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Dear Parishioners:

Bishop J. Mark Spalding of Nashville

We welcome Bishop Mark Spalding of Nashville to OLM this weekend.  He is here to celebrate our Confirmation Mass and confer the Sacrament upon 45 young adults of our parish.  Please pray for them as they receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and are confirmed in their Catholic Faith.                

Pope Leo, addressing a group of Catholic youths, said: "Dear young people, aspire to great things, to holiness, wherever you are. Do not settle for less. Then you will see the light of the Gospel grow every day, within you and around you." Wise words for the newly confirmed from our Holy Father.

We continue to pray for our Holy Father as he recovers from surgery and his cancer.  We turn to Our Lady of Consolation, the patroness of the Augustinian Order, and Saint Peregrine, the patron saint of cancer patients, seeking their intercession for healing and strength for Pope Leo.

You may have recently read that the Providence Journal is no longer publishing holiday editions and will likely begin mailing the Sunday paper via the U.S. Postal Service. Most likely Sunday’s paper will arrive Monday or Tuesday!

In a similar fashion, Bishop Lewandowski announced that effective November 1, the Rhode Island Catholic will now be published bi-weekly instead of weekly.  It will be delivered only to paid subscribers for a rate of $40 per year. 

Most RI Catholic subscribers receive it free of charge because they have donated to the Catholic Charity Appeal. However, due to increased costs, all subscriptions must be paid, including priests. You can access the RI Catholic online and subscribe at thericatholic.com.

The diocesan website, dioceseofprovidence.org, also has news and current events about the Diocese of Providence. You can find more information about diocesan agencies and initiatives there.  There is also a sign-up for a weekly email that provides Catholic news, events, informational, and inspirational material. 

I also encourage you to visit our parish website, olmparish.org, to learn more about parish life, events, programs, and links to Catholic educational sites.  We use an email system called Flocknotes to send important information and announcements.  Links to Flocknotes, as well as our Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube accounts, are available.

This bulletin is our primary way of communicating about parish life and events. Please take a copy home after Mass and read it. It is also posted on the parish website.  We continue to announce parish events at weekend Masses.

If you are interested in learning more about the Catholic Church in the United States, I encourage you to visit the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website, usccb.org.  There, you can learn about the US Bishops' initiatives, as well as their agencies and offices.  They also have an email update you can sign up for to receive important news.

Finally, if you're interested in Pope Leo and the Vatican, visit Vatican News at vaticannews.va/en. They also offer a daily email newsletter you can sign up for to get the latest news.  From that website, you can find links to Papal and Church documents. 

However, none of this will help you get news and important information about the Church, the Diocese of Providence, or Our Lady of Mercy Parish if you do not read the emails, websites, and parish bulletin.  

I often hear parishioners say, “I didn’t know about that!” “Nobody told me!” or “I wish I knew about that event.”  This will continue if people don't use the many ways available to get information and actually read them.

Newspapers like the Providence Journal are quickly disappearing.  For good or bad, modern media is digital and online.  I am sure the weekly parish bulletin will also become obsolete in the future. To paraphrase the Canadian Philosopher Marshall McLuhan, if you want Church and Parish news, "log on, sign up, and tune in!”

Our new Altar Server bootcamp begins this week. Pray for our new servers. We offer our heartfelt congratulations and prayers for our newly Confirmed. May the Holy Spirit guide and protect them!

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

Building a Culture of Life

Dear Parishioners:

In October, the Catholic Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month. The month focuses on cherishing, defending, and protecting human life from conception to natural death, at every stage in between.                                   

Last Saturday, OLM parishioner, school alumnus, and Bishop Hendricken student Joseph Ferris received the Human Life Guild Youth Recognition Award at the Human Life Guild Day Mass. We congratulate him and commend him on his efforts to collect much-needed baby items last January for St. Gabriel’s Call.

We continue to collect much-needed baby items, such as diapers, for the Diocese's outreach to pregnant and young mothers.  Please leave them in the Cry Room; we deliver them to St. Gabriel’s Call in Providence once a month. Thank you to the donors for supporting this Respect Life initiative.

In the Cry Room, you will also notice two new rocking chairs.  These rockers are meant to be used by the many young parents with infants and toddlers who may need to be rocked during Mass. Please reserve them for parents with children.  Both beautiful rockers are available for memorialization. If you are interested, please contact me.

