Come Holy Spirit, Renew the Face of the Earth

Dear Parishioners:

Last week’s OLM School Production of Peter Pan, Jr. was outstanding and a thoroughly enjoyable production.  Father Brodeur and I attended the Saturday night performance at the Prout School Theater.  Our students are a very talented group of singers, dancers, and actors and actresses.  Bravi!    

The Descent of the Holy Spirit, Anonymous follower of Gerard David (circa 1450/1460–1523)

Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Pentecost, the feast celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the Virgin Mary, 50 days after Easter. Often called the "Birthday of the Church," it marks the beginning of the Church's public mission and the fulfillment of Jesus' promise to send an Advocate.

Before Pentecost, the Apostles were frightened and in hiding. The descent of the Holy Spirit provided them with the courage and spiritual gifts necessary to go out and preach the Gospel to all nations.  It is considered the birth of the Catholic Church because it signifies the moment the early Church transformed from a small, localized group into a bold, unified, and public movement.

It reminds us that the Holy Spirit is a continuous, living presence guiding, strengthening, and sanctifying the Church and her members today.  As Saint John Vianney said: “The Holy Spirit is like a gardener, cultivating our souls.”

We mark Pentecost Sunday with the celebration of baptisms and confirmations at the 10:30 am Mass.  Please pray for these candidates for the sacraments of initiation that the Holy Spirit may guide them with his gifts and strengthen them in faith, hope, and love.  

On Monday, we celebrate Memorial Day in the United States, a holiday dedicated to honoring all American military personnel who died while serving in the Armed Forces. We honor the fallen who sacrificed their lives for our nation and our freedom. 

On Memorial Day, I invite you to join us for Mass at 8:30 am as we pray for all those men and women who have died serving our nation. Also, join us at the final May Devotions on Monday at 7:00 pm as we turn to Our Lady, Queen of Peace, and pray a Rosary for peace in our world.  As St. Padre Pio so wisely said: “The Rosary is ‘the weapon’ for these times.”

It’s truly hard to believe that it's already graduation season, and in less than a month, school ends as summer break arrives! Next Sunday, we look forward to celebrating the OLM School 8th Grade Graduation Mass at 10:30 am.  We will celebrate and pray for our 8th Grade Class as they prepare to leave OLM School for the rigors of high school.  

They will be joined by their parents, families, and the OLM School administration and faculty.  Following the Mass, we continue with a Graduation Luncheon at Quidnessett Country Club as we recognize the students’ many academic achievements.  Please pray for our 8th Grade Class of 2026. May they continue to strive to be saints and scholars as they depart OLM School.

As was discussed last weekend at Masses and in the bulletin, the R.I. General Assembly may pass legislation that legalizes Physician Assisted Suicide in our state.  This bill endangers the weak and vulnerable and corrupts the practice of medicine and the doctor–patient relationship.  It will create perverse incentives for insurance providers and the financing of health care. The most profound injustice of PAS is that it violates human dignity bestowed by God and denies equality before the law.

Nothing and no one can in any way permit the killing of an innocent human being, whether a fetus or an embryo, an infant or an adult, an elderly person, or one suffering from an incurable disease, or a person who is dying.

Furthermore, no one is permitted to ask for this act of killing, either for themselves or for another person entrusted to their care, nor can they consent to it, either explicitly or implicitly, nor can any authority legitimately recommend or permit such an action. It is a violation of the divine law, an offense against the dignity of the human person, a crime against life, and an attack on humanity.

Please contact your local state representative and state senator and tell them to oppose PAS.  St. Pope John Paul II said: “True compassion leads to sharing another's pain; it does not kill the person whose suffering we cannot bear."

Be well. Do good. God Bless. Happy Memorial Day! God Bless America!

Physician Assisted Suicide is Deadly, Not Dignified!

Dear Parishioners:                                 

Rhode Island Statehouse

The R.I General Assembly is poised to pass legislation that will legalize Physician Assisted Suicide in our state.  The Church specifically opposes Physician-Assisted Suicide because it seeks to legalize the intentional taking of human life; this deliberate activity violates the most basic tenet of our belief in the sacredness of life and simultaneously poses many dangers to vulnerable populations.

The  Church teaches that physician-assisted suicide gravely violates the sacred value of all human life, particularly those vulnerable due to illness, age, race, or disability, and undermines the medical profession's healing mission. The US Bishops teach: "A choice to take one's life is a supreme contradiction of freedom, a choice to eliminate all choices. And a society that devalues some people's lives, by hastening and facilitating their deaths, will ultimately lose respect for their other rights and freedoms."

