St. Stephen Catholic Church
Spreading the Light of Jesus Christ
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Prayer to Saint Joseph
Oh St. Joseph whose protection is so great, strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires.
Oh St. Joseph do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord; so that having engaged here below your Heavenly power I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers.
Oh St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me, and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath.
St. Joseph, patron of departing souls, pray for us. Amen.
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Parishioners of St. Stephen, what a joy it is to be able to serve you as a newly ordained priest on his first assignment. I thank you for your warm welcome and I am so looking forward to my time here.
Let me share a little bit about myself. My parents, Israel and Daisy Hernandez, are both Puerto Rican. Yes, that means I am a Boricua. I have two older sisters, Judyvette Mary and Meredith Hernandez. All three of us grew up in Lutz, Florida and attended Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Land O’ Lakes, Florida.
As for how I entered seminary in the first place, I will keep it short. Although my phenomenal pastor, Msgr. Ron Aubin, always asked if I ever thought about the priesthood, I never gave it a second thought when I was younger. Even so, I was a man of service. I was an usher, an altar server, I helped teach third grade Catechesis, I was a Middle School Youth Ministry and a High School Youth Ministry. Little by little, the Lord was drawing me to himself—to his priesthood.
Now, fast-forward to my final semester at the University of South Florida—go Bulls! After a life night, two of my friends were talking about a dinner with the bishop of our Diocese. At the time, the bishop was Bishop Lynch. I decided to go to this dinner. At this dinner, I began my journey of discerning the priesthood.
That summer, my mind was filled with doubt. Should I or should I not enter the priesthood? Luckily, I was asked to be a chaperon for teens during a retreat. On this retreat, I decided to bring my doubt into prayer. I was before the Lord in Adoration, surrounded by hundreds of teens and chaperons, and what I heard was simple, “Just give it a year.” So, that is exactly what I did, I gave seminary a year.
The summer after my first year in college seminary, I was asked to do the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius. This is a program offered to seminarians across the United States called the Institute for Priestly Formation. That is where I truly learned how to pray. I learned how to recognize the Lord in my daily life. Again, in prayer and before our Lord and Savior, I heard him say, “Just give it one more year.” So, I did.
I took what I learned about Ignatian Spirituality, applied it to my daily life and I have not looked back since. If there is anything I am passionate about, it is showing others how to do likewise. I want to help you to see God in your daily life. This daily recognition of God allows for us to invite him into our lives, thank him for his many blessings and it gives us an opportunity to plan out how we can do better each day. This is what St. Ignatius calls “The Examen Prayer.” It is a prayer that can detach us from living in the past and future, and really helps us to live in the present moment. It frees us from anxiety so that we may live in the freedom of God. I look forward to sharing what I have learned and will learn with you all!
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CONGRATULATIONS
We rejoice with you and your family in welcoming your child into
the Body of Christ through the waters of Baptism.
Please pray for our newly baptized members of our St. Stephen Parish Family.
Baptism Preparation for Children
Congratulations on the birth of your child and choosing to celebrate your child’s baptism at St. Stephen Catholic Church. We warmly welcome your child to our parish family and we are honored to be part of this special step in your child’s faith journey. The Catholic Church has always taught and respected the understanding that parents are the primary educators in the faith of their children. We want to support you in any way that we can in your tremendous vocation. To ease your mind in planning for your child’s Baptism please contact Rosie Bridges, (813) 671-4434, at the Office of Faith Formation located at St. Stephen Catholic School.
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Vacation Bible School
San Jose Mission
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July 19 to 23, 2021!
Youth at St. Stephen spend a week of their summer vacation hosting a Vacation Bible School for the children of the San Jose Mission in Dover, Florida. During this week, we show them the love of Jesus through songs, crafts and games and just allow them to have fun! A part of this week long ministry is also providing a meal and snack for these children as a special treat. That’s where we need your help! Donating one of the following would be greatly appreciated: plastic cups, plastic plates, napkins, snack food items such as; individually wrapped cookies and chips, Capri Sun and sports drinks. We also welcome gifts cards form Walmart, Hungry Howies and Publix. Our deadline for donations is Friday, July 16, 2021. Please drop supplies off at the Office of Faith Formation. If you do not wish to donate supplies, you can help by donating your time. We need adult and youth volunteers: For more information regarding volunteer opportunities, please contact Kim Davis at (813) 671-4434 or email Kim@ststephencatholic.org.
