13th Sunday in Ordinary Time...Farewell Fr. Tim...

St. Stephen Catholic Church

Spreading the Light of Jesus Christ

The Cornerstone

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.

This weekend!

Fr. Timothy Williford's Farewell

Fr. Tim's last Mass will be June 30, 2021 at the 8:30 a.m. Mass. Please attend this Mass and the events below to thank him for his years of love and service here at St. Stephen.

Pizza Night: June 26, 2021 after the 4:30 p.m. Mass, pizza will be served in the Family Life Center.

Coffee and Donuts: June 27, 2021 after the 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. Masses, coffee and donuts will be served in the FLC.

Cookout: June 27, 2021 after the 11:30 a.m. Mass, hamburgers and hotdogs will be served in the FLC.

We love you Fr. Tim!

Fr. Tim,

We would like to extend our gratitude for your faithful ministry and service to our parish community. You have been a wonderful role model and servant whenever and wherever the Holy Spirit has called you.

It is with bittersweet hearts that we say goodbye and ask the Lord to continue doing His work in you as you prepare for the next stage of your priesthood.

Today, June 27, 2021, there will be farewell celebrations. Coffee and donuts will be served after the 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. Masses. Further, a cookout begins after the 11:30 a.m. Mass. These events are in the Family Life Center. We look forward to gathering as a parish community to express our gratitude and love for you. Thank you for your years of faithful and loving service as a priest and friend.

Your positive and joyful attitude in any given situation will certainly be missed. May you always strive to do the will of the Father and bring more souls to Jesus Christ.

May Lord’s blessings be upon you as you follow in His way. May you find joy and peace as He inspires you every day.

With great affection and gratitude,

Your St. Stephen Parish Family

Last Chance!

College Scholarship Opportunity

This scholarship is offered by the St. Stephen Men’s Club.

The deadline to apply is June 30, 2021.

We are proud to continue serving our parish seniors and offer congratulations to the 2021 graduating class. It is once again a time of celebration! We encourage graduates to submit a scholarship package for our Men’s Club Scholarship Committee review. This is an opportunity for one of our seniors to win our annual scholarship award of $750 per year, for four years. To receive this award, you must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA each eligible year! We also request that you include recommendation letters from your teachers or leaders of organizations that you participated in during you High School career. To qualify, you must also provide a college acceptance letter, if possible.

Download the application by clicking here!

Return this application and additional material to the scholarship coordinator; edveronick@yahoo.com, no later than June 30, 2021. The winner will be notified via phone/email by July 23, 2021.

This weekend!

Parish Library

The grand opening for our parish library will be June 27, 2021 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The additional summer dates are July 11 and 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The books in the library are all Catholic in nature. This library has sections such as research materials, Bible Study materials and prayer materials, etc. You are welcome to take books or leave books. Please keep them for as long as you wish. If you would like to donate Catholic books in good condition, 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 at ((813) 671-4434.

Faith Formation

RCIA

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is the process of asking questions and learning about the Catholic faith. God invites each of us into a deeper relationship with Him in both ordinary and extraordinary ways. If you or anyone you know would like to learn more about the Catholic faith, please consider this a personal invitation to join us. Our RCIA process is year round. Wherever you are at in your faith journey, our hope is that you will respond to God’s call. Please contact Rosie Bridges at the Office of Faith Formation at (813) 671-4434.

Youth Groups

Middle School & High School Youth Group registration forms are now available ! Visit this link to find the registration form online: https://ststephencatholic.org/faith.

If you have any questions, please contact Eddie at (813) 671-4434 or Eddie@ststephencatholic.org.

Bible Studies

Thursday morning and evening Bible Studies are ongoing. For more information, please check out all the studies listed on our website under Faith Formation/Adult Life Long Studies. Visit this link: https://ststephencatholic.org/adult-faith-formation. On this page you can see a link to FORMED.org. Don't miss new programs, videos, e-books and great family resources available for you FREE! Our Parish Code is VMZPPF.

Respect Life Ministry

Your spiritually adopted baby is three months old in the womb!

Although her mother won’t feel her for another couple of months, your baby is quite active in the womb. If her mother’s womb had a window, you could watch your spiritually adopted baby squint, swallow and move her tongue. She can also make a tight fist if you touch her palm. She is breathing amniotic fluid which continues until birth, even though she obtains the oxygen her body needs through the umbilical cord. Further, this baby that you are praying for weighs one ounce.

Please pray this prayer for the unborn!

SPIRITUAL ADOPTION PRAYER

Lord Jesus, we love you very much. We ask You to bless and protect all unborn children in their mothers' wombs. Help us to see that although these babies are hidden from our sight, they are not hidden from God. Amen.

Volunteer

Do you have an interest in photography? We are looking for a team of volunteer photographers to help capture events at our church. Whether you are attending a baptism, serving in a ministry, attending a parish event or simply at our church, we could use your help! All you need is a device, camera or smart phone, to capture the moment! If you are interested please email avery@ststephencatholic.org.

Broadcast Reminder

We would like to remind you that videos on Facebook have to be deleted at their one year anniversary date. Please download important videos from Facebook before the one year anniversary date of that video. To do so, please click on the video that you wish to download and click on the three dots (…) at the top right of your screen. You will then see a download button and click on it to complete the process. See the graphic above!

Annual Pastoral Appeal

$331,020.36 pledged!

This is 85.92% of our goal!

Thank you!

Help your parish serve in Christ’s name by donating. Thank you for helping your community.

“Help one another with the generosity of the Lord, and despise no one. When you have the opportunity to do good, do not let it go by.”

- St. Polycarp of Smyrna

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!

This weekend!

Peter's Pence Collection

On September 26 and 27, 2021, we will take up the Peter Pence Collection. This is a way to support the Universal Church and the work of the Holy See, including helping Pope Francis with the funds to carry out his charitable works. These works benefit our brothers and sisters on the margins of society, including victims of war, oppression and disasters. Please help the Church continue to serve. For more information, visit www.peterspence.va/en.html. Click here to download an informational bulletin!

Clergy Calendar

The clergy calendars for June and July are now posted on the St. Stephen Catholic Church website. Click this link!

Click here to download the clergy calendar for June 2021.

Click here to download the clergy calendar for July 2021.

Financial Summary

Click here to download the St. Stephen Parish Financial Scorecard

as of April 31, 2021.

Looking for a daily relationship with God?

Some helpful ways to strengthen your prayer life are devotional guides, Catholic apps and subscriptions. Here are some ideas! A good app is Laudate. This app is free, download today! Click here! You can also receive daily emails which can inspire you. For example, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Click here to subscribe! If you prefer printed material, a good option is subscribing to the Magnificat. Any Magnificat has an order form. Fill it out and mail it. If you do not have a current Magnificat, please visit https://us.magnificat.net/.