Dear Parishioners:
This Sunday, January 22, 2017 is the 44th Anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court Decision that legalized abortion in the United States. As the U.S. Bishops have stated: “Abortion has become the fundamental human rights issue for all men and women of good will. For us abortion is of overriding concern because it negates two of our most fundamental moral imperatives: respect for innocent life, and preferential concern for the weak and defenseless.”
All this week we as Catholics along with all people of good will 
are asked to pray, advocate and act against abortion. Monday is a National Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn. This important Day of Prayer will be observed at OLM with All-Day Adoration of the Eucharist beginning after the 7:30am Mass. Join us Monday night at 7:00pm as we pray a Rosary for Life and listen to a Reflection on the Sanctity of Life. Our speaker is the Dominican Friar, Father Albert Duggan, OP. He is a graduate of Brown University and currently serves as the University Chaplain there. Even if you cannot attend Adoration or the Rosary, I ask you to please spend some time on Monday praying for the protection of the unborn.
On Tuesday, the Pro-Life Community of Rhode Island gathers for the Annual Pro-Life Rally. Pro-Life students, activists, leaders, clergy along with pro-life elected officials gather in the State House Rotunda at 3:00pm to rally for life! Please come to the RI 
Statehouse on Tuesday and add your voice to the chorus of pro-life people calling for the protection of the unborn. If you cannot make it to the Statehouse then perhaps you might write or call your State Representative or State Senator and urge them to support all pro-life legislation or thank them if they already do support it!
Planned Parenthood of RI and their pro-abortion allies are pushing an extremely aggressive pro-abortion agenda at the RI General Assembly. With a slight increase in the number of pro-abortion elected officials this year they seek to expand abortion on demand in RI. This includes making all RI taxpayers pay for abortions. So please add your pro-life voice and your advocacy to those calling for the respect and legal protection of the innocent unborn.
On Friday thousands of pro-lifers from across the nation gather in Washington, DC for the Annual March for Life. The March begins with a rally with thousands of pro-lifers on the National Mall before marching to the Supreme Court. Rally speakers include religious leaders, Members of Congress and also this year the Baltimore Ravens Tight End Benjamin Watson and Abby Johnson, a former Director of Planned Parenthood in Texas.
The Diocese of Providence Office of Life and Family Ministry is coordinating buses from RI for the March for Life. Did you know that they also offer support for expectant mothers including counseling and financial assistance. They provide support for mothers of newborn babies too! And they offer programs for women suffering after their abortion like the Rachel Vineyard
support group and healing retreats. The Life and Family Ministry Office is always in need of volunteers and financial assistance.
As Catholics we must continue to pray, advocate and act against abortion and in defense of innocent human life. The Political Commentator Charles Krauthammer of Fox News, who is of the Jewish Faith, recently suggested: “I think years from now people are going to look back on the issue of abortion and commend the Catholic Church for having held its own, very unpopularly, when there was this sweep and wave of legalizing abortion and to make it like an appendectomy; the Church was the one institution that would not waver, despite the ridicule, the mockery and the attacks it suffered. And we’ll thank the Church.”
Next Sunday we kickoff the Annual Catholic Schools Week with an Open House at our wonderful OLM School from 10:00am until 12:00pm. Some of our great OLM students will be speaking at Masses next weekend in celebration of this Catholic Schools week.
So Fr. Barrow tells me there is a big game on Sunday night and that he’s hoping and praying that his Pastor is much happier on Monday morning than his Bishop! Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats, Go!!!