Wow, St. Stephen has wonderful parishioners! You responded overwhelmingly to the Blood Drive on September 8 by donating 14 units of blood. Because of your generous giving, we are able to save 42 lives. Thank you for all you do to make St. Stephen a vibrant parish community.
Thank you to all who attended our Ministry Fair on Sunday, September 18. A special thanks to our volunteer parishioners who helped set up, serve coffee and donuts, and represent their ministry at the Fair! We had many individuals, couples, and families visit and learn about the many different ways of being active in the parish community.
If you missed attending the Ministry Fair, no worries! You can always contact our parish office if you are interested in joining a particular ministry or in helping out with any of our year-round parish events. Give us a call at: 407-699-5683.
All women of the parish are encouraged to come join the SSCCW, St. Stephen Council of
Catholic Women ministry. Women in SSCCW work through Spirituality, Service and
Leadership to provide programs that respond with Gospel values to the needs of the
Church and society in the modern world. Membership is $20 annually.
This year our theme is: “Serve wholeheartedly, as if serving the Lord” (Ephesians 6:7).
Our first meeting of the year will be on Thursday, September 12, from 7:00pm – 8:30pm in EC-1. The topic will be “Mary and Martha, Sisters Serving”. You do not have to be a member to attend any of our meetings, however we pray you will. Please visit us at the table out in the courtyard for more information and to sign up.
Council of Catholic Women also presents: “Visions of Mary” by Toya Martin.
Two Presentations in one!
The first part focuses on Mary, the Mother of Jesus, providing personal information about
her life. The second part highlights various instances where Mary has appeared to the
people of the world.
Saturday, September 28
Tickets are $5 (Cash or check only)
From 9:00am – 11:30am, a light breakfast will be served.
Tickets will be on sale in the courtyard after Mass on:
Aug. 24/25, 31, & Sept. 7/8, 14/15 21/22
Tickets also on sale at Eventbrite.com (Search: Visions of Mary)
Please read the letter from our pastor Fr. George Nursey on the relocation of the cross in the church.
The Search from FORMED is a video-based journey that tackles the key questions of every human heart. In seven beautifully filmed episodes, Chris Stefanick and experts from the fields of science, medicine, psychology, art, and religion examine our place in the larger story of existence. Watch the trailer here.
Parishioners can access the entire seven-part series on FORMED for free on www.formed.org.
Inquiry meetings are in EC-1 Room 107 from 5:00 – 6:15 pm. If you are interested or have any questions/concerns, please contact Vera Howard at VeraH@St-Stephen.com.
Wednesday July 10: Episode 1—What Do You Seek?
Wednesday July 17: Episode 2—Who Are You?
Wednesday July 24: Episode 3—Why a God?
Wednesday July 31: Episode 4—What’s Our Story?
Wednesday August 7: Episode 5—Who Is Jesus?
Wednesday August 14: Episode 6—Am I Saved?
Wednesday August 21: Episode 7—Why a Church?
At our Town Hall meeting in March, we discussed the critical fixes and rejuvenation project that need to be done on the church building. As the project begins in mid-April, we will be keeping parishioners aware on the latest work and costs. Check our “Church Restoration Project” page (under the main menu tab “Our Parish”) on our parish website for new updates.
On Friday, June 7, our pastor Father George Nursey will consecrate our St. Stephen parish to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on its feast day. Parishioners are invited to attend the 7:00 AM Mass in the chapel and stay for the prayers of consecration afterward.
When we consecrate something to the Sacred Heart, we place that thing (ourselves, our family, finances, etc.) totally under the loving care of Jesus. We trust that God will remain close to us, and become reminded of this special relationship we have made with consecration.
We invite you to also join in the 9-day novena to the Sacred Heart leading up to the feast day at your homes. For the novena, please pray daily the Act of Consecration linked below, starting on May 30 through June 7.
St. Stephen Catholic Church is holding a Town Hall Meeting in the church on Thursday, March 14 at 7:00 PM to discuss our upcoming building project. While parishioners are aware that we need a new roof, there is more to this project. Other work needs to be done in order to keep “the outside out, and the inside in”, in what we will call a Building Envelope Project. We will go into detail about the work, cost, and financing during this meeting.
The Town Hall meeting is of the greatest urgency to the whole parish, and Father George Nursey asks that as many parishioners attend so that we all know about the works and why we are doing them. We need the participation of all members of our parish family for this special meeting.
This year, parishioners are invited to bring in their own palms to be distributed and used in the celebration of Palm Sunday, March 23/24. Not only collecting palms from our local surrounding more economically beneficial, but it also brings us closer to the scene of Jesus’ own entry into Jerusalem, where the crowds picked nearby palms and used them to welcome their King. We will begin collecting palms Saturday, March 16, at the 5pm Mass, through Wednesday, March 20.
Please follow these guidelines for brining your palms:
- One family can provide one palm stalk, although they can bring 2 or 3 if they wish.
- Be sure that the palms are pure green and have no dead spots. We do not want to use browning or yellowing palms!
- Hose and wipe down the palms beforehand to remove any dirt or bugs. Please check twice for bugs!
- There will be water containers outside the church March 16-20 for you to drop off your palms.
We are also asking for volunteers to help cut palms on Friday, March 22 at 1:00 PM in the courtyard. Please bring a pair of utility scissors and gloves!
We hope that this will be a new, ongoing tradition in our St. Stephen community every Palm Sunday.
Thank you to everyone that came out to Texas Roadhouse in Oviedo on Monday, December 18 to support our youth group. Proceeds from your purchases have gone towards our youth ministry, and we are grateful for your presence. We all had a great time and appreciate Texas Roadhouse for giving us this fundraising opportunity!
