Dear Parishioners:
Our summer Faith Formation Series with the Dominican Friars is going very well. If you haven’t made it to a Monday night session yet, try this week, as there are only two sessions left. We’ve had good turnouts so far, but there’s plenty of room for more people. We are grateful to the Friars for their hard work in making this a successful event in our Diocese.
Catholic Youth from across the country gather for the Steubenville Youth Conference in Ohio
Our parish youth, along with Fr. Brodeur, departed early Thursday morning for the ten-hour drive to the Steubenville Youth Conference in Ohio. They are traveling along with Fr. Mahoney and the youth from St. Pius X in Westerly. After a 5:00 am Mass at St. Pius X in Westerly, they set off on their journey.
Over 30 people are traveling for the conference. These youths participate in prayer, adoration, Mass, and powerful talks about faith. We are grateful for all those who donated to help defray the costs of this trip. Keep these young pilgrims, chaperones, and priest chaplains in your prayers. May their time be spiritually fruitful and may they return safely.
While Father Brodeur is away in Steubenville, I am also away at the National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors' Annual Summer Meeting. This summer our meeting is being held in Monterey, California. I, along with nearly 40 Catholic Conference Directors from across the country, gather to discuss public policy, legislation, and strategies for advancing the Church’s social agenda.
Our meeting also includes talks from experts on the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit and educational choice. Also, we will receive an update on Federal legislation from the staff of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which advocates for the Church before Congress and the Trump Administration.
Father Serra Celebrates Mass at Monterey; painting by Léon Trousset, 1877
During our time, we are also blessed to visit the burial site of Saint Junípero Serra and celebrate Mass at the Carmel Mission. We celebrated Saint Junípero Serra on his Feast on July 1. He was a Spanish Franciscan Missionary Priest who widely evangelized California in the 18th Century. He founded the many Spanish missions in California, earning him the title "Apostle of California." He was canonized as a saint by Pope Francis on September 23, 2015. His personal motto was, “Always forward, never back.”
A few years ago, a small group of radical revisionists tried to discredit the saint and called for the removal of St. Junípero statues. Some even toppled statues and smeared them with red paint and called the Saint a racist. The historic Mission Churches in California experienced a spate of arson-related fires. Much like Christopher Columbus, St. Junípero Serra should be placed in historical context, and the many falsehoods about him must be refuted.
Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, writing about St. Junípero, stated: “He was a man of prayer and a lover of nature. He preached God’s compassion, fought for the dignity of women and the rights of America’s native peoples, and he was probably the first person in the Americas to make a moral case against capital punishment. Three years before the Declaration of Independence, Father Serra had already written a bill of rights for indigenous Californians.”
Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Río Carmelo established in 1771.
While considered a historical landmark, the Carmel Mission remains an active Catholic parish today. I look forward to visiting the Mission Church, praying at the Tomb of St. Junipero Serra, and offering Mass there. Please know I will offer the Mass for your intentions. May Saint Junipero Serra intercede for us and our parish.
Our good Franciscan Apostolic Sisters, Sisters Lourdes, Jane, and Flora, leave this week for their Annual Retreat and Community Chapter Meeting in Lincoln, Nebraska. As they drive across the country, please pray for their safe travel and a fruitful retreat.
While Fr. Brodeur and I are away this weekend, the Vice-Chancellor of the Diocese, Fr. Nathan Ricci; the newly appointed Chaplain at URI, Fr. Patrick Ryan; and our neighbor and retired pastor of St. Sebastian Church in Providence, Monsignor Montecalvo, are covering the Masses. We are very grateful for their kind and generous assistance that allows us to be away from OLM.
Be well. Do good. God Bless. See you next week!