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High School Overnight Youth Retreat |
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No matter where you are in your faith journey, Jesus is calling you, are you willing to answer?
July 30 and 31, 2021
St. Stephen Family Life Center
For more information, please contact Eddie
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Donate blood to save a life!
The OneBlood bus will be located right outside of the Family Life Center.
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Our parish library will be open every Sunday, excluding holidays and inclement weather, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The parish library is located in the Family Life Center. Stop by to sort through the collection of Catholic books and see what is right for you! If you would like to donate Catholic books you can leave them in the designated bin in the library. If you would like more information or would like to volunteer, please contact Nancy Slade at (813) 685-0476 or Rosie Bridges (813) 671-4434. |
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Stop Your Tax Dollars from Going to Abortion
A message from Bishop Parkes.
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We should never be forced to fund abortions with our tax dollars. That’s why the U.S. bishops are asking all of us to sign a petition that urges Congress to keep protections in place that prohibit taxpayer-funded abortions. Congress needs to see hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of petition signatures by July 16 in support of the Hyde Amendment. Click here to sign the petition and to learn more.
Bishop Gregory Parkes urges you to sign the petition!
Other ways to help stop abortion...
Respect Life Ministry
This weekend, Saturday, July 10, is the monthly prayer vigil at the Kennedy Abortion Mill and the Pro-LIFE Rosary in the chapel after the 8:30 a.m. Mass. For more information, please contact Jeanne Lewis at lewisfamily1985@verizon.net.
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$345,417.36 pledged!
This is 89.65% of our goal!
Thank you!
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Help your parish serve in Christ’s name by donating. Thank you for helping your community.
“At the end of our life, we shall all be judged by charity.” - St. John of the Cross
Please find an envelope on the right wall of the narthex.
Help your diocese reach 11 million by helping your parish reach $385,325.
We are almost there!
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The clergy calendars for July and August are posted on the St. Stephen Catholic Church website. Click this link!
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Volunteers Preparing for VBS |
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Sanctuary Lamp
July 10 to 16, 2021
In loving memory of Leo Brubaker.
If you are interested in having the sanctuary lamp burn in honor or in memory of a loved one, please call (813) 689-4900.
We apologize, the above name was accidently misspelt in the bulletin.
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Friday, July 9
Mass (church)
8:30 a.m. (church and livestreamed) Pray for Dr. Ben and Dr. Lilia Bautista (RIP).
Confessions (chapel) After the 8:30 am Mass till no one is in line.
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Saturday, July 10
Mass (church)
8:30 a.m. (church and livestreamed) Pray for Mary Gomes (RIP).
2:45 Confessions (chapel) till no one is in line.
4:30 p.m. (church) Pray for Elvira Turco (RIP).
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Sunday, July 11
Mass (church)
11:30 a.m. (church and livestreamed) Pray for Danny McGeehan (RIP).
5:30 p.m. Pray for H. Scott Berneburg (RIP).
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Monday, July 12
Mass (church)
8:30 a.m. (church and livestreamed) Pray for Ron Peters (RIP).
Confessions (chapel) After the 8:30 am Mass till no one is in line.
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Tuesday, July 13
Mass (church)
8:30 a.m. (church and livestreamed) Pray for Josephine Westfall (RIP).
10:30 a.m. Funeral Mass Pray for the repose of the soul of George Wayne Weber.
6:00 pm Confessions (chapel) till no one is in line.
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Wednesday, July 14
Mass (church)
8:30 a.m. (church and livestreamed) Pray for vocations.
Eucharistic Adoration for Vocations (chapel)
After 8:30 Mass - 6:00 p.m.
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Thursday, July 15
Mass (church)
8:30 a.m. (church and livestreamed) Pray for Jimmy Hughes (RIP).
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Facebook and Instagram
Parish: @ststephencatholicchurch
Lifeteen: @st.stephen_lifeteen
School: @sscsmustangs & @sscsfl.org
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