Dear Parishioners:
OLM Maintenance Director Paul Anderson and crew clearing snow at OLM.
It’s been an eventful couple of weeks. First, we had the storm of the century with the Blizzard of 2026! And then we awoke last Saturday to the news that we are at war with Iran. If ever there was a time to take up the Lenten practice of prayer more fervently, it's now. The blizzard was as big as predicted, and people abided by the travel ban. In fact, the emergency alert announcing the travel ban went off during the 5:00 pm Sunday Mass. Suddenly, hundreds of phones beeped, including mine. It was louder than the organ! And then, as predicted, the storm came with a fury.
I again wish to thank Paul Anderson and the maintenance crew who went to work right away. They spent hours and days shoveling, plowing, and pushing the three feet of snow. They worked in the dark, the snow, and the cold, and did a tremendous job of clearing the OLM physical plant of snow and keeping it safe for parishioners and students. You may have noticed the traffic cones in front of the Church. The stones have risen due to frost, so we ask that you be extra careful as you come in, as there is a risk of tripping. We hope that the stones will settle back in place once the warmer weather arrives.
Our school reopened last Monday with smiling parents and eager students returning after two weeks away. The blizzard arrived on a Sunday night, always a delight for schoolchildren, so the February Winter Break was extended by an extra week. But now our students and faculty are back in the classroom, striving to be saints and scholars. Of course, the blizzard pales in comparison to the war being waged in the Middle East. Attacks and bombings in Iran and other countries have caused many casualties and much destruction. We pray for the U.S. soldiers who were killed and for the protection of our troops and innocent civilians. Let us also pray for the end of oppression in Iran, and for peace throughout the world, especially in the Middle East.
Pope Leo XIV delivering his weekly Sunday Angelus Address in Rome.
Our Holy Father, Pope Leo, commented on the war during his Angelus Address last Sunday, saying: “I am following with deep concern what is happening in the Middle East and in Iran during this tumultuous time. Stability and peace are not achieved through mutual threats, nor through the use of weapons, which sow destruction, suffering, and death, but only through reasonable, sincere, and responsible dialogue.
Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions, I make a heartfelt appeal to all the parties involved to assume the moral responsibility of halting the spiral of violence before it becomes an unbridgeable chasm. May diplomacy regain its proper role, and may the well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice, be upheld. And let us continue to pray for peace.”
I hope you had a chance to attend the Lenten Mission last week. Our Mission Preacher, Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, was outstanding. We thank him for traveling from Rome to be with us and preach the Mission. He is a talented young priest who does great work for the Dominican Friars, the Order of Preachers. Hopefully, our Mission produced much spiritual fruit for our parish and helped each of us to grow in faith, hope, and charity.
Seminarians pray at Eucharistic Adoration in the Our Lady of Providence Seminary Chapel.
Fr. Brodeur is leading a Discernment Retreat at Our Lady of Providence Seminary this weekend. Twenty-five young men, high school seniors and college-aged, are expected to attend. Please pray for Father and for young men discerning a call to the priesthood. As you know, we have two seminarians from OLM currently in formation at OLP Seminary, David Del Bonis and Luke Simms. David is currently a senior at Providence College and has just been assigned by Bishop Bruce Lewandowski to continue his theological studies next year at St. John’s Seminary in Boston. Luke will return to OLP Seminary and continue his philosophy studies at PC next year. Pray for them and all seminarians that they persevere in their vocation.
I hope you’re keeping the Lenten call to pray, fast, and give alms. Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow the Lord. As St. Catherine of Siena said: "Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring." Lenten Fridays are for fish and Stations of the Cross! Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless!
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