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The beautiful flowers on the altar this weekend have been donated in loving memory of James Allen Neary.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, We often don't take time to celebrate the good things in our lives. So today, I want to take a minute and express my sincere thanks for your generosity and continued support of St. Stephen, Martyr parish. Through your generous gifts, we have been able to build our new space and support our numerous ministries as they continue to grow and provide more resources to help our parish family. If you have given a one-time gift to the parish, please consider turning your one-time gift into a recurring gift. Recurring donations allow your generosity to stay consistent and prioritized, even when you are out of town or forgot your checkbook. You can easily set up a recurring donation schedule by simply clicking here. Follow the prompts to set the giving frequency and amount. If you prefer to do this over the phone, we'd be happy to answer any questions you have and set up the recurring donation with you. Don't hesitate to reach out at (757) 421-7416. You can always stop or change your recurring gift online or by calling the parish. Again, thank you so much for being part of our growth here at St. Stephen, Martyr! With gratitude, Fr. Charles.

Mother's Day Novena begins on Saturday, May 3 and runs for 9 consecutive days ending on Mother's Day, May 11. Please place your novena envelope in the offertory basket or bring it directly to the office by Friday, May 9.

The Open Parish Council Meeting has been postponed a week due to Fr. Charles' traveling to Uganda for his mother's funeral. Please join us on Tuesday, May 6th at 6:00 PM in the Assembly Room,

St. Stephen's welcomed 15 people into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil in the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and First Eucharist. Our love and prayers are with you!

Dear Parishioners, Last November I launched an important initiative to embark on the process of developing a Strategic Plan for the next 5 to 10 years and assess the future needs of the parish. A Strategic Planning Core Team was subsequently selected by the Chairman of Parish Council and myself to lead this effort. These individuals, as well as information related to their efforts, can be found on the parish website. The strategic planning process has been organized into a three-phase approach and builds upon the good work already done by the Building and Grounds Committee in order to take a more holistic approach that will consider the charisms of our parish, the needs of our people in the pews, and the spiritual as well as the physical needs of our community. During Phase I, input will be gathered through a variety of channels to identify key themes and initial findings that will subsequently be presented to the Parish through a town hall for validation and additional feedback later this summer. Initial input will be gathered through the following channels: 1) in-person interviews and broad solicitation of input via a digital input form, 2) reviewing existing data from past surveys and parish strategic planning efforts and 3) exploring geographic and community- based data. Once the major themes and initial findings are established, this information will be processed, expanded upon as necessary (which may include focus groups, additional surveys, etc.), and synthesized with spiritual discernment into 5- 10 strategic goals. Phase I will conclude with another town hall to review the strategic goals with the parish. In Phase I, an action plan will be created for each goal which Iwill ultimately review and approve for implementation. The team is targeting to be done with the entire process by the start of the 2026 fiscal year. Stay tuned for future communications and your opportunity to help create a unified vision for the parish that will propel us into the future and into the parish God wants us to become. May God bless the efforts of this team and bless you abundantly as we place our hope in the joy of the resurrection. Yours Faithfully, Father Charles Ssebalamu, Pastor

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Immaculate Nakintu, Father Charles' dear mother. Born November 2, 1946, she was a lady of great faith and perseverance, and a very loving mom. May her soul rest in eternal peace. We deeply appreciate you keeping Fr. Charles in your prayers during this most difficult time.

Dear Parishioners and Friends, As we celebrate Easter in this Jubilee Year of Hope, let us rejoice in the victory over death and the promise of eternal life. May this Easter Season be a time of renewed faith, gratitude for God’s love, and a renewed commitment to sharing His message of hope and grace with those around us...

One of the ways we support our military families is to keep them in prayer during deployments. To do so, we display their photo in our Military Alcove. If you or a loved one is currently deployed, please send their name, duty station, deployment timeframe and a .pdf photo to the Military Ministry coordinator at [email protected].

If you are a practicing Catholic, over 18, baptized in the Catholic Church, received First Eucharist ,but has never been confirmed, the Holy Spirit is waiting for you! Enroll in a 4-session Sacramental Prep to get confirmed this Pentecost. Click for details.

We are looking for volunteers who are registered parishioners at St. Stephen, Martyr for our Parish Council. The Council has four vacant positions and each position is a 3 year term...

Friends and Family of the Maison Fortune Orphanage, Today we are mourning the loss of our founder and friend, Lefort Jean Louis, who passed away due to unexpected health complications earlier this week....

Please look out in the mail for our special Easter Giving envelopes. Fr. Charles' special Easter message and the 2025 Holy Week and Easter Schedule are included. Easter Offering and Easter Flower envelopes are also available on the credenzas in the Commons. Thank you for always supporting our parish!

We are seeking volunteers and wrapped candy donations for our annual Easter Egg Hunt. Please drop off new individually wrapped candy for Easter Egg Hunt in the labeled bin in the new concourse by April 17.

Thank you for bringing food for the Funeral Reception to support the Brooks family. Food items can ONLY be dropped off Monday, March 24 between 8am and 10am.

Congratulations upon the completion of our new facility. Our dream has come true! On this joyous occasion of blessing our new facility, we gather with heart-filled joy and gratitude as our bishop the Most Reverend Barry Knestout, D.D. blesses our new beautiful space....

Parish Life is planning an awesome celebration for our Parish Picnic on June 29th and needs your help! Click to learn more and be a part of the Parish Picnic Planning Team.

15 Candidates celebrated the Rite of the Calling of Continuing Conversion. Please pray for them as they continue to prepare for Confirmation and Eucharist this Pentecost.

13 Catechumens met the Bishop at St. Bede's for the Rite of Election. Please pray for the Elect as they prepare for Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil.

Share your time, talent and treasure! Our SSM Ministry Fair will be held on April 5 & 6 after each Mass. If you are interested in volunteering at SSM...