Respect for life does not demand that we attempt to prolong life by using medical treatments that are ineffective or unduly burdensome. "Nor,” teach the U.S. Bishops, “does it mean we should deprive suffering patients of needed pain medications out of a misplaced or exaggerated fear that they might have the side effect of shortening life."  

Instead, it demands that we respect life as a gift by not actively seeking an artificial means to end it.  As Catholics, we believe that dying is not an evil to avoid at all costs. It is a step in a journey that continues in the next life with our loving God.

But even those without faith can recognize the intrinsic value of human life and respect for human dignity. They can see that suffering people need solidarity and support more than a loaded syringe and an easy exit. They need their dignity affirmed by being loved and encouraged to hope, not attacked by allowing their despair to reach its limit in self-killing or medically assisted killing. They need relief from pain and discomfort, not relief from life itself.

A truly caring community devotes more attention and support to members facing the most vulnerable times in their lives; when the sick, elderly, and vulnerable are tempted to see their lives as less valuable, they most need the love and assistance of others to assure them of their worth.

The late Pope Francis embracing a hospital patient.

As has happened in other states and countries where killing the sick and suffering is legal,  the alleged safeguards of this legislation will no longer exist in a few years.  Some patients in states where assisted suicide is now legalized have been told that their health insurance will pay for assisted suicide but will not pay for treatment that may sustain their lives.  

Physician-assisted suicide endangers the weak and marginalized in society, especially the poor, minorities, the elderly, the mentally ill, the disabled, and the terminally ill.  Assisted suicide creates two classes of people: those whose suicides we spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year to prevent, and those whose suicides we assist with and treat as a positive good. We remove weapons and drugs that can cause harm to one group while handing deadly drugs to the other, setting up yet another kind of life-threatening discrimination.

As Catholic citizens, we need to build the common good of our entire society and advance the dignity of every human life, especially the terminally ill, not attack it with legalized assisted suicide. I encourage you to contact your legislator as soon as possible and urge them to oppose Physician Assisted Suicide. Information on how to contact them is in the bulletin. Simply scan the QR Code to locate and contact your state representative or senator.  

Pentecost by Moretto da Brescia, 1543–1544

While this news from our General Assembly is alarming and upsetting, there is much good news here at OLM.  Last week, 48 of our parish children received First Holy Communion and, on Mother’s Day, crowned the Blessed Virgin Mary.  It was a beautiful and joyful celebration.  Please continue to pray for our First Communion Class.  

Next Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the Virgin Mary, 50 days after Easter.  At the 10:30 am Mass, two adults will be baptized and receive Communion and Confirmation. 7 more adults will be confirmed.  It is a wonderful way to celebrate Pentecost. As we prepare for Pentecost, let us pray: “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.”

Be well. Do good. God Bless.  Pray for the respect of life and the dignity of the sick, the suffering, and the dying! 

Celebrating Family & Faith on Mother's Day & Grandparent's Day

Dear Parishioners:                                  

As was announced last weekend, Bishop Lewandowski has appointed Father Brodeur as the new part-time Chaplain to Bishop Hendricken High School, effective July 1.  This new ministry is in addition to his ministry here at Our Lady of Mercy.  I am confident that he will do very well serving as Chaplain at Hendricken while continuing to serve our community with zeal.  

So now, OLM has two priests who have additional part-time ministries.  In addition to serving as Pastor of OLM, I also serve as the part-time Director of the Rhode Island Catholic Conference, advocating on behalf of the Diocese with elected and government officials.  Both Fr. Brodeur and I receive 80% of our salaries and benefits from the parish and 20% from the Diocese and Hendricken.  

This year, we had four priests retire from active ministry, and one died a few months ago. We will have two ordained priests in June. A whole host of new assignments for pastors across the Diocese were announced last week.  Please pray for Fr. Brodeur and all the priests who have been reassigned.  

There is still more news to report.  Mr. David Cote, our Pairsh and School Business Manager, has moved on from OLM and the other parishes he worked to take a new position in the private sector.  We wish him well in his new endeavors and thank him for his service to OLM.  He served our parish well for over twenty years. We have begun a search for a new Business Manager and possibly a new bookkeeper.  In the interim, Mr. Cote will continue to offer his support until the position is filled.   We are also actively looking for a part-time maintenance person for the school.  As you recall, our longtime School Maintenance Director, Mr. David Belanger, passed away recently.   I kindly ask for your understanding and prayers during this time.

