Dear Parishioners:
We had a grand celebration of First Communion last weekend as 80 children from the parish received Jesus Christ truly present in the Eucharist for the very first time. It was truly a beautiful day with great weather. The children did a fine job at the Mass. Congralutions to them all! They came back on Sunday for the May Crowning with clean gowns and suits. Again God provided a spectacular day for this wonderful ceremony on Mother's Day. With great joy we crowned our Blessed Mother, Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May! I offer my sincere gratitude to all those who made this celebration of faith and love so joyful.
In a special way we thank Mickey St. Jean, our RE Directress for Grades 1-5, and OLM School 2nd Grade Teachers Mary Ryan and Mary Martin-Tuite for their leadership in preparing the children for First Communion. We offer heartfelt thanks all those who helped them especially Jane Burley, Margaret and Thomas McGrath and Doug Green. The many Altar Servers, Honor Guard, Ushers, and our parish musicians, Henri St. Louis and Deirdre Donovan and the OLM Adult and Children’s Choirs also deserve thanks and gratitude for a job well done! Of course, we must also thank the parents and families of our First Communicants for bringing these children to Christ and ensuring their continued communion with His Church. Parents are the primary teachers of their children in the faith and we commend them providing them the formation necessary to grow in faith and love of Jesus.
Our Religious Education Program has ended for the year and so I encourage our RE families at OLM to re-register for next year. This registration takes place after all Masses this weekend. It helps us prepare over the summer for the coming year. I urge all RE families to please register this weekend and I thank them for their cooperation. Vacation Bible School at OLM is coming this June 22—26 for children aged 4 through 12. I am grateful to OLM Teacher Bethany Bessette for coordinating this great experience for all the children of OLM. Sign-ups are coming soon but in the meantime we are in need of a few parental volunteers to assist during the camp. If you are interested, please contact Bethany.
Our Summer Seminarian Eric Silva arrives this week and next weekend you will have a chance to greet him and give him your usual warm OLM Welcome! Our own Parish Seminarian, Brian Morris, has been assigned to St. Paul Church in Cranston and is to work also with the Chaplain at RI Hospital. Please keep all our seminarians in your prayers as they continue to prepare for the priesthood.
Fr. Connors is away this weekend with the OLM Middle School on their trip to Washington, DC. I am sure they are having fun as they explore the nation’s Capitol. Fr. Connors, who once worked for the US Senate, is sure to guide them to all the right places. They are celebrating a Mass together at the National Shrine along with visits to the various monuments. Please pray for their safe return. I thank Senior Priest, Father John Kiley, and Bishop Hendricken High School Chaplain, Father Chris Murphy, for helping cover Masses in Fr. Connors absence. They are to be with us this Sunday so please say hello and thank them for their priestly service to OLM.
Next weekend we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost. Not always as popular as are Christmas and Easter but just as important a feast in the life of the Church. We commemorate the Holy Spirit’s descending upon the apostles and Pentecost is often called the “Birthday of the Church.” Red vestments are worn as a sign of the Holy Spirit and the liturgy is more solemn. We don’t exchange gifts or hunt eggs to celebrate Pentecost but it should be celebrated with great joy. So I encourage you to wear something red to Mass next week! It is just a small way to celebrate the great feast with joy and faith! Happy Pentecost! May Devotions continue on Monday nights at 7:00PM. Join us for the Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction. A great way to spend some time in prayer and reflection. God Bless.