19th Sunday in Ordinary Time...

St. Stephen Catholic Church

Spreading the Light of Jesus Christ

The Cornerstone

Act of Consecration to Saint Joseph

O dearest St. Joseph, I consecrate myself to your honor and give myself to you, that you may always be my father, my protector and my guide in the way of salvation.

Obtain for me a greater purity of heart and fervent love of the interior life.

After your example may I do all my actions for the greater glory of God, in union with the Divine Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

O Blessed St. Joseph, pray for me, that I may share in the peace and joy of your holy death. Amen.

Parish Bulletin

Our apologizes that there was not a bulletin for last weekend's Masses. There was a delivery issue. Please view last week's bulletin by clicking here! If you would like a physical copy of the bulletin, stop by the front office!

Updated Bulletin

We are happy to announce that our parish bulletin now has four additional pages. Moving forward, we will have a 12 page bulletin. Pick up your edition of our August 8 bulletin this weekend at Mass! You can also view a digital version by clicking here!

Back to School

It is my pleasure to welcome everyone back for another great year at St. Stephen Catholic School. We are excited to have our students fill our classrooms again as they embark on another year of learning, exploration, discoveries, and challenges. Our teachers have been working hard on creating lessons to engage students and help them reach their full potential. Our theme this year is Care for Creation, and our song is Here I Am, Lord. Our students and teachers will incorporate caring for what God has given us into their learning and service projects.

Our school community recently participated in a School Culture survey, and the results were overall positive at a rate of 70%. The domain that showed the highest rating was Community, with some subcategories scoring as high as a 95% positivity rate. Parents, students, teachers and staff see our school as a positive community where they are engaged, known and supported. Students feel our school is a place where they are treated fairly with little conflict among their peers. Parents see our school as inclusive as all students feel welcome. It was gratifying to see these responses after the challenging year we had and know that our students felt safe, respected and cared for. This year, we are looking forward to welcoming all our new families into our community and I hope they will have the same experiences.

Last school year was filled with many challenges, but we still had reason to celebrate. We saw improvements in our students' test scores in reading and language arts. Due to the implementation of a new program, our students made significant gains in those areas. As a result of our success, we became a model school for this program within the Diocese, and other schools are now implementing it. There were also improvements in the school building. The school was equipped with an air purification system on our air conditioners, we completed the installation of LED lighting in all areas and we installed a new roof on both buildings.

I look forward to seeing all the students Monday morning and I pray that all students returning to school this week have a wonderful year filled with many successes!

Linda Umoh, Principal

Parish Picnic

Farewell Bernie Kalle

We finally get to give a proper farewell to our retired parish secretary, Bernie Kalle. Due to COVID-19, we were unable to celebrate her more than 28 years of service to our parish. Thankfully we have been able to reschedule for August 15. We hope you will join us in celebrating all Bernie has done for our parish.

On August 15 after the 11:30 a.m. Mass, come to the Family Life Center for a BBQ picnic. Bring your family and let the kids enjoy an inflatable waterslide! We could use your help with the menu. Please bring the following items to the parish picnic depending on your family name:

A-I: Side dishes (ex: baked beans, pasta salads, etc.)

J-Q: Green salads and chips.

R-Z: Desserts (ex: cookies, brownies, etc.)

Thank you for your help. Please drop off your food item between 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on the morning of August 15to the Family Life Center.

Community For Women

Welcome Social

TO ALL THE WOMEN IN THE PARISH

If you are looking for a ministry where you can serve as well as have fun, please come to our Welcome Social on August 12. Come meet us and find out more about our service to the parish. We will meet in the Family Life Center Youth Room (back doors on the south side of the building) at 7:00 p.m.

Community for Women

We are a parish ministry that is social and serves our parish as well. We are a mixture of ages, talents and interests. Together we make a great team. We serve the parish and engage with one another by:

•Sponsoring the Monthly Bingo Night

•Helping the Men’s Club with Lenten Fish Fry

• Sponsoring the annual parish “Underwear Sunday”

• Coordinating the Father-Daughter Dance

• Supporting T.H.O.R.N. ministries

•Socials/dinner

• Craft night

•Mini Retreats

We gather monthly on the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m.

St. Vincent de Paul Annual Tea

For more information about being a hostess, click here!

Ladies, reserve your table today, click here!

If you cannot attend this event but would like to donate, click here!

