








I hope your weekend is going well so far! Mass Schedule for Fourth Sunday of Advent: Saturday, Dec. 23rd at St. Stephen at 4 pm. Sunday, Dec. 24th at St. Joseph at 8:30 am & St. Stephen at 10:30 am. Mass Schedule for Feast of Christmas: Sunday, Dec. 24th at St. Stephen at 4 pm & St. Joseph at 6 pm. Monday, Dec. 25th at St. Stephen at MIDNIGHT & St. Joseph at 9 am. The St. Joseph Fireworks Sale is open daily from 1 to 9 pm. We are open early at 11:00 am today (23rd), as well as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Merry Christmas to all! Fr. Jason PS: I tried to find sacred music for the background, but this is what Facebook had to offer… “Feliz Navidad”
Masses for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Holy Day of Obligation) will be held Thursday night, Dec. 7 at 5:30 pm (SJ) and 7:00 pm (SS). Masses on Friday morning at 7:00 am (SS) and 8:10 am (SJ). I will be giving a homily on the significance of Our Lady of Czestochowa (the Black Madonna) of Poland. FYI: The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is the patronal feast of the United States! At one time in early American history, the Mississippi River was named the River of the Immaculate Conception!
Please join us for Mass on Wednesday, November 1st. Mass times are 7 am (SS), 8:10 am (SJ), 5:30 pm (SJ) and 7 pm (SS).
Happy Sunday from the Basilica Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe. I’m sure that some of you might be wondering what I could be doing in Orlando for so long… But you might be surprised to know that I have NOT been in theme parks 24/7 over the last week. The mornings have been fun, but I normally leave the parks after lunch and head back to our accommodations for the afternoon. I’ve been doing a lot of spiritual reading while I am here, and I just finished a great biography on Saint Monica by F. A. Forbes. As you attend Mass this weekend back home, and I attend Mass here, I just wanted to share one or two simple reflections with you in regards to the gospel this weekend. Everybody loves to quote John 3:16 where Jesus speaks to Nicodemus. What we forget is the full context of what Jesus is trying to say to Nicodemus. In our modern world, we love to just pick and choose what we like from the Sacred Scriptures. But Nicodemus had a lot to lose By following Jesus publicly since he was a member of the Pharisees. We would like to think that it’s just easy to accept Jesus and be done with him and everyone goes to heaven. Sounds nice… But that’s why heresy still exist today! Those heresies sound really nice but never challenge us to grow and to be holy! Nicodemus would remain a secret follower of Jesus until after the resurrection… He was not quite ready to do what the gospel says today: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross daily, and follow me.” That is the categorical difference between being someone who accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and being a disciple. A disciple wants to be perfect, just as Jesus tells us that we should do. When we have ambition in the world that is geared to the things of the world, it leads us away from Heaven. It is all about “me” and selfishness, and placating the body, instead of feeding the soul as well. St. Monica’s son, Augustine, is a great example of someone who had unhealthy ambition and sought pleasures in all of its forms and chose to use his gifts and talents in a more productive and generous way. In conclusion, I think it is good for us to ask ourselves: “Am I good at denying myself? Where and when do I need to deny myself more?” When we deny ourselves, we become more holy. Holy doesn’t mean being a stick in the mud… It means being more holistic… Having one foot here on earth, but always prepared to step with the other foot into heaven by a virtuous life (where the priest doesn’t have to make up things in your funeral homily… he’ll know what to say based on the beauty of your life!). Have a great week!
Yes, it is that time of the year for us to start parish school of religion! —St. Joseph mailed out registration forms mid summer, please send your registration forms back so we can prepare adequately for the correct number of students in each classroom. Three of our classrooms are going through a facelift with new ceilings and better lighting, and some new HVAC units! Sheet rock is being installed today. Saint Joseph PSR begins September 6. —St. Stephen registration/orientation is tonight at 6:30 PM in the parish hall for grades K through eighth. PSR will begin this Sunday morning at St. Stephen from 8:30 to 10:25 am.
Ladies: Just a reminder about our quarterly Women of Faith meeting on Tuesday, beginning at 6:30 PM at St. Joseph Hall. Social at 6:30 with wine sharing (feel free to bring your favorite to share with others.) There will be a Bible study at 7 PM on the theme “putting on the armor of God in every day life.” Bring your bible and a journal (and if you wish, some wine).
Greetings to all St. Stephen parishioners who have signed up already with Tabella! We were able to “wake up“ “the community this morning and I am now able to post messages and do some work on the app for you. You can expect me to post two or three times a week using Tabella, depending on what is going on in our two parishes. I am really excited about connecting with you during the week and offering some scriptural meditations on our daily readings, and reminding you of some of the events taking place. When you have a few moments, take the opportunity to look at some of the offerings/formative materials found on the Tabella platform. Do you know someone who is interested in joining the Catholic Church this year? OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults) meets on Mondays at St. Joseph at 6 PM for dinner, followed by class/topic for discussion at 6:30 pm. MAKE a great week! Fr. Jason