At OLM School, Dr. Deborah Husak, our Middle School Science teacher, and Mrs. Karen Kane, our Middle School Math Teacher, are retiring this year.  Also, Mrs. Cheryl Maynard, OLM School Librarian, is departing due to family reasons. We thank them for their many years of hard work and dedication to our school and students.  They are outstanding teachers and will be sorely missed. We wish them the best of luck in the future!

We celebrated First Communion Mass on Saturday, and today we celebrate the First Communion Class May Crowning Ceremony at the 10:30 am Mass.  Mother’s Day is a beautiful day to crown our Blessed Mother with flowers as the Queen of Heaven and Mother of God. It symbolizes her role as the "Queen of May" and a perfect follower of Christ.

This Thursday is the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord, a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics. The Ascension is celebrated forty days after Easter, and commemorates the moment when the risen Christ, in the sight of his apostles, ascended bodily into heaven. It marks the completion of his earthly mission and the beginning of his exaltation at the right hand of the Father, where he intercedes for us as our eternal High Priest. There is a Vigil Mass at 5:00 pm on Wednesday evening, and on Thursday, there are three Masses: 7:30 am, 10:00 am, and 7:00 pm.  The OLM School Mass is at 10:00 am, not the normal 9:00 am, as it is also Grandparents’ Day at OLM School.   With 271 students, we expect a very large turnout of grandparents for the Mass.

Grandparents’ Day is always a fantastic celebration of faith and family for our students.  The grandparents get a chance to be with their grandchildren in class and at Mass.  As Pope Francis said, “Grandparents are the wisdom of the family, they are the wisdom of a people.”

Today is Mother’s Day, and we honor Mothers, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers upon the family and society. It calls us to cherish the gift of life that we receive from our mothers and to pray for all women to whom God has entrusted life in a very special way. As we pray in thanksgiving for the gift of mothers, we remember mothers experiencing difficult pregnancies and pray that they may find support and encouragement in choosing life for their children. We offer Masses today for all Mothers, living and deceased.  

Pope Francis said: “A society without mothers would be a dehumanized society, for mothers are always, even in the worst moments, witnesses of tenderness, dedication, and moral strength. Dearest mothers,  thank you for what you are in your family and for what you give to the Church and the world.”

Be well. Do good. God Bless.  Happy Mother’s Day!

Praying for Light in the Darkness of Evil

Dear Parishioners:                                  

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, is whisked away by security after the shooting at the Whitehouse Correspondents Dinner at Washington Hilton.

Last Saturday’s violent attack at the Annual White House Correspondents' Dinner calls us to pray for elected officials and those who protect them.  We should also pray for a conversion of heart for the deranged shooter and anyone who thinks violence is the way to solve political differences. All human life is sacred, so violence is never the answer.                    

However, the political polarization in our nation is vast and too often devoid of civility, decency, and actual debate.  More often, debate deteriorates into silly name-calling, intolerance of the opinions of those we don’t agree with, and heated political rhetoric.  It is not unique to any political spectrum or party.

As Catholics, we must take to heart Jesus’ invitation to follow the example of the Good Samaritan, who challenges us to “become neighbors to all.” As a Church and a nation, we are far too polarized and divided. But as Pope Francis wrote in Fratelli Tutti, we can seek “a better kind of politics, one truly at the service of the common good” (no. 154).

Last Saturday, Pope Leo, in an address to Parliamentarians from the European People’s Party, stated: “The search for unity has the courage to go beyond the surface of conflict and to see others in their deepest dignity.  In this way, it becomes possible to create something new and constructive, whereas conflict highlights differences, fosters the pursuit and assertion of power, and ultimately leads to destruction.” Let us pray for unity and peace in our nation and for an end to all senseless violence.

Next Saturday, we celebrate First Holy Communion Mass at Noon for forty-five children of our parish. They have been preparing for two years for this day with study and prayer.   It is always a joyful celebration.  As a parish family, we rejoice with the children and their families.  

Saint Pope Pius X pictured giving First Holy Communion to children

It was St. Pope Pius X, in his decree Quam Singulari on August 8, 1910, who lowered the age for First Communion to 7, emphasizing that children need only know the difference between Eucharistic Bread and ordinary bread. The decree stated that children should receive communion when they reach the "age of reason," roughly age 7, changing the previous custom of delaying until ages 12–14. Fr. Brodeur and I interviewed all 45 children, and we believe they understand that the Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.  

In the celebration of the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and the instrumentality of the priest. The whole Christ is truly present, body, blood, soul, and divinity,  under the appearances of bread and wine, the glorified Christ who rose from the dead. This is what the Church means when she speaks of the "Real Presence" of Christ in the Eucharist. Please pray for the children that, as they receive Jesus Christ truly present in the Eucharist for the first time.

