Attending Mass, Celebrating the Assumption, and Helping St. Patrick's Parish! Another Week at OLM

Dear Parishioners:

Isn’t August just flying by this summer??!  This Tuesday, August 15th,  we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.   On November 1, 1950, Pius XII defined the
dogma of the Assumption as he solemnly proclaimed that the belief whereby the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the close of her earthly life, was taken up, body and soul, into the glory ofheaven. This teachingdefinitively forms part of the deposit of faith, received from the Apostles.To avoid all that is uncertain the Pope did not state either the manner or the circumstances of time and place in which the Assumption took place — only the fact of the Assumption of Mary, body and soul, into the glory of heaven, is Catholic Dogma.

The Assumption is the oldest feast day of Our Lady, but we don't know how it first came to be celebrated. For a time, the "Memory of Mary" was marked only in Palestine, but then it was extended by the emperor to all the churches of the East. In the seventh century, it began to be celebrated in Rome under the title of the "Falling Asleep" ("Dormition") of the Mother of God. Soon the name was changed to the "Assumption of Mary," since there was more to the feast than her dying. It also proclaimed that she had been taken up, body and soul, into heaven. This belief was ancient, dating back to the apostles themselves.

What was clear from the beginning was that there were no relics of Mary to be venerated, and that an empty tomb stood on the edge of Jerusalem near the site of her assumption. That location also soon became a place of pilgrimage and today, the Benedictine Abbey of the Dormition of Mary stands on the spot.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics and so we have a complete schedule of Holy Day Masses.  Monday night at 5:00pm we celebrate the Vigil Mass and on Tuesday Mass is at 7:30am and 7:00pm.  There is certainly ample opportunity to fulfill your obligation to attend Mass!

It seems that during these summer months some people can get lax about faithfully attendingSunday Mass.  Certainly this is true of the Holy Days of Obligation that see few Catholics attend Holy Mass. But even on Sundays people easily skip Mass while on vacation, going to the beach, golfing, or because there is no school or religious education classes.  It doesn’t take much of an excuse for some people to forget the Lord on Sundays!

I recently read about a pastor who wrote of growing tired ofthe excuses as to why people don’t go to Mass. He suggestsreplacing “go to Mass” with “washing up” and he writes: “For those who tire of excuses why people don’t go to Mass on Sundays here are the reasons why I never wash. 1. Iwas forced to wash as a child. 2. People who wash are hypocrites, they think they’re cleaner than others. 3. There are so many kinds of soap I could never decide which was right. 4. I used to wash but it’s too boring. 5. I only wash on Christmas and Easter. 6. None of my friends wash. 7. I’ll start washing when I’m older. 8. I really don’t have the time. 9. The bathroom isn’t warm enough. 10. People who make soap are only after your money.”

Some good food for thought for all us.  Why do we come to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days? Why do some of our neighbors, family and friends so easily skip Mass?  It’s a challenge for all of us to stay faithful to attending Mass and also to welcome back those who fallen away from the practice.

We wind up our Annual Back-Pack Drive for St. Patrick’s Parish in Providence this weekend.  If you have not yet made a donation or donated school supplies, I encourage you to do so soon. Our OLM Outreach volunteers and OLM Confirmation Candidates gather in the OLM School Gym to pack up the supplies for delivery to St. Patrick’s on Monday before the Vigil Mass. In the name of Fr. Ruggeri, the Pastor of St. Patrick’s, and the many needy school childrenwho directly benefit from your charity, I offer my sincere thanks! Your generous support isgreatly and deeply appreciated.

Don’t forget to attend Mass on the Assumption! Do good. Be well. God Bless! Go Sox!  Beat those Yankees!

Celebrate the Transfiguration, Support Peter's Pence, and Seek the Intercession of Saint Pope John Paul II and Our Lady of Fatima

Dear Parishioners:

This year the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord falls on a Sunday.  So we take leave of the Sundays of Ordinary Time we have been celebrating the last few weeks.  The Feast is celebrated at all Sunday Masses and includes the readings proper to the feast itself.   The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us:

“Jesus' Transfiguration takes place on a high mountain, before three witnesses chosen by himself: Peter, James and John. Jesus' face and clothes become dazzling with light, and Moses and Elijah appear, speaking of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem.  A cloud covers him and a voice from heaven says: ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him’ Moses and Elijah had seen God's glory on the Mountain; the Law and the Prophets had announced the Messiah's sufferings. Christ's Passion is the will of the Father: the Son acts as God's servant; the cloud indicates the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Transfiguration gives us a foretaste of Christ's glorious coming, when he ‘will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body.’ But it also recalls that ‘it is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God.’”

Next Sunday, August 13th,  we take up the Annual Peter’s Pence Collection.  Peter’s Pence is the name given to the financial support offered by the Catholic faithful to the Holy Father as a sign of our sharing in the concern of the Successor ofSaint Peter for the many needs of the Universal Church and for the relief of those most in need. The practice of providing material support to those charged with preaching the Gospel, thus enabling them to devote themselves completely to their apostolic mission and to care for those in greatest need, is as old as Christianity itself.  By the end of the eighth century the Anglo-Saxons felt so closely linked to the Bishop of Rome that they decided to send a regular annual contribution to the Holy Father.

The offerings we donateto the Holy Fatherthrough the Peter’s Pence Collection are destined to Church needs, humanitarian initiatives and social promotion projects. The Pope, being Pastor of the whole Church, is attentive to the material needs of poor dioceses, religious institutes and of faithful in grave difficulties especially the poor, needy children, the elderly, those marginalized and the victims of war, disease or natural disasters. Pope Emeritus Benedict XV stated the following about this important annual collection: “Peter’s Pence’ is the most characteristic expression of the participation of all the faithful in the Bishop of Rome’s charitable initiatives in favor of the universal Church. The gesture has not only a practical value, but also a strong symbolic one, as a sign of communion with the Pope and attention to the needs of one’s brothers and sisters.”

If you look to the back of the Church you will see the statues of Saint Pope John Paul II and Our Lady of Fatima above you.  Both of these beautiful images were generously donated to the parish.  Now thanks to Paul Anderson we were able to place them in Church so that we might all be inspired by them. St. John Paul II and Our Lady of Fatima are intimatelyconnected to one another.  The assassination attempt upon the saintly Pope took place on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima in 1981.  Two bullets hit St. Pope John Paul II, and he was badly hurt. He was rushed to the hospital where he required a 5 1/2 hour surgery to save his life. He survived and a year after the attack, in thanksgiving for her protection, he placed a bullet fragment from the attack in the crown of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal. May they both intercede for our parish!

You may also notice new chairs in the sanctuary.  They were newly upholstered along with all the chairs and kneelers we use. The “new” chairs are a gift from the Mt. St. Rita Chapel that recently closed. They bear the mark of the Cross of Mercy. They are a nice compliment to the newly upholstered old chairs and kneelers in our sanctuary.

In the midst of so manysummer distractions like going to the beach, golfing, taking vacations and trips, boating and watching the Red Sox,  let us recall our duty to help the poor through the Peter’s Pence Collection! Thanks for your generous support of this charity. Do good. Be well. God Bless! Go Sox!

August is Approaching and the Backpack Drive for St. Patrick's Begins

Dear Parishioners:

Last Sunday we had a great “Farewell” send off for our Summer Seminarian Hiep. I thank Doug Green and his dedicated committee for their great work on the reception.  We wish Hiep all the best as he departs OLM. Let us continue to pray for him.

August is coming this week! The summer is rolling right along and as usual too fast.  Our crack Maintenance Staff are working very hard at our parish school.  They are cleaning,  painting, and remodeling some of the classrooms. This workcontinues over the next few weeks.  The first day of school is set for August 30th!!!

Speaking of going back to school, this weekend we launch our Annual Back Pack Drive to benefit the school children of St. Patrick’s Parish in Providence. Fr. James Ruggeri, the Pastor of St. Patrick’s Church and my dear classmate, contacted me earlier this summer to seek our support.  I am grateful to Doug Green, OLM Outreach Director, and his volunteers who are organizing the project. They have the backpacks ready to fill with supplies, they just need the supplies!  And that’s where you come in and help!

There is a list of much needed supplies in the bulletin. Simply purchase the supplies you wish to donate and then drop them off in the collection containers in the Church vestibule. We begin this week and are collecting supplies up until August 13th. We hope to pack the back packs for deliveryto St. Patrick’s the week of August 14th.  Our Confirmation Class is helping us with this project but if you wish to volunteer to help please contact Doug Green. 

If you don’t have the time to purchase school supplies for the needy children then I invite you to consider a donation.  All you have to do is make the check payable to OLM and mark “Backpack Drive” in the memo. Simply put it in an envelope marked OLM Outreach and either mail it to the Parish Office or drop it in thecollection basket at Sunday Mass. I thank you in advance for your generous support of this good work of charity.  Fr. Ruggeri and thegood people of St. Patrick’s are always very grateful to OLM for all that we do for them.  As, Pope Francis, reminds us:  “ We have to state, without mincing words, that there is an inseparable bond between our faith and the poor. May we never abandon them.”

I am traveling to Annapolis, Maryland this week to attend the Annual Meeting of the National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors.  As you know I serve as the Director of the RI Catholic Conference and the lobbyist for the Church at the RI Statehouse.  In Annapolis, I will be meeting with colleagues from nearly 40 other states with Catholic Conferences.  This meeting affords us the opportunity to meet and discuss issues of common concern and share strategies in advocating for Catholic principles in the public square.

On the docket for discussion are   state and federal budgets, poverty, immigration, Catholic education, abortion, physician assisted suicide, healthcare and criminal justice reform.  We will also be updated on national public policy issues by the staff of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.  This includes analysis of the Trump Administration, Congress and Supreme Court by many experts from Washington, DC.

While State Catholic Conference Directors advocate on a state level, we also interact frequently with Federal Officials.  The sharing of insights about our common educationaland advocacy efforts for the Church in the public square is usually a very fruitful and productivetime.  It is alwaysinstructive to learn what helps and what does not help the cause of the common good. Pope Francisreminds us that “a good Catholic meddles in politics, offering the best of themselves, so that those who govern can govern.”

Of course, it’s not all business at this meeting and we have a chance to see the local sights.  We are getting a guided tour of the U.S. Naval Academy, a dinner cruise on the Chesapeake Bay and guided tours of the historical sites of Annapolis.  I have also arranged to take a side trip to Camden Yards to watch the Baltimore Orioles play.  I return this Friday and thank Fr. Barrow for hiscoverage during my absence.

Do good. Be well. God Bless! Go Sox!

Saying Farewell and the Validity of the Sacraments

Dear Parishioners:
We say so long to our Summer Seminarian Hiepthis weekend.  After ten weeks, his time at OLM has come to an end ! He leaves for a visit home to his family in Vietnam this week. He then returns to St. John Seminary in late August to begin his Second Year of Theology.   We are going to miss him here at OLM!  Hiep has been a great help and a joyful presence in our parish.

I thank him for his hard work and willingness to learn new things while he was with us.  He is a fine young man and without a doubt is going to be a terrific priest!  On Sunday following the 10:30am Mass please join us in saying “Farewell and Thank You” at a reception in Mercy Park.  I hope you can stop by andsay thank you and farewell to Hiep. May God bless him in his studies for the priesthood. I ask you to please continue to pray for Hiep and his vocation to the priesthood.

We need more seminarians such as Hiep here in our Diocese of Providence.  So also please pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life.  Encourage young men in our parish and in your own family to consider the priesthood. I am convinced that God continues to call men to serve His Church as priests but sometimes His call gets lost in the noise of our culture.

Our OLM Youth Activities Coordinator, Michael LaChimia, is also leaving us.  Michael has also been teaching Religion at OLM School.  He is beginning a Doctoral Program in Philosophy at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. I thank him for his time serving our parish youth and teaching in our parish school. We wish him well as he works towards his Ph.D.!

I am happy to announce that Ryan Clearyis to replace Michael as our new OLM Youth Activities Coordinator.  He takes up this role in August and is to work closely with Fr. Barrow in reaching out to the youth of our parish.  Ryan has also been hired as our new OLM Middle School Social Studies Teacher.  He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame where he also earned a Masters in
Education.  Ryan, his wife and daughter just moved to Rhode Island from Ohio.  He has been teaching at Catholic Schools in Texas and Ohio for the last ten years.  He is to also serve as the Director of OLM Athletics.

Last week you may have read some of thenumerous news reports that Pope Francis had just issued a statement restricting the use of gluten-free communion hosts at Mass.  Many headlines werein fact wrong and the stories misleading about what actually happened. A circular letter to all bishops was issued in early June by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.  There’s nothing new contained in it.

Pope Francis released the letter as a “reminder.”  Communion wafers and wine are no longer being exclusively made by Catholic religious communities, and so it is vital that bishops pay attention to what the Eucharistic materials are made from that they use. The Letter also reminds bishops that: “Hosts that are completely gluten-free are invalid matter for the celebration of the Eucharist. Low-gluten hosts (partially gluten-free) are valid matter, provided they contain a sufficient amount of gluten to obtain the confection of bread without the addition of foreign materials and without the use of procedures that would alter the nature of bread.”

Sacraments are valid when they are celebrated with valid matter (the things and/or persons central to the particular sacramental sign) and with valid form (the words and gestures particular to celebrating the sacrament). Water, for example, is valid matter for Baptism. Lemonade and Coca-Cola are not. The Church’s Eucharistic discipline requires that the hosts used for communion be made of only wheat. There are a   number of low-gluten options   available. Several of our OLM parishioners already receive these hosts regularly at Mass.

All this may strike the secular press and even many Catholics as a lot of fuss. But matter does matter. Jesus made it so, when “on the night he was betrayed he himself took bread.”  Each element of the Eucharist has a divinely-instituted purpose and meaning that cannot be replaced,  Ignore the erroneous news stories about this issue.

Do good. Be well. God Bless! Go Sox!

Comings and Goings at OLM

Dear Parishioners:

Although its hard to believe our Summer Seminarian Hiep ends his time with us next weekend.  He arrived back inMay and now he has one week left.  The ten weeks have flown by but it has been joy to have Hiep with us here at OLM.   After finishing next weekend, Hiep will be traveling home to Vietnam with two classmates from St. John Seminary. It will be their first visit to Vietnam but Hiep returns home to visit his sister and her family and his older brother who is a Pastor there.

We are grateful for Hiep’s presence and ministry among us this summer.  He is a very capable young man and will make an outstanding priest.  Please pray for him as he continues his studies for the priesthood.  Also join us next Sunday following the 10:30am Mass as we say “Farewell and Thank You Hiep” with a reception in Mercy Park. Heip isn’t the only one leaving this week!

Our good Franciscan Apostolic Sisters, Sister Emma and Sister Lourdes, depart Tuesday for their Annual Retreat in Nebraska.  They are taking the Franciscan Sisters from Scalabrini Villa with them. They make their way there via Peoria, Illinois where a few of their sisters serve the Bishop and Cathedral Parish.

They then drive from Peoria to Seward, Nebraska to begin their retreat at St. Gregory the Great Seminary.  A good number of the Franciscan Apostolic Sisters serve on the seminary staff there.  They host the Annual Retreat and Community meetings every year.I know the Sisters are praying for us during their time of retreat. So please keep the good Sisters in your prayers for their safe travel and also for a fruitful retreat.   They return to OLM on August 7th, renewed, rested and ready!

In late June I attended a meeting of area priests with Bishop Tobin at St. Bernard’s Parish.  It was the first of three regional meetings for the Bishop with his priests. It was a time for the Bishop to discuss new initiatives and share ongoing concerns with his priests and also for the priests to share their thoughts with Bishop Tobin. It was a positive meeting despite some concerning news about the fiscal stress facing the Diocese.

Bishop Tobin alsoannounced that the Diocese of Providence is to launch a capital campaign next year to raise$50 million.  This campaign is to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of our Diocese in 1872. The two-year campaign, titled “Grateful for God’s Providence,” begins in January 2018 at parishes across the Diocese.  The much needed campaign seeksto increase resources to stabilize and also maintain the viability of parish and diocesan funds. The rising costs of the care for elderly priests, seminary education for future priests, Catholic schools, and increasing social services for the poor are the main part of this effort.

