Dear Parishioners and all God’s People,

I salute you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and I bring you warm greetings from Uganda, where I have been for the last month. 

This message marks my two year anniversary as Pastor of this parish, and I am so grateful to God for the gift of these two years.  During our time together as a family of Christ we have prayed together, worked together, laughed together, worshiped together, visited together, and mourned our loved ones together.  

I thank you, all my dear parishioners, for your prayers, support, resources, time and talent.  Allow me also to express my special appreciation for our parish staff and all the volunteers in the various ministries who have dedicated their lives to making our Parish an excellent worshipping community.  It is all of you, all of us, with God’s grace that makes this possible, and your support and friendship continue to fuel my service at St. Stephen, Martyr.

Time runs so fast. Where has the summer gone? It seems like only yesterday that we were in the middle  of a long, cool and wet spring season and looking forward to a nice warm summer.  Now summer is all but over. The cool weather of Fall is quickly approaching, and with it for many, a transition back into the greater responsibilities of another school year.

Yet, we should not allow our time to be something that simply slips through our grasp, trickling through our fingers. After all, time itself — every moment on this earth — is a gift from God. We each have 24 hours today and seven days a week to use however we freely choose.  Not one of us gets more time each day than another.  The real question is: “How well did use this time God gave us?”

Even though it has been summer vacation time for many, our staff and volunteers have been working to prepare for all the things that go on when our “normal” schedule resumes after Labor Day.  Staff and volunteers, I am very proud of you and very appreciative of you. 

What did I do while I was gone?

The goals of my vacation were pretty straightforward: spend time with family and have a time for prayer – a retreat; rest and recover; and perhaps most of all, host the Montero Medical Missions Group (MMM) led by our parishioner Dr. Juan Montero.  

This truly successful MMM mission trip to Uganda in August operated out of the Kitovu Hospital, and was hosted by the Catholic Diocese of Masaka. In addition to Dr. Montero, the MMM group included Mike Smith, Shane Roddy and Dr. Courtney Goode.  In one week, they saw 251 eye patients and gave away prescription eyeglasses.  They saw 50 below-knee amputees and made casts for 31. In addition, they visited needy elementary schools to assess future assistance. Dr. Montero launched MMM's surgical education project at St. Joseph's Kitovu hospital, and observed the successful treatment of a new patient suffering life threatening complications from a procedure at another hospital. 

The MMM Group also met with the Rotary Club of Masaka and agreed to help establish a Training Centre for Vulnerable Children and Youths. Youth comprises 80 percent of the population in Masaka City, most of whom are school drop outs because of rampant poverty.  Many of them are orphans due to the scourge of AIDS.  This has led to an increase in crime rates and inappropriate vices committed by these youths. The proposed Centre shall be able to train 200 Youths every 6 months, teaching life skills to the youth and fostering  job creation in the city.

Lastly, I invite you all to pray for the souls of my uncle Portazio Kintu and others who passed away during the time I was away.  May their souls rest in eternal peace. Amen.

This week we begin the Month of June. The month of June is entirely dedicated to the devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
On Friday, June 7, 2024, the Church will celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Annually this Solemnity is placed on the Liturgical Calendar on the Friday after the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ.

The purpose of this devotion is to wake us all up as to how much Jesus loves us and is hurt by our daily indifference to Him and to His great sacrifice for us in His Passion.  Day after day He pines for us to visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament at our Church especially in this Year dedicated to the Eucharistic revival and pour out our hearts to him in love.

Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary in 1673 and told her the following “Behold this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love Me in return.  Through you My divine Heart wishes to spread its love everywhere on earth”.
And so that rings the question in our minds:  What does the love of Jesus require?  John 14:15 says the following: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments”.

Jesus also left us two additional commandments that sum up the other ten: “To love God with our whole heart, soul, and mind,” and “to love our neighbor as ourselves”.

As Christ opened His heart so too must we.  Imitate His love. Receive such unmerited love.  God loves us. Show his love to others by your charity for them who may be family, community and coworkers.  As Jesus did during His earthly ministry so too let us practice charity in all its forms.  Devotion to Sacred Heart reminds us that Charity is the Supreme Law of Christ.
Loving service comes with some costs because to open our hearts often means to be open to piercing, to wounding, to keep one’s gaze outward rather than inward.  The Heart of Jesus was pierced so that the life and love could pour out. Am I willing to be pierced, open like the heart of Jesus, so that love and forgiveness can be my natural response?

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus can help us to know not only the “breath, depth, length and height of Christ’s love (Ephesians 3:18)” but most importantly, that we are loved by God in Jesus Christ.

