Happy Memorial Day! This weekend is often described as the unofficial kickoff of summer. There are many activities like parades and picnics. Many people head to the beach or the golf course. It is the end of May, and June brings warmer weather, the end of the school year, and summer!
Yet Memorial Day is more than an excuse to golf, sail, go to the beach, or cook on the grill. It is a day to commemorate all the men and women who died in service to our nation and for the cause of freedom. It is a day to place flags and flowers beside the graves of those who have fallen in military uniform. And a day to honor and remember in prayer the fallen and recall their sacrifice with gratitude.
Memorial Day first began as Decoration Day. The Grand Army of the Republic, the group of Union veterans that survived the American Civil War, first established the day in May 1868 to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. The focus for that day, and the activities that had come to define it, expanded after World War I. All service personnel from all wars who lost their lives in service to the United States are now included. So please enjoy the Memorial Day weekend and its many activities with family and friends. But also spend some time praying for those who sacrificed their lives for our nation. Honor the dead and pay tribute to the memory of those who gave their lives for the USA.
On Memorial Day, join us as we pray for the fallen at Holy Mass at 8:30 am. And then, on Memorial Day night at 7:00 pm, join us to pray the Rosary before the Eucharistic Lord. In a particular way, we remember those who have died in the time of war serving our nation as we pray for peace in our world today.
On Friday this coming week, we celebrate our Final First Friday School Mass at 9:00 am! It is the last time our 8th Grade Class will be in attendance at First Friday Mass. Their time at our excellent parish school is drawing to an end as they head for high school.
OLM Class of 2022
Next Sunday, we pray for our 8th Grade Graduates, especially at the 10:30 am Mass. At this Graduation Mass, we call upon Our Lady of Mercy, our parish patroness, to lay her mantle of love and protection on the OLM Class of 2022. Each graduate receives an OLM School Medal with a beautiful image of Our Lady. Following the Mass, the graduating class, their families, and the school faculty gather for a Graduation Luncheon. At this celebration, we pay tribute to the outstanding scholars in the class who have exhibited the excellence and hard work for which OLM School is so well known.
On Monday, June 6 at 6:00 pm, we celebrate the OLM School Graduation in Church. As we prepare to say goodbye to our 8th Graders and wish them much success in high school, I ask you to please pray for the Class of 2022! May they continue to grow to be the saints and scholars God calls them to be!
Also, next Sunday, we celebrate the great Solemnity of Pentecost. With this feast, the Church celebrates one of the most important feast days of her liturgical year. It always occurs 50 days after the death and resurrection of Jesus and ten days after his ascension into heaven. Pentecost concludes the Easter season and celebrates the beginning of the Church.
On Pentecost, we recall the Holy Spirit coming upon the Apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Jesus, who were gathered together in the Upper Room. We will celebrate it with Adult Confirmations at the Saturday 5:00 pm Mass. Please pray for these candidates.
This week’s bulletin contains information about the drive to fund abortion in R.I. with tax dollars. The legislation pending in the General Assembly would force all taxpayers to pay for the abortions of state employees and those on Medicaid. I urge you to contact our local State Senator Valverde and let her know your opposition to her bill. For women who live in poverty, abortion is a desperate act, not an act of choice. Advocating for the destruction of human life to save funds in the state budget is a cold and calculating policy that seeks to imitate the coercive abortion policies of China and North Korea. It is truly devoid of any sense of morality and must be rejected.
Be well. Stay safe. Do good. Happy Memorial Day! God Bless the USA!