Lord Jesus Christ, Good Shepherd and High Priest, we praise you and offer you our sincere gratitude for calling Pope Leo XIV to serve as the shepherd of the universal church. May he lead us as a loving shepherd who cares for his flock and seeks out the lost sheep. May he be for us a gentle and listening father, a faithful teacher and a steward of your sacred mysteries. Grant him health, strength, and wisdom. Strengthen the bonds of unity among us so that we may serve you as one body. Purify us and sustain us in charity for your love for us never fails. Grant that we may boldly answer your call to mission. You who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen. … [Read more...]

Blazon The left field is blue with a silver fleur-de-lis; the right is white, with a flaming heart pieced by an arrow, entirely red, and resting on an uncovered book. Above the shield there is a silver mitre, adorned with three gold bands joined by a gold vertical post, with fluttering red infulae, fringed with gold and adorned with gold crosses; in front of the infulae there are the crossed Petrine keys, gold (bend) and silver (bend sinister), linked by a red cord. Explanation The coat of arms of the Holy Father Leo XIV On the left field of the coat of arms of the Holy Father Leo XIV, the blue background recalls the heights of the heavens and is characterized by its Marian significance, a classic symbol referring to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the lily or fleur-de-lis (flos … [Read more...]

The entire Church mourns the death of the Holy Father, Pope Francis. In cathedrals, basilicas, parish churches, shrines, and chapels the Holy Eucharist will be offered for the repose of his soul. Communities and individuals will ask God to bestow his infinite mercy on the man who served the Church as Bishop of Rome. This novena has been prepared to help pray for the Pope during the time of mourning. The daily novena – lasting for the novendiales period from April 26 to May 4, 2025 – consists of a short reading from Scripture or some other ecclesiastical text and some brief prayers, including orations drawn from the Roman Missal and the Order of Christian Funerals. … [Read more...]

(December 17, 1936 - April 21, 2025) O God, who in your wondrous providence chose your servant Pope Francis to preside over your Church, grant, we pray, that, having served as the Vicar of your Son on earth, he may be welcomed by Him into eternal glory. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. V. Eternal rest grant unto Francis, O Lord. R. And let the perpetual light shine upon him. And may his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. … [Read more...]

Easter Sunday is the day of the “Alleluia!” After forty days of Lenten sacrifice and fasting, we finally arrive at the most important day of our liturgical year, and the only word we have to express our inner joy is “Alleluia!!” In the old Greek version of the Book of Tobias, in the Septuagint Greek translation of the Hebrew psalter, and in the original Greek of the Apocalypse we hear about this most holy word. It is part of the earliest Christian liturgies of which we have record. It is a word composed of the divinely acclaiming verbal form Allelu and the divine pronoun term Ya (for YHWH or Yahweh). So, preserving its radical sense and sound, and even the mystical suggestiveness of its construction, it may be literally rendered, “All hail to Him Who is!”--taking “All Hail” as equivalent … [Read more...]

Mass of the Lord’s Supper At the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday (7:00 PM) sufficient hosts are consecrated for that Mass and for the next day. These consecrated Hosts remain in a ciborium on the corporal in the center of the altar until the end of Mass, after which they are carried in Solemn Procession to the Altar of Repose, with the priest vested in a Cope and Humeral Veil, and covered with a canopy. The Blessed Sacrament remains in the temporary tabernacle at the Altar of Repose, and the Holy Thursday service concludes with the stripping of all altars except the Altar of Repose. Holy Thursday is a day of exceptional devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, and the repository is the center of the love, prayers and aspirations of the faithful.  After the Good Friday service, … [Read more...]

There will be Stations of the Cross and Confessions on Fridays of Lent at the Basilica of St. Stephen with Confession at 5:30pm and the Stations at 6:00pm.  Remember that Msgr. Nalty is also in the Confessional from 3:00-3:45 pm on Saturdays and 9:00-10:15 am on Sundays. … [Read more...]

Knights of Columbus will be hosting the Lenten Fish Fry on the Fridays of March 14th, March 21st, April 4th and April 11th. Food will be served after the Stations of the Cross at St. Stephen Church. Plates consist of Fried Fish, French Fries, Cole Slaw, Vegetable, Dessert, and a drink. More details will follow next Sunday! Proceeds benefit the K of C’s and Good Shepherd Parish. … [Read more...]

If any of you have access to sago palms (the kind pictured here), we would love to get some for decorations in the church and to bless in two weeks on Palm Sunday (April 13, 2025). Please don’t cut your palms until a few days before Palm Sunday! Please bring them to the rectory or leave at the back door of the sacristy. … [Read more...]