Dear Parishioners: “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised” asks the Gospel of Easter Day. Why indeed? Christ is Risen! He has truly Risen! And so we continue to celebrate this wonderful season of joy and glory for fifty days! Let us continue to celebrate the Easter Alleluia and the Resurrection of the Lord with the same faith and gusto has we did on Easter Sunday.
We had large crowds at all our Holy Week services here at Our Lady of Mercy. Both Deacon John and Father Shemek noted that they were so very thrilled by such a great turn out for the most important and holiest days of the Church Year. I echo their enthusiasm for such a display of devotion, faith, hope, love and joy! Alleluia indeed! 
My thanks to all who helped to make Holy Week and Easter such a tremendous event for our parish. The many volunteers who clean and polish, set up and clean up for the services, those who decorate the Church so beautifully, those altar servers who served so reverently, the Lectors and Ministers who ministered so well, the Ushers who greeted our visitors and parishioners with such service and welcome, our musicians and choirs who sang and performed so beautifully and all of the many good and faithful parishioners who prayed and worshiped so devotedly over the Sacred Triduum. With gratitude and thanks for all you do!
In your name, I also welcome and congratulate those who celebrated the Sacraments at the Easter Vigil. We welcome Adam and Aimee Couto and their three children who joined the Catholic Church this Easter. We offer our prayers to their youngest son, Dylan who was baptized, and their daughter, Madison and son, Jacob, who were received into the Church and made their Frist Communion. We also offer prayers for Adam and Aimee who were received into the Church and received the Sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation. Welcome to our Catholic Family at OLM!
I must also congratulate the others who received the Sacrament of Confirmation at the Easter Vigil: Anthony Gelsomino, John Nolin, Craig Conway and John Duffy. May the Holy Spirit continue to guide and lead them in the faith and help them always to be willing and faithful members of the Church. Best wishes to you all! I also wish to thank all those who were so generous in supporting the OLM Outreach “Irish Celebration” a couple of weeks ago. We had a great crowd for corned beef, Irish bread, step dancers and live music. Thanks to the many volunteers who helped with event and thanks to all those who donated to McAuley House. We were able to send the good folks at McAuley House $1,500 raised at the event. Thank you one and all for a great time and for supporting a great cause.
On Easter Monday thanks to the many good folks of OLM we not only reached our Catholic Charity Appeal Goal but surpassed it. My thanks to the over 500 parish families who have been so generous in supporting the good works of the Diocese of Providence through the Charity Appeal. We are still trying to reach our donor goal of 600 families. So if you have not yet donated to the CCA, I encourage to do so. Just imagine all the good works for the poor and needy if all 2,200 families registered at OLM gave to the Charity Appeal!
Finally, I wish to congratulate our Parish Trustee, Joe Cavanagh, who is to receive the Lumen Gentium Award for Respect Life from Bishop Tobin. It is a fitting recognition of Joe’s steadfast and dedicated support of the sanctity of marriage and human life in our state. The Lumen Gentium Awards Dinner is scheduled for May 16th and for more information on tickets or purchasing an ad please go to www.diocesepvd.org/lumen-gentium
Easter was early this year but now April has arrived and we’ve moved the Saturday Vigil Mass forward to 5:00PM. Of course, it’s also baseball season and as I write this column on Monday I am joyfully listening to the Red Sox beat the Yankees in the season opener in the Bronx. Happy Easter! God Bless. Go Sox!