Dear Parishioners:
It is a weekend full of faith and joy as we celebrate First Holy Communion, the May Crowning, and Mother's Day! On Saturday, over 60 of our parish children received the Eucharistic Lord for the first time. On Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Mass, they will crown our Blessed Mother in the beautiful May Crowning Ceremony. We offer Sunday Masses for all Mothers this Mother's Day.
Pope Francis offered these words to a First Communion Class: "Dear boys and girls, now you will receive Jesus. Don't think about anything else. Come to the altar with silence in your hearts. Think about how Jesus comes to your heart and how he will do the same again and again. Think of your parents, your catechists, your grandparents, your friends. Stay close to Jesus.”
Fifty years ago, I made my First Holy Communion at St. Paul Church in Cranston. My older brothers served the Mass, and the late Father Raymond Rafferty, then the curate at St. Paul, gave me my First Holy Communion. Afterward, on that Saturday morning, we went to the IHop to celebrate with a pancake breakfast!
Although much has changed over the last fifty years, one thing has not changed, and that is the real and abiding presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that "in the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist' the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained."
Let us pray for our First Communion Class to continue to be nourished and strengthened by the Eucharist at Sunday Mass. Join us when they come to the 10:30 am Mass as they crown the Blessed Mother. The crowning symbolizes Mary as Queen of Heaven and our lives. We entrust all our intentions to her, and she takes them to her Son, the King. Our Blessed Mother is our Queen and our intercessor, and we symbolize that with our May crowning of her statue.
Today, we also celebrate Mother's Day. It is a wonderful opportunity to highlight the beautiful vocation of motherhood and the gift of human life. It calls us to cherish the gift of life we receive from our mothers and to pray for all women to whom God has entrusted life in a very special way. As we pray in thanksgiving for the gift of mothers, we remember mothers experiencing challenges, crises, and difficult pregnancies and pray they may find support and encouragement in choosing life for their children.
Just last month, it was reported that birth rates in the United States are at a historical low. This highlights that many women are not choosing to have children and forgo the joys of motherhood. Our nation's record-low fertility rates and global fertility decline are driven by cultural, social, and economic factors. Along with the dramatic decline of religious practice. So, let us pray for all mothers today and that more women might be open to life and choose to be mothers.
The great Hungarian Churchman, Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty, said: "The Most Important Person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body. The angels have not been blessed with such a grace. They cannot share in God's creative miracle to bring new saints to Heaven. Only a human mother can. Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any other creature; God joins forces with mothers in performing this act of creation. .. What on God's good earth is more glorious than this: to be a mother?"
Last Saturday night, we had a fantastic celebration of the OLM Spring Fling. The live and silent auctions were a great success and provided much-needed financial support for our outstanding parish school. I thank all those who worked so hard to make the night such a success, especially the OLM School PTG President Tarah Provençal and the Spring Fling Chair Christina Haas. Also, we thank all those who donated items for the auction and those who bid so generously to win them!
Be well. Do good. God Bless. A Happy Mother's Day! Prayers and congratulations to the OLM First Communion Class. Hope to see you at Devotions on Monday night.