Last week the US Supreme Court ruled that capping attendance at 25% inside church and restricting congregational singing was reasonable and permitted. Our bishop has allowed us to open the church for services, but has also recommended that for larger groups, outdoors would be the best option. Starting this weekend, we will be holding our 7.30am Mass on Sunday as well as Thursday 6.00pm mass in honor of our Blessed Mother inside the church. If you wish to sit outside the church and attend mass, that would be fine too. You can still attend mass from the school parking lot listening to the radio while mass is celebrated indoors. In the weeks to come, we can move more and more services indoors, depending on how many folks attend indoors.

We have added additional masses for Ash Wednesday. 7.30am (indoors), 9.00am, 12.00pm, 4pm prayer service, 6.00pm (all outdoors in English) and 7.30pm (indoors Spanish). At St. Stephen the mass will be outdoors at 9.30am. Beginning Thursday February 18, 9am weekday masses will now be celebrated indoors both in person and livestreamed.

Stations of the Cross at St. Stephen: Starting on Ash Wednesday and continuing through Lent, we will be opening up St. Stephen to both CTK & St. Stephen parishioners to allow a self-guided outdoor Stations of the Cross. We have purchased a set of outdoor stations and set them up beautifully around the church. Planned hours will be Mondays & Wednesdays from noon-2 pm, and Fridays from noon-6 pm. The church is located 1101 Keaveny Court, Walnut Creek.

You may follow the Stations using your smartphone or tablet. An audio experience will be available on our St. Stephen and CTK website (saintstephenparish.org) to help guide you along the way. A PDF of the Stations will also be available on both our websites if you prefer reading it as you walk along. For those unable to follow using a device, there will be a few printed copies available that you can use.

Pope names bishop, and sister as Vatican's dual synod undersecretaries: On February 6, Pope Francis appointed two new undersecretaries for the Vatican's office of the Synod of Bishops, tasking an Augustinian priest (whom he has elevated to Bishop) and a Xavierian sister to share duties as the department's second-in-command leaders. Spanish Fr. Luis Marín de San Martín and French Sr. Nathalie Becquart will be the synod office's first dual undersecretaries since its creation in 1967. "With the naming of Sr. Nathalie Becquart and her possibility of participating with the right to vote, a door is being opened," said Cardinal Mario Grech, the Head of the synod office, according to the original Italian version of the interview. Becquart is a former director of the French bishops' vocation office, was an organizer for the 2018 synod on young people, and has been a consultor to the synod office since May 2019.

7:30am - Indoor Mass

9am, 12 noon, and 6pm - Outdoor Masses

7:30pm - Indoor Mass in Spanish

(The 9am and 12 noon masses will be livestreamed)

St. Stephen Church - 9:30am Mass

4pm - Prayer Service/Outdoors

(for RE families, but all are welcome to attend)

You can watch in person or on-line.

Speakers will be announced weekly.

Facebook or YouTube

Mondays & Wednesdays 12pm to 2pm

Fridays 12pm to 6pm

Follow a guided audio experience

on your smart phone in English or Spanish at

saintstephenparish.org or ctkph.org

Join us once a week as we prepare for Easter and provide a spiritual renewal with two short courses on sacramental “Encounters with God.” For more information and to sign up Read More

Rice bowls will also be distributed at mass this weekend. Or you can pick one up at the office.

More information can be found here

One Prayer a Day for Lent

Lent looks a little different this year.

Catholic Relief Services

has resources to keep your

family engaged, including reflections, meatless recipes and

stories from around the world.

Learn more by clicking here.

We are pleased to report that Fr. Brian Timoney received his first Covid-19 vaccine shot

last week.

He was driven to the vaccination site by his trusted chauffer, Fr. Paulson.

Joe celebrates his birthday today,

February 10th.

Just in time for this important opportunity for reflection and appreciation, PBS is debuting The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song - a look at the history, culture, and influence of Black Communities of Faith. We invite you to watch with us as we celebrate Black History in our Faith, and community; this month, and beyond.

Click here for the trailer and additional information.

“A leper came to Jesus, begging on his knees, ‘If you want to, you can cleanse me.’ Deeply moved, Jesus put out his hand, touched him and said, ‘I want to. Be clean. Then and there the leprosy was gone, his skin smooth and healthy.” Read More

Join us in an Interfaith Climate Action Network (ICAN) sponsored meeting February 24th as we work with other Contra Costa faith communities to “create a cleaner, healthier future…and even find ways to save money in our homes.” For more info, go to Cleanercontracosta.org and sign up there. You may call Carolyn Peters for more details, 925-926-1035.

Private Confessions will continue every Saturday from

3pm to 3:30pm.

Please meet in front of the church.

Mary, because you are the smile of God, the reflection of the light of Christ,

the home of the Holy Spirit, because you chose Bernadette in her poverty, because you are the morning star, the door to heaven and the first resurrected being, we pray to you and entrust our lives to you at a time when so many men and women fear for their health. Assist the sick and welcome those who have died and comfort their families. Amen.