From the Pastor's Desk
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Dear Parishioners,
As we approach the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, I want to ensure that our communities can observe this holy day of obligation with devotion and convenience. After careful consideration, I have decided to make a slight adjustment to our schedule.
To reduce overlap for our priests and to provide flexibility for our parishioners, I have added a Vigil Mass for the Immaculate Conception at St. Joseph's. The full schedule for this Holy Day is as follows:
- Thursday, Dec. 7, at 6 pm at St. Joseph
- Friday, Dec. 8, Masses:
> 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. - St. Stephen's
> 8 a.m. - St. Joseph's
> 7 p.m. - St. Stephen's
As you can see, the daily Masses are unchanged and each parish will have an evening Mass (either the Vigil or the holy day itself). I believe these modifications will allow parishioners to choose the time that best suits their schedule and ensures that everyone has the chance to fulfill their obligation.
Additionally, please note that your donations will be collected and envelopes will delivered to your home parish, regardless of where you attend Mass for this Holy Day. I pray this adjustment will contribute to a meaningful and blessed observance of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. If everything works fine, I will keep this schedule for the future days of obligations.
Unannounced Masses
I understand that scheduling Masses at St. Stephen has become challenging due to limited availability. I appreciate your dedication to attending Mass and participating in the Eucharist with your family and friends. To provide you with more options and ensure that you can continue to celebrate Mass in a convenient and meaningful way, I recommend checking the open days at St. Joseph Church in Florida.
Rather than settling for unannounced Masses said at random locations, I believe that actively participating in the Eucharist at a nearby church will provide a more fulfilling and enriching experience for you, your family, and friends.
I realize that changes can be challenging, but I believe that this opportunity will allow you to continue your worship with the same priests you know and trust. I appreciate your continued dedication to your faith and look forward to seeing you at Mass, whether at St. Stephen or St. Joseph.
May God's blessings be with you and your loved ones.
In Christ's love,
Fr. Slawek
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Brothers and Sisters:
We invite all of you to four sessions of Advent preparation for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas).
Each session will take place in the church and consist of a short lecture on Catholic Teaching and silent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with the possibility of confession.
Due to this year's liturgical calendar, the first session will be held on Saturday, Nov. 25, at 6:30 p.m. on the Vigil of Christ the King, and then every Saturday at the same time. Each meeting should last no longer than an hour.
The sessions will be presented by Dr. Mariusz A. Wolf, theologian, historian and political scientist.
The main topics of the meetings will be presented as follows:
- Week 1 (Nov. 25th) Genesis: Christian Anthropology, Evolution or Creation? The gift of Womanhood, The bravery of Fatherhood, and more…
- Week 2 (Dec. 2nd) Exodus: Christian teaching on Salvation, Sacraments, Angels, Anger and Forgiveness, Does Hell really Exist?
- Week 3 (Dec. 9th) Leviticus: Our Catholic Mass Explained: Each part of the Liturgy explained.
- Week 4 (Dec. 16th) Deuteronomy and Numbers: Canon Law on Marriage, Why Catholics cannot divorce? Can a priest stop being a priest?
We hope you will join us!
Blessings to you all as we prepare for the Nativity of Our Lord!
Fr. Slawek
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Please see below for some updates and changes to daily Mass times, Adoration, and the Mass Book as well as the addition of a pre-school program.
On many occasions while meeting with our parishioners I hear some say that the parish is not the same anymore, and that things have changed compared to the way it used to be years ago. Yes! It is true, nothing is the same. We can blame the pandemic or any other issue that may have affected us recently, but the truth of the matter is that nothing stays the same. We as humans go through changes and the Church is no different.
If you look at your wedding pictures, for example, you and your spouse probably look different after spending a number of years together. You likely act differently as well, yet you don’t love someone any less because they are not exactly that very same person you first met. If you come to think of it, the essence remains the same. External factors follow the same trend and influence all of us including our jobs, our lives, and our Churches.
Our parish community has also gone through important changes. As I think about our new venture together, some questions arise when I reflect about my service as a priest serving three communities. A very important part of my role as pastor is to ensure that our people of faith welcome the opportunity of being part of “We” and not “I”. We cannot forget that regardless of the parish to which we belong, we all are children of God.
It would be wonderful if I could be in all parishes at the same time, but unfortunately that’s not possible. It would be a blessing to make every single person happy, however, it is unrealistic to think that we can meet everybody’s expectations.
