Dear Parishioners:
Pope Leo prays for peace at Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vigil for Peace
Last Saturday, at a Prayer Vigil for Peace, Pope Leo implored the world to end the violence of war and to take up peace and reconciliation. Prayer Vigils were also held across the world in countless Catholic Churches. Certainly, there is an urgency for us to pray for peace, as war and violence have become so commonplace in our world.
In his homily at the Rosary for Peace, Pope Leo said: “Dear friends, peace be with you all! It is the peace of the Risen Christ, the fruit of his sacrifice of love on the cross. For this reason, we raise our prayer to him:
Lord Jesus, you conquered death without weapons or violence: you shattered its power with the strength of peace. Grant us your peace, as you did to the women filled with doubt on Easter morning, as you did to the disciples who were hiding in fear. Send forth your Spirit, the breath that gives life and reconciles, that turns adversaries and enemies into brothers and sisters. Inspire in us to trust in Mary, your mother, who stood at the foot of your cross with a broken heart, firm in the faith that you would rise again. May the madness of war cease, and the Earth be cared for and cultivated by those who still know how to bring forth, protect, and love life. Hear us, Lord of life!”
I encourage you to take up our Holy Father’s call to pray for peace. Add world peace to your prayer intentions and pray a Rosary for Peace. As Pope Leo reminded us last week: “Prayer teaches us how to act. In prayer, our limited human possibilities are joined to the infinite possibilities of God. Thoughts, words, and deeds then break the demonic cycle of evil and are placed at the service of the Kingdom of God. A Kingdom in which there is no sword, no drone, no vengeance, no trivialization of evil, no unjust profit, but only dignity, understanding, and forgiveness.”
Last Saturday night at Quidnessett Country Club, we celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Our Lady of Mercy School. Seventy-five years ago, Father Francis P. Brady had a dream to build a parish school. He was strongly committed to providing education and activities for the youth of the OLM. Over these seventy-five years, that dream became a reality of excellence in academics, athletics, and the arts, rooted in a strong formation in the Catholic Faith.
The dream lives on today, and last Saturday we celebrated all that the OLM School provides our parish and community. The celebration included a silent and live auction to raise the critical funds needed to operate an outstanding school in 2026. A whole host of items were auctioned to support our schools’ mission and to provide for our students' needs.
Happy OLM School students
I offer our heartfelt thanks to all those who supported the Diamond Jubilee with generous donations of auction items and sponsorships of the celebration. We thank the many who made generous bids for the auction items and in-kind donations. We thank the many members of our OLM School PTG who planned and ran the very successful event. All this hard work and generosity support our students as they continue to strive to be saints and scholars.
Our school currently has 271 students enrolled in Pre-K 3 through 8th Grade. We have an outstanding Principal, Faculty, and Staff who are dedicated to excelling in academics, athletics, the arts, and Catholic values. Our applications for admission to our school for the next school year are quite numerous, and most of our classes have a waitlist. We are most grateful to God for the many blessings he has provided our school and community.
This past Tuesday, I was part of a community forum at Cole Middle School on the recent incidents at our local public schools of antisemitic graffiti. As a Church and a local community, we are rightly repulsed and outraged that such evil would be found here in East Greenwich. We must reject antisemitism and prejudice and pray for the conversion of hearts for those who possess such hateful ideas.
At Holocaust Remembrance Day in January, Pope Leo stated: “The Church remains faithful to the unwavering position of the Declaration Nostra Aetate against every form of antisemitism. The Church rejects any discrimination or harassment based on ethnicity, language, nationality, or religion.”
It is the Annual School Spring Vacation this week, and our school is closed. Fr. Brodeur is also away on vacation. We wish them all a happy vacation and safe travels. May they return tan, rested, and ready! Be well. Do good. God Bless. Pray for peace!