May they continue to grow in faith, devotion, and love of Jesus in the Eucharist. In 2005, during an audience with children who had made their First Holy Communion, Pope Benedict XVI recalled his own.  He said: “But at the heart of my joyful and beautiful memories is this one: I understood that Jesus had entered my heart, he had actually visited me. And with Jesus, God himself was with me. And I realized that this is a gift of love that is truly worth more than all the other things that life can give.”

Next Sunday is Mother’s Day, and our First Communion Class will celebrate the May Crowning of the Blessed Mother at the 10:30 am Mass.  It is always a beautiful celebration as we crown Mary, and the children call upon her to lay her mantle of love upon them.  We will offer Sunday Masses on Mother’s Day for all mothers, living and deceased. Please return your Mother’s Day envelopes with your mother’s name so they can be remembered at the Masses.  

Also, next Sunday, the OLM youths attending the Franciscan University’s Steubenville Youth Conference in July will be selling tubes of M&M's after Masses.  The Conference includes talks by an array of speakers, as well as opportunities for worship, adoration, and confession. They enjoy fellowship with hundreds of other teens from across the country who share the same Catholic faith.

The tubes are $2 a piece and make a great gift for your Mother!   On each tube, you will see a sticker that says "return the weekend of May 24." Each tube holds exactly $15 in quarters. So please enjoy your M&Ms, then fill the tubes with your spare quarters.  All proceeds go toward defraying the cost of the trip to Ohio in July.   We thank you for your generous support. Be well. Do good. God Bless.

Praying for & Calling More Good Shepherds

Dear Parishioners:                                 

The Good Shepherd, Jean Baptiste de Champaigne (1631–1681)

This Fourth Sunday of Easter is traditionally called Good Shepherd Sunday because the Gospel reading for this day highlights Jesus Christ describing himself as the "Good Shepherd" who lays down his life for his sheep. Good Shepherd Sunday is also  celebrated as the World Day of Prayer for Vocations.  It focuses on praying for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, encouraging people to follow Jesus as the "Good Shepherd".

Instituted by Pope Paul VI in 1964, it emphasizes fostering new laborers for the Church  The purpose of World Day of Prayer for Vocations is to publicly fulfill the Lord's instruction to, "Pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest" (Mt 9:38; Lk 10:2). In his message for World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Leo said:

“Dear brothers and sisters, dear young people, I encourage you to cultivate your personal relationship with God through daily prayer and meditation on the Word.  Pause, listen, and entrust yourselves. In this way, the gift of your vocation will mature, bringing you happiness and yielding abundant fruit for the Church and the world.”

There are currently eleven young men studying for the priesthood for the Diocese of Providence. Two of them are  Transitional Deacons who are to be ordained Priests of Providence in June. In addition, David Del Bonis and Luke Simms from Our Lady of Mercy study at Providence College while residing at Our Lady of Providence Seminary under the direction of Father Connors, the seminary's Rector. The other men are preparing to become priests and are studying at either St. John Seminary in Boston or the Pontifical North American College in Rome.  

We have over 113 parishes in the Diocese of Providence with nearly 600,000 Catholics.  There are 101 active priests and 90 retired priests. In addition, 16 religious priests serve in parishes. This does not include the Dominican Friars at the Providence College Priory or the Benedictine Monks at Portsmouth Abbey.   Only two are being ordained this June, and 6 pastors will retire from active ministry this year. In the U.S., 428 men are scheduled to be ordained this year.

There is a great need to pray for more priestly vocations in the Diocese of Providence but also a need for Catholic families to foster priestly vocations in their own homes.  Do you know a young man who would make a good priest? Have you ever told your son, grandson, nephew, or a young man you know to consider the priesthood?

A recent survey of the men being ordained this year in the U.S. reported that 92% were encouraged to consider the priesthood by someone in their life. So please encourage young men and pray earnestly that more men hear and respond generously to the Lord's call to the priesthood.  Also, please continue to pray for our eleven seminarians that they persevere in pursuing a priestly vocation. There are prayer cards at the doors of the Church, please take one home.

May begins on Friday, the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker.  Join us for the OLM School First Friday Mass at 9:00am.  There is Eucharistic Adoration following the Mass with Benediction at 6:00pm.    There is certainly much to pray about these days and no better place to pray then before the Eucharistic Lord.

As St. Alphonsus de Liguori said of Eucharistic Adoration: “Good friends find pleasure in one another’s company. Let us know pleasure in the company of our best Friend, a Friend who can do everything for us, a friend who loves us beyond measure. Here in the Blessed Sacrament we can talk to him straight from the heart.”

