Dear Parishioners:
In the name of the Junior Legion of Mary, I wish to thank the many parishioners who generously donated to their Toiletries Drive for the Homeless. The response was excellent and I know that the young men and women of the Jr. Legion were overjoyed with the support they received. All the donated items are to be distributed to the 
homeless who gather on Friday nights at the Cathedral for the weekly outreach ministry there and to the Woonsocket Women’s Shelter where there is also great need. I thank Angela Toljan who coordinates the Jr. Legion for all her hard work and commitment to this project and so many other good things the Jr. Legion does for our parish and Church. Thank You Junior Legion of Mary!
You might have noticed the grounds around the convents are missing their old hedges and a few trees. Thanks to the hard work of Paul Anderson and his crew as well East Greenwich Tree Service, we have begun the landscaping renovation at the parish convents. Soon we hope to remove all the stumps, plant new grass, flowers and plants and provide some privacy for the good sisters on their patios. Keep your eyes on the project as we hope to complete it soon.
Next Saturday at 10:00am at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Bishop Evans is to ordain three young men as Transitional Deacons for the Diocese of Providence. These three young men have been preparing and studying for the priesthood at St. John’s Seminary in Boston. One of the young 
men, Brian Morris, is from Our Lady of Mercy Church. His parents, John and Marybeth, are active parishioners here and Brian and his brothers are graduates of OLM School. So not only is it truly a great day for the Church of Providence but also for OLM!
The Transitional Diaconate is part of the process in becoming a priest. These new Transitional Deacons serve as Deacons in parishes while continuing their theological studies and priestly formation for a year until they are ordained priests next June. Deacon John Dowd, our Parish Deacon, is a Permanent Deacon ordained for life as a Deacon. Permanent Deacons are usually married men and they too serve in parishes. All Deacons, both Transitional and Permanent, are able to baptize, preside at weddings and 
funerals without a Mass, and preach a homily at Mass.
We are so privileged that on the great Solemnity of Corpus Christi next Sunday our new, young Deacon, Brian Morris, will be preaching for the very first time at Mass. Please plan on coming to the 10:30am Mass on May 29th to listen to Brian preach and lead our Corpus Christi Eucharistic Procession at the conclusion of Mass. The Corpus Christi Procession will make its way to Mercy Park where Brian is to offer Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament for us. Following the celebrations of Corpus Christi, we will have a reception in Mercy Park for Brian. So please stop by following 10:30am Mass next Sunday to congratulate Brian and his family on this great milestone in his journey to priesthood. It will truly be a day to celebrate at OLM!
There are some other upcoming dates at OLM to mark in your calendar. On Saturday, June 4 at the 5:00pm Mass we celebrate Mass with our OLM School 8th Grade and the graduation ceremony marking this great occasion is to take place on Tuesday, 
June 7 at 6:00Pm in OLM Church. Keep these students in your prayers as they prepare to embark to high school
Also we await our Summer Seminarian, Billy Burdier, who is schedule to arrive in early June to begin his ministry with us. 
Be sure to give him your usual warm welcome when he arrives. And also mark your calendars for the weekend of June 18/19 as that is to be Fr. Connors final weekend here at OLM. We are to honor him and thank him as a parish with a reception in Mercy Park on Sunday, June 19 following 10:30am Mass. Please be sure to come!
No news yet on who is to coming to replace Fr. Connors. Say some prayers that we find out soon! Be well. Do Good. God Bless. Go Sox!