While these Respect Life efforts show the many good works being done to build a culture of life, unfortunately there is much more work to be done. Just a few months ago, in Massachusetts, the Governor signed a bill into law, the so-called Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act. It permits abortion throughout pregnancy for any reason up until the day before birth, and it allows these grisly procedures, which are dangerous to mothers and cruel to their unborn children, to be performed in non-hospital settings.  The Massachusetts Bishops rightly condemned this tragic law.

In June, during his Apostolic Visit to Spain, our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV appealed for the defense of human dignity and the protection of life from conception to its natural end. He stated: “Every legislative task ultimately confronts a decisive question: what conception of the human person inspires laws, and what kind of society do those laws build?”

Sadly, Rhode Island already has a similar law. However, some candidates for office continue to advocate to extend an already immoral law to include late-term abortions. Our work of prayer and advocacy on behalf of the unborn must continue, and we must persevere in rejecting the expansion of the culture of death.

The culture of death recently found allies in the Governors of New York and Illinois. Both signed into law so-called “Medical Aid in Dying” bills.  It is a euphemism for assisted suicide by medical personnel that puts to death the sick and terminally ill.  The New York State Bishops stated:  “We must clearly reiterate that it is in direct conflict with Catholic teaching on the sacredness and dignity of all human life from conception until natural death and is a grave moral evil on par with other direct attacks on human life.”

A similar bill will likely move in the next session of the RI General Assembly.  These laws not only attack the sanctity of human life but also assault conscience rights. They do not protect religious objectors who do not want to participate in the killing of medical patients, including doctors, pharmacists, and religious sisters.  The Catholic Church in Illinois and New York has filed suit over this issue in hopes of having Catholic medical personnel and healthcare facilities protected from being forced to kill the sick and suffering.

Pope Leo stated last week that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.” In light of the botched attempt at execution in Tennessee and the barbaric decision to televise a public execution by the Trump Administration, his words merit attention, prayer, and serious reflection.

The culture of death must consistently and constantly be opposed with prayer and advocacy. Begin by joining us on Mondays as we pray the Rosary for Respect Life. There is much work to be done in building a culture of life.

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

Encountering Christ in our Parish and World

Parish Assembly on October 1

Dear Parishioners:

Our Parish Assembly drew over 50 people.  It was a constructive evening of discernment and discussion. Each group of parishioners was led by another parishioner. The discussion leader then reported to the larger group.  

Bishop Lewandowski, the Diocesan Office of Family, Youth, and Young Adult, and the Diocesan Office of Faith Formation provided the format and questions for each parish to follow at their assemblies. The questions were: What is our parish doing well?  What needs to be strengthened or improved? What is something we need to begin doing? What is something we need to stop doing? What should the diocesan priorities be at this time? What do you need from your parish or the diocese at this moment?

An earnest discussion ensued, resulting in helpful suggestions and support from many parishioners at the assembly.   We recorded all points raised and will send them to the Diocese for use at the larger Diocesan Assembly on November 14. This assembly will include delegations from every parish, including OLM, and will be held at LaSalle Academy.

At the Parish Assembly, I shared the Bishop’s vision for the event.  He stated in part:   

“My dear brothers and sisters in Christ—clergy and all of the baptized of the Diocese of Providence—I invite you to step forward with courage into this new season of renewal. Three Pathways, One Mission is a spiritual itinerary meant to help align our hearts with the life, ministry, and mission of Jesus Christ.

Renewal is rooted in the Mystery of the Incarnation—God clothing himself in our humanity—so that we might carry his Divine light into our homes, neighborhoods, parishes, and schools. Yet, to live this mission fully, we must also embrace his Passion and Cross, abandoning self-protection, nostalgia, and fear so that Christ’s sacrificial love can heal our wounds.”

I also shared with the group the words of our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, delivered at a Diocesan Assembly for the Diocese of Rome, of which he is the Bishop.  Pope Leo stated in part:  

“Brothers and sisters, I am not delivering a new pastoral program to you today. We are not starting from scratch, and nothing of what we have experienced should be consigned to the archives. We listen and discern together, as co-responsible for the one mission. Instead, I propose that we develop a third dimension: pastoral evaluation. To evaluate, in the light of the Holy Spirit, means to pause, revisit what has happened, recognize what has borne fruit, understand what has not worked, and seek the reasons for this together. In a word, it means seeking the truth. 

