Dear Parishioners:
In the name of Father Jose Jacob and the Mission Diocese of Daru-Kiunga in Papua New Guinea, I offer thanks for your generous support of last weekend's Second Collection. Over $6,000 was donated in support of the Missions.
Earthquake in Haiti.
Many parishioners have also asked about how to support the people of Haiti. As you know, a massive 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit that country last week, killing nearly 1300 people, with death toll numbers increasing. The shock leveled homes and other buildings, including several churches leaving thousands without shelter. Countless others are injured, and hospitals are already overwhelmed.
Haiti is a country already susceptible to hurricanes and still recovering from the disastrous earthquake a decade ago. Many in Haiti are already facing widespread hunger due to drought as well as political and economic instability. If you would like to help, I urge you to support Catholic Relief Services. They are already in Haiti and helping. When you donate to CRS, you provide immediate assistance for our Haitian sisters and brothers desperate to survive this devastating situation. Indeed, our prayers and support will make so much difference. To donate to CRS in Haiti, go to their website at crs.org.
St. Patrick’s Parish on Smith Street in Providence.
We are also beginning our Annual Backpack Drive in support of St. Patrick's Parish in Providence. A list of needed supplies is in this week's bulletin. These supplies and any financial contributions go directly to help the families in need at St. Patrick's Parish. If you want to donate financially, write a check payable to OLM with "Backpack Drive" in the memo. A container is in the vestibule for any donated supplies, or leave them at the OLM Outreach Office at Mercy House.
I know how helpful this drive is to the people of St. Patrick's struggling to afford basic school supplies. Sadly due to the pandemic, we could not provide such assistance last year. Please also know of the thanks and gratitude of my dear classmate Father James Ruggieri, the Pastor of St. Patrick's Church.
Speaking of schools, the good Dominican Friars of Providence College are coming to OLM this Monday for Confessions. The PC Friars are now scheduled once a month on Mondays to hear Confessions at OLM. I am grateful to them for their assistance with the beautiful Sacrament of Mercy! Not to worry, we only asked the kindest and most forgiving Friars to help out!!
Augustine and Monica, by Gioacchino Assereto (1600 - 1649)
This week we celebrate some noteworthy Saints. In particular, on Friday, the Feast of St. Monica and then her son St. Augustine on Saturday. He was a wayward soul who led a sinful life until his conversion. St. Monica, his pious Catholic mother, was left to weep and pray for his salvation for more than a decade! She never ceased praying for his return to the Catholic Faith. After more than 15 years of prayer, Augustine heard St. Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, preach. He decided to study the Faith and eventually being baptized in 387. St. Augustine became a priest and then a bishop and is now considered a Doctor of the Church.
Like so many Catholics today, St. Monica wrestled daily with the pain of having a loved one fall away from the Faith. Like us, she often feared that her prayers and tears were of little worth, empty, futile. Not so! Her prayerful perseverance led to the conversion of her son, her mother-in-law, and her husband. Today, with Google searches, online shopping, text messages, tweets, Amazon Prime, and instant credit, there is little patience for things that take time. Likewise, we want instant answers to our prayers. Instant gratification and immediate answers are a part of our troubled culture.
Yet the Church offers us the witness of St. Monica, the patroness of troubled parents, as a model of patience and perseverance in prayer. Her years of prayer finally led to the conversion of her hot-tempered husband, her cantankerous mother-in-law, and her brilliant but wayward son, Augustine. May she intercede for us that we might grow in faith, hope, patience, and perseverance in our prayers! As St. Monica said: "Nothing is far from God."
Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox!