St. Stephen’s parish receives requests from parishioners, community members, and social service organizations to assist families in need of food and gifts for Christmas. Parishioners can “sponsor” families and provide a Christmas Basket by purchasing food, toys, clothing, etc.
Many “sponsors” are needed to assist these families. If you are interested in helping, please read and fill out the 2018 Christmas Basket Sponsor Registration.
A Vigil Mass December 7 will be celebrated at 7:00 p.m. in the church.
El 7 de diciembre, la misa en español a las 7:00 p.m. en la capilla.
Mass December 8 will be celebrated at 8:00 a.m. in the church.
Mark your calendars for a parish Christmas Social the evening of December 7!
Join us for the 7:00 p.m. Vigil Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Mass in English will be in the church and Mass in Spanish will be in the chapel.
Following 7:00 p.m. Mass, all are invited to the Faith Community Center for a dessert social. We will have festive desserts, coffee, hot apple cider, hot chocolate, and wine. We hope you will join us!
This year we have some groups celebrating the sacrament at particular times of the day and we want you to be aware of their presence.
Christmas Eve Masses on December 24 will be celebrated at 3:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 10:00 p.m. (Candle light Mass).
El 24 de Diciembre – La Misa en Español – 7:00 p.m. en la iglesia.
Christmas Day Masses on December 25 will be celebrated at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. There will be NO 6:00 p.m. Mass.
El 25 de Diciembre – La Misa en Español – 12:30 p.m. en la iglesia.
Fall decoration cleanup at Calvary Cemetery is currently underway.
During the cleanup, staff will remove all items except for one plant stand per grave site containing one pot of flowers. Unsightly arrangements will be removed.
One wreath for the Fall/Christmas season may be placed on the plant stand and removed by April 1, 2019.
Thank you for helping to keep our cemetery beautiful!
Alpha is an opportunity to explore life and faith in a friendly, open and informal environment. NO pressure. NO follow-up. NO charge! It’s FREE!
Alpha runs in churches, coffee shops and in homes all over the world. Typically, Alpha has around 10-11 sessions. Alpha will include FOOD, a short video/talk and time at the end where you can share your thoughts.
St. Stephen’s Church will be offering Alpha in the Catholic context most Wednesdays through December 19, 6:15-7:30 p.m. in FCC 10. (No session November 21.) You are also invited to bring a friend or two and they don’t have to be Catholic to join Alpha…all are welcome!
Learn more about Alpha at St. Stephen .
Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda announced May 31, 2018 that the Archdiocese had reached an agreement with survivors of sexual abuse to resolve the bankruptcy that had been filed in January of 2015. The agreement both provides compensation to survivors and resolution of all related claims against individual parishes.
Read the letter from the Archbishop (PDF).
Bankruptcy Settlement Question and Answer sheet (PDF).
From Thomas J. Abood, Chair, Archdiocesan Reorganization Task Force and Archdiocesan Finance Council: On Thursday, June 28, 2018, the Archdiocese and the Unsecured Creditors Committee filed a joint Plan of Reorganization which marks an important step in effectuating the recently announced $210 million settlement. The key element of this plan is that it is a consensual agreement among all parties working to resolve the bankruptcy and bring a measure of financial justice to those who have been harmed while also allowing this local Church to continue in its mission.
Read the full statement on the archdiocesan website.
Regular Mass Schedules: Mondays – Saturdays: 8:00 a.m. (with some exceptions for Holy Days or Holidays), Saturdays: 5:00 p.m. (except the Easter Vigil), Sundays: 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. (en español) and 6:00 p.m. (No 6:00 p.m. Mass for Easter, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve/Day).
Visit the Mass times page for special liturgy schedules for holidays and Holy Days.
American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreter: Saturday: 5:00 p.m.
La Misa en Español: Domingo a las 12:30 p.m.
Sacrament of Reconciliation: Saturdays 3:30-4:30 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. (except holidays and Holy Days)
Televised: QCTV Comcast cable channel 15 (Recorded Mass of the previous weekend) Sundays: 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.
For those who do not have cable, there is a Mass that is televised on “antenna” TV at 11:00 a.m. on Channel 45 or 5.2. That particular Mass comes from the Diocese of St. Cloud.
OFFICE HOURS:
Academic Year: Monday and Thursday – 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday – 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. when Faith Formation is in session, otherwise closing at 5:00 p.m.;
Friday – 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.; Saturday – 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Sunday – 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Summer: Monday through Thursday – 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Friday – 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Saturday – 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Sunday – 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
In the fall of 2016 a team was formed to develop a Strategic Plan that flowed from and supported our mission statement to “Seek, Love, and Serve Jesus Christ”. In the late winter/early spring of 2017 the Strategic Planning Committee held three listening sessions and posted a survey online to allow them to gather the valuable feedback of parishioners.
St. Stephen’s Church is happy to present the strategic plan document to guide the parish as we move into the future.
Strategic Plan Document (printable PDF)
We are listening and responding to the input of our parishioners and want to keep you informed of the parish’s implementation progress.
The banners hung in the church will be reminders of the eight key initiatives that will be our guide in the years to come.
Some highlights of improvements/additions include:
We are committed to updating parishioners about the implementation process through bulletin articles, the e-newsletter, Facebook, and parish website.
Hospitality, warmth, and friendly reception are high priorities around here.
St. Stephen’s celebrates the sacraments with joy-filled liturgical celebrations that lead the worshipping assembly to the full, conscious and active participation called for by the Catholic Church. Sunday Mass, Weekday Mass, Baptisms, Funerals, Weddings, bi-weekly Reconciliation services and bi-yearly Masses with Anointing are among the many liturgical opportunities here. Together with additional devotional prayer times, there is a discipline and rhythm to our prayer life that deepens the spirituality of all who praise and worship God here.
Our parish offers various faith formation, sacramental preparation and youth ministry programs for children, teens and adults. We are all called to discipleship and to make Jesus Christ known and loved. All are invited to participate in opportunities for understanding the faith, celebrating sacraments, building community and giving service.
Pastoral Care exists to assist the priests in visits to the homebound, sick, elderly and anyone in need of spiritual or emotional care. St. Stephen’s has many trained, compassionate volunteers who help with these ministries.
Calvary Cemetery is owned and operated by St. Stephen’s Catholic Church. It is located on the west end of the city of Anoka on the north side of Highway 10. A beautiful granite Columbarium was added to the cemetery in the spring of 2015.
Please take some time to browse through our web site. Check out the Mass times, meet the staff, discover St. Stephen’s School, learn about our Faith Formation offerings, and explore other aspects of our parish.
Remember to join us for the December 7 parish Christmas social following the 7:00 p.m. Vigil Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception..
