Be Watchful! Be Alert! Advent is here! Prepare the Way for the Messiah!

Dear Parishioners:                                

Advent is here! "Be watchful! Be alert!” as we are reminded in the Gospel this week.  Advent is the season when we hear that wake-up call repeatedly. The master of the house, Jesus said, could come at any moment. Later, the first Christians expected the Second Coming of Jesus in their own lifetime, but as time passed they had to get used to a longer perspective. 

The great mystic of the 14th Century, Julian of Norwich, prayed to God for a deeper longing for God.  She longed to long more for God.  She called it a wound, “the wound of longing.”  Our world no longer struggles with this idea.  On the contrary we look for complete fulfillment through our own work and pleasure. We expect nothing to happen. Many now expect nothing really from their religion, and some even see it as an obstacle to life.  

Of course, the  myth of the secular mind is to think that pleasing only oneself doesn’t close the mind.  Yet we know that nothing closes it more effectively.  Let us pray that we may feel some opening of the “wound of longing” in this Advent season.  We need to be reminded again to look up from our frenzied lives, to wake up from our slumber, and to awaken our spirit to the Master who can come at any moment. 

Let us truly prepare the way of the Messiah this Advent with more intense prayer, a renewed relationship with the Lord, our faithful attendance at Mass and frequent Sacramental Confession of our sins. Let us truly long for the Divine Messiah to come and make room for Him in our lives!

I recently received some great news.  You may remember a couple of years ago that Father Mark Spalding of Louisville led our parish on the Annual Lenten Mission. On November 21st, the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary,  Pope Francis named Father Spalding as the 12th Bishop of Nashville, Tennessee.  He and I studied together for the priesthood at the American College in Belgium and have remained good friends these many years. He is to be ordained a Bishop on February 2, 2018 on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.  Please pray for Bishop-elect Spalding.

I also heard good news from Fr. Connors last week.  He is coming home for Christmas on December 15th.  It will be good to have him back with us at OLM through the holidays.  He is working hard on his doctoral dissertation and expects to defend it in early June 2018.  So be sure to welcome him home when you see him around the parish. 

On  this Friday, December 8th, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  It is a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics and so there will be four Masses celebrated.  A 5pm Vigil Mass on Thursday and 3 Masses on Friday at 7:30am, 9:00am and 7:00pm.  There are certainly ample opportunities for us to fulfill our obligation and attend Mass on the Holy Day.

In 1854, Pope Pius IX solemnly proclaimed the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  In the declaration of this dogma he stated: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.”

It took many years for this important doctrine to develop. While many Fathers and Doctors of the Church considered Mary the greatest and holiest of the saints, they often had difficulty in seeing Mary as sinless—either at her conception or throughout her life. The teaching indicates that Mary’s Immaculate Conception enhances Jesus’ redemptive work. Other members of the human race are cleansed from original sin after birth. In the Virgin Mary, Jesus’ work was so powerful as to prevent original sin at the outset.

I am away this week attending the annual meeting of the National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors in Washington, DC and I return Sunday night. See you at Mass on the Holy Day! Our Lady is  the patroness of our parish and our nation, so come celebrate her special feast! Advent is here! Prepare the way for the Messiah! Do good. Be well. God Bless! Go Pats!!!

Celebrate Christ the King and Prepare the Way!

Dear Parishioners:                                

We celebrate Christ the King this weekend and mark the end of the Church Year. This Solemnity  proclaims Jesus Christ as the King of the Universe. Pope Francis reminds us: “On this feast day, we rejoice together in the reign of Christ the King over the whole world. He is the one who removes all that hinders
reconciliation, justice and peace. We are reminded that true royalty does not consist in a show of power, but in the humility of service; not in the oppression of the weak, but in the ability to protect them and to lead them to life in abundance (cf. Jn 10:10). Christ reigns from the Cross and, with his arms open wide, he embraces all the peoples of the world and draws them into unity.”

As the Church Year ends, we now prepare for the coming of the great Feast of Christmas.  We do so with prayerful anticipation and joyful preparation.  Advent begins next Sunday. Mother Church is shrewd for She knows that all good things demand proper preparation.  Christmas is truly a good thing.  Advent invites us to properly and joyfully prepare for the birth of our Messiah.

In our Advent prayers and worship we reminded that as Catholics we are called to “stand out” during these weeks.  We do so because we do not celebrate Christmas until Advent is over!  Somber, purple vestments are worn by our priests and no festive Christmas carols are sung yet at Mass. The crèche and all the Christmas decorations are not to appear until around Christmas Eve. 

Meanwhile in the cold and secular world around us it often appears   to be December 25th already! But in our Church, we  Catholics try to slow down, we take our time ant try to truly get ready for December 25th. We celebrate that it’s Advent.

Now please understand that I am not an “Advent extremist,” nor am I on the warpath about Christmas being too secular, or its celebration coming way too early. Although I would agree that both are true in our world today. However,  I do love the Advent Season and I know that Christmas is always more meaningful if we use this special season to  truly prepare our hearts and homes for Christ’s coming.

So how can we “salvage” Advent?  Well if you do put up your tree and the crib a bit early, save the arrival of the Baby Jesus until Christmas itself. Growing up in my family home, the Baby Jesus was never put in the crib until Christmas Eve.

Why not place an Advent wreath,  an Advent calendar or perhaps even a giving tree,  or “Jesse Tree” in your home.  Teach your children to pray and prepare for Christmas with patience and joyful service to others in imitation of  the Holy Family.

Many people worry that Christmas has  become  much too commercial and perhaps a little “too selfish.”  So consider helping someone in need and sacrificing something this Christmas you don’t really need. Helping  the poor and needy buys the real joy of Christmas more than any expensive gift ever can.    I have a friend with eight grandchildren, who, during Advent claims she has nine, as she donates the amount she spends on one of her own to a charity to help a child.

Prayer is also a tried-and-true Advent practice.  So try to join us at daily Mass this season, or perhaps make a stop in Church on the way home from work for a little prayer time with Jesus.  Pray the mysteries of the rosary every day in Advent as a way to prepare for Christmas.  Consider reconciling with that person with whom you’ve had a falling out, a fight, or have not heard from in a long time.  Why not reach out to them in the spirit of Advent peace and reconciliation.

Finally, Advent is a great time to make a good Sacramental confession. You’ll find your Mass and Holy Communion on Christmas Day a lot more meaningful if during Advent you have experienced the loving and merciful forgiveness of the Messiah in Confession. God’s forgiveness in the Sacrament of Confession is the best gift you can ever give yourself and also your family for Christmas.

Over the next few weeks lets strive to  “keep Christ in Christmas” by keeping Advent alive in our hearts and homes with patience, prayer, joyful good works and a good Confession. Do good. Be well. God Bless! Go Pats!!!  Advent is coming so prepare the way!

Ordinary Time Ending as We Gather to Give Thanks to God!

Dear Parishioners:                                
Ordinary Time is coming to end as we prepare for the great Solemnity of Christ the King next week which is the final Sunday of the Church Year. The Season of Advent starts soon. It’s hard to believe that the Church’s liturgical year iscoming to end so soon!                        

Of course, if you turn on a radio or TV you  hear all the Christmas music and see Christmas advertisements!  If you go to the mall or the local CVS, you’ll see the Christmas displays!  It started immediately after Halloween and in some cases before Halloween!

For me it is a truly a ridiculous over commercialization of a sacred season. This Thursday wecelebrate that most American of holidays, Thanksgiving Day! Much of the retail world have seemingly forgotten this holiday.  But on Thursday millions of Americans gather around their table to share a meal and give thanks to Almighty God for their blessings and bounty.

Thanksgiving Day is truly about preparing a special meal and then sharing it with family and friends.  This also included attending  high school football games, watching the NFL  and even tossing the football around in the backyard. Every family no matter how large or small, no matter how rich or poor, nomatter what color or creed  stops on Thanksgiving to give thanks to God!

Now for some people it as just a chance to get away on vacation or a time to spend night preparing for the big sales at the stores.  They then rush to the malls to fight the crowds and buy things nobody really needs and usually don’t appreciate.