Let us notice all signs of God’s love in action around us in different people and let us be that love in action as we go out of ourselves in gratitude, joy and encounter especially in our phase of “Invite One Back”. That’s one way of our love of Christ.
For sure we can never outmatch God in love.  He loved us first, we must reciprocate with total love for him by following his commands, and the teachings of His Son and His Church.

“Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you”

Dear Family of St. Stephen Martyr,

As we celebrate Pentecost this weekend, we also come to the end of the Easter Season. The past fifty days since Easter Sunday have been filled with may beautiful liturgical celebrations and parish activites, that I hope have brought you closer to the Lord. Although the Season of Easter concludes, it is important for us to remember that we are Easter people. Every day of the year as disciples, we are to be witnesses and examples of the new life of resurrenctuon.

We all play an important role in the proclamation of the mysteries of salvation. Each of us has been endowed with unique gifts and talents for this mission. Given to us at our Baptism and affirmed through Confirmation, they guide us into the life of this world for building up the Church. How important it is today on the birth of the Church that we renew within ourselves the outporinng of the Holy Spirit in us and the Chruch, that empowered by HIM we will continue to proclaim the Good News of salvation through our lives.

As Easter peo[ple, this weekend we join together to congratulate our candidates who are being received in full communion woith the Cahtolic Church today at the 8:30 Am Mass. We welcome you to our Catholic Family of St. Stephen Martyr. We are so happy that you have accepted HIS invitation to be part of the faith. Congratulations!

On this weekend, we also begin our Welcome Back Weekends. We welcome back those who have been away from the faiht - welcomehome, dear brothers and sisters.

Lastly, as the school year closes and as folks start planning or are going on summer vacations, please remeber that we do not vacation from God. This is especially important in the formation of children. With a little palnning, we can always find a Mass schedule that can accommodate just about any schedule.

May God's Spirit bless us on this, the Church's birthday, and inspire those who have drifted away to return home soon - as we carry on our "Invite One Back" Initiatives.

God bless you all,
Fr. Charles

We wish to congratulate the Children of St. Stephen, Martyr who are celebrating their First Holy Communion this Saturday May 4, 2024! We are grateful to their parents, catechists and teachers who together worked hard to prepare them for this very special day on their journey of faith! May the love of Jesus forever remain close to you as you receive Him in the Eucharist.
On Pentecost, May 19, 2024 here at St. Stephen, Martyr we are to receive candidates into Full-Communion with the Catholic Church.  We welcome them to our Catholic Family of St. Stephen, Martyr RCC. We are so happy that you have accepted HIS invitation to be part of the faith, and certainly the Blessed Mother in this Month of the Rosary (May) is smiling down on you saying “Yes” ……….just like she did, even though she did not know all that  it would  mean. Call upon her as you embark on this journey, and know that we will be praying for you also.  Congratulations!

More good news for our church, we have been participating in the Eucharistic Revival program, now we have reached the phase of Mission each and everyone of us is to invite one back,who has been away from his or her faith.  This is our baptismal mission of proclaiming the Gospel to all the ends of the earth. INVITE ONE BACK – welcome weekends will be communicated to you.

Lastly but not least, our Parish is starting a new Program “Lumen Christi Legacy Program.”  I wish to extend to you my personal invitation to our upcoming seminar Getting Your Affairs in Order: 4 things your family will thank you for hosted by St. Stephen, Martyr.  The Seminar will take place here on May 14, 2024 at 6:00pm and repeat on May 15, 2024 at 11:00am, refreshments will be served.  I am passing to you this invitation because I know you will enjoy and benefit from this program. Kindly RSVP to the office (757)421-7416 by Friday, May 10 so that we may prepare for your attendance.
Thank you all for being witnesses of Christ in this area.

May the Lord continue to bless you and your family with His abundant gifts.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The events we recalled in the liturgies of Holy Week culminate and set stage for THE singular most important event in human history: the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Everything, absolutely everything, in human history that had ever occurred from the time of Adam and Eve up until that first Easter was building up to this one event. And everything that has happened in human history since Jesus emerged from the tomb, and every event that will happen from now until the moment Christ returns in glory, all derive their meaning from the Resurrection.  It is the apex of all human history.

As we celebrate Easter, we stand bathed in the light of Christ’s glory and the joy His resurrection brings to the world. The long weeks of Lenten discipline are behind us and hopefully we have spiritually gained from them and we are ready to receive the grace of “newness of life” that is ours in the Easter mystery which is a beautiful gift given to each of us.  It is like a “seed”. The grace of Christ’s Resurrection in our lives is just waiting to unfold – waiting to grow and blossom and transform us in ways we can scarcely imagine now.  The Lord wants us to grow and become so much more.

