Feasting with Faith, Fellowship, & Fun!

Dear Parishioners:                                       

The OLM Feast Week begins on Monday with the Saints and Scholars Open. Around 130 golfers will tee off at Quidnessett Country Club for a day of fun, fellowship, and golf.  Among the golfers are Fr. Brodeur, Fr. Mahoney, Fr. Brian Morris, an OLM School Alum and the new Pastor of St. Gregory the Great, Fr. Dave Cavanagh, uncle to OLM students, and Fr. John Soares, Pastor of St. John Vianney Church in Cumberland.  It should be a great day of golf, but which priest will shoot the best score?

Wednesday is our Holy Hour of Mercy with Fr. Barrow.  On Thursday, we celebrate the Patronal Feast Day Mass with Fr. Jack Unsworth as our homilist.  On Thursday night, we perform our Act of Mercy by filling backpacks for the residents of Emmanuel House Shelter. 

Friday, of course, we wind up our Feast Week with the fantastic celebration of our Oktoberfest. Join us under the tent for delicious German food, beer, and music! A fun night for the whole family. We also draw the winners of the See You in September Raffle, so get your ticket soon!

As we prepare for our Patronal Feast and this week’s activities, we're also getting ready for two important upcoming events.  Next week we take up the Annual Parish Collection at all Masses.  This important collection helps finance the many challenges of maintaining and preserving such an old and large physical plant.  This includes planned projects and also the many unforeseen expenses which occur as time takes a toll on our facilities and properties. 

Over the years, so many good parishioners have always been most generous in their support of the Annual Parish Collection, and I am confident it will continue this year.  I thank you in advance for your generous support.

Also upcoming is our Parish Assembly on Thursday, October 1 at 6:30 pm in the OLM School Cafeteria.  These Assemblies have been taking place across the Diocese at every parish.  Bishop Lewandowski has called for these Assemblies as an opportunity for the faithful to come together to discuss parish life and ministry. 

The Assembly will begin with prayer, followed by small group discussions.  Each group will have a facilitator to help lead the discussion.  Each person in the small group will have a chance to speak briefly about the discussion questions. At the conclusion of the discussion, the group facilitators will each report what fruitful insights their group provided.  All the discussion reports will then be submitted to the Diocese and will be the focus of the Diocesan Assembly in November. 

To prepare for our Parish Assembly, participants must register in advance.  We encourage all adult parishioners to register.  Our good Franciscan Sisters will be available to babysit for those families with young children. This week’s bulletin includes an insert with the various ways to register for the Parish Assembly.

The Bishop initiated these Assemblies to provide input for the pastoral planning of our Diocese.  They are not meant to discuss changing Church teachings, liturgical practices, or a time of complaint and criticism.  Rather, they are meant to allow the Holy Spirit to help each person, parish, and then the Diocese to discern the next steps in renewing our parish and diocesan life and ministry. 

The Assemblies have been taking place across the Diocese since July, and reports say they have been helpful, insightful, and fruitful.  So we look forward to our Assembly as we pray, discern, and discuss our life and ministry as a parish in the Diocese of Providence.   May the Holy Spirit guide us!

The words from an address to the Clergy of the Diocese of Rome, by Pope Leo XIV, offer us some wisdom as we prepare for our Parish Assembly. He said: “We are called to collaborate with God’s work. In this regard, the words that the Apostle Paul addresses to Timothy are enlightening: ‘I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you.’ These words are addressed not only to the individual but also to the community, and today we can hear them addressed to us: remember to rekindle the gift of God!”

OLM Feast Week is upon us! Celebrate with faith, fellowship, and fun!  Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox! Go Pats!! Happy Feast Day!

Getting Ready to Feast at OLM

Dear Parishioners:                                        

“The House that Rockne Built" the University of Notre Dame Stadium

 I am away this weekend on pilgrimage!  This time to Our Lady’s Shrine in South Bend, Indiana. I’ll be in “The House that Rockne Built" to watch the Notre Dame Fighting Irish play the  Rice  University Owls.                          

At our School Auction this past spring, I was the high bidder on the tickets to the game! Much to my surprise, nobody outbid me! So now I’m making the pilgrimage to  Notre Dame. 

I'll also visit the University’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart for Mass.  And of course, offer prayers at Notre Dame’s Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, a replica of the famous French shrine where Blessed Mother Mary appeared to St. Bernadette.  Let’s go Irish! Notre Dame du Lac, pray for us. 

