August 13/14, 2016

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Let the Fire Fall” Christian Concert on the Lawn

September 24, 2016 at 7:00pm (Mass at 4:00pm)

Catholic Artist Audrey Assad with special guest Mike Donehey of “Tenth Avenue North” will be performing here at St. Stephen, Martyr! Come and join us on the lawn for a contemplative, praise and worship with these nationally known artists! There is a limited amount of tickets and this is being advertised in the community as a whole; so don’t miss out on our early-order pricing of $30 by visiting www.ssmrcc.org.

Featured in Poland at World Youth Day 2016!

Children’s Choir and Bells!

Come make a joyful noise unto the Lord! Calling all children grades 3-6! The Music Ministry is beginning a Children's Choir called "Joyful Noise" in September.

Parents, please prayerfully consider your children for this blessed ministry to the church. Children will sing music for Masses and special events throughout the year and learn to play "little bells." If your child can sing and enjoys music, this is the ministry for them! Additional information will be forthcoming in future bulletins along with an information & registration table after all the Masses this weekend in the commons! The first rehearsal will be in early September and continue on a bi-weekly basis. So keep your eyes and ears open for a Joyful Noise coming to St. Stephen's!! For additional information, please contact Jessica Kohan, Music Director at Jessica@ssmrcc.org.

Rachel’s Vineyard Weekend Retreat Healing the pain of abortion, one weekend at a time. The program is an opportunity to examine your abortion experience, identify the ways that the loss has impacted you in the past and present, and helps to acknowledge any unresolved feelings that many individuals struggle with after abortion. Married couples, mothers, fathers, grandparents and siblings of aborted children, as well as persons who have been involved in the abortion industry have come to Rachel’s Vineyard in search of peace and inner healing. Upcoming retreat in Richmond, VA – September 30 through October 2, 2016 at the Shalom House Retreat Center, Montpelier, VA. Contact Marty Montgomery-Jennings at 804-704-0429 or Rv4hope@gmail.com.

Tidewater Catholic Alumni Club

The Tidewater Catholic Alumni Club will host a pot luck picnic at Newport News Park on Sunday, September 11th at 1 p.m. We will meet at Picnic Shelter 15 in Picnic Area 3. Bring a dish to share. Hamburgers and hot dogs, beverages, and utensils will be provided. The Tidewater Catholic Alumni Club is an organization of single Catholic professional men and women. The club is a member of the national organization Catholic Alumni Club International. For more information, go to the club website www.freewebs.com/tidewatercatholicalumniclub/, contact us by e-mail at tcac1@hotmail.com, or call (757) 898-6991.

Men’s Cursillo Retreat

September 22-25, 2016

How does spending 3 days at the feet of Christ hearing His words without distraction from the world sound?

There will be a Men's Retreat September 22-25 at the Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center in Toano. There will be a table in the commons after each Mass for additional information. You can also contact Steve Meszaros @ 757-406-5706.

Women’s Cursillo Retreat October 13-16, 2016

The Greater Hampton Roads Cursillo Movement has scheduled a Women's Cursillo Weekend for October 13-16. The retreat is being held at the Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center in Toano. The weekend will be led by local priests and lay spiritual directors. They are joined and supported by local Cursillo leaders in conducting this weekend. For information and applications please contact Dave Reaves at dreaves@prismce.com.

Love and Protection of the Unborn

The whole mission of the Catholic Church in the world—the theme and purpose and vocation of every institution and every

Catholic individual—is love.

Why does the Church set up hospitals and adoption agencies and soup kitchens? Why have whole orders of nuns been founded to care for the elderly or the sick? Why did St. Damien offer to go to spend his last years serving in a leper colony in Hawaii? Why did Mother Teresa establish homes for men dying of AIDs?

It’s not for money. It’s not for recognition. It’s not a plan to increase our numbers and our social influence. It’s not even because the Church is committed to taking care of her own. It matters not at all to any of these institutions or individuals whether the people they’re serving are Catholic. They don’t have to be Catholic. They can even be anti-Catholic.

We don’t do it for ourselves; we do it for love. We do it because we understand that each and every person is made in the image and likeness of God. Each, no matter how small or weak or wounded or messed up, is completely unique and infinitely precious. We understand that all human life ----including every child in the womb-----is a gift to be received, cherished, and served.

Adult Faith Formation

Tuesday, August 16

6:30-7:30am, The Men of St. Joseph Topic: “Sacred Scripture”

6:30-8:00pm, Divine Mercy Prayer Meeting

8:00-9:00pm, The Wild Goose Project Topic: “The Spirit of Adaptation”

Advent Mission

December 9-13, 2016

Come and join Bob Rice (convert, author and world traveler) and Steve Ray (Franciscan University professor and musician in the sanctuary as they work to put people in communion with Jesus Christ through 3 sessions, prayer, a call to repentance and adoration. The sessions will treat a major theme of the basic Gospel message: the promises of God, the reality of sins and wounds, and the relationship that God the Father wants to have with us in Christ Jesus.

Welcome Home Night

August 25, 2016

Are you interested in returning to your Catholic Faith? We would like to invite you to a short social gathering with Fr. Brian to welcome you back. Held immediately after the Thursday night 6:30pm Mass in the commons, we will be offering drinks, hors d’oeuvres and a loving environment to socialize and get to know some of the others also returning to their faith.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for

these scheduled events!

Catechetical Teachings “They were all together at “Solomon’s Portico” Acts 5:12. The Catholic Church of St. Stephen, Martyr is excited to offer 12 new catechetical teachings by our very own Deacon Keith Fournier. “They asked each other, were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road?” Luke 24:32. Come join us as Deacon Keith takes us on a deeper journey into our Catholic faith.

Dates: 9/19, 10/17, 11/28, 12/19, 1/23, 2/20, 3/20, 4/24, 5/22, 6/26, 7/17 and 8/21.

Time: 7:00 - 8:30pm in Classrooms 3 and 4

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

2016-2017 Are you interested in becoming Catholic? Have you ever been baptized? Are you a baptized Catholic and wish to come into the “full communion” of the Catholic faith by receiving the Sacraments? We invite you to “come home” and join us for our Parish RCIA program. We are excited to have you!

Open House: Thursday—September 8, 2016 at 7:00pm in Classrooms 3 & 4

Symbolon Back by popular demand. The Ideal resource to re-evangelize and Catechize your Parish.

Anyone interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith—please join us:

Monday’s: 9/12/16 - 02/13/17 at 9:30-11:30am in

room 5 and 7.

Religious Education Donations are Needed!

Consider donating a $5 gift card to help the Edge and Life Teen programs. These gift cards will be used as prizes throughout the year. You can never go wrong with gift cards from: Target, Walmart, Dollar Tree, Starbucks, Dairy Queen, Sweet Frog, Skinny Dip, Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donuts, Cook Out, Panera, Chipotle and Chick-Fil-A, just to name a few! Drop them off at the parish office OR put them in an envelope with ATTN: CHRISTINA HARRISON and put it in the collection basket during Mass. Thank you in advance for your donations!

Registration for Religious Education Programs

Online registration for our elementary school (BLAZE), First Sacraments, middle school (EDGE), confirmation and high school (Life Teen) programs are now open. Registration links can be found on the ssmrcc.org website. Next weekend, August 20 & 21, there will be tables in the Commons for parents to pick up information about all of our religious education programs, as well as ask any questions you may have. For more information, please contact the religious education office at 757-421-7416 x308.

World Youth Day Pilgrimage A big THANK YOU to everyone who supported and prayed for the 15 pilgrims in Poland over the past few weeks. We are so thankful for your prayers and are looking forward to sharing our many stories with you!

BLAZE We Need YOU! Yes, YOU! You have gifts and talents to share! You can make a difference in a child’s life! You should consider becoming a BLAZE Catechist or Assistant Catechist for the upcoming year. For 2016-2017, BLAZE will have 4 SESSIONS and we need Catechists for all of them! Please prayerfully consider becoming a part of this great ministry. If you’re interested in joining this amazing and fruitful ministry, please contact the religious education office at religiousedu@ssmrcc.org.

Rite of Christian Initiation for Children

Do you have a child (or teenager) above the age of 7 who has never been baptized or has been baptized in another faith and wants to be Catholic? Then RCIC is the place for them! Children and teenagers will attend classes that are geared towards their age group and will participate in the Rites of Initiation with the RCIA community at the Easter Vigil. We invite parents to come and learn all about this program at our Open House on Thursday, September 8 at 7pm in Rooms 3 & 4. For more information, please contact Christina Harrison, christina@ssmrcc.org.

