All Are Called to Respect Human Life!!

Dear Parishioners:

Flu season has hit Rhode Island and most of the country.  What should we be doing to stop the spread of influenza?  Last week Bishop Tobin issued  guidelines for Pastors concerning influenza and Mass.   First, if you have the flu or flu symptoms please stay home and get proper treatment from a doctor.  I ask you please not come to Mass if you are seriously ill. Bishop Tobin has dispensed all Catholics suffering from the flu from the obligation to attend Mass..  If you are at Mass and are afraid of contracting the flu or spreading it then at the Sign of Peace simply offer a word or give a nod rather than a handshake.  If someone doesn't offer their hand please know it is not  an insult but a precaution.  Also please wash your hands before and after Mass.   All that is really needed during this flu epidemic is to use common sense both at home and at Mass.   In the meantime,  Bishop Tobin has asked us to pray for all those suffering from the flu that they may soon be restored to full health.

On Wednesday of this week we will mark the 41st  Anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that  legalized abortion in our nation.   January 22nd is a sad anniversary that calls us to pray for the protection of all unborn children and offer penance for the evil of abortion.  We prayt that our nation and our world might recognize and truly value every human life from natural coneption until natural death.  This past Monday in the annual Papal "State of World" speech delivered to the Vatican diplomatic corps, Pope Francis said the denial of human dignity was a threat to world peace, and spoke of the problems of hunger among the have-nots and food waste among the haves.  The Holy Father went on to say:   “Unfortunately, what is thrown away is not only food and dispensable objects, but often human beings themselves, who are discarded as ‘unnecessary.’ For example, it is frightful even to think there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day."   

On Wednesday thousands are marching the streets of our nation's capitol in the annual March for Life.  Among them are some of our OLM parishioners including many from the Bishop Hendricken Pro-Life Club.  I've had the great privilege of making the march during my life and it is a powerful and joyful event in support of the dignity of human life.  At OLM we are celebrating a Mass for the Protection of Human Life on Wednesday at 7:00PM.  Bishop Evans is our  celebrant and I invite you to join us as we pray together for an increase of the respect for human dignity and human life.  We may not be able to make the March for Life but we can all join in praying for an end to abortion and for the protection of the innocent unborn.  The Holy Father is right, it is "frightful" to think that these innocents "never see the light of day."  Won' t you join us in praying for their  protection?

The Rhode Island General Assembly has gone back into  session and resumed their  legislative duties.  As the Director of the Rhode Island Catholic  Conference and Chief Lobbyist for the Diocese of Providence, I once again take up my duties during the week lobbying the elected officials.  The recent opening of the legislative session began with a  prayer.  One local atheist  blogger took issue with the prayer and the fact that the Catholic Church dare to speak on behalf of her beliefs at the statehouse.  It was typical of the rants of those who  try to remove God from the public square and  possess a  venomous animosity for the Catholic Church.  History has proven that faith and morality are essential for good public policy.  Churches play an important role in offering a  prophetic voice at the statehouse and actually have the right to speak out in this country!  As we celebrate the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his legacy of fighting for civil rights in our nation it is clear what an essential role religious faith played in the battle for equality for African-Americans.  May the voice of the voiceless offered by the Church never be muffled but continue to be boldly proclaimed at our statehouse and at every seat of government! God Bless.   Go Pats!!!!!

Living Our Baptismal Call Everyday!

Dear Parishioners: Take a good look around the Church this weekend at all the Christmas decorations.  Make sure you make a stop by the beautiful crèche and offer a s baptism in the Jordan River by  John the Baptist, the Precursor, proposes the s birth at Christmas and the Epiphany that we have just  celebrated. At Christmas we s manifestation to all s Baptism in the Jordan Baptism is in fact His definitive manifestation as the Messiah, the Christ to  Israel, and as the Son of the  Father to the entire world. This Feast of the Baptism serves as powerful reminder of our own calling as a Christian  Church. The Baptism of the Lord calls each of us to renew our s family and to ask ourselves how we are living out our baptismal promises to love God and neighbor.  Christmas is all about peace and good will and so many people do wonderful and  generous things for the poor  and needy.  At Christmas we give gifts as signs of love and  gratitude, we sing songs with  joyful hearts, and our Church is full as so many gather to praise and worship the newborn King.

