Pastor’s Column

CORPUS CHRISTI

This Thursday is feast of Corpus Christi. It is a beautiful Mass composed by St. Thomas Aquinas, in the wake of the heresy of Berengarius, who lived in the eleventh century (it is remarkable that the Holy Eucharist went a thousand years without a serious heresy threatening it directly, and no less so that the error of Berengarius, nearly alone among heresies, found almost no traction among the men of his age!). The faithful reacted vigorously in defense of the Blessed Sacrament which they loved; this era saw the advent not only of the feast of Corpus Christi, but also the major elevations at Mass (at the consecration), Eucharistic processions, and other pious acts of devotion towards Our Lord present in the Most Holy Eucharist.

The High Mass for the feast will be transferred to the next Sunday, celebrated as an External Solemnity, at 1 pm. A procession of the Blessed Sacrament will follow.

PIG ROAST (UPDATE WITH SCHEDULE)

Join us for a fun filled day as we gather to celebrate the patron of our parish, St. Stephen the First Martyr, and the finding of his relics.

This year, we’ll have our very first chili cook off!

We’re hosting the pig roast on a Saturday because the Sunday schedule has so many Masses now. The schedule:

3:00 pm Solemn High Mass

4:45 pm Welcome & Announcements Dinner

5:00 pm Dinner

6:00 pm Dessert

7:00 pm Square Dancing

9:00 pm Final clean up

For more information or to volunteer to help, contact Gloria and Fernando Santana 916-832-2811.

Note from Fr. Curtis: The Pig Roast is a beloved tradition here at St. Stephen’s and typically is attended by hundreds of parishioners. It is the largest community event of the year and I highly encourage people to attend. Our patron has been working over time in heaven to keep the Sacraments and especially the Mass available to parishioners over the last few years! Let’s make a demonstration of our gratitude to our beloved saint by attending his Mass and festivities.

As you can imagine, the logistics of such a large gathering are intimidating to say the least. I am deeply grateful to the Santanas for organizing the event this year, and I ask that you consider reaching out to them to see if you can be of any assistance in the preparations.

God bless you!