October 15, 2021

Living Faith Fellowship Tonight - Friday, October 15

Come tonight at 7:00, for an evening with Fr Ed featuring, fellowship, small groups and prayer. Our theme this month is The Rosary in Our Lives with the DVD: Pray the Movie. No cost, no RSVP. Due to Covid restrictions no meal. Bottled water will be available. All are welcome! We will meet in the social hall. Questions? Contact Anne Merklin at sstmassociate@gmail.com.

Stewardship of Talent

Our Stewardship of Talents annual renewal has started. You will see blue flyers in the pews to mark the areas you volunteer and ministries you are interested in. If you are currently sharing your talents at St. Stephen's, thank you! If not, please consider sharing your gifts with one ministry for one year. Stop by the Welcome Table in the Narthex this weekend for more information. To explore your ministry interests click here.

Don't forget to turn in your blue Stewardship of Talents flyer in the Narthex and pick up a Ministry book.
A huge thank you to those who are currently serving and those who are interested in sharing their talents at St. Stephen's.

Remembrance Ribbons

Volunteers are ready to handwrite remembrance ribbons for your loved ones who have passed away in the last year. According to our tradition, completed ribbons will be hung around the halo over the baptismal font. If you would like to submit names for those who passed away more than 1 year ago, we will print them out for inclusion in our Book of Life. As a parish, we will pray for all of our deceased loved ones during the month of November. Submit the name of your loved one here.

Grief Ministry October 17

If you are grieving the death of a loved one, come find strength and compassion with the St. Stephen’s Virtual Grief Support Meeting on Sunday, October 17th at 1:00pm. Our topic will be “New Beginnings / The Promise of Hope." For more information and to register, please contact Sharon Rasmussen at srasmussen910@yahoo.com. “Hear the word of the LORD: I will turn their mourning into joy, I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.” Jeremiah 31:13

Young Adults at St. Stephen's

The young adults group is having lots of fun! Please join us. Check out the link on the website for more information. https://ststephenslife.com/young-adult-ministry

Respect Life

In the apostolic exhortation Evangelii gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel),
Pope Francis reminds us that “among the vulnerable for whom the Church wishes to care with particular love and concern are unborn children, the most defenseless and innocent among us.”12 The defense of unborn life upholds “the conviction that a human being is always sacred and inviolable, in any situation and at every stage of development.”13 Yet, the Holy Father acknowledges that the Church has often “done little to adequately accompany women in very difficult situations, where abortion appears as a quick solution to their profound anguish.”14

As members of the Church that “goes forth,” we are called to take the first step toward those in need—sharing in their lives, listening to their concerns, offering them both material and spiritual support. For “true faith in the incarnate Son of God is inseparable from self-giving, from membership in the community, from service, from reconciliation with others.”15 And while we may feel unequipped for such a mission, the Holy Father reminds us that “whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms.”16

The USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities is inviting Catholics to walk in the shoes of local pregnant and parenting mothers in need. Excerpts from Evangelii gaudium © 2013, Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2021, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved.

An Early Look at this Sunday's Gospel

Click the image above for a homily reflection of this week's Gospel by Fr. Frank DeSiano, CSP. The readings for this weekend, the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time are: Is 53:10-11; Ps 33:4-5, 18-20, 22; Heb 4:14-16; Mk 10:35-45

RCIA Inquiry Sessions

Do you or someone you know wish to learn about the Catholic faith and receive the Sacraments of Initiation?
INQUIRY SESSIONS are for
▪ Those who want to learn about the Catholic faith.

▪ Those in other faith traditions who are interested in joining the Catholic Church

.▪ Adult Catholics who have not received all their Sacraments.
Inquiry Sessions for RCIA are Tuesdays, 7:00pm - 9:00pm in the parish Social Hall (and will meet all covid-19 restrictions/guidelines). If you have any questions, please contact Anne Merklin, sstmassociate@gmail.com or call 253-480-7108.

Gabriel Project - PREPARES Ministry

Gabriel Project—PREPARES Ministry thanks all who gave to the August Shoes and Boots Drive which served 27 total children. We are also grateful for the women and men who have adopted a diaper size monthly. We currently are helping 9 babies and toddlers in diapers and would appreciate more. To be a diaper donor, contact Kathleen 253-653-6074.
Calling for more Angel-Companions (guide, mentor, friend) volunteers to be in frequent contact with Moms giving advice, listening, sharing resources and essential needs. Training will be: Saturday morning October 9. Contact Aleah Patulot, PREPARES Director CCS 206-737-9264. We have new referral requests every month. We recently provided emergency housing for a newborn, her Mom and extended family.
Want to learn more?? Join our next zoom meeting on Wednesday, October 27 at 7:30pm. Contact RobertaJorgensen@comcast.net

The Rosary: What's Your Story?

Has the Holy Rosary touched your life in a powerful way? Help others grow in faith by sharing your story. Let us know who you are by clicking here.

How to Receive Holy Communion

Did you ever ask yourself, "Am I doing it right?" Catholics of all ages will enjoy this entertaining and informative video that answers common questions about receiving Holy Communion in the hand and on the tongue. The video is under 5 minutes and you just might learn something new! Click the image above or visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdGkTdv4Dt4

Family Fun August 8

Masks Now Required at all Masses and Indoors Throughout Church Buildings.

The COVID case count in Washington is extremely high and exploding across the state. Due to this exponential growth and the desire to keep people safe and open schools this fall, Governor Inslee announced two new mandates yesterday.

Indoor Mask Mandate: This universal indoor mask mandate is now in effect. This means:
- All employees, volunteers and visitors must wear a mask while inside any building on a parish campus.
- All teachers, staff, volunteers, students, and visitors must wear a mask while inside any school building.
- All parishioners must wear a mask during all indoor Masses.
  - Please note, anyone with a medical exemption will not be turned away.

Records Update!

It has become evident that our parish database is in dire need of an update! So many folks have changed their contact information or had children that our records are now inaccurate or incomplete. Please click the image to go directly to our online update form.

St Stephen's Now Livestreaming on Vimeo!

Our livestream broadcasts have recently been upgraded with the addition of the video hosting service, Vimeo. Click the image or visit https://www.ststephenslife.com/holy-mass-live-stream where you can enjoy Mass and devotions live, within a media player right on our parish website (yes, you can expand to full screen). Want to watch yesterday's Mass? In our new Vimeo player the liturgy won't be interrupted with commercials! Still a big Facebook or Youtube fan? No worries; our liturgies will continue to be simulcast to those platforms as well.

Want to Learn More?

Click the image on the left to see our weekly bulletins