Dear Parishioners:
This past Wednesday evening thirty-one of the young men and women of our 8th grade graduated from Our Lady of Mercy School. It was a great celebration for our parish and for the graduates and their families. We wish them congratulations and good luck as they head off to high school. We pray that they continue to build on the great foundation of faith and wisdom received at our parish school. This 
week school ends in East Greenwich at both our public schools and at Our Lady of Mercy School. Of course, summer arrives officially on June 21st and so begins those lazy, hazy days of the season. We begin the celebration of summer with its vacations away from home, trips to the beach, picnics, cookouts, golfing, boating, sailing and family gatherings. I pray the summer provides you some time to rest and relax from the regular routine. The summer also means a decline in Mass attendance at OLM as many parishioners go off to summer homes or travel away on vacation. I encourage those parishioners travelling to take a look at a fabulous website called Masstimes.org which provides the Mass times at Catholic Churches across the globe. Please don’t take a vacation from Mass this summer! When you do go to Mass while travelling be sure to bring back a parish bulletin and throw it in the collection basket when you return to OLM. I always like to see where people have been traveling and also to see what’s going on at Catholic parishes outside of Rhode Island. This coming Wednesday we celebrate the retirement of Sister Jeanne Barry as the Our Lady of Mercy School Principal. She 
has been at OLM for 17 years with 13 of those years serving as our Principal. We will gather on Wednesday at 5:00PM to offer a Mass of Thanksgiving for Sister Jeanne’s many years of dedicated and faithful service to the Church, our parish and school. Following Mass we gather at the Quidnessett Country Club to pay tribute to Sister with dinner and enjoy a little roast! We thank Sister Jeanne for all she has been for us and all she has done for our parish and school. She certainly has earned such a celebration and tribute. We wish her well as she begins her much deserved retirement. God Bless you Sister Jeanne, ad multos annos! Next weekend we celebrate the great Feast of Corpus Christi, the Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. We mark the feast at OLM with our Annual Eucharistic Procession following the 10:30AM Mass ending with Benediction at Mercy Park. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our Catholic Faith and so we celebrate with great solemnity and deep prayer. We officially welcome our new OLM School Principal, Mr. Scott Fuller, next weekend. He and his wife join us at 10:30AM Mass and there is a Welcome Reception in the OLM Gym following Mass. I ask you to pray for Mr. Fuller as he prepares to lead our school and I hope you can stop by to welcome him to our parish next Sunday. We celebrate Fathers’ Day today, a day that pays tribute to God’s gift of Fatherhood and we give thanks for our own Fathers. We offer Masses this weekend for all Fathers, both living and deceased. Fathers need our prayers and support, please pray for them. We need look no further 
than to the patron saint of fathers, St. Joseph, for the ultimate model of fatherhood. St. Joseph sacrificed whatever self-centered inclinations he might have had for the greater good of his foster son, Jesus Christ – and not just once at the news of the Incarnation, but repeatedly in protecting and rearing the Son of God into adulthood. St. Joseph is the model of fatherhood for all fathers to aspire. May he, intercede for fathers and inspire them to be strong, loving and wise. May God bless all OLM Fathers! Happy Fathers’ Day! Also may God bless and protect all our school children this summer. May they be happy, healthy and holy during this time away from school. We look forward to their return in September. Summer is coming, so enjoy it while it lasts! God Bless. Go Sox, please!!!!!