Dear Parishioners:
We continue to grieve the killing of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. There have been many reactions to this horrific tragedy. But clearly, one thing is still needed, and that is prayer. As people of faith, praying for the victims and their families is an action we can all act and agree upon without debate.
Last week in the New York Times, Reverend Tish Harrison Warren, an Anglican Minister, wrote an op-ed entitled, "Uvalde Needs Our Prayers." She writes: "Uvalde is grieving and heartbroken. Some want a revival. Some want mental health services. Some want gun control. But every single person I talked to agreed on one thing: They could use your thoughts and prayers."
Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio prays with parishioners at Sacred Heart Church.
This small town in Texas has many churches. One of the centers of prayer and support for the grieving townspeople is Sacred Heart Catholic Church. San Antonio Archbishop García-Siller visited the parish and said: “People want to pray. People want to help. All the community beyond the parish is so connected.”
While the Sacred Heart Church in Uvalde is the center of consolation, prayer, and support for a grieving community, we also remember that June is a month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Perhaps we can turn to the Sacred Heart of Jesus with devotion and prayer for the people of Uvalde. The Sacred Heart Devotion began when St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received private revelations from Jesus Christ. Jesus spoke to her on June 16, 1675, and asked her specifically to promote a feast that honored his Sacred Heart.
Sacred Heart Statue, Saint-Sulpice, Paris.
St. Margaret Mary described her experience with the Lord: "My divine Heart is so passionately fond of the human race and you, particularly that it cannot keep back the pent-up flames of its burning charity any longer. They must burst out through you and reveal my Heart to the world to enrich humanity with my treasures." Following this revelation, Jesus united His heart with hers in a fusion of mystical love and joy.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart is devotion to Jesus and his love. It is a sign and a symbol of both the divine and human love that Jesus has for his Father and us. It also symbolizes the interior life of Jesus, which led to his willingness to lay down his life for us. Pope Leo XIII stated: "There is in the Sacred Heart the symbol and express image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love in return."
We continue to mourn the victims of mass shootings in Texas, Buffalo, and elsewhere. Let us be moved by love to pray for the dead killed so tragically, the consolation of their grieving families, an end to senseless gun violence, and the healing of communities divided. Let us turn in June to the Sacred Heart of Jesus to guide us with his divine love and help us discover the love so desperately needed in our nation today.
June is also the month of Father's Day. In light of the coming celebration of Father's Day on June 19, we are having a Father's Day Drive for Baby Goods. There is a great need for infant diapers and wipes and a critical need for baby food and formula. Gabriel's Call, a charitable work of the Diocese of Providence, has asked parishes to help collect the much-needed baby items.
There are bins in the church's vestibule where you may place any donated items. Also, we are accepting donations to our OLM Outreach on behalf of Gabriel's Call. Make a check payable to OLM and mark "Baby Drive" in the memo. More information is available in the bulletin. Thank you for being so supportive of this charity.
June also brings with it graduations. On Monday, June 6, the OLM School Graduation is celebrated at 6:00 pm. Please pray for the graduating 8th Grade of our outstanding parish school. May Our Lady of Mercy guide and protect them as they enter high school.
We congratulate them and all OLM parishioners who graduate from college and high school this year. St. Pope John Paul II once said to young people: "The future is in your hearts and hands. God is entrusting to you the task, at once difficult and uplifting, of working with Him to build the civilization of love."
Prayerful best wishes and congratulations to the Class of 2022! Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless our graduates. Pray for Uvalde.