The U.S. Capitol Building, Washington, DC

Our OLM Eighth Grade is off this week on their Soul of America Trip.  The trip includes stops in Philadelphia l and Washington, DC to tour the Nation’s capital.  Fr. Brodeur is riding along on the bus as the Spiritual Director as there will be Mass at the National Shrine..  Please pray for their safe travel and return.

With the arrival of the Month of May, the 5:00PM Sunday Mass ends and will resume in October. There will be May Devotions every Monday in May at 7:00 pm. Join us for the Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration.  And, of course, we are looking forward to celebrating First Holy Communion on Mother’s Day Weekend.  Please keep the First Communion Class in your prayers as they make their final preparations. Be well. Do good. God Bless. Pray for more priestly vocations!

Praying for Peace

Dear Parishioners:                                  

Pope Leo prays for peace at Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vigil for Peace

Last Saturday, at a Prayer Vigil for Peace, Pope Leo implored the world to end the violence of war and to take up peace and reconciliation. Prayer Vigils were also held across the world in countless Catholic Churches.  Certainly, there is an urgency for us to pray for peace, as war and violence have become so commonplace in our world.                        

In his homily at the Rosary for Peace, Pope Leo said: “Dear friends, peace be with you all!  It is the peace of the Risen Christ, the fruit of his sacrifice of love on the cross.  For this reason, we raise our prayer to him:

Lord Jesus, you conquered death without weapons or violence: you shattered its power with the strength of peace. Grant us your peace, as you did to the women filled with doubt on Easter morning, as you did to the disciples who were hiding in fear. Send forth your Spirit, the breath that gives life and reconciles, that turns adversaries and enemies into brothers and sisters. Inspire in us to trust in Mary, your mother, who stood at the foot of your cross with a broken heart, firm in the faith that you would rise again. May the madness of war cease, and the Earth be cared for and cultivated by those who still know how to bring forth, protect, and love life. Hear us, Lord of life!”

I encourage you to take up our Holy Father’s call to pray for peace.  Add world peace to your prayer intentions and pray a Rosary for Peace.  As Pope Leo reminded us last week: “Prayer teaches us how to act. In prayer, our limited human possibilities are joined to the infinite possibilities of God.  Thoughts, words, and deeds then break the demonic cycle of evil and are placed at the service of the Kingdom of God. A Kingdom in which there is no sword, no drone, no vengeance, no trivialization of evil, no unjust profit, but only dignity, understanding, and forgiveness.”

Last Saturday night at Quidnessett Country Club, we celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Our Lady of Mercy School. Seventy-five years ago, Father Francis P. Brady had a dream to build a parish school.  He was strongly committed to providing education and activities for the youth of the OLM.   Over these seventy-five years, that dream became a reality of excellence in academics, athletics, and the arts, rooted in a strong formation in the Catholic Faith.

The dream lives on today, and last Saturday we celebrated all that the OLM School provides our parish and community.   The celebration included a silent and live auction to raise the critical funds needed to operate an outstanding school in 2026.  A whole host of items were auctioned to support our schools’ mission and to provide for our students' needs.  

Happy OLM School students

I offer our heartfelt thanks to all those who supported the Diamond Jubilee with generous donations of auction items and sponsorships of the celebration. We thank the many who made generous bids for the auction items and in-kind donations.  We thank the many members of our OLM School PTG who planned and ran the very successful event.  All this hard work and generosity support our students as they continue to strive to be saints and scholars.  

Our school currently has 271 students enrolled in Pre-K 3 through 8th Grade.  We have an outstanding Principal, Faculty, and Staff who are dedicated to excelling in academics, athletics, the arts, and Catholic values.   Our applications for admission to our school for the next school year are quite numerous, and most of our classes have a waitlist.   We are most grateful to God for the many blessings he has provided our school and community.  

This past Tuesday, I was part of a community forum at Cole Middle School on the recent incidents at our local public schools of antisemitic graffiti.  As a Church and a local community, we are rightly repulsed and outraged that such evil would be found here in East Greenwich.   We must reject antisemitism and prejudice and pray for the conversion of hearts for those who possess such hateful ideas.

At Holocaust Remembrance Day in January,   Pope Leo stated: “The Church remains faithful to the unwavering position of the Declaration Nostra Aetate against every form of antisemitism. The Church rejects any discrimination or harassment based on ethnicity, language, nationality, or religion.”

It is the Annual School Spring Vacation this week, and our school is closed.  Fr. Brodeur is also away on vacation.  We wish them all a happy vacation and safe travels. May they return tan, rested, and ready!  Be well. Do good. God Bless. Pray for peace!