As we end this “most wonderful time of the year” we must ask ourselves a few questions about our faith lives.  Does it take Christmas to make us live like Christians?  Can we be  witnesses of Christ in the ordinary times? Can we help the poor year round? Can we promote peace and good will even in the bleak and cold days of  February? Can we be grateful for those who help us even beyond Christmas? Do we faithfully worship and praise God each week?

t a call to be a Christian once a year   Rather it is a call to be truly Christian in each and every day of our lives, even on the ordinary and hum drum times of our lives.  We do this by loving our God and our neighbor with all our heart, our mind and  our strength. In a recent homily Pope Francis talks of the Sacrament of Baptism. He asks: "Is Baptism, for me, a fact of the past,  relegated to a date, that date which you are going to go look for today, or is it a living reality, that pertains to my present, to every moment? Do you feel strong, with the strength that Christ gave you by his death and his Resurrection? Or do you feel low, without strength? Baptism gives strength and it gives light. Do you feel ”

I offer my thanks and gratitude to the 28 new Lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion who so willingly volunteered to serve God and their parish in these most important parish ministries.  They are to be officially commissioned for service this weekend and are to begin their ministry in the coming weeks.   I ask you to please keep them in your prayers as they take up their ministry here at Our Lady of Mercy.  Have a great week. God Bless.  Go Pats!!!!

We Three Kings Bear Gifts for the Newborn King!!!

Dear Parishioners:                                     

We continue to bask in the light of Christmas as we celebrate the great feast of the Epiphany this weekend.  The arrival of the Magi to adore and worship the Newborn King, Jesus Christ is a great solemnity in the Church. They brought expensive gifts to give the baby Jesus.   And so Epiphany is an occasion of gift giving and gift receiving. It is called “Little Christmas” in many cultures where it is on Epiphany Day not Christmas Day that the gifts are exchanged.  Epiphany is an occasion for us to reflect upon the many gifts we have been given in life and how well we share those gifts with others.                  

In a book entitled Forty– Two Gifts I’d Like To Give To You the author mentions many gifts we might give each other in life. They include:  the gift of good advice, the gift of being optimistic, the gift of being patient with the problems of life; the gift of doing what’s right and knowing what’s wrong; the gift of believing in your abilities and the gift of spreading joy around.

On Epiphany we might consider joyfully offering the Christian version of  such gifts including offering a kind word to someone who is feeling down;  a helping hand to someone in need; the assurance of prayers for someone who is ill or unemployed; the constancy of companionship for someone who is lonely or isolated; the gift of our time to both our family and our God; the gift of listening with undivided attention to those we love; the gift of our silence in the face of gossip; the gift of forgiveness for someone who has hurt us and even the gift of forgetfulness of others past faults and transgressions.  These gifts along with the gift of our Catholic faith are lived out through our loving service and support for one another both the neighbor and the stranger.  They flow from the ultimate gift of God’s saving grace. 

Today we celebrate not only the Epiphany of the Three Kings but also the gift and grace made manifest among us and within us in God made Man, Jesus Christ.  Like the Three Kings I too have been travelling around searching for the star.  Well, not really the star but rather the crèche below it.  One night during this Christmas Season I spent a bit of time driving around the streets and neighborhoods of our parish.  I was admiring the beautiful Christmas lights and decorations on houses both big and small.  Some displays are quite spectacular!  However, in searching for the star over the stable like the Three Kings I soon discovered that noticeably absent from many houses was a crèche on the front lawn.  I did see Santa and his reindeer including several versions of Rudolph but not too many Holy Families!                                  

I know that in most homes the crèche has a place of honor near the tree or in a prominent place in the house but not so outside the home.  Why is that?  Shouldn’t it be front and center when we decorate our homes both inside and outside?  While pondering all this it occurred to me that we don’t have a crèche outside at Our Lady of Mercy!!  So I quickly ordered an outdoor nativity set from Tally’s the day after Christmas!  Next year it will adorn our Church property as a focal point of the season we celebrate.  Perhaps you might consider the same for your own front lawn.  Wouldn’t it be a beautiful sight to behold on lawns all over East Greenwich the Holy Family!  Instead of Santa and reindeer we would see the sheep and shepherds, the Three Kings and even perhaps the star shining brightly above the crèche!                      

I am away in Rochester this weekend for the Installation of Bishop Matano as the new diocesan bishop.  The bishop is a native of Providence and I had the great pleasure of living and working with him at St. Augustine Parish as a newly ordained priest.  Bishop Matano had been serving as Bishop of Burlington, Vermont until this transfer.  I along with many priests from Providence including Bishop Evans are making the trek to northern New York for this great celebration for Bishop Matano.  I ask that you please pray for him as he begins his new episcopal ministry in the Diocese of Rochester, NY.  Happy Epiphany Day!  God Bless!

In Praise of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

Mary, Virgin and Mother,you who, moved by the Holy Spirit, welcomed the word of life in the depths of your humble faith: as you gave yourself completely to the Eternal One, help us to say our own “yes” to the urgent call, as pressing as ever, to proclaim the good news of Jesus.

Filled with Christ’s presence, you brought joy to John the Baptist, making him exult in the womb of his mother. Brimming over with joy, you sang of the great things done by God.

Standing at the foot of the cross with unyielding faith, you received the joyful comfort of the resurrection, and joined the disciples in awaiting the Spirit  so that the evangelizing Church might be born.

