish)
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,
— 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.
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.
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.
Saint Stephen Parish - Framingham Massachusetts