Today is Easter. Christ has passed through death to rise to a new and unending life. He has done so for us, not only so that our sins might be washed away but also so that we might “have life and have it to the full”. For all of us, there is at least some ways in which that having “life to the full” is not yet a reality in our lives.  This Easter each of us has received from the Lord a certain grace that, at this moment, still exists within us as only a seed.  What might that seed be in your life? Even more importantly, what are the ways the Lord is calling you to “water”, “weed” and otherwise care for that seed so that it will grow and blossom in your own life?

Each Year on Holy Saturday during the Easter Vigil, Parishes welcome new Catholics through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Here at St. Stephen, Martyr we warmly welcome the members who have joined our community of faith by way of Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation and others who will be received into full communion and confirmed at Pentecost.  We congratulate you and offer our prayers and support as you continue to grow in the faith.

Easter is not over; it is only just beginning.  The seed of Easter grace lies within each one of us as a promise.  Let us strive together to till the soil of our souls so that we might experience the full fruitfulness of what the Lord desires for us. 

Happy Easter to one and all.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Season of Lent this Year has come a bit early and it’s already here.

Ash Wednesday is February 14.  Although many people will want to focus on the secular celebration of Valentine’s Day, for Catholics this will be a day of fasting and abstinence.  Fasting limits us to smaller meals, allowing us to feel the pangs of hunger that remind us of the spiritual hunger that only Christ can satisfy. Abstinence requires us to not eat meat.  The Church only asks us to do this two days out of the year – Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.  However, every Friday of Lent we are also required to abstain from eating meat. While there are exceptions for age and health, the Church asks those who are exempt from the dietary regulations to do some act of penance and sacrifice those days – extra prayers, giving to charity, doing a work of mercy.  We are not excused from penitential and sacrificial acts on those days.

Beginning on Thursday February 15, 2024, we will have an additional Mass daily at 6:30a.m except on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. This is being offered for those who can’t attend the normal weekday Masses, to take advantage of attending Mass during Lent in addition to Sunday. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity.

Stations of the Cross will be every Friday of Lent at 7:00 p.m. led by different groups and ministries. This beloved tradition invites us to follow along with Christ from his condemnation to his burial and along the way meet the many people who helped him, wept for him, and even jeered at him.

On Tuesday March 12, 2024 we will once again join to celebrate a communal penance service at 7:00p.m. This is a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and several priests will be available to hear confessions.
Pope Francis in his message of Lent 2024 reflects on the theme: “Through the desert God leads us to freedom”. “God has not grown weary of us.  Let us welcome Lent as the greatest season in which he reminds us: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Ex. 20:2).  “Lent is a time of conversion, a time of freedom”.
This Lent, let us practice more and more the three pillars of Lent: Prayer, Almsgiving and Fasting.  These are not three unrelated acts, but a single movement of openness and self-emptying, in which we cast out the idols that weigh us down, the attachments that imprison us.

Each Lent is different because each year the Lord invites us to enter the desert in a different way, with different challenges and purposes.  For this reason, each one must take this time seriously and personally and thus achieve more spiritual fruits that lead us to live the celebration of paschal mysteries in grace and holiness.

I invite you to participate in the different activities planned by our Faith Formation Office and the Eucharistic Revival Team and all our different groups and Ministries.

May God bless you all this Lent 2024 and pray for peace in the World.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Welcome to our Parish!

Christmas Season was closed with the Baptism of the Lord Monday, January 8, 2024.  We are now in the Liturgical Season of Ordinary Time during Winter until Ash Wednesday, February 14, 2024.  The Church is once again back to Ordinary Time; however, there is nothing ordinary about this season as it covers the whole of salvation history.

There is a lot going on at our Church.  The expansion of our Church facility is under way, though the weather has not been very cooperative, we are on a steady progress. These new additions will help us to continue to build up the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth at St. Stephen, Martyr.

A lot is going on in the Parish life and in the different Ministries, I invite you all to participate in the many opportunities, we have to grow in our faith.

The Season of Lent will begin on Ash Wednesday, February 14, 2024 – Valentine’s Day with the imposition of ashes on our foreheads.

Soon the Bishop will be inviting us to participate in 2024 Diocesan Annual Appeal. The Annual Appeal supports many Ministries of the Diocese to serve the people and the Parishes. The in-pew process will be the Weekend of February 17th/18^th.
St. Stephen has benefited a lot from the Parish Share that comes back from the Annual Appeal.  We have a wonderful Sound System – because of the Annual Appeal. We have modern parking lot lights because of the Annual Appeal. The Parish share we got from Last Year’s Appeal and what we are to get from this year’s Appeal is going to do the furnishings for the new addition.  I invite you all to participate fully in this noble cause. Soon, I will let you know our goal/target.

I will be forever grateful for your support, kindness and love.  Most importantly, thank you for helping to make our church a vibrant, spiritual community.