Dear Parishioners:
As announced last week, Sister Soledad has joined our OLM family and is now working with Sisters Lourdes and Emma. Sister Soledad worked at Scalabrnini Villa over the last few years with three other Franciscan Apostolic Sisters. For decades the Scalabrini Fathers have owned and operated the Scalabrini Villa Nursing Home. They are turning the operation of the nursing facility over to a secular group. Father Peter Polo, C.S., who has served as the Chaplain there, is leaving this week to take up new duties at Holy Rosary Church in Washington, DC. We wish him well and offer our thanks for his years of service. Also, the F.A.S. Sisters have now left the Villa. Sister Soledad has come to OLM, and the three other Sisters have taken up residence at the Convent at St. Philip Church in Greenville. They will work there at the parish and school and also provide pastoral care at Zambarano Hospital.
We commend and thank the good sisters for their many years of dedication to providing pastoral care to the Scalabrini Villa residents. Over the years, they have provided loving and prayerful support to the elderly, the ill, and the infirm especially accompanying the dying. With their good work in mind, we celebrate the World Day of the Sick on Thursday, February 11th. It is also the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, so we turn to her for her powerful intercession. We join the Church across the globe in praying for the many sick of our world. Saint John Paul II instituted the World Day of the Sick in 1992 to recognize the dignity of the sick and suffering and for the Church to pray for them.
In his message for this year's World Day of the Sick, Pope Francis says: "A society is all the more human to the degree that it cares effectively for its most frail and suffering members, in a spirit of fraternal love." This Thursday, let us all take the time to offer prayers for the sick and infirm, especially those suffering from COVID, those in hospitals and nursing homes. We also pray for the sick of our parish and our own families. In our prayers, we must remember doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers who provide care and comfort to the sick.
The State of R.I. announced last week that the COVID Vaccine would be made available to citizens over 75 years of age. Also, Kent Hospital informed the priests who serve as chaplains there, including Fr. Barrow and myself, that the vaccine would be made available. These are good signs in the battle against COVID and a hopeful sign for an end to the pandemic. As the vaccinations roll out across the country, we should be mindful of what the U.S. Bishops teach about them. They state:
"Receiving one of the COVID-19 vaccines ought to be understood as an act of charity toward other members of our community. In this way, being vaccinated safely against COVID-19 should be considered an act of love of our neighbor and part of our moral responsibility for the common good."
There are some ethical concerns with certain vaccines, so I encourage you to read the flyer in this week's bulletin. It is entitled "Answers to Key Ethical Questions About COVID-19 Vaccines" and is an excellent resource and guide. It is also posted on the parish website. Dominican Friar and P.C. Professor Father Nicanor Austricio, OP, recently wrote an article entitled "A Priest-Scientist Responds to Concerns. Raised by the Ramping Up of Vaccination Campaigns." It, too, is an excellent resource and guide. This article in the Church Life Journal is posted on the University of Notre Dame website.
Fr. Nicanor holds both a Ph.D. in Biology from M.I.T. and a Pontifical Doctorate in Sacred Theology (S.T.D.) from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. His expertise in science and Moral Theology provide for a sound and helpful guide for Catholics.
On World Day of the Sick, we pray for the sick and the suffering. "To Mary, Mother of Mercy and Health of the Infirm, let us entrust the sick, healthcare workers, and all those who generously assist our suffering brothers and sisters. From the Grotto of Lourdes, may she sustain our faith and hope and help us care for one another with fraternal love and charity." Stay safe. Be well. Do good. God Bless.