Next weekend, we take up the Senior Priest Fund Collection as our second collection. After a lifetime of devoted service, many of our retired priests continue to answer the call—celebrating Mass, offering guidance, and supporting parish life wherever they’re needed. Others, due to age or health, now require assisted living or nursing home care.

Senior Priest of the Diocese of Providence, Monsignor Carlo Montecalvo

Because diocesan priests receive only a modest salary throughout their ministry, Social Security alone is not enough to sustain them in retirement. Once they step away from active parish ministry, they also lose access to basic supports like housing and daily living stipends. That’s why the Senior Priest Retirement Fund is so important—it ensures our retired priests are cared for with the dignity they deserve.

At all Masses on September 19-20, our parish will join others across the Diocese in a special second collection to support this vital fund. Your gift is more than a donation—it’s a powerful thank you to the men who have dedicated their lives to walking with us in faith.  We are blessed at OLM to be assisted by senior clergy on occasion, including both Monsignor Carlo Montecalvo and Bishop Evans.  In full disclosure, I am eligible for the modest priest pension in 2040, but Fr. Brodeur is not until 2074!  We thank you for your generous support.

Our OLM Feast Week with its many fun and faith-filled events is quickly approaching. On Monday, September 21, we kick off with the Saints and Scholars Golf Tournament.  We have some room for golfers, so sign up your foursome soon. Also, please consider sponsoring a hole, a cart, or a priest for the tournament.  You can do all of this online at the parish website.

Our Holy Hour of Mercy is Wednesday, September 23 at 7:00 pm. We welcome back Fr. Barrow, who is preaching at the Holy Hour.  Please mark your calendar to welcome him back and pray together for our parish.

Our Lady of Mercy, pray for us

On the Patronal Feast Day, Thursday, September 24, we celebrate our  Feast Day Mass at 9:00 am as we call upon our patroness, Our Lady of Mercy, to intercede for us.  Our homilist this year is Senior Priest Father Jack Unsworth, the Pastor Emeritus of St. Bernard Church in Wickford. Fifty years ago on September 11, 1976, Father Unsworth was ordained a priest here at Our Lady of Mercy, where he served as a Transitional Deacon.  What a great joy to welcome him back to OLM on his Golden Jubilee.

On Thursday, September 24, we have our Act of Mercy on Lynch Field at 6:00 pm.  Join us as we fill backpacks for the homeless for our Diocesan Homeless Shelter, Emmanuel House.  All you need to do is show up with your family and bring travel-size toiletry items, a new pair of socks, and a $5 Dunkin' Donuts gift card.  We pack the supplies and then deliver the filled backpacks to Emmanuel House. Thank you for supporting this Act of Mercy.

On Friday, September 25, we'll finish the week with Oktoberfest, featuring German food, beer, and music. It’s always a fun way to conclude our Feast Week. The See You in September Raffle drawing will be held at Oktoberfest. Be sure to get your ticket for a chance to win $10,000.

On this coming Wednesday, we mark the 61st anniversary of the Dedication of Our Lady of Mercy Church by Bishop McVinney. It is an ancient custom to solemnly dedicate churches built for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This anniversary reminds us that our Church is a holy place set apart from other buildings for worship and prayer.

Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Fighting Irish! Go Sox! Go Pats!!

We Remember with Prayer and Unity

Dear Parishioners:

It’s September! College students have returned to universities, and students are back in classrooms! Even the lifeguards have left the beaches! The English Philosopher Sir Bernard Williams said: "September tries its best to have us forget summer."  And so it is at OLM as we prepare for a busy month ahead!              

This week we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Mother Mary on Tuesday, September 8.  It is a special feast for our parish, as the Blessed Mother is our patroness.  So be sure to honor and thank her for her guidance and intercession for our parish and ourselves.

Also this week we commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Islamic Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001.  We remember the thousands who died that day, their grieving families, and the many first responders who were so courageous in responding. Friday is a day to pray for those who died and honor those who courageously responded to the attacks. It is a day of national unity to remember the dead and honor the brave.

911. For years, those numbers simply meant a call for help. Now they also remind us of September 11, 2001, the date of the worst terrorist attack on the United States of America and one of the deadliest days ever on American soil.  This day has been designated as Patriot Day.

A 2009 presidential proclamation stated that  Patriot Day is also a "National Day of Service."  The proclamation calls on Americans to "participate in community service in honor of those our Nation lost, to observe this day with other ceremonies and activities, including remembrance services ... to honor the innocent victims who perished as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001."

Following the attacks, churches were packed with people praying and attending Mass. The attacks produced much sorrow and grief but also tremendous national unity and pride. We remembered the dead and rejoiced in the many heroic acts that took place that day.

As I look at our nation today, sadly such unity and pride are missing.  Far too many Americans, including those in civil office, have forgotten the past and live only to score partisan political points rather than encourage civic unity and pride.  

So on Friday, pray, attend Mass, and remember the dead, the brave, and the nation. On his visit to the September 11th Memorial in 2008, Pope Benedict XVI recited this prayer:

“O God of love, compassion, and healing, look on us, people of many different faiths and traditions, who gather today at this site, the scene of incredible violence and pain. We ask you in your goodness to give eternal light and peace to all who died here—the heroic first-responders: our firefighters, police officers, emergency service workers, and Port Authority personnel, along with all the innocent men and women who were victims of this tragedy simply because their work or service brought them here on September 11, 2001.

We ask you, in your compassion, to bring healing to those who, because of their presence here that day, suffer from injuries and illness.  Heal, too, the pain of still-grieving families and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy.  Give them strength to continue their lives with courage and hope.

We are mindful as well of those who suffered death, injury, and loss on the same day at the Pentagon and  Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Our hearts are one with theirs as our prayer embraces their pain and suffering.  God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world: peace in the hearts of all men and women and peace among the nations of the earth.  Turn to your way of love those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred.

God of understanding, overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy, we seek your light and guidance as we confront such terrible events. Grant that those whose lives were spared may live so that the lives lost here may not have been lost in vain.  Comfort and console us, strengthen us in hope, and give us the wisdom and courage to work tirelessly for a world where true peace and love reign among nations and in the hearts of all. Amen.”

On Labor Day,  pray for all workers, for just wages, and for the dignity that work provides.  Happy Labor Day! Be well. Do good. God Bless. God Bless America! Remember 911!

"The Magic of New Beginnings!"

Dear Parishioners:

Parents are smiling, and students are frowning as summer draws to a close this week. The first day of school at OLM  School is this Tuesday, September 1! We are looking forward to another great year of faith and wisdom at our outstanding parish school.                          

At the 10:30 am Mass, we welcome the 37 new students and 20 new school families and thank them for choosing OLM School for their children. Among the new students, 17 are siblings of current students or alumni. Following today’s  Mass of  Welcome, there is a Welcome Reception in the OLM School Cafeteria. Please join us in welcoming these new school families to our community. 

On Tuesday, we welcome back our students, staff, and faculty. Our faculty had an excellent Retreat last week at the Christian Brothers Center led by Father Brodeur. They are now renewed and ready to teach our students. 

We have 266 students registered for this school year with waitlists for most of our grades. This is thanks to the outstanding leadership of our Principal, Patrick McNabb, and the excellent faculty. We thank them for their dedication to Catholic Education and to our students. 

Hopefully all of our students are tan, rested, and ready to learn! I’m sure they have finished their summer reading and are eager to discuss it with their teachers. The 14th-century German mystic, theologian, and philosopher Meister Eckhart  said: "Trust the magic of new beginnings."

It is the beginning of a new school year, and we invite you to join us as we pray for our school community at the Opening School Mass on Friday, September 4 at 9:00 am. Join us as we call down the Holy Spirit to guide and inspire our faculty, staff, and students. We call upon the Holy Spirit's assistance for wisdom, unity, and a successful school year!

Also, there is a new beginning of our Parish Faith Formation Program this fall. We encourage parents of 1st, 2nd, and 8th Graders to register for our OLM First Communion and Confirmation Programs at the parish website. There you will also find the complete schedule of the upcoming year. 

I am happy to announce that Miss Sarah Hardiman, our new OLM Pre-K 4 teacher, will also serve as the Coordinator of our First Communion Program and our Youth Ministry. Sarah has worked at both St. Philip School and Immaculate Conception School and is an active member of Holy Apostles Parish in Cranston.   Mr. Jeremy Long, our OLM Middle School Theology Teacher, will continue to serve as our Faith Formation Director and Confirmation Program Director. We are grateful to both Jeremy and Sarah for their willingness to lead our Faith Formation Programs at OLM.

