Dear Parishioners:
Last Sunday, we had a beautiful and solemn celebration of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. Fr. Brodeur’s excellent homily on the Sequence for Corpus Christi, composed by St. Thomas Aquinas, set the tone. The 10:30 am Mass included the Corpus Christi Procession of the Eucharist to Mercy Park for Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. We thank the many who help make it beautiful, including the Parish Musicians and Choir, and our tremendous Altar Servers.
Pope Leo XIV carries the monstrance as he leads the Corpus Christi procession at Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid, June 7, 2026, during his apostolic journey to Spain
However, we were a little outdone by our Holy Father, Pope Leo. He celebrated the Corpus Christi Mass and Procession with over one million people in Madrid, Spain. He is making his first apostolic journey as Pope to Spain. In his homily, he said:
“Thus, if in the Eucharistic celebration Christ gives himself as nourishment, the procession demonstrates that he does not remain closed in the temple but, rather, comes out to meet us. Jesus walks the streets, passes through the squares, visits our neighborhoods, inhabits the places of our daily lives, like the close God who walks with his people, like the Lord of history, consolation for the weak, light for families, hope for the most vulnerable, peace for those who suffer.”
The photos of the Mass and Procession in Madrid were very moving. Over a million people knelt in silence as the Eucharistic Procession passed by. These worshippers, including First Communicants, nuns, priests, bishops, and cardinals, gathered to throw flower petals and colored sawdust along the Eucharistic procession's route.
OLM Altar Server Shane Ciunici serves Mass while at OLM School. The Hendricken Man of the Year has graduated and will attend Harvard this fall.
This Sunday at the 10:30 am Mass, we honor our Senior Altar Servers who have graduated from high school. They have served Holy Mass since the Fourth Grade. We commend them for their dedication to duty and to God, and their reverence for the Eucharist. So please join us as we honor and thank them for their service. St. Pope John Paul II, speaking to altar servers, said: “Your commitment to the altar is not only a duty, but a great honor, a genuine holy service."
While we look forward to the official start of summer next Sunday, on June 21, it’s beginning a little early here at OLM this week. Our parish school will have its last day of school on Thursday, June 18, with a dismissal for summer break at 11:30 am. We thank our Principal, Mr. McNabb, faculty, staff, students, and families for another tremendous year of education and faith. Please keep them in your prayers that God may guide and protect them during these summer months. We hope the summer break is both fun and fruitful for our students. We look forward to their return to school all tan, rested, and ready! Charles Bowden, the American writer, once said: “Summertime is always the best of what might be.”
As summer approaches, I invite you to mark your calendars for some of “the best of what might be” here at OLM this summer. First, the ordinations of two new priests for the Diocese of Providence will be held on Saturday, June 27, at the Cathedral. In preparation for the Ordination Mass, OLM will host a Holy Hour for Vocations on Friday, June 26, at 7:00 pm. I encourage you to come as we pray for more vocations to the priesthood and also for the two young men to be ordained. The two young men to be ordained will be here with their families and friends.
Bishop Lewandowski will preside, and Fr. Chris Murphy will preach. Our Choir has been practicing overtime for this special event. So, as a parish, let’s make a good show of it and turn out in great numbers for this important event.
We have an important Adult Faith Formation Program this summer. The Dominican friars are hosting a four–part summer series entitled: “Why Catholicism Still Matters.” For four Mondays beginning on June 29, the brothers will host a Godward event at Our Lady of Mercy, featuring a short talk followed by Q&A with the Friars. This should be a great way to gather together and spend a summer’s evening in the cool of the Church, learning more about our Catholic Faith. So save your Monday evenings this summer for Godward!
Summer’s coming! Stay safe and enjoy! Next Sunday is Father’s Day as we give thanks for Fatherhood. Masses will be offered for all Fathers. Be well. Do good. God bless.