Bishop Tobin announced that “the faith and generosity of Catholics in this diocese
continues to be remarkable. I am very confident that the campaign will be successful, and I hope that every member of our church participates in this historic campaign.” Guidance in Giving, a New York-based company that advises Catholic groups on fundraising, is advising the campaign. They have operated similar campaigns across the country including therecent and very successful campaign for over $90 million in the Archdiocese of Newark, NJ.

Without a doubt this is challenging news for every Catholic in Rhode Island who values their faith and their Church.  But it is also a unique opportunity to ensure a firm foundation for the future of the Church’s ministry and missionfor the next generation of Catholics.

I know that   our forebears in the faith, thoseimmigrant Catholics who helped found the Diocese of Providence in 1872 alsofaced many serious challenges. These included religious discrimination, limited resources and strong resistance to the Church’s mission. Not muchhas changed in 150 years but now its our opportunity to secure a future in faith. I do not know when the campaign beginsat OLM but I will mostcertainly keep you informed.

Please pray for Sister Emma and Sister Lourdes this week and during their upcoming retreat!  Do good. Be well. God Bless. Go Sox!!

Giving Thanks for our First Liberty, Freedom of Religion

Dear Parishioners:

I hope you had a great celebration of the Fourth of July!  It’s always a great day to celebrate with family and friends with a cookout. I celebrated with my family at my sister’s home in Saratoga, New York.  It was great time with my brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and even the little grand nieces!  Good food and good fun was had by all.

Of course, the Fourth of July is more than the cookouts and fireworks.  It is a celebration of the freedoms we enjoy and sometimes take for granted. It’s a day to remember the blessings we have received in our nation.  It is also a time to give thanks to the many men and women who have sacrificed their lives for our freedoms and those who continue to protect and serve us.

On July 4, 1837, John Adams spoke about the meaning of Independence Day at a celebration in Newburyport, Massachusetts.  He stated: “Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day , the Fourth of July? Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer’s mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity?”

His words continue to ring just as true for us as Americans in the 21st Century. We celebrate our nation’s birth under God. Our freedom as citizens of this nation must be tied  to our faith as Catholics.  The two cannot be disconnected if we are truly to be both dutiful citizens and faithful disciples.

Religious freedom is a fundamental right we celebrate as Americans. It means that the government cannot coerce people into acting against their consciences. This is important for all people, not just people of faith. A government that makes one group choose obedience to the state over obedience to faith and conscience can force any group to submit to the state's demands.

Religious freedom underlies all other freedoms for everyone. People of faith need religious freedom to have the space to serve others. Oftentimes, religious liberty disputes arise when religious organizations are expected to sacrifice aspects of their faith in order to continue to serve the surrounding community. But it is our faith that in-spires us to serve.  After the federal and state government, the Catholic Church is the second largest provider of social and charitable services in Rhode Island and in the United States. Challenges to our religious freedom often comes from a mistaken view of religion, a view that sees religion as good only if it conforms to every value that happens to prevail today.

However, the good that religious institutions do is inseparable from the parts that challenge prevailing norms. Religious convictions must stand, in and out of season. When faith groups or people of faith violate their consciences, they undermine the whole mission of their ministry. People of faith and faith-based organizations must be free to make contributions to the common good of our society.

As we continue to enjoy this summer season, let us reflect on what it means to be an American Catholic in the 21st Century.  The U.S. Bishops in their recent Statement on Religious Liberty have provided an excellent reflection for us.  They state: “We are Catholics. We are Americans. We are proud to be both, grateful for the gift of faith which is ours as Christian disciples, and grateful for the gift of liberty which is ours as American citizens. To be Catholic and American should mean not having to choose one over the other. Our allegiances are distinct, but they need not be contradictory, and should instead be complementary. That is the teaching of our Catholic faith, which obliges us to work together with fellow citizens for the common good of all who live in this land. That is the vision of our founding and our Constitution, which guarantees citizens of all religious faiths the right to contribute to our common life together.”

Enjoy the summer!!!   Enjoy your freedom! Do good. Be well. God Bless. Go Sox!!