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!

Giving Thanks for the Event of Easter

Dear Parishioners:                                 

Saint Leo the Great said: “The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of our Christian faith and the source of our eternal hope.” We celebrated this foundation of faith with great joy and solemnity at Our Lady of Mercy. The Church was beautifully decorated, the music was joyous, and many people were celebrating with faith, hope, and love. Holy Week was a beautiful celebration with great attendance by our parishioners.

There are so many people who make our celebration possible with their dedication and hard work.  Let us thank God and all those who helped make Holy Week 2026 a wonderful event for our parish.  Paul Anderson and his OLM Maintenance Team did a tremendous job cleaning and readying the Church. They set up and take down for each day of the Sacred Triduum.  We are very grateful for their hard work and assistance during Holy Week.

Our OLM Decorating Committee should also be thanked for making the Church look so beautiful, especially at Easter.  Our good Franciscan Apostolic Sisters help with decorating and cleaning, pressing altar cloths and vestments, polishing sacred vessels, and preparing for all the many Masses and Services. We are so blessed to have them with us at OLM, and we thank them for their tremendous witness of humility, hard work, joy, and faith.

Our music was superb during Holy Week. Under the direction of our talented OLM Music Director, Henri St. Louis, the choir and musicians sang and played beautifully, as did our talented Soloist, Christiana Caprarelli.  We thank them for their hard work in lifting up our worship of God.

We thank our dedicated band of Altar Servers who help so much in making the Sacred Liturgies run so smoothly and reverently.   In particular, we thank our Master of Ceremonies, Erik Carlson, and our two OLM Seminarians, David Del Bonis and Luke Simms, for their incredible work at all the liturgies.

We also thank our Lectors who read so well, our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion for their kind and dedicated assistance, and our Ushers for welcoming folks to OLM and assisting us at Mass.  We couldn’t be who we are as a parish without all of these dedicated parishioners.

A special thanks to Father Brodeur, our very talented Associate Pastor, for all he did to make Holy Week beautiful and solemn. It was his first Holy Week serving in a parish, and did he ever do a great job!  His chanting of the Passion on Good Friday was powerful. He celebrated the Easter Vigil Mass for the first time as a priest and did a magnificent job.

Those who were baptized, received into the Church, and confirmed in the faith at the Vigil were all prepared by him this past year.  We welcome them into our Church and Parish Family and offer our promise of prayers for them. May they continue to grow in faith, hope, and charity.   This Easter, in the Diocese of Providence, 336 people entered full communion with the Catholic Church. Across the United States, over 40,000 people entered the Catholic Church at Easter.

These conversions are not limited to just the United States. In France, over 20,000 catechumens were received into the Church at the Easter Vigil. A record-breaking surge of conversions. This included 8,152 French teenagers who converted to Catholicism.

. In Spain, the number of adults becoming Catholic this Easter increased by 164% compared to last Easter. In Belgium, a record number of adult baptisms occurred this Easter. It was a 30% increase from last year and 300% over the past decade. Overall, Catholic Church membership passed 1.422 billion for the first time!

The New York Times recently ran a front-page story, “Roman Catholic Churches See a Surge of New Converts,” examining this growth in the Church.  I think the secularists at the Times are perplexed at the positive trend. They certainly didn’t credit the Holy Spirit!  

In his Easter message, Bishop Lewandowski provided a reflection on St. Augustine’s words, “ever ancient, ever new,” which remind us that the mystery of Christ’s Resurrection is timeless, yet always brings new life. He offered a special welcome to those who have entered the Church this Easter, rejoicing in the new life they share in Christ.

Let us join with him in welcoming so many here at OLM, in Rhode Island, and across the globe into our Church! As G. K. Chesterton said: “ Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave!”

Father Brodeur and I wish you a very Blessed Easter Season! God bless. Be Good. Stay well. Alleluia, He is Risen! Alleluia, He has Risen indeed!

Alleluia, He is Risen! Renewed in Faith & Hope

Dear Parishioners:                    

Alleluia!  Christ is truly Risen!   Lent is over, and it is now time to celebrate the great joy of Easter!     At the Easter Vigil, the Exsultet is sung as Mass begins in darkness, illumined only by candles scattered throughout the church.            

The Exsultet is a beautiful hymn of rejoicing in Christ’s triumph over sin and death.  One part states: “O truly necessary sin of Adam, destroyed completely by the Death of Christ!  O happy fault that earned for us so great, so glorious a Redeemer!”

This line stands out because it calls the sin of Adam “necessary” and refers to it as “O happy fault.”   At first, this may seem strange.  Why is it that we refer to the sin of Adam, Original Sin, as “necessary” and “happy”? The answer is Easter.  It’s because God, in His perfect wisdom and love, took sin and the consequence of sin (death) and used them as the means of the salvation of the world.  That’s what Easter is all about!  

Without Adam’s sin, there would be no Jesus.  God would not have had to become one of us.  So even though the original sin of Adam, as well as all future sin, is evil and wrong, God in His perfect power and love chose to use it as the very means of the salvation of the world.  

