Earlier Start Time

Candlemas at St. Stephen's on Sunday, 2/2/2014, will begin 15 minutes earlier, at 9:15am, to allow sufficient time for the distributions of candles and the procession inside the church. Those attending at St. Stephen's should make note of the following:

The Faithful are to approach the altar rail, kneel and kiss the hand of the celebrant when receiving a candle from him. 

After receiving the candles, the Faithful do not retreat to the pews, but stay in the area in front of the first pew. Each candle will be lit here by the ushers, and then all will join in the procession behind the celebrant. The candles are extinguished after the procession.

The ushers will re-light the candles just before the singing of the Gospel. After the Gospel, the candles are extinguished.

Again, the ushers will re-light the candles during the Offertory. These remain lighted all through the Canon of the Mass and during the reception of Holy Communion. After the Faithful have received Holy Communion, when the gate of the Communion Rail is re-opened, the candles may be extinguished.  

The above are directives for those attending at St. Stephen's. Things may be different at other parishes.

The Epiphany

St. Stephen and Immaculate Conception Cleveland will both offer Solemn Mass for the traditional celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany, Jan 6, at 6:30pm.

The Epiphany: a necessary sequel to the Nativity. After celebrating but lately the day on which immaculate virginity brought forth the Saviour of mankind, the venerable feast of the Epiphany, dearly beloved, gives us continuance of joy, that the force of our exultation and the fervour of our faith may not grow cool, in the midst of neighbouring and kindred mysteries. For it concerns all men's salvation, that the infancy of the Mediator between God and men was already manifested to the whole world, while He was still detained in the tiny town. For although He had chosen the Israelitish nation, and one family out of that nation, from whom to assume the nature of all mankind, yet He was unwilling that the early days of His birth should be concealed within the narrow limits of His mother's home: but desired to be soon recognized by all, seeing that He deigned to be born for all...  --Pope St. Leo the Great

Catholics have a wonderful tradition of taking home chalk which was blessed on the Feast of the Epiphany and writing the initials of the three Wise Men, separated by Crosses,above the front door on the inside. Then writing the year, breaking up the numbers and the year so that they fall on both sides of the initials. It should look like this:

20  C+M+B  14

"20" is the millennium and century, the "C" stands for the first Wise Man, Caspar, the "M" stands for Melchior, the "B" stands for Balthasar, and the "14" stands for the decade and year. Tradition has it that the initials also stand for "Christus mansionem benedicat" ("Christ bless this house").

Prayer:

On entering the home,

Leader (Priest, if present, or father of the family): Peace be to this house.

All: And to all who dwell herein.

All: From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial.

All Pray: The Magnificat. During the Magnificat, the room is sprinkled with holy water and incensed. After this is completed,

All: From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial.

Leader: Our Father. . . And lead us not into temptation

All: But deliver us from evil.

Leader: All they from Saba shall come

All: Bringing gold and frankincense.

Leader: O Lord, hear my prayer.

All: And let my cry come to You.

Leader: Let us pray. O God, who by the guidance of a star didst on this day manifest Thine only-begotten Son to the Gentiles, mercifully grant that we who know Thee by faith may also attain the vision of Thy glorious majesty. Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Leader: Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Jerusalem, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee—Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary.

All: And the Gentiles shall walk in thy light and kings in the splendor of thy rising, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee.

Leader: Let us pray. Bless, O Lord God almighty, this home, that in it there may be health, purity, the strength of victory, humility, goodness and mercy, the fulfillment of Thy law, the thanksgiving to God the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. And may this blessing remain upon this home and upon all who dwell herein. Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Latin Mass Suspended

Immaculate Conception in Willoughby, Ohio, which has been offering the Traditional Latin Mass on Friday evenings, has announced on its website, under the leadership of the new pastor, that the Latin Mass on Fridays at 7:30pm is suspended, "effective immediately."

Immaculate Conception Website Notice

New Year's Day Masses

For those who don't know or may have forgotten, New Year's Day is an holy day of obligation for Catholics. In the traditional calendar, it is the Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord. The Traditional Mass schedule is below.

8am Low Mass, Immaculate Conception

9:30am High Mass, St. Stephen

12pm High Mass, Immaculate Conception

5:15pm High Mass, St. Sebastian

Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, 12/29

Sacred Heart of Jesus parish in South Euclid will offer High Mass on Sunday, December 29, 2013 at 5pm, the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas. There will be a commemoration of St. Thomas Becket.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

A very merry Christmas to you all!

Feast of St. Stephen

St. Stephen Church will celebrate their patronal feast on Decemeber 26 at 6:30pm. The Mass will be Solemn High.

St. Stephen, protomartyr

St. Stephen was the first deacon and first martyr of the Church. St Fulgentius of Ruspe helps us to reflect on St. Paul's role, before and after his conversion, in the martyrdom of St. Stephen.

...Strengthened by the power of his love, [Stephen] overcame the raging cruelty of Saul and won his persecutor on earth as his companion in Heaven. In his holy and tireless love he longed to gain by prayer those whom he could not convert by admonition. Now at last, Paul rejoices with Stephen, with Stephen he delights in the glory of Christ, with Stephen he exults, with Stephen he reigns. Stephen went first, slain by the stones thrown by Paul, but Paul followed after, helped by the prayer of Stephen. This, surely, is the true life, my brothers, a life in which Paul feels no shame because of Stephen's death, and Stephen delights in Paul's companionship, for love fills them both with joy. It was Stephen's love that prevailed over the cruelty of the mob, and it was Paul's love that covered the multitude of his sins; it was love that won for both of them the kingdom of Heaven.

Lyrics to the Christmas Carol, Good King Wenceslaus:

Good King Wenceslaus looked out on the Feast of Stephen,

When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even.

Brightly shone the moon that night, though the frost was cruel,

When a poor man came in sight, gathering winter fuel. 

“Hither, page, and stand by me, if you know it, telling,

Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?”

“Sire, he lives a good league hence, underneath the mountain,

Right against the forest fence, by Saint Agnes’ fountain.” 

“Bring me food and bring me wine, bring me pine logs hither,

You and I will see him dine, when we bear them thither.”

Page and monarch, forth they went, forth they went together,

Through the cold wind’s wild lament and the bitter weather. 

“Sire, the night is darker now, and the wind blows stronger,

Fails my heart, I know not how; I can go no longer.”

“Mark my footsteps, my good page, tread now in them boldly,

You shall find the winter’s rage freeze your blood less coldly.” 

In his master’s steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted;

Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed.

Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing,

You who now will bless the poor shall yourselves find blessing.

This is a good carol to tell your children, and perhaps they will remember Good King Wenceslaus upon seeing footsteps in the snow.

And as St. Stephen was the first deacon, his feast day is a good time to charitably give food, money and other useful items to service workers and the poor.

Relic of St. Stephen,

St. Stephen Church

Christmas Masses, Update

The 12 noon Christmas Day Mass at Immaculate Conception will be Low Mass, not High.

St. Sebastian in Akron will offer High Mass at 1pm on Christmas Day.

Christmas Masses

A blessed remainder of Advent to all.

Here is the schedule of Christmas Masses.

Christmas Eve, Tuesday, Dec 24

7am, Low Mass, St. Stephen

Midnight Mass, Solemn High, Immaculate Conception

Christmas Day, Wednesday, Dec 25

8am, Low Mass, Immaculate Conception

9:30am, High Mass, St. Stephen

12 noon, High Mass, Immaculate Conception

Rorate Mass

Please be away that a Rorate Mass will celebrated at St. Stephen at the normal Tuesday morning time of 7am, on December 17.  As you may be aware, the Tuesday morning Mass at St. Stephen's is served by members of the St. John Berchman Society of St. Ignatius High School.

The Rorate is a Mass in honor of Mary in which the interplay of light and darkness convey the meaning of Advent. Historically, it has been celebrated early on weekday mornings in darkness. As the Mass proceeds and sunrise approaches, the church becomes progressively brighter.