Confirmation for Teenagers

SAVE THE DATE: the Mandatory Parent/Candidate Meetings will be held on Sunday, August 28 at 6:30pm AND Monday, August 29 at 6:30pm. Each session will cover the same material, so you can choose which one you’d like to attend. Teens wishing to be Confirmed and at least ONE parent MUST be in attendance. Confirmation Letters were mailed to all homes of all registered families with teenagers who are rising tenth graders. If you did not receive a letter, please call the office so we can update our records. YOU are Needed! Prayerfully consider becoming a Confirmation Small Group Leader this upcoming year. Join 5 to 8 teens on their journey of Confirmation and watch the transformation take place. All volunteers will be trained. We don’t need perfect people, just people who are in love with Christ and want to share that passion with teenagers! Contact Christina (christina@ssmrcc.org) for more information.

PARISH STAFF

Pastor: Rev. Brian Rafferty (frbrian@ssmrcc.org)

Deacon Keith Fournier (deaconfournier@outlook.com)

Deacon Kevin Trail (deaconkevin@ssmrcc.org)

Business Manager: Crystal Anderson

(crystal@ssmrcc.org)

Office Manager: Sharon Achorn (sharon@ssmrcc.org)

Communications: Nicky Hebert (nicky@ssmrcc.org)

Facility Manager: Alex Shuflat (alex@ssmrcc.org)

Liturgy: Karen Winslow (karen@ssmrcc.org)

Religious Education: Christina Harrison (christina@ssmrcc.org)

Religious Education: Traci Baker

(traci@ssmrcc.org)

Adult Faith Formation & Social Ministry: Scott Turbitt (scott@ssmrcc.org)

Music Director: Jessica Kohan (jessica@ssmrcc.org)

Twenty-First Sunday In Ordinary Time August 20/21, 2016

Scripture Readings:

Isaiah 66:18-21 Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13

Luke 13:22-30

Our Gifts To The Lord

Offertory 8/7/16 Debt Reduction Samaritan Fund

$22,196 $1,525 $2,526

Join us for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mass times are 6:30am, 8:30am, 12:00pm and 7:00pm. August 15, 2016.

The Pope Tweets “The secret to joy:

never suppress positive curiosity; get involved, because life is meant to be lived.” @Pontifex

Each week Sr. Manners addresses Catholic etiquette in a fun and satirical way. If you would like to ask Sr. Manners a question, you can email her at ssm@ssmrcc.org.

Dear Sr. Manners Dear Sr. Manners, I attend Mass at the local parish wherever I am traveling. I do what I am comfortable doing, which means that sometimes I am the only one kneeling or standing. How would you handle this situation?

Gentle Christian the Mass is first and foremost a community celebration. Therefore, individual expressions of piety which cause one to stand out are inappropriate. When everyone else is standing and one person insists on kneeling, attention is drawn to that person. (Of course, if physical limitations require that you remain seated during Mass, that is fine; God bless you for being there!) Sr. Manners suggests, dear believer, that in an unfamiliar worship environment, you choose a place where you can see other people in the congregation, and that you do what they do: stand when they stand; kneel when they kneel; and sit when they sit. Also, watch at communion and do what they do. Adding your own private acts of devotion [genuflecting, for example] calls attention to you, holds up the communion line and are not part of the rubric for reception of Holy Communion. In other words, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do!”

Hannah Gerloff Riley Maureen Francher Terry Mulich Earl Lienemann Bill Duren

Tony Lundgren Millie Nadeu Joe DiNardo Michael Jones Amy Riberdy

Your prayers are cherished for those in our Parish:

Renee Langford (by Ehrbar Family) Kathy Gonzalez (by Poperowitz Family) Peggy Lindsay (by Barbara Robinson) Norman Sweet (by Barbara Robinson) Renee Parrott (by Crimmins Family)

Richard Goff (by Shelton Family) Carl Willmert (by Clay Family)

Adelyn James Robinson Dorothy Hubbard

Will Horan Parker Horton

Susie Toothman Daren Munoz ( by Kohan Family)

Rest in Peace: Rose Santaniello (by Lisowicz Family)

Michael Toothman Matt Toothman

Prayer for Our Troops: Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands.

Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need,

and bring them home safely. May their sacrifices bring about a lasting

and just peace in all lands. I ask this in the name of Jesus, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Tuesday, August 16 8:30am Mass

Wednesday, August 17 6:30am Mass 8:30am Mass

Thursday, August 18 8:30am Mass 6:30pm Mass

Friday, August 19 8:30am Mass

Saturday, August 20 8:30am Mass 5:00pm Vigil Mass

Sunday, August 21 7:00am Mass (The Parish of St. Stephen, Martyr) 8:30am Mass (Rose and Anthony Santaniello) 11:30am Mass (Anton Raniszewski) 5:00pm Mass (The Parish of St. Stephen, Martyr)

Mass Intentions

Your prayers are cherished for loved ones

outside of our Parish: