Death and Taxes!

Dear Parishioners: I hope you survived Tax Day on April 15th!  The old adage  that “the only things certain in this life are death and taxes ” came to mind as I filed my Federal and Rhode Island Income Tax Returns last week! The Catechism of the Catholic Church instructs us that: “submission to authority and co-responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes...” (CCC No. 2240)  So while some may bemoan the paying of taxes, we are obligated to pay them for the common good of our state and nation.  In fact, the Catechism instructs us that it is a duty to pay our taxes.  So it seems both God and Caesar want us to pay taxes!

Likewise, the state has obligations to its citizens like providing for the peace, harmony and needs of all citizens especially the disadvantaged.  The Catechism also states: “Political authorities are obliged to respect the fundamental rights of the human person. They will dispense justice humanely by respecting the rights of everyone, especially of families and the disadvantaged.” (CCC No. 2237) So its clear that both citizens and state have duties and responsibilities.  Each are called to provide for justice, solidarity, freedom, and peace. Yes we have a duty to pay our taxes but our government is obligated to provide necessary services like education, healthcare, social services, fire and police services, and upkeep of our infrastructure.

No doubt most of us claimed our charitable deductions on our income tax return.  Giving to the Church and other worthwhile charities isn’t only an important thing to do, it is also tax deductible.  However, there is currently “tax reform” legislation pending in U.S. Congress that would eliminate all charitable deductions from the tax code. This would effect not only Churches but also universities and colleges and every other charity that depends upon voluntary donations.  As you can imagine the charitable community and churches are actively opposing such “reform” as it could have a devastating effect upon financial support of these charities.

There is a common misconception that the Catholic Church pays no taxes.  Some even believe that we priests also do not pay taxes.  Well I can assure you that priests pay income taxes as I sent my return and check to both the U.S. Government and State of Rhode Island last week! While the Catholic Church is tax exempt organization, priests are not.  It is true that the Church pays no property taxes and this is true for all religious and non-profit groups not just the Catholics. This increasingly is a source of animus from many in our society especially atheist and secular humanist groups.  They usually direct their vitriol to the Catholic Church whenever our bishops teach about a moral issue.

The customary cries of “separation of church and state” loudly shouted whenever the Church teaches about the sanctity of life and marriage or the dignity of the human person including even undocumented immigrants. Sadly these folks have misinterpreted the principle of separation of church and state and rather ironically they never seem to attack the many liberal Protestant Ministers who advocate for abortion on demand and the redefinition of marriage.

While the Catholic Church is a tax exempt organization there is no exemption from teaching the truth about human life, marriage and human dignity even in the public square. The separation of church and state is not meant to stifle the Church’s prophetic voice but rather protect the Church from government intervention in their church.

Yes, death and taxes are certainties of every life but our lives are meant to be lived not hidden in fear in an room but alive with the faith and active in our society.  Our Holy Father, Pope Frances reminded us of this in his Easter Message to the World: “Let us be renewed by God’s mercy, let us be loved by Jesus, let us enable the power of his love to transform our lives too; and let us become agents of this mercy, channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish.” God Bless. Have a great week!

Spring, the Season of Sacraments!!

Dear Parishioners:Last Saturday OLM School hosted its  Spring Fling at Warwick Country Club.  This annual event for our parish school is very important for fundraising.  There was a nice meal, dancing and both a silent and live auction.  I am grateful to the committee who worked so hard to ensure such a terrific evening for all those in attendance.  Also I thank the many generous donors who help support our school.  Channel 12’s own Mike Montecalvo and Danielle North acted as the auctioneers for the live auction.  I thank them for the great job they did in raising the bids! There were a whole host of auction items to bid on from having your child serve as the OLM Principal for a day to luxury box seats for a New England Patriots game next fall.

However, the item that drew the highest bids was a Dinner for Eight cooked by our own resident executive chef, Father Shemek.  It proved to be a popular item and so we had to add a second dinner for eight!  Both dinners sold for $3,000 a piece!  We are grateful for the bidders support as all the proceeds go to directly support our school. Father Shemek promises the dinners won’t be all cabbage and kielbasa! By the way, while I cannot cook like Father Shemek, I am responsible for providing the wines and cigars for the dinners! Bon Appetit!

The Spring Fling was a great way to kick off the season of spring! The better weather and warm sun are arriving just in time for the April School Vacation! I wish all of our students and teachers a great vacation.  Enjoy the week off and we hope you return  all tanned, rested and ready for the final weeks of school! Of course, springtime always brings with it the usual First Communion Celebrations, Confirmations, weddings and Graduations!

It’s hard to believe but we are getting ready for the celebration of  First Communion.  Father Shemek and I are truly looking forward to celebrating First Communion here at OLM for the first time.  Its always a joyful and faith-filled event in the life of the children as well as our parish family. On Saturday, May 11th there will be two First Communion Masses here at OLM, one at 10:00AM for OLM School children and one at Noon for our OLM RE children.  Of course, it will be followed by the May Crowning on Mother’s Day!

Bishop Tobin will be at OLM on Sunday, May 19th to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation for our 9th Grade Confirmation Candidates.  The Mass will be celebrated at 1:00PM on Pentecost Sunday, a fitting day to call forth the Holy Spirit upon our young Catholics!  This is to be the last spring confirmation at OLM as we have changed the RE Program so that the Sacrament of Confirmation is now to be celebrated in the fall  as our future 9th graders enter high school.

This serves to remind the candidates that Confirmation is a sacrament of initiation not a “graduation” from Religious Education as it has too often become for many!  Also it gives these young Catholics the many graces of the sacrament when they need it most, just as they begin their high school years! We know that the high school years can present both good and bad opportunities for teenagers. We hope and pray that with the grace of God to help them and the gifts of the Holy Spirit to guide them, they may always choose the path of Christ!

So going forward Religious Education classes are to be completed at the end of 8th Grade followed by Confirmation at the beginning of 9th grade.  This style of Religious Education program is being adopted by many parishes across the state. We anticipate an October date for Confirmation for our present 8th graders. It’s seems that our spring calendar at OLM is to be very full and includes May Devotions on Mondays and OLM School Graduation in June along with a few weddings too! All signs of the new life we celebrate in this Easter Season!  I am away this week visiting priest friends at the seminary in sunny Miami!  I too hope to return tan, rested and ready! God Bless. Go Sox!!

Giving Thanks and Celebrating Easter for Fifty Days!

Dear Parishioners: “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised” asks the Gospel of Easter Day. Why indeed?  Christ is Risen! He has truly Risen!  And so we continue to celebrate this wonderful season of joy and glory for fifty days!  Let us continue to celebrate the Easter Alleluia and the Resurrection of the Lord with the same faith and gusto has we did on Easter Sunday.

We had large crowds at all our Holy Week services here at Our Lady of Mercy.  Both Deacon John and Father Shemek noted that they were so very thrilled by such a great turn out for the most important and holiest days of the Church Year.  I echo their enthusiasm for such a display of devotion, faith, hope, love and joy!  Alleluia indeed! 

My thanks to all who helped to make Holy Week and Easter such a tremendous event for our parish.  The many volunteers who clean and polish, set up and clean up for the services, those who decorate the Church so beautifully, those altar servers who served so reverently,  the Lectors and Ministers who ministered so well, the Ushers who greeted our visitors and parishioners with such service and welcome, our musicians and choirs who sang and performed so beautifully and all of the many good and faithful parishioners who prayed and worshiped so devotedly over the Sacred Triduum.  With gratitude and thanks for all you do!

In your name, I also welcome and congratulate those who celebrated the Sacraments at the Easter Vigil.  We welcome Adam and Aimee Couto and their three children who joined the Catholic Church this Easter.  We offer our prayers to their youngest son, Dylan who was baptized, and their daughter, Madison and son, Jacob, who were received into the Church and made their Frist Communion.  We also offer prayers for Adam and Aimee who were received into the Church and received the Sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation.  Welcome to our Catholic Family at OLM!

I must also congratulate the others who received the Sacrament of Confirmation at the Easter Vigil: Anthony Gelsomino, John Nolin, Craig Conway and John Duffy.  May the Holy Spirit continue to guide and lead them in the faith and help them always to be willing and faithful members of the Church.  Best wishes to you all! I also wish to thank all those who were so generous in supporting the OLM Outreach “Irish Celebration” a couple of weeks ago.  We had a great crowd for corned beef, Irish bread, step dancers and live music.  Thanks to the many volunteers who helped with event and thanks to all those who donated to McAuley House.  We were able to send the good folks at McAuley House $1,500 raised at the event.  Thank you one and all for a great time and for supporting a great cause.

On Easter Monday thanks to the many good folks of OLM we not only reached our Catholic Charity Appeal Goal but surpassed it.  My thanks to the over 500 parish families who have been so generous in supporting the good works of the Diocese of Providence through the Charity Appeal.  We are still trying to reach our donor goal of 600 families.  So if you have not yet donated to the CCA, I encourage to do so.  Just imagine all the good works for the poor and needy if all 2,200 families registered at OLM gave to the Charity Appeal!

Finally, I wish to congratulate our Parish Trustee, Joe Cavanagh, who is to receive the Lumen Gentium Award for Respect Life from Bishop Tobin.  It is a fitting recognition of Joe’s steadfast and dedicated support of the sanctity of marriage and human life in our state.  The Lumen Gentium Awards Dinner is scheduled for May 16th and for more information on tickets or purchasing an ad please go to www.diocesepvd.org/lumen-gentium

Easter was early this year but now April has arrived and we’ve moved the Saturday Vigil Mass forward to 5:00PM.  Of course, it’s also baseball season and as I write this column on Monday I am joyfully listening to the Red Sox beat the Yankees in the season opener in the Bronx.  Happy Easter! God Bless. Go Sox!

Happy Easter! Celebrate the Risen Christ!!

Dear Parishioners: Happy Easter! "This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad! Alleluia!"  The Resurrection we celebrate on Easter is the very foundation of our faith, our hope, and our love. It is so central to our faith that we celebrate it every Sunday at Mass. I hope and pray those who join us at Mass this Easter begin to reclaim Sunday as the Lord's Day in their lives. May they be anchored in faithfulness to Sunday Mass which is  our weekly family meal with the risen Jesus.

The triumph, the life, the light, the raising up, the salvation which exploded on that  Easter morning as Jesus rose from the dead continues in His Church every day. The power of the risen Christ shows itself in the extraordinary community that is the Church. God's love for us is so personal, so  passionate, so intense that He gave His only begotten Son for our salvation.  St. Paul asks a very interesting question in one of his Letters:  “What would it be like if Christ did not rise from the dead?”  Thankfully St. Paul answers his own question: “If Christ did not rise from the dead, then we have lived in vain, and we have believed  in vain.”

But Christ did rise from the dead! He did leave the tomb. He did conquer death. And so our life is neither a staircase leading nowhere or a meaningless journey because of Easter. Pope Benedict, Pope Emeritus reminds us: “God exists: that is the real message of Easter. Anyone who even begins to grasp what this means also knows what it means to be redeemed.”

Indeed because of our hope in the resurrection, our lives find their ultimate purpose and destiny in God, in life eternal. But also because of Easter, nothing that we do in this life is ever meaningless, however big or small. Because of Easter, every good deed we make, even the smallest act of kindness, becomes something of tremendous value. The road of life, the road which we all travel, can often be uphill; filled with pot-holes of suffering, sidetracked by failure and even detoured by defeat. And yet we can endure the harshness of our journey because of the hope that we celebrate today: the Risen Christ, endless glory, lasting peace, and eternal happiness. We took the forty days of Lent, preparing for Easter, very seriously at OLM.  I offer my congratulations to those who, by more fervent prayer, more self-denial, and greater charity to those in need, responded so well to the Ash Wednesday invitation of the Lord to “return to me with all your heart!” The forty days of Lent are behind us, so now let’s celebrate the fifty days of the Easter Season leading up to Pentecost Sunday.

