Dear Parishioners:
Father Mahoney celebrates the Easter Vigil at OLM on March 30, 2024
The great American Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said: “Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.” Alas, we come to the end of Father Mahoney’s time here at Our Lady of Mercy. Still, it is also the beginning of the next chapter of his priestly life and ministry. On July 1, he officially begins his new assignment as the Pastor of St. Pius X Church in Westerly.
I hope you can join us in celebrating his new assignment and wishing him well at the Farewell Receptions this weekend. It is hard to believe, but this is his final weekend at Our Lady of Mercy! We are sad to see him go, yet happy for him as he begins this new and exciting chapter in his life. On behalf of our parish family, I thank him for his years of ministry and service here at OLM. He is a hard-working and dedicated young priest, and we are thankful for his time with us. He will certainly be missed by many parishioners, especially the students at our school who he taught, coached, and ministered over the years.
I, too, shall miss him greatly, not only because he is a tremendous chef but rather because he is truly a fine brother priest who I consider a good friend. He has been a joy to live and work with, and I am grateful to Bishop Tobin for assigning him to be our Associate Pastor three years ago.
Father Healey and Father Mahoney at his First Mass of Thanksgiving at St Francis of Assisi Church, Wakefield.
It is always difficult for a priest to leave his first priestly assignment. However, Fr. Mahoney has many happy memories, good friends, fine recipes, and great stories to take with him. I ask you to please keep him in your prayers.
He will undoubtedly make an outstanding Pastor at St. Pius and serve his parishioners with the same zeal, enthusiasm, and holiness as he has shown during his time at OLM. St. John Vianney, the patron of parish priests, once said: “The Priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.” Fr. Mahoney truly loves the heart of Jesus and is an exemplary priest.
We wish him all the best and say Goodbye! The original meaning of Goodbye is that God be with you! So we say God be with you, Fr. Mahoney, and may He continue to bless your priesthood with many years of happiness, healthiness, and holiness.
As we say Farewell to Fr. Mahoney, we welcome two new priests for the Diocese of Providence, Reverend Mr. Joseph Brodeur from St. Pius X in Westerly and Reverend Mr. Jairon Olmos-Rivera from St. Charles Parish in Providence. These two young men will be ordained priests by Bishop Henning on Saturday, June 29, at the Cathedral at 10:00 am. The Ordination is always a beautiful and joyful ceremony.
Also, you are invited to a Prayer Vigil for Vocations to the Priesthood on Friday, June 28, at 7:00 p.m. at the Cathedral. Bishop Henning will preside, and Father Chris Murphy, the outgoing Rector of the Seminary of Our Lady of Providence, will be the homilist. Please join in praying for those to be ordained and for more vocations to the priesthood.
Encourage young men and your sons, grandsons, nephews, students, and friends to consider the priesthood. God is calling more young men to be priests, but the call is often not heard in this noisy, busy, and secular world. Pray for more vocations to the priesthood in the Diocese of Providence.
Finally, as Fr. Mahoney departs OLM, please pray for me. It is never easy to say Farwell to a fine priest collaborator and a good friend. Also pray for our parish family as we begin a new chapter in our parish life.
The great 19th Century French Dominican Friar, Father Jean-Baptiste Henri-Dominique Lacordaire, O.P., wrote this poem entitled A Priest:
“To live in the midst of the world without wishing its pleasures; To be a member of each family, yet belonging to none; To share all suffering; to penetrate all secrets; To heal all wounds; to go from men to God and offer Him their prayers; To return from God to men to bring pardon and hope; To have a heart of fire for Charity, and a heart of bronze for Chastity; To teach and to pardon, console and bless always. My God, what a life, and it is yours, O Priest of Jesus Christ.”
On Monday, I mark my twenty-eighth anniversary of priestly ordination and thank God for the gift of my priestly vocation and brother priests like Fr. Mahoney. Indeed, what a life is ours! Be well. Do good. God Bless. Farewell and thank you, Fr. Mahoney!
Farwell and thank you, Fr. Mahoney!