When I look back on the very same situation I faced in 2015 when St Catherine Laboure and St. Colman merged, I recognize the feeling of trying to satisfy everyone. I did try to be two people at the same time, and I regret to say that it was not feasible. I wanted to be equally available to both parishes, not favoring one and neglecting the other. Here it is no different! Luckily there are two priests here. But even so, it is important to understand, that, although we wish we could say all Masses, we simply can’t. Therefore, if you don’t see us saying certain Masses as often as you would like, please understand that we do try to do so whenever possible. If you don’t see Fr. Reynor or myself for a period of time, please keep in mind that every weekend we have eight Masses, and in light of this present schedule, we need at least one visiting priest to help us. As a courtesy, I give the visiting priests the option to choose the Mass they wish to celebrate while we, the parish priests, take care of the rest of our liturgies.
We are constantly evolving and looking for the best ways to improve as a community of faith. The main reason why we form our parish communities - St. Stephen and St. Joseph/St. Stanislaus - is to be with God, to worship God. The time we spend with Him gives us strength to go to the world and proclaim His words, His Good News of salvation. Therefore, our focus should be on the Eucharist and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
In order to determine the best practice and strategies for our parish, during the past few months I have been observing and discussing with our parish staff and parishioners the results of our initiatives as well as the day-to-day activities, and now is a good time to implement some changes.
Changes to Mass Times
We must adjust our weekly schedule to accommodate two Mass locations. In our current situation right now, for daily Masses, we have two priests and two altars in two different locations in addition to funerals, weddings, baptisms, sick calls – wherever and whenever our presence is requested. Needless to say, it is very difficult to schedule all activities in both parishes and follow the Church’s law regarding the number of Masses that one priest can say daily.
Sunday Mass: There will be no changes to the Sunday Mass schedules at this time.
Daily Mass: In the past, St. Stephen’s had two priests, making it possible to have two masses every day at 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. (except on their days off Wednesday and Friday). With St. Joseph, an 8 a.m.daily Mass was added to their schedule.
To ease this schedule, I would like to discontinue the 7 a.m. Daily Mass (currently on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday) effective January 1, 2024, and invite those who attend the 7 a.m. liturgy to be part of the 9 a.m. Mass (St. Stephen’s) or 8 a.m. (St. Joseph’s).
Our Holy Days of Obligation: Holy Days of Obligation will be celebrated in the usual way. Please check the Bulletin for more details prior to Holy Days.
Adoration Schedules
- First Friday Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at St. Stephen’s: First Friday Adoration at St. Stephen’s will remain the same: 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 a.m. (except during the winter months, January – March)
- One-hour Adoration currently on Fridays (7:30 – 8:30 p.m.) needs to be rescheduled. During the wintertime, especially, it is difficult to drive when the weather is not friendly. It will be safer to celebrate the adoration on Mondays after the 9 a.m. Mass until noon. This change is effective as of October 13th.
- Adoration at St. Joseph’s: The daily Adoration schedule, 7 – 8 a.m. and every Sunday after 9 a.m.Mass until 11:45 a.m., will not change.
Mass Book
The Mass Book will open on October 2nd for January – June 2024. This way if we need to make any adjustments, it will be easier to do so for the latter part of the year. The Mass Book for July-December will open May 6th.
You may sign up for two Sundays and up to four weekday Masses in the six-month period.
Other Remembrance Opportunities:
Those of you who want to remember your relatives and friends and/or have more intentions we can offer the following:- Unannounced Masses as we have right now;
- Memory Lamps (St. Mary, Sacred Heart at St Stephen’s); (Blessed Family, Sacred Heart at St. Joseph’s)
- All Souls Novena (November 2-9)
- Christmas/Easter Remembrance (Five days of Masses after each Feast)
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
We will be offering a new preschool program (ages 3-5), “Catechesis of the Good Shepherd”. This will take place at St. Stephen’s during the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Masses for up to 13 children per session. The room will be set up at St. Edward House (white building). Please watch for more details soon on our Flocknote and in the bulletin.
Christmas Masses: This year our biggest challenge will be during Christmas time. Every few years the Christmas Eve Vigil falls on the 4th Sunday of Advent. Please keep in mind that both celebrations (4th Sunday of Advent and Christmas) are Holy Day of Obligation. If we keep our Sunday and Christmas schedule as we have in years past at the three locations (St. Stephen’s, St. Joseph’s and St. Stanislaus), we will have 20 Masses between Saturday 4 p.m. and Monday 1 p.m.We will need to make some scheduling changes this year. Please check our Bulletin and Flocknote for our updated Christmas schedule as we get closer to that celebration.
Thank you for your attention to these very important parish matters with regards to adjustments in the schedule to ensure that Fr. Reynor and myself are able to serve everyone in our faith communities. We truly appreciate your support and understanding.
God bless you all!
Fr. Slawek
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