Pastor’s Column

The following is a treatise on mental prayer, in the tradition of Ignatian spirituality. While all Catholic spiritualities agree on the essential elements of mental prayer, each has its own emphases and particular means at achieving it. The Jesuits particularly emphasize discipline, prior preparation, and firm resolutions in the context of mental prayer. A brief introduction to the life of Fr. Rodriguez is given before presenting the fifth treatise of his very famous Practice of Christian & Religious Perfection. This work is quite long (sixty-two pages on standard paper); a …

  Our annual Chesterton Event will take place on Saturday, October 10, starting at 5 pm. For the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, Dale Ahlquist and Joseph Pearce discuss the Little Poor Man, how Chesterton viewed his humility, asceticism, love for the Faith, creation as a light in the dark times of the Middle Ages, and how we can emulate his life today. The schedule for the evening is as follows:   Ticket sales begin this Sunday, September 20, and continue until Sunday, October 4 …

  The Order of Penitent Knights of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Most Sorrowful Mother of God (Knights Penitent) is an organization of Catholic men at St. Stephen the First Martyr. They are comprised of men from all walks of life, who feel called to a greater level of sacrifice, service, and prayer in service of Holy Mother Church and the salvation of souls.   They are bound together by three aims: first, to atone and make reparation for our sins and those of the whole world; second, to …

  I am in the process of editing, reformatting, and re-publishing the devotional materials used by the parish. The first of these – prayers after Mass for First Friday and First Saturday – should arrive early next week. I have used a laminated solution this time, to make sure the cards stay in good working condition for as long as possible. If this proves to be a good solution, I will begin ordering the other cards and booklets (including for Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which we have been short …

  On September 11, the St. Stephen’s Youth Group will resume. It meets twice a month during the academic year, generally on second and fourth Friday, in the evening. Its primary purpose is the continuing Catholic education of high school students in our parish. The secondary purpose of the group is to help the youth form and keep good Catholic friendships amongst one another. The group assists at the evening Mass, afterwards moving to one of the classrooms for a short meal and social time. Then one of the priests, …

North American Province Plenary Meeting   This week, from Monday to Friday, Fr. Franco and Fr. Lopez will be away from the parish attending a plenary meeting in New York. The Mass and confession schedule will remain unchanged, but I do ask parishioners to bear in mind that we will be very understaffed. Altar Guild   We currently have 111 young men involved in the Altar Guild. If you have a son interested in the Guild, you can acquire a registration from the bookstore, or contact Mike Solton (916-832-2859) directly. …

  As several of these were only recently announced, I want to call your attention particularly to them. Parish Hall Chant Workshop   This Saturday! Join us on Saturday, August 22, from 9:30 am to noon, in the parish hall. Our parish music director, Keven Smith, will teach some of the ordinary chants and hymns of our Catholic patrimony so that you’ll be better prepared to sing along at sung Masses. Keven will also help you read Gregorian notation and cover the basics of healthy singing technique. We will then …

  In order to reach one of the priests for anything of a serious nature (e.g. setting up a meeting, seeking counsel, starting marriage preparation, establishing a day and time for the Baptism of a child), it is most effective to send an e-mail to one of us, using the e-mails listed in the bulletin.   Speaking personally, there are about ten different ways to reach me, between the various phone numbers, e-mails, texting apps, and physical mailboxes. It is a challenge to stay on top of all of these …

  A couple of weeks ago, we made a small adjustment – ad experimentum – to the scheduling of the priests for confessions. On weekdays at the 7 am Mass, and at all confessions on Sundays, the current praxis remains unchanged. However, on weekdays at all Masses other than the 7 am Mass, instead of the celebrant hearing confessions before Mass and being relieved by a second confessor during Mass, we are having the second confessor simply arrive thirty minutes before Mass, and continue to hear confessions until Mass until …

  We have compiled a handful of resources that may be helpful to parishioners with questions regarding the SSPX. They include: Open Letter to Confused SSPX’ers; On the SSPX Excommunications; and On Assisting at the Mass of Priests of the Society of Saint Pius X. Links below:   All of these are useful documents. I will highlight one particular point from the third linked article (from Art. 7, reply to objection 7), regarding the claim that without the SSPX, we would not have the Latin Mass: Archbishop Lefebvre’s movement was …

Adult Catechism   I encourage all parishioners to reach out to family members, friends, and co-workers that might be interested in learning about the Catholic faith. An excellent opener is: “Have you ever thought about becoming Catholic?” Or, “I’m going to be attending catechism classes at my parish, would you have any interest in joining me?” Depending on the response, you might assure the person that showing up for the classes –  and even registering – does not represent any firm commitment towards becoming Catholic; it is normal for people to …

  Father will be delayed in joining us, on account of the great number of transfers that took place this summer, which introduced many delays. His anticipated date of arrival is Wednesday, July 22; the plan is for him to take the evening Mass that day. I will be away on retreat when he arrives, but I look forward to welcoming him upon my return.   Fr. Lopez was born in San Diego, California, so this move represents a kind of return home for him. While I do not know …