BEGINNING OF THE NEW PASTORAL YEAR OF THE DIOCESE OF ROME, ADDRESS BY HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV, Basilica of St John Lateran, Friday, 18 September 2026

The Church does not exist for her own sake, but to lead every person to an encounter with the Lord; and so it is not enough to ask whether an activity is well organized, whether it is well attended, or whether it has been running for many years; we must ask whether it truly leads to Christ, whether it brings the Gospel into contact with the real lives of the people.

I would now like to say a few words about the ordained ministry in Rome.  I also know that pastoral service today is more demanding than it was in the past. I urge you not to bear these burdens alone. And I say to you quite clearly that the art of pastoral evaluation does not ask you to do more: on the contrary, it gives you permission to do less and do it better. If pastoral evaluation were to become yet another burden on your shoulders, we would have betrayed its very purpose.”

I thank the parishioners who attended the Parish Assembly, and I am especially grateful to those who led the discussion groups.  A good dialogue took place, and there is certainly much good material to reflect upon as both parish priests and parishioners.  Before we closed the Assembly, I paraphrased President John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address.  “Ask not what your parish priest can do for you; rather, ask what you can do for your parish!”       

 Columbus Day is on Monday. A day to celebrate our Catholic Faith and for our Italo-Americans to remember with pride the great Christopher Columbus! Happy Columbus Day! Fr. Brodeur is away on a well-deserved vacation. Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go White Sox (the Pope’s Team)! Go Pats!

The Real Weapon Needed Now! The Holy Rosary!

Dear Parishioners:                                        

Last week’s nor’easter brought lots of rain and cancellations, including our Oktoberfest. It also seems to have kept many people home all weekend, as Masses were not well attended.  Let’s hope the weather improves and we see better Mass attendance this weekend!                                                 

October is dedicated to our Blessed Mother and the Holy Rosary.   This is because we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7. This is the month to dust off your Rosary beads and put them to work praying! St. Padre Pio said: "Love the Madonna and pray the Rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today.”    

Pope St. Pius V instituted the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (initially called Our Lady of Victory) to thank the Blessed Virgin Mary for a miraculous naval victory by Christian forces over the Ottoman Empire on October 7, 1571. The Christian fleet was heavily outnumbered, and the victory was widely attributed to the faithful praying the Rosary across Europe.

While the celebration began as a single feast day, Pope Leo XIII officially promoted and dedicated the entire month of October to the Holy Rosary in the late 19th century through multiple encyclicals (starting around 1883). He urged the faithful to pray it daily to seek protection and peace for the Church and the world during difficult times.

At the concluding Mass in Lourdes, on the third day of his Apostolic Journey to France, Pope Leo XIV launched an appeal that he said was “particularly close to my heart, here in this place.” Just as the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette in the Grotto of Lourdes with a Rosary and guided her in prayer, the Pope said he hopes all Christians will pray the Rosary especially during the month of October. 

He called for them to pray the Rosary “with the particular intention that wars may cease and that peace may be established among peoples in conflict. Let us accompany this prayer with concrete acts of penance and mercy, committing ourselves always to fostering dialogue and reconciliation.”

So please join us every Monday in October for Devotions at 7:00 pm.  We come before our Eucharistic Lord praying for his divine assistance and asking his Mother Mary for her intercession, especially for peace in our world. 

We blessed pets on this past Friday in honor of St. Francis. In January, the Holy Father, Pope Leo, proclaimed a special Jubilee Year of Saint Francis marking the 800th anniversary of his death.  In his decree, he stated: “This Year of Saint Francis should encourage all of us, each according to his or her own possibilities, to imitate the Poor Man of Assisi.” This Sunday, October 4, marks the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death.  This is a day to pray for his powerful intercession and for those who follow in his footsteps in the Franciscan Order.  We especially pray today for our own good Franciscan Apostolic Sisters.  They are gathering with other Franciscan Friars and Sisters in Connecticut for a special celebration.  

The Transitus of St. Francis is celebrated on the evening of October 3rd to commemorate the death and passing of St. Francis of Assisi into eternal life.  "Transitus" is a Latin word meaning "passage" or "crossing over.” St. Francis died on October 4, 1226, at the Portiuncula in Assisi, Italy. He famously referred to death as "Sister Bodily Death," viewing it not with fear, but as a joyful transition to God.

