Dear Parishioners:
What a beautiful day we had for last week’s Confirmation Mass. The sun was shining and on Pentecost Sunday the Holy Spirit was alive and well. Nearly a hundred of our young adults were confirmed in their Catholic Faith by Bishop Tobin. The Mass was truly a joyful and faithful occasion for the conformandi and their families. In your name, I offer them our prayers and congratulations. I hope and pray that these young people will stay close to Christ and His Church in the coming years.
So often we see families disappear from parish life after celebrating a sacrament. This is certainly true for those who make Confirmation. In the coming weeks I will be writing each of the newly confirmed to invite them to take up a parish ministry and deepen their faith as well serve their parish community. Keep them in your prayers.
My thanks to all those who made Confirmation such a great occasion for our parish. We thank all the teachers, parents, and sponsors who helped prepare these young men and women for this important day in their faith lives. We also thank Mickey St. Jean who coordinates the Confirmation Program for a job well done. My thanks to Doug Green and the Reception Committee for providing a wonderful celebration in Mercy Park for the conformandi and their families. The rain held off until everyone had finished. Indeed God is good!
With Confirmation over, we have come to the end of the Religious Education Year. We thank all of our volunteer teachers and helpers for their commitment to teaching the faith to our young children. I am happy to announce that Mickey St. Jean is to take over the coordination of the First Communion Program and Religious Education for Grades 1 through 5. Also Doug Green will now coordinate the Confirmation Program for Grades 6 through 8. I have been meeting with both Doug and Mickey the last few weeks to discuss how me might reconfigure and revitalize our Religious Education Program at OLM. We hope to put some final plans together in the coming weeks about the restructure of the program and the further enhancement of the Sacramental Preparation for First Communion and Confirmation.
Father Shemek left after Confirmation to make a visit to his family in Poland and is to return next weekend. While his departure from OLM is a big loss to our parish, he is truly very excited about his new position as Pastor in Tiverton and wanted to share it with his family. The weekend of June 22/23 will be his final weekend here at OLM and we will have a reception where you can wish him a fond farewell. Also on the weekend of June 30 we will have a Mass of Thanksgiving for Sister Rose and Sister Lucy. We will offer Mass in thanks for their many years of dedicated service to our parish community. The Mass will be followed by a reception in Mercy Park where you can personally thank the good sisters.
With the month of May coming to an end, June is soon to arrive. June brings with it the graduation of our OLM School 8th Grade on June 13th and the end of our school year on June 14th. It’s hard to believe that the school year is ending so soon and the summer beginning! Where does the time go?? I ask you to please pray for the 8th Graders graduating from OLM School this year that they may continue to grow in grace and holiness and faith and wisdom.
This weekend we celebrate Memorial Day, a day of remembrance for all those brave men and women 
who died in service to our nation. On this day we honor their sacrifice in defense of our freedom and liberty. Bishop Fulton Sheen once said: “There are certain things in life too beautiful to be forgotten. That is why we revere the sacrifice of our soldiers on Memorial Day. The most beautiful thing about the life of our Lord was His death. Everyone else came into the world to live; He came into it to die; “to give his life as a ransom for many.” Let us remember all those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for us and for our nation. May God Bless them and America! Happy Memorial Day.