A Prayer for Labor Day

Prayer for Labor Day On this weekend, when we rest from our usual labors, loving Father, we pray for all who shoulder the tasks of human labor—in the marketplace, in factories and offices, in the professions, and in family living.

We thank you, Lord, for the gift and opportunity of work; may our efforts always be pure of heart, for the good of others and the glory of your name.

We lift up to you all who long for just employment and those who work to defend the rights and needs of workers everywhere.

May those of us who are now retired always remember that we still make a valuable contribution to our Church and our world by our prayers and deeds of charity.

May our working and our resting all give praise to you until the day we share together in eternal rest with all our departed in your Kingdom as you live and reign Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

—Prayer courtesy of Archdiocese of Detroit

Resting with the Lord on Labor Day...

Dear Parishioners: We welcomed our OLM students, staff and faculty back this past Wednesday.  The First Day of School was a great beginning of the new academic year complete with great excitement and energy.  What a blessing our school is for our parish and community.  In a recent column on Catholic Education Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the Archbishop of Washington, observed that “the children attending Catholic schools along city streets, suburban neighborhoods and in the rural countryside come from all backgrounds, and through challenging academic programs rooted in Catholic values learn to be the future leaders of our church, our communities, our nation and our world.” This Friday at 9:00AM we formally mark the opening of the school year with a Mass of the Holy Spirit.  I invite all parishioners to join with our students, faculty, staff and school families as we call upon the Holy Spirit to guide us during the school year.  What a great way to celebrate our Catholic Faith as it is lived out and taught in our school on a daily basis.   If you cannot attend the Mass, then please remember to pray for our students, staff and faculty.

This weekend we kick-off the new 5:00PM Sunday Evening Mass at OLM.  This  addition of a fifth Mass to our weekend schedule should afford those at OLM and in the area yet another opportunity to get to Sunday Mass. In the past OLM parishioners who sought an evening Mass on Sundays would often attend the 5:30PM Sunday Mass at nearby St. Francis de Sales Church in North Kingstown.  However, Fr. Procaccini, the new pastor at St. Francis, recently announced changes in their Weekend Mass schedule which includes eliminating the 5:30PM Mass. So I urge you to invite your friends and neighbors to join us at Mass on Sundays.  Perhaps you might make a special effort to invite someone who has fallen away from the Church or routinely skips Mass to come join us.  Pope Francis reminds us: “Where does Jesus send us? There are no borders, no limits: he sends us to everyone. The Gospel is for everyone, not just for some. It is not only for those who seem closer to us, more receptive, more welcoming. It is for everyone. Do not be afraid to go and to bring Christ into every area of life, to the fringes of society, even to those who seem farthest away, most indifferent. The Lord seeks all, he wants everyone to feel the warmth of his mercy and his love.”

Next weekend we welcome to OLM, Father Nicholas Smith who will be preaching at all Masses.  Father Smith is one of our Senior Priests who served many years as Chaplain at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Pastor at St. Francis de Sales in North Kingstown and later at St. Francis of Assisi in South Kingstown.  He comes to us next weekend to speak about the Senior Priests’ Collection which is scheduled for the weekend of September 14th and 15th. This important collection helps fund the pension fund for Senior Priests in Providence.  I’m sure you will give him your usual warm Our Lady of Mercy welcome! This

Monday we mark the “unofficial” end of summer as the nation celebrates Labor Day.   Each year the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issues a Labor Day Statement.  This year they write: “Labor Day is an opportunity to take stock of the ways workers are honored and respected. Unfortunately, millions of workers today are denied this honor and respect as a result of unemployment, underemployment, unjust wages, wage theft, abuse, and exploitation.”  As we celebrate Labor Day with picnics, golfing, boating or at the beach, let us take time to pray for the gift of work that gives each us human dignity.  May we also remember all those who are unemployed and seeking work.  Labor Day is a day to rest from work but also a day to remember in prayer workers and rejoice in the dignity that work bestows upon us.  Have a great week. Keep praying for our students returning to school. Let’s hope we have a crowd at Sunday Mass at 5PM! Enjoy the holiday and Happy Labor Day!

Prayers for the First Day of School

 

Prayers to Begin a School Year

God of wisdom and might, we praise you for the wonder of our being, for mind, body and spirit. Be with our children as they begin a new school year. Bless them and their teachers and staff. Give the strength and grace as their bodies grow; wisdom and knowledge to their minds as they search for understanding; and peace and zeal to their hearts. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for Students Lord our God, in your wisdom and love you surround us with the mysteries of the universe. Send your spirit upon these students and fill them with your wisdom and blessings. Grant that they may devote themselves to their studies and draw ever closer to you, the source of all knowledge. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for Teachers Lord God, your spirit of wisdom fills the earth and teaches us in your ways. Look upon these teachers. Let them strive to share their knowledge with gentle patience and endeavor always to bring the truth to eager minds. Grant that we may follow Jesus Christ, the way, the truth and the life, forever and ever. Amen.