Having spent five Thanksgivings living in Belgium while in the seminary, I grew very fond of the holiday.  For the Belgians it was just another Thursday and meant nothing! We classes were held and there were no football games!  We had to get our turkeys and pies from the local U.S. military base. And our Thanksgiving meal was far from home and our family.

Having celebrated Thanksgiving so far away, I grew to cherish it’s uniquely American traditions.  I have a priest friend who maintains that Thanksgiving is not only a uniquely American holiday but also a very Protestant one.  He tells me  that’s why many people do not come to  Mass on Thanksgiving Day.  I not sure that’s the real reason but  history  does tell  us that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Protestant pilgrims in 1621.

We also know that the Puritan pilgrims were very anti-Catholic. They had left England because they thought that the Church of England was too Catholic. The Puritans were strict Calvinists who opposed celebrating Christmas, dancing, musical instruments in church, and even hymns as too “Papist”!

Squanto, the beloved hero of Thanksgiving at Plymouth Rock, was a Catholic! He had been enslaved by the English but was freed by Spanish Franciscan Friars. Squanto was then baptized and became a Catholic. So it was a baptized Catholic Native American who orchestrated what became known  as Thanksgiving Day. So perhaps it is a Catholic holiday!

So while Thanksgiving may celebrate the Calvinists who fled England, we Catholics might remember that the same unjust laws they fled also granted the crown of martyrdom to St. Thomas More, St. John Fisher, St. Edmund Campion, and many other Catholic martyrs.

Also remember that the  Greek word “Eucharistia” means “Thanksgiving.”  Thus,  Holy Mass is the true “Thanksgiving Meal.” So begin your Thanksgiving Day this year by joining us on Thursday at 9:00am Mass. We gather together as a parish family to truly give our Heavenly Father thanks and gratitude for our many blessings. Our OLM Choir is singing with praise to  our good and gracious God. Also Dominican Friar, Father John Sica, OP from Providence College  is preaching the Mass.   Join us as we  give thanks to God in the best possible way, at Mass!

And on Thanksgiving Day before you happily share   your meal, don’t forget to raise your  glass and recall the words of  the great Catholic author, Hilaire Belloc: “Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine, There’s always laughter and good red wine. At least I’ve always found it so. Benedicamus Domino! Let us Bless the Lord!”

Fr. Barrow, Deacon Dowd and I wish you  a very Happy Thanksgiving.  Know of our prayers for your  safe travel. Do good. Be well. God Bless! Go Pats!!!

In the Face of Tragedy and Death, We Must Continue to Pray

Last week a beautiful young girl, Gianna Cirella, died tragically.  She was laid to rest on Tuesday. 

In his homily at her Funeral Mass, St. Kevin's Pastor, Father Bob Marciano stated: "The Lord did not and does not take life, a mysterious illness did that, but He only gives life, in fact, He hates sickness, and death as much as we do, that is the very reason that he sent us His son, to steer us through life's tragedies and turn what is bad into something good. Like those first disciples of the Divine Master, seeking answers to life's many mysteries, we come here, to this sacred place and to Him, the Lord of all life, to offer this Mass of Christian Burial, the highest prayer of the Church, and to assist Gianna with our prayers, on her final journey home to a loving God who first gave her to us. We come to stand beside Martha of the Gospel we just heard to say, "Yes, Lord we believe, that you are the Lord of Life."

Let us continue to pray for Gianna's grieving friends and family.  Also let us pray those who grieve the loss of so many in the tragedy that took place in a Texas Church on Sunday.  May the Lord of faith, hope and love be with them all and grant them consolation.

Let us also commend to God's mercy Gianna as well as the 26 victims in Texas.  May we never lose hope  or doubt our faith in Christ but rather may we always turn to our loving and merciful God in our time of need and pain and do what we are called to do as Christians, pray.

An Ancient Prayer for the Dead

God of the spirits and of all flesh, who have trampled death and annihilated the devil and given life to your world, may you yourself, O Lord, grant to the soul of your deceased servant N. rest in a place of light, a verdant place, a place of freshness, from where suffering, pain and cries are far removed. Do You, O good and compassionate God forgive every fault committed by him in word, work or thought because there is no man who lives and does not sin. You alone are without sin and your justice is justice throughout the ages and your word is truth. Since you, O Christ our God, are the resurrection, the life and the repose of your deceased servant N., we give you glory together with your un-begotten Father and your most holy, good and life-creating Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.

