Dear Parishioners:
We celebrate Labor Day this weekend. It provides an opportunity to thank God for the gift of work, which ‘anoints’ us with dignity, and to ask for God’s assistance in providing our nation and world with work for all that is decent and fair. It is also an opportunity to pray for those who must work in jobs that ignore their dignity and those who’ve lost their jobs and are seeking work now.
So, let us thank God for our work and the dignity it provides. St. Mother Teresa said: “There is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work. This is where the respect, love, and devotion come in – that we do it to God and Christ, and that’s why we try to do it as beautifully as possible.”
Fall officially begins on September 23, so it is still summer. However, Labor Day traditionally marks the unofficial end of the summer! Children are back in school, college students have returned to university, beach homes are closed up, and the lazy, hazy summer days come to a close. As Shakespeare wrote: “Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.”
Last Monday, Fr. Mahoney, Fr. Connors, and I attended the Annual Summer Gathering for Priests at the Aldrich Mansion in Warwick Neck. There was a large turnout of priests from the Diocese gathered together to pray and socialize. Bishop Henning led us in prayer, and the newly ordained Father Patrick Ryan offered a reflection. He did an outstanding job. Preaching to priests is difficult, especially if you’ve only been one for two months!
It was a wonderful opportunity for us priests to get together and socialize with one another. Even though we all live near, considering the size of our state, the reality is that we often don’t get to see each other on social occasions. Usually, it’s wakes and funerals!
Our culture has become more isolationist, and priests are not immune from its effects. The pandemic did not help the situation. As a society, we seem to be growing apart and becoming more polarized — this is evident in our Church and national politics. This is true for priests as well.
These occasions of priestly fraternity create natural bonds and provide opportunities for discussion and support. Priestly fraternity provides time for friendly conversation as we share our common goal, the salvation of souls. Certainly, we all need this, but priests especially need to frequently engage in constructive, friendly, and supportive conversation and priestly fraternity.
Here at Our Lady of Mercy, we try to provide such opportunities. Once a month, we have a Recollection for Priests led by Father David Cavanagh, a Priest of Opus Dei. It is a time for priests in the area to come together for prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, Confession, and Spiritual Reflection. Afterward, we gather for conversation and lunch in the Rectory.
Please pray for priests. All priests need your prayers and support so that they may be the holy men of strength, character, and wisdom that God has called for them to be. This beautiful Prayer for Priests is by St. Therese of Lisieux. Please offer it for priests.
“O Jesus, eternal Priest, keep your priests within the shelter of Your Sacred Heart, where none may touch them. Keep unstained their anointed hands, which daily touch Your Sacred Body. Keep unsullied their lips, daily purpled with your Precious Blood. Keep pure and unearthly their hearts sealed with the sublime mark of the priesthood.
Let Your holy love surround them and shield them from the world’s contagion. Bless their labors with abundant fruit, and may the souls to whom they minister be their joy and consolation here and in heaven, their beautiful and everlasting crown. Amen.”
At a recent summer gathering, Pope Francis spoke with the priests of Rome. He said:
“At the heart of our life is not the frenzy of activity, but remaining in the Lord to bear fruit. He is our refreshment. His grace allows us to go ahead in our apostolic work, to bear failures and setbacks, to rejoice with simplicity of heart, to always start again and begin again. Indeed, our necessary ‘recharging moments’ occur not only when we rest physically and spiritually but also when we open ourselves to the fraternal encounters that prevent us from feeling alone in the face of the challenges of the ministry.”
Pray for priests! Do good. Be well. God Bless.