At Easter we look around the Church and beyond at the “explosion of new life” for it’s just not the lilies in full bloom but also the risen life of Christ is in full bloom!  Our faith tells us that the victory of Jesus over sin, Satan, and death at Easter is not just His triumph alone — He shares it with all of us!  He shares it with those baptized, confirmed, receiving Him for the first time in Holy Communion, and those joining His Church this Easter! Alleluia! Welcome one and all!

He shares it in a few weeks with our parish children who share the risen life of Jesus as they make their First Holy Communion! Alleluia! He shares it in a few weeks with our parish young people who are to be confirmed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Alleluia!  He shares it over the next couple of months, with young couples who begin new lives in the sacrament of marriage. Alleluia!

The Resurrection of Christ is radiating life and light all over! Alleluia! For fifty days we’ll keep the Easter candle lit brightly, we’ll smell the powerful aroma of the lilies; we’ll joyfully sing out “alleluia,” and we’ll stay close to Jesus through the sacraments.  The darkness, gloom, and death of Good Friday do not have the last word. The night is over; winter is gone. The light and life of Easter Sunday morning triumph! It’s morning. it’s springtime in the Church. Saint Augustine said it so well: “We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!” Father Shemek, Deacon John and I wish you a Blessed Easter, may it be full of peace, joy and happiness!

Remembering The Passion of Our Lord

We have a Pope! Pope Francis, our new Holy Father, was installed this past Tuesday on the Solemnity of St. Joseph.  It was a fitting day for such a celebration as St. Joseph is the Patron of the Universal  Church.  Pope Francis has truly been an inspiring example of humility and holiness these last weeks since his election. At the Mass of Installation, he offered these wise words: “Let us never forget that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross. He must be inspired by the lowly, concrete and faithful service which marked Saint Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God’s people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important, those whom Matthew lists in the final judgment on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Only those who serve with love are able to protect!” Truly inspiring words to begin our celebration of Holy Week. As we prayerfully listen to the Passion of our Lord this weekend and mark his entry into Jerusalem, may we begin this holiest time of the year with a renewed commitment to following Christ’s example of love and sacrifice.  Now that the rigors and sacred discipline of Lent are drawing to a close and as we approach the solemn celebration of the Sacred Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter, may we do so with our hearts renewed in the faith and a ever deeper union with Christ and His Church. I invite you to join us for the celebrations of Holy Week.

On Holy Thursday, we  mark the institution of the Eucharist and Sacred Priesthood with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7:00PM.  Our Church will be transformed into that upper room where our Lord offered his last supper and humbly washed the feet of his apostles.  Following the Mass, we will have the great opportunity to “watch and pray” in adoration of the Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament as our Church is transformed into the Garden of Gethsemane where our Lord prayed the night before his crucifixion.  The Church will remain open until Midnight for prayer at the Altar of Repose.

On Good Friday we mark the crucifixion and death of our Lord with simple Stations of the Cross at 3:00PM and the solemn celebration of the Liturgy of the Passion and Veneration of the Cross at 7:00PM.  This solemn day should be spent in prayer and reflection and is a day of fast and abstinence for Catholics.

Holy Saturday we celebrate the Mother of all Vigils, the great Easter Vigil.  The Easter Vigil can only be celebrated after sunset so we will begin the great celebration at 8:00PM next Saturday.  We will celebrate with great joy our Lord’s glorious and triumphant resurrection.  We especially rejoice at Our Lady of Mercy as we receive our new Catholics into the Church and welcome one of our newest Catholics with Baptism into the faith. On Easter Sunday we continue our celebration of  joy  with the normal Sunday Mass schedule.  Fr. Shemek, Deacon John and I are truly looking forward to our first Holy Week at Our Lady of Mercy.  We will remember all of you in our prayers as we humbly ask for yours.  May Holy Week 2013 be for  us as a parish family a truly prayerful and powerful celebration our Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection.

Benedict, the Pope Emeritus, suggests: "The Paschal Mystery we relive in the Easter Triduum is not just a memory but a current reality. Even today, Christ overcomes sin and death with His love. Evil in all its forms does not have the last word. The final triumph is of Christ’s truth and love! If we are prepared to suffer and die with Him, as St. Paul reminds us in the Easter Vigil, His life becomes our life. It is upon this certainty that our Christian lives are built." God Bless Pope Francis!  Have a truly blessed Holy Week!  See you in Church! God Bless.

Celebrating Lent with St. Joseph and St. Patrick!

Dear Parishioners: I hope you were able to make it to all or part of our Parish Lenten Mission this past week. Father Tim Reilly did a wonderful job and truly gave us much to think and pray about in our lives.  I am grateful for his presence in our parish and in your name, thank him for an outstanding job of preaching the Gospel to our parish.

The sound we hear this weekend is the new sound system in our Church.  It was installed this week and has been fully operation since Wednesday.  AVCOM Technologies from North Kingstown finished replacing all the old speakers with new Bose  speakers, old microphones with  new sets and replaced much of the old wiring.  This system should enhance your hearing of the Mass  and make it much clearer throughout the entire body of the Church.  In addition to the new speakers you see at either side of the altar, there are two more toward the rear of the Church, two in the vestibule, two in the sanctuary, two in the choir loft and  one new speaker in the cry room. This should ensure no matter where you are seated, you can clearly hear what’s being said  or sung at Mass.  The system also comes with special devices for those who are hearing impaired. If you need one of these devices, please contact the Parish Office and let us know.

The work for the new system was done quickly and AVCOM has a sterling reputation in the Diocese, having installed sound systems in the Cathedral, St. Rocco, St. Jude and Blessed Sacrament.  The total cost of this project was $20,000 and was funded thanks to your generous support of the Annual Collection.  We also anticipate modernizing and updating the   Church bathrooms in the weeks after Easter.  We are currently taking bids for the work and hope to renovate the bathrooms, install new fixtures and changing tables in both bathrooms.  This project is also possible because your generosity to the Annual Collection.

It’s hard to believe that Lent is drawing to a close as next weekend we look forward to the solemn celebration of Palm Sunday.  The complete schedule for Holy Week is printed in this week’s bulletin and I encourage to clip it out and put it on your refrigerator as a reminder.  Holy Week is the most sacred and special time of the year yet sadly too  many Catholics skip attending the ceremonies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Father Shemek, Deacon  John and I are all looking forward to celebrating our first Holy Week at Our Lady of Mercy.

If you have never attended Holy Week before, we invite you to consider doing so this year. Before Holy Week comes, we do have two very special feasts to celebrate at OLM. Namely the Feasts of St. Patrick and St. Joseph!  I invite you to join us Tuesday for Italian Mass at 12:05 to mark the Solemnity of St. Joseph.  Monsignor “Alberto” Kenney will offer the Mass in Italian along with some Italian hymns.  He will also offer the traditional St. Joseph’s Day Table Blessing of breads and pastries.  So bring your Italian bread and goodies to be blessed. Following the Mass, please be our guest for a zeppole!   Happy St. Joseph’s Day!

This Sunday is the great Feast of St. Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland and we will mark it next Saturday after Mass.  Join us in the OLM School Cafeteria for  corned beef sandwiches,  Irish soda bread, Irish music and Irish dancers!  All we ask is that you make a donation to OLM Outreach for our efforts in  supporting McAuley House.  Hope you can make it!

In a special way we mark Palm Sunday by returning our Lenten Rice Bowls which we have sacrificed to fill these last few weeks.  All the proceeds from Operation Rice Bowl go to support the poor and hungry served by Catholic Relief Services.  We ask that you count up all your coins and write out a check, it makes it much easier for our volunteer counters. We continue to pray for the Conclave to elect our new pope.  As I write this column we continue to await the white smoke and the words “habemus papam,” “We have a Pope!”