Our Confirmation Mass for this year is scheduled for Sunday, October 25 at 5:00 pm. The Most Reverend J. Mark Spalding, Bishop of Nashville, is our celebrant this year. Bishop Spalding is a dear friend and seminary classmate of mine and has been to OLM several times over the years.

In October, we also welcome Net Ministries to OLM. They have been here in past years and are returning this year to lead both our OLM Middle School Retreat and our Confirmation Retreat. We are happy they were able to return to OLM, as they do an outstanding job.

Net Ministries has led retreats for teens across the country for decades.  Catholic young adults serve on these retreat teams and travel around the country, proclaiming the Gospel to young people. They give talks, lead small groups, share their personal testimonies, and pray with thousands of young people each year, all to share the love of Jesus Christ. Father Mahoney served with Net Ministries for a few years before entering the seminary. 

In the coming weeks, our OLM Building Committee will also review proposals to enhance security for both our school and church.   Sadly, security is a concern for religious schools and houses of worship. Our Jewish brothers and sisters know this very well, but in recent years there has been an increase in violent attacks in Christian and Catholic schools and churches. 

After my pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, it’s good to be back home at OLM. Summer is ending, so let’s “trust the magic of new beginnings” this fall! Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox!!!

Sun Setting on Summer, School Starts Soon

Dear Parishioners:                                       

This week we prepare for the return to school at OLM School.  On Thursday, the OLM School Faculty will make a retreat at the Christian Brothers Center in Narragansett.  Father Brodeur will serve as the Retreat Master this year.  Please keep the OLM School administration, faculty, and staff in your prayers as they get ready to begin another academic year.

Next Sunday at the 10:30 am Mass, we will celebrate a Welcome Mass and Reception for the new families who have enrolled at OLM School this year. It’s hard to believe, but the first day of school is quickly approaching. Yes, summer break ends officially for our students on Tuesday, September 1.  The Opening Mass of the Holy Spirit will be celebrated on Friday, September 4 at 9:00am. 

Where did the summer go? Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “When summer opens, I see how fast it matures and fear it will be short. But after the heats of July and August, I am reconciled, like one who has had his swing, to the cool of autumn.”

With the start of school and the month of September right around the corner, it’s time to get some important events on your calendar.  Our Annual Saints and Scholars Golf Tournament is slated for Monday, September 21 at Quidnessett Country Club.  You can register your foursome or sponsorship via the ad in the bulletin. 

Saints and Scholars Open

The tournament kicks off our Feast Week, which includes a Holy Hour of Mercy on Wednesday, September 23; the Patronal Feast of Our Lady of Mercy Mass on Thursday, September 24; the Act of Mercy, also on September 24; and the week ends with Oktoberfest on Friday, September 25.  The See You in September Raffle tickets will soon be sold, and the winners will be drawn at the Oktoberfest.  So mark the dates! September is Mercy Month at OLM!

Also, in September we begin preparation for our Parish Assembly on October 1.  On the Feast of Corpus Christi, Bishop Lewandowski, after meeting with the priests of the Diocese on numerous occasions, released his pastoral plan entitled: “Three Pathways, One Mission.” It is his plan for renewing our diocese. It is a significant moment for the Church in Rhode Island, and it is an invitation to all of us who serve in parishes and schools.
Bishop Lewandowski stated:  “Over the past year, I have visited many parishes, schools, and ministries. It has been a great source of joy and inspiration to meet so many of you. I’ve seen and heard a lot. While much of what I’ve experienced is truly wonderful, I’ve come to understand that the transitions in episcopal leadership over the past three years have left their mark on us and created some challenges. Having three bishops in the course of three years is rare. The extended period of transition can produce administrative stagnation, change fatigue, and loss of personal connection.

Changes in leadership style and priorities can drain the morale of the clergy and diocesan staff. Programs initiated by one bishop may be put on hold or abandoned before they can bear fruit. Each transition requires the new leader to ‘learn’ local history, culture, and traditions, a process that can take more than a year. So much change over three years can leave us feeling that we are in a prolonged state of ‘learning’ rather than ‘doing.’”

Every parish in the Diocese is to hold a Parish Assembly. After the Parish Assemblies have concluded, the representatives from every parish will gather in a Diocesan Assembly in November. The assemblies are meant to bring us together for prayer and guided discussion in order to set pastoral priorities. They are not intended to challenge perennial Church teaching or alter the Sacred Liturgy. Rather, they are a means to listen together for how the Holy Spirit is calling us to live the Church's mission in our time and place and to identify pastoral needs for ministry, evangelization, and renewal.

In the coming weeks, the leadership of our parish assembly will meet to prepare for our Parish Assembly on October 1. A general invitation will follow, and information will be posted on the parish website and in the bulletin.  It is good to be back home at OLM after my pilgrimage. It was a very faith-filled time in France guided by Our Lady.  Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox!!!

Honoring Our Lady

Dear Parishioners:

Assumption of the Virgin Mary by Nikolaos Doxaras, c. 1750

You’ll note that the Solemnity of the Assumption is not a Holy Day of Obligation this year.  Some parishioners have asked why this is so.  The Solemnity of the Assumption is not a holy day of Obligation this year because August 15 falls on a Saturday.    Under U.S. and canon law guidelines, the obligation to attend Mass is lifted when this specific feast day lands on a Saturday or a Monday.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops established that the obligation to attend Mass is lifted (abrogated) when January 1 (Mary, Mother of God), August 15 (The Assumption), or November 1 (All Saints' Day) falls on a Saturday or a Monday. This prevents back-to-back  Mass obligations for priests who live in rural areas and travel great distances to multiple parishes, those who are assigned to multiple parishes, and confusion with the regular Sunday worship schedule.  Next year we get to celebrate it on a Sunday!

The Coronation of the Virgin ( 1635–1636) by Diego Velázquez

Next Saturday we celebrate the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Pius XII established this feast in 1954. But the Blessed Virgin Mary’s queenship has roots in Scripture. At the Annunciation, Gabriel announced that Mary’s Son would receive the throne of David and rule forever. At the Visitation, Elizabeth calls Mary “mother of my Lord.” As in all the mysteries of Mary’s life, she is closely associated with Jesus. Her queenship is a share in Jesus’ kingship.

We can also recall that in the Old Testament the mother of the king has great influence in court. In the fourth century Saint Ephrem called Mary “Lady” and “Queen.” Later Church fathers and doctors continued to use the title. Hymns of the 11th to 13th centuries address Mary as queen: “Hail, Holy Queen,” “Hail, Queen of Heaven,” “Queen of Heaven.” The Dominican rosary and the Franciscan crown, as well as numerous invocations in Mary’s litany, celebrate her queenship.

The feast is a logical follow-up to the Assumption, and is now celebrated on the octave day of that feast. In his 1954 encyclical To the Queen of Heaven, Pius XII points out that Mary deserves the title because she is Mother of God, because she is closely associated as the New Eve with Jesus’ redemptive work, because of her preeminent perfection, and because of her intercessory power. Mary our Queen, pray for us!

As I write this column in advance, this weekend I will be in Lourdes, France, where I will offer Mass for you and your intentions. There are also several devotions at the Lourdes Shrine, including a Eucharistic Procession every evening and a Torchlight Marian Procession every night.  Pilgrims walk in a candlelit procession while singing the Lourdes Hymn to our Lady and raising their candles.

I haven’t visited Lourdes since I was a seminarian in the early 1990s and traveled with friends to Spain from Belgium, where we studied. We made a stop at Lourdes on our way, as it is close to Spain. I have joyful and inspirational memories of the visit to Lourdes. The most inspiring part was watching the sick, disabled, and infirm pilgrims immerse themselves in the waters of Lourdes.

“Drink from the spring and wash in it,” said the beautiful Lady when she appeared in Lourdes. At her command, Bernadette Soubirous, the little shepherdess of Lourdes, looked around for a spring. There wasn’t one. So she scratched at the loose gravel. Then from the murky water that appeared, she first drank and then washed her face. But in the following days, the puddle became running water and then a stream.

Since that day in 1858, countless pilgrims have bathed in and been healed by the waters of that spring. These waters and their healing power, sixty-nine documented miracles of healing, are some of the most immediate and enduring fruits of our Lady’s appearance at Lourdes. Those who are not ill or infirm often wash their face with the water and drink it.

Not all the miracles of Lourdes are physical healing; some are spiritual conversions. Many undergo a grace-filled conversion of heart. While we often pray for a healing of the body, we also may seek a healing of the heart and spirit. We hope and pray for miracles of all kinds at Lourdes. Pray for me as I shall pray for you at Lourdes. Our Lady of Lourdes, intercede for us! 

Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox!!!