Celebrating Advent with Mary

Dear Parishioners: Advent is here! This great season of joyful anticipation of the coming of Christ is underway. Here at Our Lady of Mercy there are few things to note on the Advent Calendar. Confessions, prayers and musical festivities! Next Saturday, December 13th we are having All Day Confessions from 9:00AM until 3:00PM. There are to be four priests hearing Confessions at all times so we don’t expect lines and long waits. Priests from across the Diocese are volunteering an hour or two to hear Confessions throughout the day. I am grateful to Fr. Connors for organizing this great event for the parish. I encourage you to spread the word with your family, friends and neighbors that the best way to truly prepare for Christmas and Christ’s coming is by confessing our sins and cleansing our souls! Confession Guides are available if anyone has not been in a while and lots of merciful and loving priests in the Confessionals! So spread the word! If you are coming yourself, why not invite a friend, a neighbor or a family member to join you! God’s forgiveness and mercy is a Christmas gift no money can buy!

On Monday, December 15th at 7:00PM we have scheduled a joyful and prayerful celebration of Advent Vespers. Bishop Evans is to preside at the prayer service and Fr. Richard Valentine from St. Michael’s Church in Smithfield is to preach. Join us for a prayerful half hour of song, prayer and reflection. A great way to prepare for Christ’s coming! This coming Friday night at 7:00PM the children from OLM School gather for the Annual Christmas Pageant. It is always a great night of festive songs and prayerful devotion of the Christmas Story of the Holy Family. If you haven’t ever seen it, join us on Friday but arrive early to the church as its usually very crowded!

On Monday, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Under this title she serves as the Patroness of the United States and it is a holy day of obligation for all Catholics. This great feast celebrates that Mary was conceived without original sin or its stain—that’s what "immaculate" means: without stain. The essence of original sin consists in the deprivation of sanctifying grace, and its stain is a corrupt nature. Mary was preserved from these defects by God’s grace; from the first instant of her existence she was in the state of sanctifying grace and was free from the corrupt nature original sin brings. Hence, when greeting the Blessed Virgin Mary the angel Gabriel said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you." (Luke 1:28). The grace given to Mary is at once permanent and of a unique kind. Mary was graced in the past but with continuing effects in the present. This year there is no Vigil Mass for this holyday because it falls on the Monday. We have three Masses on the Monday holyday, December 8th at 7:30AM, 9:00AM and 7:00PM. The 9:00AM Mass is scheduled to include the OLM School students, families and faculty. All parishioners are invited to attend and pray with the school.

In reflecting on Advent and the Blessed Mother Mary, Pope Francis has said: “The time of Advent that we begin again today returns us to the horizon of hope... there is always a need to restart, to rise again, to recover a sense of the goal of one’s own existence.  Mary serves as a model of this spiritual attitude, to this way of being and of journeying in life.”  Although she was just a simple girl she carried in her heart the hope of God. In her womb, the hope of God took flesh, became man, and made history: Jesus Christ. Let us be guided by her, she who is mother, she is a ‘mama’ and knows how to lead us. Let us be guided by her in this time of waiting and active vigilance.”  “O Come, O Come Emmanuel!” Let’s celebrate Advent with prayer and patience. Join us tomorrow as we honor our Advent Model, Mary, at Holyday Mass! I am away this week in Washington, DC at the Annual Winter Meeting of the National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors but return on Sunday night. God Bless. Go Pats!

Come Lord Jesus! Advent Arrives!!

Dear Parishioners: Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your holiday was truly enjoyable and you were able to spend some relaxing and celebrating with family. I was at my sister’s home in Saratoga, New York for Thanksgiving Dinner. This has been our family tradition for many years. After Thanksgiving Day Mass I drive up to New York with my two sisters to spend the holiday with my third sister, her husband, and family. The ride isn’t too long and the meal is always superb! Afterwards my brother-in-law and I get to watch a whole lot of football. He’s a NY Giant fan but he’s still a good guy!

Now that the Church Year has ended and the Thanksgiving Day Holiday has come and gone, we move into the Holy Season of Advent. While much of the world around us is telling us to hurry up, to shop, to buy, and to party, the Church tells us to pause, to prepare and to pray! So the season of joyful and prayerful anticipation of the coming of Christ begins again for us. Christmas is less than a month away, but before we panic and join the secular rush to celebrate anything but Jesus Christ, we need to stop and to reflect on the real meaning of Christmas. It is our time to prayerfully and patiently say: “Come, Lord Jesus!”

No doubt our schedules are about to become busier and more hectic as we try to check off our lists of things to do, people to visit, parties to attend, cards to send and gifts to buy. However, we need to ensure that our lists include time for prayer with the Lord. Have you ever considered coming to Daily Mass at 7:30AM during the Advent Season? It is truly a great way to begin and prayerfully prepare for your day.

You might also consider going to Confession before Christmas to receive God’s mercy and forgiveness. Here at OLM Confessions are heard on Saturdays at 3:00PM and Mondays at 6:00PM. In addition, right here at OLM we have scheduled ALL DAY CONFESSIONS on Saturday, December 13th from 9:00AM until 3:00PM. There are four priests hearing Confessions at all times so there are no lines. Also, on the Monday of Christmas Week, December 22nd, we are adding an extra hour of Confessions from 6:00PM until 8:00PM with some guest priests helping us.We welcome and celebrate Advent as we sing: “O Come, O Come Emmanuel!”, we pray: “Come, Lord Jesus!”, we prepare the way with our commitment to Christ and with our many good works. Advent is here, the Lord is near! Let’s get ready!