How?  By allowing the sins of the world to persecute Him and crucify Him, and then, by turning that suffering and death into the very means of salvation.  Jesus destroyed sin by destroying its consequences, namely, death.  Death loses in the Resurrection!   Jesus’ Resurrection takes away the effects of all sin for those who cling to Him.

Peter and John Running to the Tomb by Eugène Burnand (1850 – 1921)

Easter is a time when we must do just that.  We must “cling” to our resurrected Lord!  We must cling to Jesus, who is alive and well.  We must cling to His Resurrection and strive to share in it.   How do we cling to our Resurrected Lord?  

There are many ways.  First, by taking joy in everything.  Even with whatever burdens us the most in life.  Whatever it is that makes us impatient, angry, sad, or depressed.  Whatever that is, it can become one of our greatest sources of grace and joy.   If the brutal Crucifixion of Jesus, the Son of God, can turn out to be the greatest event in all of human history, then our personal suffering, our burden, or even our sin can very much become a source of great joy. Only if we let God transform it into part of His Resurrection! This is truly the meaning of Easter!  

Easter means that nothing can keep us from the joy that God wants to give us.  Nothing can steal that joy away from us.  At times, we struggle just as Jesus did in the Agony of the Garden and the Via Dolorosa (the Way of the Cross), but those sufferings will not win.  The Resurrection won with Christ, and it will win with us when we cling to Him.   Jesus persevered and, in the end, rose victorious.  This is Easter!

Know that God wants us to experience the joy of Easter in our lives.  Let Him fill us with hope and with the joy that only the Resurrection can bring.  God wants Easter to begin now in our lives!   Easter explains our destiny and gives our lives purpose and meaning, even amid the struggles we face. Easter tells us that love wins, not by avoiding suffering, but by going through it and coming out the other side radiant with glory. It reminds us that no matter how dark the world gets, the stone will be rolled away.

Christ's Appearance to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection by Alexander Ivanov (1806–1858),

Our celebration of Easter affirms that Christ is indeed who He said He was: the Savior of the world, the God made man who suffered, died, and rose for us. This is something we certainly need to celebrate this year as Easter comes anew to us! We rejoice this Easter for many thousands of our brothers and sisters throughout the world who will be baptized and received into the Church. We rejoice especially with the 17 men and women who are to be fully initiated into the Catholic Faith at the Easter Vigil here at OLM. 

Saint John Chrysostom said, "Easter is not just a day to celebrate, but it is a season to live with renewed faith and hope." Fr. Brodeur and I wish you a Happy and Holy Easter Season. May the glory and the promise of Easter bring peace, joy, and happiness to you and those you hold most dear. May your faith and hope be renewed. And may the Risen Christ be always by your side to bless you most abundantly and be your loving guide.  Happy Easter!

Renounce Hate & Take Up Love this Holy Week

Dear Parishioners:

During his visit to Israel in March 2000, St. Pope John Paul II went to the Western Wall and left his message between the stones. The “Note” was subsequently placed for safekeeping in Yad Vashem’s Artifacts Collection in accordance with the wishes of the Pope. In keeping with the sentiments expressed at the ceremony in Yad Vashem, the Note appeals to God with a prayer for forgiveness for the Holocaust and a wish for reconciliation.

This week is Holy Week and also the Jewish Passover Holiday. Let us take a moment to remember our Jewish brothers and sisters. I was shocked and saddened to see the incidents of antisemitic graffiti found at three East Greenwich public schools. We must reject antisemitism, racism, and hatred wherever they raise their ugly head.        

Speaking to the Jewish community in Rome, Pope Saint John Paul II made crystal clear the teaching of the Catholic Church on the brotherhood of Jews and Christians, the sinfulness of anti-Jewish hatred and prejudice, and the irrevocability of God's covenant with the Jewish people. He stated: "The Church rejects every form of discrimination and anti-Semitism. She condemns them as contrary to the very spirit of Christianity. She deplores all hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews at any time and by anyone.”

We must also be mindful of the Christians and Jews living in the Holy Land this week. Public Holy Week Services there have been postponed, and Passover celebrations may be held in bomb shelters. After praying the Angelus last Sunday, Pope Leo called for an end to violence around the world, urging everyone to persevere in prayer because “we cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many people, innocent victims of these conflicts.”  

Hatred and violence call for prayer and love on our part. This is the week to take up prayer more intently. It is a week of great reverence and reflection that spans the final eight days of Jesus’ life—from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. It is astounding how much wisdom, insight, and inspiration are available to us during this one week.

Ecce homo (Behold the Man) by Antonio Ciseri C1860

Palm Sunday, Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem. Monday of Holy Week, Jesus is anointed with oil at Bethany. Tuesday of Holy Week, Jesus is troubled by his looming betrayal. On Spy Wednesday, Jesus is betrayed by Judas for thirty pieces of silver. Holy Thursday, Jesus celebrates the Last Supper, prays in the Garden of Gethsemane, and is arrested. Good Friday, Jesus is sentenced to death, scourged, beaten, crucified, and dies on the Cross. Holy Saturday, Jesus is buried in the tomb and descends into hell. Easter Sunday, Jesus rises from the dead.

