Dear Parishioners:
On Monday we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Mercy. On our Patronal Feast we pray for the continued intercession of our parish patroness for our parish and school. We begin with a Solemn Feast Day Mass on Monday at 9:00AM. The homilist for the Mass is Fr. Brain Morris, a native son of OLM Parish and a graduate of OLM School. He now serves as the Associate Pastor at St. Luke Church in Barrington. I hope you can join us for the Mass but if you cannot, please spend some time on our Feast Day praying for our parish and the intercession of Our Lady of Mercy.
Following the Mass on Monday, we continue the celebration at the OLM Saints and Scholars Golf Tournament at Warwick Country Club. This should be a fun filled day as we golf in support of our parish and school. I am grateful to Providence College Basketball Coach Ed Cooley and UConn Basketball Coach Dan Hurley who are golfing with us! Please pray for good weather and for the novice golfers like myself!
The Week of Mercy continues as on Tuesday at 7:00PM as we gather to pray and reflect with sacred music. Join us in payer and reflection before the Eucharistic Lord as we listen to beautiful sacred music. Father Stephen Battey, the Associate Pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Bristol, will offer a talk on the meaning of mercy. Father was ordained just last June and is a fine young priest and gifted preacher. I hope you might join us as we pray together as a parish family and reflect upon the meaning of mercy in our lives.
On Wednesday night we continue our Celebration of Mercy by gathering for an Act of Mercy. Join us for “Socks and Sandwiches for the Homeless” at 6:00pm on Wednesday. We invite all OLM families to join us in the OLM Cafeteria as we make sandwiches for the homeless. All you need to do is show up with a new pair of adult socks and be willing to make a sandwich for the poor and hungry! This a great opportunity to put mercy into action, so please join us!
We end our Celebration of Mercy on Friday night with the OLM Octoberfest. This new event replaces the Parish Picnic we’ve had in previous years on Sundays. This fun-filled family event is a great way for us to gather as a parish family. We will have German food including bratwurst, knockwurst, sauerkraut, hot dogs, German Potato Salad, German Apple Strudel, German Pretzels and of course German Beer! Join us under the tent or in the Biergarden. Bring your own Bavarian Beer Stein or purchase a commemorative OLM Stein. There are games planned for the kids and adults alike. Raffles and prizes! Tickets are on sale after all Masses this weekend. OLM Octoberfest is a great new and fun-filled way to end our Celebration of Mercy Week!
The German tradition of Octoberfest begin with a celebration in anticipation of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese of Saxony in October 1810. In late September, the citizens of Munich attended the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the upcoming happy royal event. The fields have been named Theresienwiese ("Theresa's fields") in honor of the Crown Princess ever since, Horse races in the presence of the Royal Family marked the close of the event that was celebrated as a festival for the whole of Bavaria. The decision to repeat the horse races in the subsequent year gave rise to the tradition of the Oktoberfest.
We won’t be having horseraces at OLM but we will gather to celebrate as a parish family as we anticipate the month of October dedicated to our patroness, the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Octoberfest is this coming Friday, September 28th from 6:00pm until 9:00pm. Stop by and say hello, celebrate our parish and our faith under the tent. We will have German music and I am told some people might even wear traditional German Lederhosen (leather shorts)! A Celebration of Mercy is here! Let’s honor Our Lady of Mercy, our parish patroness and guide, with prayer, with acts of mercy, with sacred music, and with a little fun! Pray to Our Lady of Mercy and beg her continued intercession for our parish and for your own needs! Our Lady of Mercy, pray for us!
Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox! Go Pats!!!