Obtain for us now a new ardour born of the resurrection, that we may bring to all the Gospel of life which triumphs over death. Give us a holy courage to seek new paths, that the gift of unfading beauty may reach every man and woman.

Virgin of listening and contemplation, Mother of love, Bride of the eternal wedding feast, pray for the Church, whose pure icon you are, that she may never be closed in on herself or lose her passion for establishing God’s kingdom.

Star of the new evangelization, help us to bear radiant witness to communion, service, ardent and generous faith, justice and love of the poor, that the joy of the Gospel may reach to the ends of the earth, illuminating even the fringes of our world.

Mother of the living Gospel, wellspring of happiness for God’s little ones, pray for us. Amen. Alleluia!

–Pope Francis Evangelii Gaudium, 288

Pope Francis Calls Us to Pray for Families

 

PRAYER TO THE HOLY FAMILY

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, in you we contemplate the splendor of true love, to you we turn with trust.

Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that our families too may be places of communion and prayer, authentic schools of the Gospel and small domestic Churches. Holy Family of Nazareth, may families never again experience violence, rejection and division: may all who have been hurt or scandalized find ready comfort and healing.

Holy Family of Nazareth, may the approaching Synod of Bishops make us once more mindful of the sacredness and inviolability of the family, and its beauty in God’s plan. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, graciously hear our prayer.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Dear Parishioners:Merry Christmas!   Yes the Christmas Season is just beginning!  Christmas  is a  season full of joy, hope  and faith not just a day.  The Eternal Word has become Man and dwells among us. The longings of the  patriarchs and prophets are  fulfilled. With the shepherds we hurry to the manger and adore the Incarnate Son of God, who for us and for our salvation  descended upon earth. The purpose of Christmas  is beautifully expressed in the Preface of the Nativity: "For in the mystery of the Word made Flesh a new light of your glory has shone upon the eyes of our mind, so that, as we recognize in him God made visible, we may be caught up through him in love of all things invisible."

Christmas at Our Lady of Mercy is always a joyful, faithful and hopeful celebration.  We give thanks for the gift of God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ born on Christmas day.  We also give thanks to the many people who made Christmas so beautiful and solemn at OLM.  Let’s give thanks and praise where it is due!  The OLM Decorating Committee under the direction of Cecelia Franzone did a tremendous job of making our Church truly beautiful.  Jeffery Allard and Deirdre Donovan along with our musicians, Adult and Children’s Choirs gave us the great gift of wonderful music.  Our fine Altar Servers ensured the great feast was celebrated with solemnity and reverence.  Our fine ushers did a great job of welcoming and ushering our many visitors!  Our lectors proclaimed the readings with great joy and faith.  Our  Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion helped  many people receive the Body of Christ with reverence and respect.  We thank them all!

In “The Joy of the Gospel,” Pope Francis writes about a “practical relativism” in which we act, in our day to day life, like God doesn’t really exist.  He said that this can  result in a heart that No to selfishness and transforming us Disillusioned with reality, with the Church and with themselves, they experience a constant  temptation to cling to a faint disillusioned and Christmas is the May we continue these Christmas days and throughout the New Year to  celebrate the wonder and beauty of this holy season and may we continue to adore Him in all we say and do.

The Holy Father calls us to say “No to selfishness and spiritual sloth.”  He talks about the dangers of “acedia,” which is an emptiness or listlessness that results in not really caring about anything.  He warns of a “gray pragmatism,” transforming us  into “mummies.” He says: “Disillusioned with reality, with the Church and with themselves, they experience a constant  temptation to cling to a faint melancholy, lacking in hope which seizes the heart.”  Pope Francis asks us to say “no to a sterile pessimism.”  He says, “Our faith is challenged to discern how wine can come from water and how wheat can grow in the midst of weeds.”   He writes about a “defeatism” which can turn us into “disillusioned  pessimists, ‘sourpusses’” and  urges us to say “yes to a new relationship with Jesus.”

Christmas is the  opportunity to open our hearts to Jesus’ coming today, in the midst of our darkness and restore the light of peace, joy and hope.   On the threshold of the New Year, “come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!”  May we continue these Christmas days and throughout the New Year to  celebrate the wonder and beauty of this holy season and may we continue to adore Him in all we say and do.

I offer my thanks to the Hill Funeral Home for donating the beautiful 2014 OLM Calendars to our parish.  These calendars are a gift to each of you so please take one as you leave Church.  If you know of a neighbor or family member who needs one, take one for them too!  The calendars  highlight all the important dates of our Church Year and provide easy contact information for the parish. We are grateful to the Carparco Family of Hill Funeral Home for their generous  donation.

Fr. Connors and I wish to thank the many parishioners who were so kind to us at Christmas.  The cards, best wishes and  generous personal gifts are  appreciated and we are grateful for your thoughtfulness.  Your support and encouragement of our priestly ministry is truly  appreciated .  We wish you and your families a continued Merry Christmas and many blessings for the New Year in 2014!  God Bless