And as we console one another, as we keep faith with our beloved dead by praying daily for their eternal rest, perhaps these words of Saint Ignatius Loyola will help. Shortly before his death, Saint Ignatius wrote:

    If we had our fatherland and our true peace in our sojourn here in this world, it would be a great loss to us when persons or things that   gave us so much happiness are taken away.  But as we are pilgrims on   this earth, with our lasting city in the kingdom of heaven, we should not consider it a great loss when those whom we love depart a little before us, for we shall follow them before long to the place where   Christ our Lord and Redeemer has prepared for us a most happy dwelling in his bliss.

May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.

87 Signed, Sealed and Confirmed in the Catholic Faith!

Catherine Clements is confirmed by Bishop Checchio.

Dear Parishioners:                                

We had a wonderful celebration of Confirmation last Sunday.  Our 87 newly confirmed young adults have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and confirmed in their Catholic Faith.  We give thanks to God for this great occasion in the life our parish and we continue to pray for these young men and women.        

We must also give thanks to so many who helped make Confirmation a truly joyous and solemn celebration.  We thank Doug Green, our OLM Confirmation Coordinator, who works so hard to ensure a quality Religious Education program for the candidates and for his tireless efforts in making the Confirmation Ceremony so wonderful.  We also thank those helping Doug especially Mickey St. Jean, Mary Anne Weaver and Kathy Hall.

We offer our thanks to Henri St. Louis, our Choir Director, Deidre Donovan, our soloist and the OLM Choir for the beautiful music at the Mass.  Our Altar Servers and OLM Ushers also helped make the ceremony so terrific.  And we thank all those who helped to prepare, decorate and make the Mass truly solemn.

Bishop Checchio preaching at Confirmation Mass.

We thank Bishop Checchio of Metuchen who conferred the Sacrament upon our young adults  His presence and preaching are truly appreciated. We are grateful that  he took time from his very busy schedule to be with us at OLM. When the Bishop was Rector of the Seminary in Rome, he helped to prepare Fr. Barrow and Fr. Connors for the priesthood.  We’ve been blessed with these two great Associate Pastors at OLM and I thank Bishop Checchio who played such an important role in forming our young OLM priests.

Our newly Confirmed young adults  are fully initiated in the Catholic Faith and we hope to put them to work for God and Parish. In the coming weeks, they are to receive a letter inviting each of  them to consider taking up a ministry at OLM. We hope they willingly choose to serve their parish as Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Choir Members, Ushers and Religious Education teachers. May they remember the words of the great Saint Catherine of Siena: “Be who you were created to be, and you will set the world on fire!”

The Tierney Brothers with their brother, newly Confirmed Owen PATRICK Tierney, also pictured is Fr. Healey, OLM Pastor, Bishop Checchio and Fr. Barrow, OLM Associate Pastor.

Fr. Barrow attended the Diocese of Providence Priests’ Convocation this past week at the Gurney’s Newport Hotel on Goat Island.  Noted Catholic author Sherry Weddell  presented  talks based upon her books: Forming Intentional Disciples, Becoming a Parish of Intentional Disciples and Fruitful  Discipleship. Her insights on building up discipleship at a parish  were very helpful and produced much fruitful discussion among the priests gathered.  Such a time away together is truly a great time for the priests to join with our bishops in prayer, reflection and also a little casual socializing. 

While Fr. Barrow stayed in Newport and attended the entire Convocation,  I  stayed behind at OLM but was able to commute to Newport and attend some of the conferences as well. These Convocations are held every other year and  they are truly a great resource for priests.  We do not often come together except at occasional business meetings and funerals of brother priests. So it is always a welcomed occasion to gather together in a more relaxed and reflective time.  I thank both Bishop Tobin and Bishop Evans who continue to make these important Convocations a meaningful opportunity for their brother priests.

Every priest   is also required to make an annual retreat.  This is to be a time of intense prayer and reflection at a Retreat House or a Monastery.  This week I am making my Annual Retreat from Monday evening until Friday morning. I am grateful to Fr. Barrow who will ably run the parish in my absence.  I am also grateful to the Priests of Opus Dei for their invitation to attend their Retreat for Diocesan Priests at the Arnold Hall Retreat Center in Pembroke, Massachusetts.

I look forward to the experience of prayer and reflection. I humbly ask for your prayers during this time of retreat that it may be a truly fruitful and helpful  time in support of  my priestly ministry. Please know that I shall pray for you and your intentions daily during the retreat.

Have a great week! Do good. Be well. God Bless! Go Pats!!!

Praying for our Dead While Confirming the Future of the Church

Dear Parishioners:                                

November has arrived and with it our commitment and duty as Christians to pray for the dead.  During this All Souls Month of November we especially recall the poor souls in purgatory.          

The Church teaches us that after death there is for some as state of purgation, more commonly called Purgatory.  It is entirely different from Hell.  It is simply a purifying process for those who die in God’s grace but are not yet prepared to enjoy the glory of heaven.

Saint Pope John Paul II described purgatory in these words: “Those who live in this state of purification after death are not separated from God but are immersed in the love of Christ.  Neither are they separated from the saints in heaven or from us on earth. We all remain united in the Mystical Body of Christ, and we can therefore offer up prayers and good works on behalf of our brothers and sisters in purgatory.”

It is good theology, and it is good common sense. Imagine if we got a call when we got home and they told us that the President or the Pope was coming for dinner.  Wouldn’t we want some time to prepare? Wouldn’t we want to get ready to greet them? 

Judas Maccabaeus Praying for the Dead  by Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640

And so it is when we are called at death to the eternal banquet by God our loving Father.  Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John:  “I go to prepare a place for you.”  So we too prepare to meet our Lord, by our time in purgatory.

This is why the Church has the ancient and venerable tradition of praying for the dead and why we have Masses  for the dearly departed.   It is also why we have the feast of All Souls, for the souls in purgatory.  This tradition can be seen as far back as the Old Testament in the book of Maccabees which tells us:   “it is good to pray for the dead.”  St. Augustine, the  great Doctor of the Church,  once remarked about cemeteries that “monuments are built for the survivors but prayer is the best way to assist the dead.”

We pray for the dead and have Mass offered for the repose of their souls because the dead who are in as they depend upon the aid and charity of our prayers.  For that reason, we have the custom of calling them poor souls. We are urged to always remember the dead daily in our prayers and at Masses.  These beloved souls undergoing purification after death depend completely upon the charitable remembrances of us who are their fellow members in the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church.  At the same time, they continue to love us and can also pray for us.

Today in very special way  we remember our fellow  OLM parishioners who died over the last year.  We remember  them and all souls during this month. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.  And may perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. 

This Sunday night at the 5:00pm Mass, we  celebrate with great joy as a parish with the 88 young adults who are to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation and begin a new chapter in their young lives as Catholic disciples. They receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God to help them live as courageous witnesses of Christ in the world. We are grateful that they have chosen to come forward for the Sacrament and continue to grow in their Catholic Faith. 

We thank their parents and sponsors who have led them to this important occasion in their faith life. We also thank the many teachers who taught them the ways of Christ and the rich teaching of the Catholic Church.  We must also thank Bishop James F. Checchio of Metuchen, NJ for traveling to OLM to celebrate Confirmation with our young adults.  It is a great privilege to have him with us for this special occasion in the life of our parish.

Bishop Checchio’s  episcopal motto is “Be reconciled to God.” This motto  recalls St. Paul’s appeal for us to continue the central mission for which Jesus was sent by the Father. And so let us pray for our newly Confirmed that they may always be reconciled to God in their lives. May they continue to grow in faith, hope and love as go forth sealed with the Holy Spirit and confirmed in their Catholic Faith. We offer a warm welcome to Bishop Checchio and our prayerful congratulations to our Confirmandi!

Do good. Be well. God Bless! Happy Veterans’ Day!