Back to School and Beyond!

Dear Parishioners:This time of year always brings to mind my first day of school in September 1970!  On his way to work  that day my Father brought me  to the Rhodes School in Edgewood. It was to be my first day of Kindergarten.  He walked me to Mrs. Johnson’s room in the basement of the school and said his goodbyes! I remember being very, very nervous. Amazingly I still remember Mrs. Johnson’s face and tender voice as she led me to my seat in my new classroom.  Among the many students there were two of my next door neighbors. As I looked at these familiar faces, I remember feeling more at ease. Over that school year Mrs. Johnson would teach us to read, write, add and subtract. These basic skills would serve as the foundation for the rest of our lives. In fact,  I  depend everyday  on what I learned from Mrs. Johnson forty-three years ago, especially those 26 letters of the alphabet!  I am grateful to her and so many of the great teachers I had over the 22 years of education. Each day I use the basic skills learned in Kindergarten and the knowledge gained over a lifetime of education.  None of which would be possible without the dedication and diligence of good teachers. As the school year begins please join me in remembering with gratitude the women and men from your own school days who taught and readied you for life.  Let us  offer a prayer of thanksgiving  for the teachers who taught us, inspired us and prepared us for the journey of life. This week we also remember the many young children  who make the first trek to a new classroom and meet their new teacher. Those  at OLM School and at schools all across the state and nation enter into the new world of school this week.  Yes, the First Day of School is Wednesday for our OLM students and teachers.  May God bless all our students, staff and teachers with a great school year.  May it be a year filled with faith, hope, joy and wisdom.  Welcome back students, study hard and pray often!! Last Friday night Father Connors and I  took a road trip to Tiverton to visit Fr. Shemek. His new digs in Tiverton are very nice and he is certainly thriving in his new parish by the sea!  The pastoring of not one but two parishes presents many challenges but Fr. Shemek seems to be settling in very nicely in his new role.  As usual he prepared a wonderful meal and we had a great night of priestly fraternity. I ask you to please keep Fr. Shemek in your prayers as he is to be installed as Pastor of St. Theresa and St. Christopher Parishes by Bishop Tobin next Sunday morning.  I hope to attend the Mass of Installation next week and celebrate the special day with Fr. Shemek.  In your name I  bring him the congratulations and prayerful best wishes of the Our Lady of Mercy Parish Family. Next weekend is also the inaugural weekend for the new addition to our Mass schedule. We begin a weekly Sunday Evening Mass at 5:00PM on September 1.  It begins in September and will continue until the last  Sunday in June.  Many parishioners have expressed their thanks for this Mass and I hope many turn out for it.  One parishioner told me that he hoped to take his whole family to the Sunday 5:00PM Mass and then to dinner.  A true family event both spiritually and physically nourished!  So please spread the word among your family, friends, neighbors and even the strangers you meet at Dave’s Market.  There is now a “Last Call” Mass in East Greenwich right at OLM on Sunday evenings! We’ve been making some improvements on our parking lots.  A large pothole lot has been repaired and new striping is to be laid down.  The new handicapped spots and these improvements add to the safety  and protection of both parkers and pedestrians.  I know it’s hard to believe that the month of August ends this week and school begins on Wednesday! Yes, summer is coming to a close, too quickly for many and not soon enough for others! But time flies for all even summer vacationers! So enjoy the week. God Bless. Go Sox!!Hope to see some of you at the new  Sunday evening Mass at 5PM!

Honoring Mary with Faith and Charity!

Dear Parishioners: Is the image at the Church of the Presentation in North Providence truly an image of  the Virgin Mary?  Is it a miracle as some people have suggested? Or is it simply a stain on a cross? All week crowds have gathered at the North Providence Church to look at the image on the cross that appears to resemble the Blessed Mother.  The media have flocked to the site and run news stories all week.  The Diocese of Providence this week issued the following statement:

“The Catholic Church is always very cautious in evaluating alleged miracles. It is highly unlikely that the image of the Virgin Mary that individuals are seeing on the cross of the Church of the Presentation in North Providence is the result of divine intervention.  Nonetheless, God often works through ordinary means, and if the image on the cross, even if it is the result of natural causes, inspires individuals to a renewed faith in God and greater charity for their neighbor, that’s a positive message to be welcomed and embraced.  Catholics are also reminded that the best way to express their love and devotion for our Blessed Mother, is to attend Holy Mass this Thursday, August 15^th, the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, a holy day of obligation.”

Miracle or stain, the remarkable thing is that people stopped to look and pray.  However, as the above statement suggests the best way to pray is to come to Mass.   The Eucharist is the best prayer we have and it should always be the “source and summit” of our Catholic Faith.  How sad it would be if someone went to North Providence to see the image  of the Blessed Mother but skipped Mass this week on her Feast of the Assumption.

