Pope Francis has announced that Ash Wednesday will be a day of prayer and fasting for Ukraine. Let us unite in prayer and solidarity. Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us.

We personally invite each of you to join us in prayer using our parish prayer for Lent which you'll find below. We will be sending a weekly reminder during Lent to stop and join us in prayer wherever you are. It would be our hope that this invitation stirs your heart and moves you to join in with us. These small acts of prayer are powerful beyond our understanding. #prayer #Lent2022

Click here to see the prayer on our website. 

Today, consider giving up your usual Friday treat and instead donating that money you’d have spent to those most in need. What if giving up your favorite coffee could help feed children in a place of education Mary's Meals? What if saying goodbye to your weekly takeout could help those suffering in Ukraine Catholic Relief Services? What if saying no to your evening glass of wine could help feed those here in our area struggling with food insecurity https://foodbankofhudsonvalley.org/?

Come home to your church; if you haven’t attended in person services, consider doing so. For those of you who have been coming all along, welcome others back.
“we are called to return to the Lord, your God.” Joel 2:12




 

Consider a good habit to begin today, write it down, and leave it someplace where you can see it daily. Some examples are pray more, being more compassionate to others, add a daily devotional, or participate in a daily prayer service. Strive to be better and share your joy. What will you do today to bring more focus to your relationship with Jesus?

Lent is a great time to send anger and resentment packing! Carve out time in your day to spend time in prayer to forgive and let go of any negative feelings or thoughts. If there is someone you have a grudge with, write a note and ask for forgiveness or a chance to talk through the disagreement. Dig deep and ask God for His help to heal your heart. How will you use today to grow in friendship with our Lord?

Be intentional in your interactions today. We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers' and sisters' keepers, wherever they may be. Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world. At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace. Pope Paul VI taught that "if you want peace, work for justice." The Gospel calls us to be peacemakers. Our love for all our sisters and brothers demands that we promote peace in a world surrounded by violence and conflict.

Today drink only water. When you’re craving a caffeine kick offer it up for someone in need.

Please consider donating non-perishable food for our parish Lenten Food Drive. The food will support the Florida and Greenwood Lake food pantries. Sadly, many families in our area rely on food pantries. As you probably know, almsgiving is one of the three pillars of Lenten practice according to the Catholic catechism. This is a great way to share some of our countless blessings with those in need!
St. Stephen’s is collecting in a special box in the atrium the following items:

boxes of crackers
pasta sauce
family size bottles of shelf stable juice
Cereal
Coffee
Cake or brownie mixes
Canned tuna or salmon or chicken
Toothbrushes
Feminine hygiene products
Toiletries
Dish detergent

These items will be delivered by a parish family who has taken on this project for the 2nd year in a row to our local pantries who will distribute to those who hunger.

Mary is our Mother. Take 5 minutes today to pray a decade of the Rosary. Offer each prayer for a special intention or for someone in need.

Today take the time to write a letter of thanks to someone you love, send them a little note saying how much you appreciate them. Take a look at all the different parts of your life and where God has blessed you with different, wonderful relationships. Your childhood friends, college friends, work people, parish community, neighborhood people, and of course your family. Take a moment to pray for this person and write a letter of thanks, gratitude, and love. It is an honor to recognize different people in our lives. Think of those that you may have had an issue with, keep them in prayer and ask for forgiveness.

As you are aware, there is a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine after Russia invaded the country. The conflict is likely to impact large numbers of people being displaced from their homes, and their needs will be significant.
We are working with The Ukrainian American Youth Association of the Hudson Valley accepting items at St. Stephen Church and the Parish Community Center.
Here’s how you can help:

Take time today to pray with your St. Stephen family for forgiveness, justice and peace for all.

Today is the Feast of St. Patrick, the patron saint of the Archdiocese of New York. St. Patrick carried the gospel of Jesus across Ireland and is celebrated by all who are Irish, or Irish for today! Let us pray the prayer of St. Patrick's breastplate together today. Slainté!

Each Friday of Lent, we abstain from eating meat as a way to experience a little of the hunger that many people experience daily. Click the link below to find some delicious recipes to try.
Preparing meatless meals—like the ones in the link from countries around the world—offers an experience of global solidarity.
In addition to meatless Fridays, we are invited to offer daily sacrifices. By giving up little things—like coffee or candy—we make room for God to act in our lives in new ways, and we have the opportunity to give the money we save to those most in need.
https://www.crsricebowl.org/recipe

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph. Pray for all fathers today. Whether yours is present or absent; whether you are personally a father or hoping to become one; or if you have other father figures in your life, including priests, pray for them. Our world needs good, strong fathers.

Today is the 2nd official day of Spring, take time to notice God’s beauty all around you! Take a picture of something that brings you joy and share it on our St. Stephens app. Simply download the app on your phone, available for both Android and Apple phones and devices by searching St. Stephen- Warwick, NY.

Fast from making snap judgements today. Humans are too complicated to be fully understood. We can choose to approach our brothers and sisters with suspicion or we can choose to approach them with an open mind, optimism and candor.

Put down your phone today and focus on others around you. We are all made in the image and likeness of God because we can love, create, and truly choose good. We are capable of truly and freely choosing to do good and to love. Human persons are not mere reactionary creatures but a creation that, like God, can choose to do good and to love one another. Human persons are also able to know and understand goodness and love. Human persons can mirror God in the manner we know, understand, love and do good.

Our parish ministry, four seasons kids, is collecting boys or girls jeans or package of underwear for their Lenten Clothing Drive. See flyer for ways to donate.

