Dear Parishioners:
It’s a great weekend of faith and joy at OLM! Sixty-five of our children receive First Holy Communion on Saturday. These children have been preparing all year for this special occasion. It is always a great joy to celebrate the First Communion Mass. Pope Francis reminds us: "The Eucharist is such a great gift. That's why going to Mass is so important. Going to Mass not just to pray, but to receive Communion, the Bread and Body of Christ. It saves us, forgives us and it makes us one with the Father. How beautiful!” Beautiful indeed!
We thank the First Communion Class and their parents for living their faith and brining their children to Christ truly present in the Eucharist. We also offer our gratitude to the teachers who worked so hard in making our First Communion Mass so joyful and beautiful. We especially thank Mickey St. Jean who directs the OLM First Communion Program and Jean Perretta our OLM School Second Grade Teacher.
The joy continues on Sunday with the May Crowning of the Blessed Mother. It is always a truly beautiful ceremony as our First Communion Class crown Mary and are consecrated to her protection and guidance. It’s even more special as it is celebrated on Mothers Day. On this Mothers Day weekend we wish all OLM Mothers the blessings of almighty God. We give thanks for their example of faith and love and for all they mean.
Motherhood is a sacred gift from God and so we celebrate it with great joy and reverence. As the late Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty stated so well: “The Most Important Person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral -a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body. The angels have not been blessed with such a grace. They cannot share in God's creative miracle to bring new saints to Heaven. Only a human mother can. Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any other creature; God joins forces with mothers in performing this act of creation. What on God's good earth is more glorious than this: to be a mother?”
On Mothers Day, Fr. Barrow and I are to offer our Masses on for all Mothers, living and deceased. May God bless them with abundant blessings! Let us pray for them and give thanks to God for all Mothers! May all deceased Mothers pray for us!
We also offer our prayers and congratulations to Reverend Mr. Hiep Nguyen who was ordained a Transitional Deacon by Bishop Evans on Saturday morning. It is a great day for our Church of Providence as we celebrate his ordination. He now will baptize and preach the Gospel! We pray for him for him as he continues to prepare for priestly ordination in June 2020. We will be able to wish him our congratulations in person when Deacon Hiep comes to preach a Mass of Thanksgiving at OLM this coming June. Ad multos annos!
We also offer our congratulations to OLM Parish Trustee Bill Wray. On Wednesday night Bill will be awarded the Lumen Gentium Award for Administration and Stewardship by the Diocese of Providence. Lumen Gentium, considered the central document of the Second Vatican Council, begins with the proclamation "Christ is the light of the nations." The document considers how each of the Church's members (laity, religious and clergy) is called by God to bear Christ's light to the nations.
The Awards Dinner on Wednesday is to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the life of the Church in the Diocese of Providence. The award recipients have been identified as outstanding men and women whose service and personal holiness testify to Christ's presence in His Church as well as His concern for the well-being and salvation of the world. We congratulate Bill on this honor and for his service to our parish and Church.
May is Mary’s Month so turn to the Blessed Mother by praying the Rosary and join us on Mondays for May Marian Devotions! Mary, our Mother intercede for us. Be well. Do Good. Go Sox, Celtics and Bruins!