The other Diocesan news this week is that the Catholic Charity Appeal thanks to the generosity of the faithful has surpassed this year’s $7.8 million goal despite the state’s continued economic challenges.  I offer my thanks to the 632 OLM parishioners who so generously responded to the call to support the many good and charitable works of our Diocesan Church.  Our parish goal was surpassed as we raised  at OLM a total of $227,860, the third highest total in the state.  We finished behind St. Luke Church in Barrington and Christ the King Church in South Kingstown.   Thankfully for the Appeal many parishes reached or surpassed their goal.

We also surpassed our goal of 600 parish households participating in the Charity Appeal.  However, we are a parish of over 2,000 registered parishioners and  only about 25% helped to reach this goal.  Again I thank our Catholic Charity Appeal Chairs, Steven and Antonia Zubiago and Kevin and Nancy McDevitt for their leadership in helping surpass our parish goal.  Their leadership and your great generosity are also deeply appreciated by Bishop Tobin who recently sent a note of thanks for the great effort made by our parish.

Of course, your generosity to the poor and needy extends well beyond the Catholic Charity Appeal and includes your great support of our OLM Outreach.  Your generous support in the monthly Outreach envelope continues to support the work  of our Outreach Office.  It also allows us to financially support the good work of McAuley House and Emmanuel House in Providence and House of Hope in Warwick which serve the homeless and destitute.  Also we’ve been able to help  Whitmarsh Home for Boys where OLP Brother John McHale does such great work.

We’ve also been able to help pro-life groups support women in crisis pregnancies  along with helping mothers of newborns  getting the supplies they need for their children. In the name of the poor and needy, I offer my gratitude for your continued generosity and support of the OLM Outreach charitable works.   Your deep love and respect of the poor is a great witness of your Catholic Faith. Your charity helps many people in need and I know they too are grateful. It’s the last week of summer for many of our OLM students so be sure to enjoy it! God Bless. Go Sox!!

Fond Farewells as Summer Moves Along...

Dear Parishioner: We said “Farewell” to Sister Lucy and Sister Rose this past week.  They have retired from full-time ministry and relocated to larger convents.  There is a letter from the good sisters in this week’s bulletin and also there new addresses if you wish to contact them and wish them well.  In your name, we thank Sister Rose and Sister Lucy for their many years of service to our parish and for their continued witness to the faith.  May God continue to bless them both with good health and happiness in the years to come. We know that  they continue to follow the mission of the foundress of their religious community, St. Lucy Filippini, who reminds us: "The Church of God is not a restful garden, but a working vineyard."

The work continues  getting our school ship shape for the coming year.  The first day of school is scheduled for Wednesday, August 28th! It’s hard to believe but it is just two weeks away!  We are working with a security company to install some security measures to further strengthen the safety and security of our students and faculty.  There are still  some openings in a few of our grades and tuition assistance is available for active OLM parishioners.  If your child or grandchild is interested in a great education in a strong Catholic environment then stop by  or call the OLM School to see if there is a place for them.

It’s hard to believe school starts soon.  When I was a kid, school never began until after Labor Day.  The summer didn’t officially end until the last cookouts and beach outings on Labor Day had concluded.  In some states the school year begins the first week of August.  It seems that “See you in September” has now become “See you in August”!!  Things change and now summer for our OLM students ends on August 28th! In the meantime, please continue to pray for all of our students and faculty as they enjoy the remainder of their summer break.  May they all return tan, rested and ready for another great year!

I recently came across this prayer called “On A Day of Driving” and it is wonderful prayer for this time of year as people vacation, drive to the beach, or make day trips. Perhaps we might offer it for those we know who are away for awhile.  It reads: “God who watches over us, watch over this journey.  Keep us free from affliction and strife, safe from danger and wrong doing, protected in Your loving sight. May we know strength and good fortune on the way, rest and peace upon our return. May this travel be blessed with the shelter of Your gentle arms, the guidance of Your mighty hand, the gift of Your countless blessings. Bless our moments apart, bless our moments together. Grace upon departure, joy upon return. Remembering to praise and bless Your Holy Name wherever You lead us. Amen.”

Monday marks “Victory Day” in Rhode Island, more commonly known as VJ Day.  This day marks the surrender of Japan and the end of the Second World War.  It is only a legal holiday in Rhode Island.  It is a day to remember  the fallen and to  pray for all those who died during the Second World War and for peace in our world.

This week we also celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15th.  This great feast is a Holy Day of Obligation for all Catholics.  We have a full schedule of Masses: a Vigil Mass at 5:00PM on Wednesday and two Masses at 7:30AM and 7:00PM on the Holy Day itself.  On November 1, 1950 Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption of Mary to be a dogma of faith. This feast celebrates her assumption body and soul to Heaven.  The words of the Solemn Declaration state:  “it was fitting that the Mother of our Lord, when the course of her earthly life was finished, should be taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven.”  I hope you make every effort to come and celebrate this great feast of our Blessed Mother. See you on the Holy Day. God Bless. Go Sox!!