Young Adult Bible Study

Join us for Young Adult Bible Study!

In everything from friendships to finances, Scripture offers a vision for happiness and well-being. Drawing on the literature of the Bible—Proverbs, Wisdom, Sirach, and Ecclesiastes—Wisdom: God’s Vision for Life, will show you how to actively seek sound guidance and increase your sense of peace in navigating life.

We are a group of young Catholics who meet the second and fourth Tuesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. We will meet online starting August 10. You can join us wherever you are! Contact the Religious Education Office for details, (813) 671-4434.

Consecrated Marian Ministry

1st Saturday Marian Devotion Rosary Procession

August 7, 2021

Following 8:30 a.m. daily Mass.

All are invited to our every 1st Saturday Marian Devotion Rosary Procession to console the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ and Immaculate Heart of Mary. Families are encouraged to bring their children to witness the joy that the three shepherds experienced in Fatima around our Blessed Mother. Children will lead the Rosary with roses to offer to Mother Mary.

Silver Rose Prayer Service

Join us for a spiritually heart-warming event. We will pray to Our Lady to strengthen our efforts to restore the culture of life in our society. The prayer service starts at 7:00 p.m. However, feel free to join us at Mary's Garden at 6:30 p.m. to participate in the community procession of roses.

Click here for a digital booklet which explains the Silver Rose!

Altar Server Training

If you are a current altar server or interested in becoming an altar server, please join us for our training weekend. Come to our training on August 14 and 15. We meet in the main church sanctuary. The training on August 14 is from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on August 15. Our purpose of the training is to refocus those who are already altar servers and to initiate the new applicants.

Annual Pastoral Appeal

Great news!

We have reached 93.17%

$358,948.12 pledged!

Help your parish serve in Christ’s name by donating.

“Teach us to give and not count the cost.”

-St. Ignatius de Loyola

*The envelopes for donations are no longer available.

You can make an online donation by clicking here!

Help your diocese reach 11 million by helping your parish reach $385,325.

Thank you!

Clergy Calendar

The clergy calendars for August and September are posted on the St. Stephen Catholic Church website. Click this link!

Click here to download the clergy calendar for August 2021.

Click here to download the clergy calendar for September 2021.

Financial Summary

Click here to download the St. Stephen Parish Financial Scorecard as of May 31, 2021.

Last Week At St. Stephen

High School Overnight Retreat

Soon To Be Deacon Geoff

Soon to be Deacon Geoff was presented with a gift from the parish by Fr. Dermot. Geoff D'Angelo will have his ordination on October 16. Stay tuned for how you can livestream his ordination.

This Week at St. Stephen

Sanctuary Lamp

August 7 to August 13, 2021

For the Sturtevant Family.

If you are interested in having the sanctuary lamp burn in honor or in memory of a loved one, please call (813) 689-4900.

Friday, August 6

Mass (church)

8:30 a.m. (chapel and livestreamed) Pray for Alfonso Martinez (RIP).

Confessions (chapel) After the 8:30 am Mass till no one is in line.

The Transfiguration of the Lord

Learn more about the Transfiguration of the Lord from U.S. Catholic by clicking here!

Saturday, August 7

Mass (church)

8:30 a.m. (chapel and livestreamed) Pray for John and Agnes Sturtevant (RIP).

2:45 Confessions (chapel) till no one is in line.

4:30 p.m. (church) Pray for Liz and Tal Norlin (RIP).

Sunday, August 8

Mass (church)

7:30 a.m. Pray for the parishioners.

9:30 a.m. Pray for Marty Dorio (RIP).

11:30 a.m. (church and livestreamed) Pray for Robert Milbrandt (RIP).

5:30 p.m. Pray for Addison Grace Cook (RIP).

Monday, August 9

Mass (church)

8:30 a.m. (chapel and livestreamed) Pray for Patrick and Lucille Catena (RIP).

Confessions (chapel) After the 8:30 am Mass till no one is in line.

Happy First Day of School

Blessing for Students and Teachers

Lord God, your Spirit of wisdom fills the earth and teaches us your ways. Look upon these students. Let them enjoy their learning and take delight in new discoveries. Help them to persevere in their studies and give them the desire to learn all things well. Look upon these teachers. Let them strive to share their knowledge with gentle patience and endeavor always to bring the truth to eager minds. Grant that students and teachers alike may follow Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life, for ever and ever.

Amen.