An ancient tradition of fraternal friendship between the Franciscan and Dominican orders includes having a Dominican Friar preach during the Transitus of Saint Francis.  And a Franciscan Friar preaches on the Feast of Saint Dominic on August 8. The Transitus service includes reciting the Canticle of the Creatures composed by Saint Francis. It is a poetic hymn in which he praises God for the beauty of creation. 

In it he writes:  “Praised be you, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, who is the day through whom you bring us light. And he is lovely, shining with great splendor, for he heralds you, Most High. Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Moon and Stars. In heaven you have formed them, lightsome and precious and fair.”

Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox! Go Pats!! St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us!

From Feasting to Assembling for Our Lady

Dear Parishioners:

Father and Son, Michael and Quinn O’Connell, OLM School Alumni, enjoy the Saints and Scholars Open.

I awoke last Monday to a dark sky full of threatening rain clouds. However, our Blessed Mother, through her powerful intercession, helped us have a beautiful, sunny day for our Saints and Scholars Open! Over 130 golfers had a great day of golf, fun, and fellowship supporting our parish school.                                                   

We are grateful to our many sponsors, especially our tournament sponsors, Mr. Brian Murphy of Shoreham Bank and the Nelson Family of Palmer Industries. So many helped make it a great and successful day, but especially Mrs. Lee Mita, who chaired the entire event and saw to every detail! We offer her our gratitude and praise for a job well done!

On Tuesday morning, I woke to a forecast of a powerful nor'easter arriving Thursday and Friday, with rain, strong winds, and high seas. Such a prediction led us to cancel the Oktoberfest as we could not have put up the tent and lights safely. With more prayer, we hope our Blessed Mother will provide better weather next year.

On Wednesday, we had the perfect opportunity to pray to our patroness, Our Lady of Mercy, at our Holy Hour of Mercy. It was great to have Father Barrow back at OLM to offer us an excellent reflection on mercy. Beautiful prayer and music filled the hour as we turned to Our Lady to honor her and seek out her powerful intercession.

Our Lady of Mercy

On Thursday, we celebrated our Patronal Feast Day of Our Lady of Mercy. In 1867, our parish was named Our Lady of Mercy and placed under her powerful patronage. Her Feast Day is September 24.

We welcomed  Father Jack Unsworth, the retired Pastor of St. Bernard Church in Wickford, who was ordained a priest here at Our Lady of Mercy Church fifty years ago in September 1976. We thank Father for his excellent homily and offer our congratulations and promise of prayers as he celebrates his Golden Jubilee of faithful and fruitful priestly service and ministry.

We are grateful to the many who helped with our Act of Mercy on Thursday evening. We packed the much-needed toiletry items, socks, and Dunkin' Donuts gift cards into backpacks, along with rain parkas and holy cards. This Act of Mercy will support the residents of Emmanuel House, our Diocesan Homeless Shelter. We thank those who volunteered and donated, as well as our OLM Outreach Director, Doug Green.

As we look forward to this coming week and the return of good fall weather, we also look forward to our Parish Assembly. It will be held on this Thursday, October 1, in the OLM School Gym beginning at 6:30 pm. If you would like to attend, please register online by Monday, September 28, so we can prepare for the evening. A registration link is in the bulletin and on the parish website.

I am grateful to the parishioners who volunteered to assist us with our Parish Assembly. They will serve as discussion group leaders during the Assembly and guide the group discussions. These assemblies have been occurring across the Diocese since July.

Bishop Lewandowski is following on Archbishop Henning’s plan to reach out to parishes to both renew and plan for parish and diocesan ministry and life. He stated: “I invite all of the baptized to step forward with courage into this new season of renewal.” We hope for a good turnout for the Assembly, and we pray it is a fruitful time of discernment for both our parish and our diocese.  

Our Holy Father, Pope Leo, in speaking about parish life, said: “You are the hope! And you must recognize that in your hearts, in your lives, in your youth, in your parish, there is hope for today and tomorrow. Hope already begins here, because Jesus walks with us.”

The Holy Father’s words serve as a good guide for our discussion and discernment at the Assembly. We must be a people of hope who walk with Jesus as we grow in faith. Please pray for our Parish Assembly and all parishioners who participate.

Pray also for of Our Lady of Mercy Parish, may she continue to be a place of faith, hope, love, and mercy.. Next Sunday, October 4, the 5:00 pm Sunday evening Mass resumes. This Mass continues on Sunday evenings during the year until the last weekend of April. Add it to your calendar as another opportunity to get to Sunday Mass at OLM!

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

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!