Dear Parishioners:
Father Patrick Ryan celebrates Mass at OLM.
It was a beautiful Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Father Patrick Ryan last Sunday. What a great joy to celebrate the ordination of this fine young priest and also the graces received by his First Priestly Blessings. As the poem entitled The Beautiful Hands of a Priest reminds us:
"We need them in life's early morning; we need them again at its close; We feel their warm clasp of friendship; we seek them when tasting life's woes. At the altar each day, we behold them, and the hands of a king on his throne are not equal to them in their greatness; their dignity stands all alone, and when we are tempted and wander to pathways of shame and sin, it's the hand of a priest that will absolve us----not once, but again and again. And when we take life's partner, other hands may prepare us a feast, but the hand that will bless and unite us is the beautiful hand of a priest. God bless them and keep them all holy. For the Host which their fingers caress; When can a poor sinner do better than to ask Him to guide thee and bless? When the hour of death comes upon us, may our courage and strength be increased. By seeing raised over us in anointing the beautiful hands of a priest!"
We thank Fr. Ryan for celebrating with us last Sunday. And I also thank all those who helped with the Mass and reception. May God continue to bless Father Ryan and his priesthood. Let us continue to pray for him and for an increase of vocations to the priesthood in the Diocese of Providence.
Next Sunday, we will welcome our new OLM School Families at the 10:30 am Mass. Yes, I know it's hard to believe, but the first day of school is near. In fact, it's Wednesday, August 30th!! We welcome and thank these new families who have chosen to make the sacrifice to send their children to our outstanding parish school.
OLM Students at weekly Mass
We anticipate about 240 students enrolled in the school, and we have a waitlist in most of our classes. Our Middle School (Grades 6-8) has some room, so I encourage families with middle schoolers to consider OLM School. It offers strong and rigorous academics along with outstanding arts and athletics. But most importantly, for Catholics living in a culture replete with moral confusion, the teaching of falsehoods about human life and love, and a growing secular humanism, OLM School is countercultural.
Her core mission is to instill moral goodness and virtuous living, civility, and discipline, and nurture a respect for human dignity, the sanctity of human life, God, and country. We teach the beauty of Western Civilization and the truth of our Catholic Faith to our budding saints and scholars as we educate them for eternity.
I thank our dedicated School Principal, Mr. Patrick McNabb, and fantastic faculty and staff for making our school outstanding. Please pray for them and all our school students and families. We look forward to welcoming our new families and beginning another excellent school year of growing in wisdom, faith, and mercy.
Last week we watched with shock the tragic wildfire in Hawaii. Seeing people flee into the ocean to escape the raging fire was truly horrific. The fire burned the historic town of Lahaina to the ground, many people were killed, and thousands were evacuated. Most residents lost everything they own and are now living in temporary shelters.
Fire rages in Maui, Hawaii.
However, one building survived the devastating fire, the Maria Lanakila Catholic Church. Parishioners are calling it a miracle and a sign that Lahaina will rebuild. The parish was founded in 1846 when the first Catholic missionaries arrived in Maui. 'Maria Lanakila' is a Hawaiian phrase that translates to 'Victorious Mary' or 'Our Lady of Victory" in English. Let us pray to Our Lady of Victory for all those suffering from the fires.
Catholic Charities Hawaii is appealing to Catholics for financial support to help them meet the needs for housing, food, and shelter of the many victims. You can make donations directly to Catholic Charities Hawaii at catholiccharitieshawaii.org/maui-relief/.
Also, you can donate directly to OLM Outreach, and we will forward all donations. Make a check payable to OLM Outreach, write "Maui Relief" in the memo, and drop it in the basket, the safe in the vestibule, or the mail. Thank you for your prayers and generous support of the victims of the Hawaiian Fire.
Do good. Be well. God Bless.