The history of Holy Week shows that Christians have always gathered to pray, reflect, and act out the heart of our faith. Jesus’ death and rising invite us to enter fully and faithfully into the story of Jesus’ last days. Holy Week draws us to feel with Christ as he endures his Passion, to be humbled when we see him wash our feet and feed us in the Eucharist on Holy Thursday, to stay with him as he hangs on the Cross on Good Friday, and to share his joy and life as he rises from darkness to light on Easter Sunday.

St. Josemaria Escriva said: “Holy Week cannot be a kind of ‘religious interlude’; time taken out from a life that is completely caught up in human affairs. It must be an opportunity to understand more profoundly the love of God, so that we’ll be able to show that love to other people through what we do and say.”

 Join us for the sacred celebrations of Holy Week. Come to Mass on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.  Come to Confession on Spy Wednesday and be reconciled with God. Six priests will be available for two hours beginning at 6:00 pm. On Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, join us for Solemn Morning Prayer at 8:00 am.

Attend the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday at 7:00 pm as we celebrate the institution of the Holy Eucharist and Sacred Priesthood.  Feet will be washed, the Eucharist carried in procession, and Adoration at the Altar of Repose will take place until Midnight.   On Good Friday, join us for Stations of the Cross at 3:00 pm and the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion at 7:00 pm. The cross will be venerated on the very day our Lord died upon it for us.  

Join us for the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday at 8:00 pm as we begin the celebration of Easter in total darkness and rejoice in the Light of Christ. We celebrate the Resurrection and new life in the Church with great joy. On Easter Sunday, join us at Mass as we celebrate the glory of the Risen Lord.

A blessed Holy Week!

The Sacrament of Mercy at Our Lady of Mercy

Over the last two Saturdays, we heard First Confessions for our OLM First Communion Class.  It was a joyful celebration of  Christ’s mercy and forgiveness for the children and their parents.  Several priests joined us and heard Confessions for the adults.  During Lent, outside Confessors are also available every Monday night at 6:00 pm.  Additionally, on Wednesday of Holy Week, April 1, we will have two hours of Confession with six priests.  

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Sacrament of Confession is given several other important names that convey its very nature and the benefits it confers on the person who avails themself of it.  Confession is rightly and beautifully referred to as the Sacrament of Conversion, the Sacrament of Penance, the Sacrament of Forgiveness, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

These five titles should tell us something about the magnificent “scope” of this sacrament and its aid to the human soul, human life, and the spiritual life. The Sacrament of Confession is one of only two sacraments that can be received both repeatedly and frequently (the Sacrament of the Eucharist being the other). These two sacraments sustain us in our daily journey through life, regardless of one’s vocation and state in life. Whether one is single, married, widowed, or a pope, cardinal, bishop, priest, deacon, or consecrated religious man or woman, Confession greatly aids us in our journey to our ultimate end, Heaven!  

The Church teaches that Catholics should receive Holy Communion at least once during the Easter Season. Traditionally, this has been called the Easter Duty.  The Code of Canon Law states, “each of the faithful is obliged to receive holy communion at least once a year during the Easter season.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church adds that this Easter duty for Catholics should be preceded by confession.  It states: “The Church obliges the faithful to take part in the Divine Liturgy on Sundays and feast days and, prepared by the sacrament of Reconciliation, to receive the Eucharist at least once a year, if possible during the Easter season.”

There are many benefits to frequent Confession.  Many saints make it clear in their writings and teaching that self-knowledge is needed to grow in holiness, and Confession provides it.    This means knowing and admitting our virtues to advance them in our lives, and knowing and admitting our vices so we can uproot them. Confession also helps us to grow in the virtue of humility. The very act of making a good examination of conscience is itself very humbling  , and it also helps us to grow in self-knowledge.

 Frequent Confession helps us overcome bad habits. Confession of one’s sins brings with it a purification and peace of conscience. Through the practice of frequent Confession, our wills become strengthened to help us more frequently choose good over evil, virtue over vice, and the beneficial over the malicious. Frequent Confession makes us simply want to “do better” in all aspects of daily living. It’s the grace of the sacrament that propels us to control our lives better.

 Every sacrament, when it is received worthily, increases sanctifying grace in the soul. For Eucharist and Confession — again, the only two sacraments that can be received both repeatedly and frequently — this is especially true.  When Pope Saint Paul VI promulgated the new rite of the Sacrament of Penance following the Second Vatican Council in 1973, he stated that frequent Confession “is a constant effort to bring to perfection the grace of our Baptism.”

How blest we are at Our Lady of Mercy to the availability of the Sacraments! Two daily Masses and five Sunday Masses.  Confession on Mondays and Saturdays and daily during Lent.  Certainly plenty of opportunity to make our Easter Duty.

I thank those who helped with our St. Patrick's Day and St. Joseph Day celebrations. We also commend Fr. Brodeur on his excellent Italian at the Mass on St. Joseph’s Day and Father Patrick O’Connor for his excellent St. Patrick's Day sermon. Join us for Living Stations of the Cross with the OLM students on Friday at 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm.

Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless!