Dear Parishioners:
I hope you noticed the newly installed benches at the front entrance of Church. They were installed by Paul Anderson and our OLM Maintenance Staff last week. These stone benches were made possible thanks to the generous, hard work of Don and Angela Conte of Structural Stone. Also, we thank the DiGianfilippo family and Mark Mainelli for their generous memorialization of the benches in memory of their loved ones. The benches look terrific and are a nice addition to the continuing beautification of God’s House. They look as if they were always there and last week I watched as many parishioners rushing into Mass missed them altogether. Yes, you can sit on them! They are there for that very purpose but please don’t sit there during Mass, come in and join the congregation!! This coming week we hope to begin the new landscape design of the rest of the Church and School property. This entails removing most of the hedges, removing some dying trees and planting new bushes and flowers. Kyle Alfred, who designed the landscaping at the front entrance of Church, has designed this project as well. He is working with OLM Parishioner John Pontarelli of Pro-Scape
Landscaping on this project. John generously donated his landscaping costs of the project and we are truly grateful. When it is completed we will have a new and truly beautiful physical plant surrounding both the Church and School. Included will be the installation of new Church sign as well as the installation of the refurbished sign that was blown down in the wind months ago.
The OLM Maintenance Staff are finishing up the projects in our school building. This includes removing the old carpeting from the walls, installing new flooring and ceiling tiles, installing a new camera security system and security door, and cleaning and painting the classrooms. All this is just in time for the opening of school on August 27th! Also, all new lighting is being installed throughout the school as part of the National Grid program to promote energy efficiency. The total cost of 
the lights is well over $50.000 but it is totally underwritten by National Grid and costs our school nothing. Principal Fuller has been working hard these last few weeks meeting with teachers, staff and school families. He has great zeal for his new job leading our school community into the 21st Century. There are some limited openings for new students for our Pre-K Program and some in other grades. If you are interested, stop by for a visit and say “Hi” to Principal Fuller. There is Parish Tuition Assistance available for those who qualify.
I wish to offer my thanks and gratitude to the 615 OLM Parishioners who helped us go well over our 2014 Catholic Charity Appeal Goal. The CCA just finished up and this year it raised the most ever in the history of the Appeal. OLM raised just over 
$248,000 with over 600 OLM families supporting the Appeal. It is a great sign of your generous support for this truly important charity of our Church in Providence. I once again thank Mr. and Mrs. Kevin McDevitt and Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Zubiago for their leadership of the Catholic Charity Appeal here at OLM.
No doubt you have watched as the violence in the Middle East escalates. The violent persecution of Christians and the tiny Yazidi community in Iraq continues with many being killed, beaten and driven from their homes. Pope Francis continues to urge world leaders to intervene with more humanitarian aid. Please pray for the persecuted in Iraq and for peace in our world. His Beatitude Louis Rafael Sako, Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Iraq authored this prayer: “Lord, the plight of our country is deep and the suffering of Christians is severe and frightening.
Therefore, we ask you Lord to spare our lives, and to grant us patience, and courage to continue our witness of Christian values with trust and hope. Lord, peace is the foundation of life; Grant us the peace and stability that will enable us to live with each other without fear and anxiety, and with dignity and joy. Glory be to you forever.” God Bless