Fast from noise today. Turn off music, or any distractions, and turn on the silence. Focus on what our Lord is telling you to do, what He’s calling you to be. It’s hard not to notice the world is flooded with noise. It is disguised as music, news, gossip, talking and more. Silence is a rare gift! Fasting from noise today is an intentional and prayerful way to hear God’s word, God’s voice, and God’s love.

Plan to take time tomorrow for reflection and to feed yourself this Lent. Join us for a Lenten Solace Musical Meditation with Fr. Jim Worth. Details on flyer.
St Augustine: "To sing is to pray twice."

Please pray for the 2nd graders of our parish who will receive the sacrament of Penance for the first time this week! Pray they are blessed to know the grace of God’s mercy and always know God’s boundless love for them.

Pray for a culture that respects life from conception to natural death. Pray for an end to abortion, for pregnant women contemplating abortion and for those who have had abortion and seek healing.
To learn more about the 40 Days for Life campaign, visit: www.40daysforlife.com or contact the campaign leaders:
Goshen: Cyrille Velasco (917) 991-6147 [email protected] or
Newburgh: Wendy Wood (845) 820-4366
[email protected]
For help with post-abortion healing, please contact the following services:
Project Rachel Ministry https://hopeafterabortion.com/
Sisters of Life Hope and Healing after Abortion: The Sisters of Life provide one-on-one accompaniment, day/weekend retreats, & morning gatherings for women. Toll free: 866.575.0075 or email [email protected].

Sometimes it’s easy to see others through the lens of our own experiences. Today ask Jesus for the grace to see beyond your perception of others. When you’re with someone challenging today, remind yourself they have struggles and fears just like you. We are all more than what we appear.

Today, practice the gift of forgiving yourself. You are human, flawed, and most of all worthy of love. Pray for the ability to forgive yourself and learn from past mistakes. If you haven’t made a plan to go to Confession, consider doing so this Lent. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered at St. Stephen Saturdays: 2:30 - 4:00 p.m.

On this first Friday consider joining us for Mass at 7pm followed by all-night adoration. At the end of Mass the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed until the Benediction at 8:15 am the next morning on Saturday before the 9:00 Mass. We can show our adoration to God in many ways, but in Eucharistic Adoration, we spend time adoring the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Of course, in order to continue this time-honored devotion we will need parishioners to be in the church throughout the evening and early morning. We hope you will join us.

This Sunday - April 3rd, is Hospitality Sunday! Join us after the 9am Mass for a cup of tea or coffee and some delicious goodies......most of all join us so you can get to know your fellow parishioners --- don't just sit behind them at Mass -- say HELLO -- make new friends.... Your Parish is your extended family! SMILE! SEE YOU SUNDAY!
Please note: Due to steady rain in the forecast for Sunday morning, the Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by the Knights of Columbus has been postponed. The new date for the Egg Hunt is Sunday, April 24 following the 9am Mass.

Feeling discouraged? We encourage you to pray Psalm 23. If you don't already know it, now is a good time to learn it. Please hold up those who are walking through a dark valley at this time - may they know that the Good Shepherd is at their side.
A printable version of the psalm can be downloaded here: http://inghamcatholic.com/.../upl.../2020/03/Psalm-23-A4.pdf

Have you ever thought about reading the entire Bible? Consider spending 20 minutes of each day participating in the Bible in a Year offered by Ascension Press. If you haven’t heard of this amazing program we encourage you to check it out. It is a great way gain insight and understanding of our beautiful faith. Choose your favorite podcast app. Open it. Search Bible in a Year. Press play on Day one. It’s that easy!

Learn more about Fr. Mike and the Bible in a Year podcast HERE on this 60 Minutes interview!

Today imagine sitting with Jesus at the end of a long day. Close your eyes and imagine looking into His eyes and seeing His love for you. He loves you just the way you are.

Where there is plenty, charity is a duty not a courtesy. Considering giving double what you would normally give to your favorite charity.

Let’s try to simplify our lives as we head into Holy Week. Let’s cut down on the noise and cut back on the distracting inputs. Let’s make it a point to draw closer to Jesus and our families. Look through your home and set aside all the clothes you no longer wear, the tools and appliances you no longer use, or the extra food sitting in your pantry. Gather all of this together, and donate it to your local food bank or homeless shelter.

Step into Holy Week by joining us this weekend for St. Stephen's Players production of Beneath the Cross, a Passion Play based on the book by Bishop Gerardo Colacicco. The event is tonight, Saturday, April 9 at 7pm or Sunday, April 10 at 3pm in the Parish Community Center Gym. To reserve your free tickets, use the link here https://www.eventbrite.com/.../passion-play-the-last...

Today is Reconciliation Monday in the Archdiocese of New York. If you haven’t been to Confession in awhile, we welcome you back and invite you to participate in this beautiful Sacrament of healing. Take a step in faith! Confessions will be heard at St. Stephens from 3pm - 7pm.

Even though Jesus knows Peter will deny Him three times, Jesus has patience for Peter. The Lord isn’t patient with us because we deserve it, He is patient with us because it’s who He is. He doesn’t lose patience with those He loves simply because patience is His very nature. He is patient, therefore we are saved. Our Lord’s patience and mercy is never ending. Contemplate this gift and have patience with others today. Patience is God’s way of working through us to reach those who are lost.

We are in communion with Jesus and betray Him when we treat others in an unkind way. Let us pray that we can rise above our human limitations and love like Jesus. #SpyWednesday


 

Become less, love those around you, friends and strangers alike. Be open to allowing others to help you. This openness forms community.

“It is finished.” Spend time in contemplative prayer, imagine yourself in the crowd as Jesus carries His cross to Calvary.