The arrival of the new Church Year on the First Sunday of Advent also means that we begin a new cycle of readings at Mass. The Lectionary, the book containing the readings for Mass, is arranged in two cycles, one for Sundays and one for weekdays. The Sunday cycle is divided into three years, labeled A, B, and C. In Year A, which just ended, we read mostly from the Gospel of Matthew. In Year B, which begins this weekend, we read the Gospel of Mark and chapter 6 of the Gospel of John. In Year C, we read the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of John is read during the Easter season in all three years.

We give thanks to the many people who so generously provided food for Thanksgiving Food Baskets. We delivered quite a few baskets in time for Thanksgiving, and included gifts cards, thanks to your generous support of the Outreach Collection. I thank those parishioners who have generously supported the Increased Giving Campaign. Many indicated they were increasing their level of support to OLM and I am grateful. I urge you complete the return envelope. Also, please consider giving online through the Electronic Fund Transfer service located on the parish webpage.

Advent begins today! Let us recall the Opening Prayer of Mass and truly “resolve to run forth to meet Christ with righteous deeds at his coming!” May this Holy Season of Advent truly be one of prayer, patience and preparation for the coming of Christ into our hearts, our lives, our families, our parish and our world! O Come, O Come Emmanuel! God Bless. Go Pats!

Priests Grilled by Parishioners!

On Wednesday evening, November 19, OLM School and Parish community was treated to a very special evening. Organized by members of the school’s Parent Teacher Group, and OLM Assistant Pastor Father Ryan Connors, the event was the first of its kind at OLM but left many attendees asking for a repeat performance. Following a brief reception of food and beverages generously donated by Wild Harvest Catering and Greenwich Liquors, the priests took their spots before the crowd and got ready to be “grilled” by the nearly 100 guests in attendance. In what has become a somewhat popular format in recent years, participants were allowed to ask questions, either “live” or anonymously via notecards, on a variety of topics. Monsignor Albert Kenney, Vicar General for the Diocese of Providence, acted as moderator for the evening. The brave priests on the panel included OLM Pastor Father Bernard Healey, Father George Nixon from St. Phillip’s Greenville, Father Christopher Murphy, Chaplain at Bishop Hendricken High School and Father Connors. Questions covered a wide variety of topics, ranging from priests’ annual salaries and favorite movies, to the more spiritual inquiries about the difference between the Resurrection of Jesus and of Lazarus. The priests took turns answering questions that were either directed specifically to them, or based on their area of expertise. Father Healey, lobbyist for the Diocese of Providence at the State House, was the obvious choice to answer questions on such pertinent topics as the election of Governor-elect Gina Raimondo. At one point, however, he joked “everyone else is getting the tough questions and people are asking me what my favorite movie is!” It was an evening of great spirituality and laughter and sure to become another favorite OLM tradition

Giving Gratitude to God! Thanksgiving Day is coming!

Dear Parishioners:We know the story of Thanksgiving very well. In fact, we learn it in school at an early age. But sometimes we need to remind ourselves of its importance. This is especially true as its significance is lessened in our culture and the day itself is cheapened with the crass commercialism of holiday sales and Black Friday bargains. Sadly it seems Thanksgiving Day has become merely another day to shop rather than give thanks to God! But we must remember that in the autumn of 1621 after a rich harvest, the men, women and children who had survived that first year in the New World gathered for a feast to offer thanks. One of those pilgrims wrote at the time: "By the goodness of God, we are so far from want."

What was that First Thanksgiving Day like?  Well it was not necessarily about turkey and pumpkin pie. Historians think the pilgrims and their guests probably ate fowl and venison not turkey. And the food was probably a lot fattier than we are used to as cholesterol was unheard of. They were more worried about plague and the pox than about heart attacks! They didn't have much sugar, so sweets and deserts were probably not on the menu. So, forget the pumpkin pie!

The First Thanksgiving Meal left us with an enduring and venerable tradition: a gathering around a table with family, friends and guests, giving thanks to God for surviving in an uncertain and difficult new place. Maybe, it has been suggested, the pilgrims weren't thankful because they had survived. But maybe they had survived precisely because they were thankful and grateful to God.

After all the pilgrims were a people who lived their lives in faith and hope. They were grateful for everything: the hard winds and deep snows, the frightening evenings and hopeful mornings, the long journey that had taken them to a new place. They certainly knew how to express their gratitude to God. But we know that gratitude doesn't always come so easily.

We know that generosity - the giving of a gift - means thinking more about others than about ourselves. It represents an act of love. But so does being thankful and grateful. To give thanks is to extend ourselves and to truly remember where the gift came from. This may be what helped the pilgrims to thrive and prosper: a humble appreciation for whatever God gave them and trusting that God would give them what they would need to survive. Theirs was an optimistic spirit with a grateful message. Maybe this kind of spirit can teach us something today as we endure our own hard winds and deep snows and attempt to survive the storms of our own lives. Maybe we can understand that to survive we need to be thankful!

On Thanksgiving Day wherever we find ourselves let us stop to offer Grace and gratitude. The grace of thanking God for whatever gift He gives us. Thanks for what we have, and thanks for what we have been given. On Thanksgiving Day may we show our deep love for the God who so generously gives it. Because like the pilgrims of old, no matter how fierce the winds, or how unforgiving the storm, we need to remember that God is always near.

I invite you to join us at Mass at 9:00AM on Thanksgiving Day as we gather to give thanks and praise to Almighty God. Bishop Evans is to celebrate the Mass and we are to joined by a small delegation of young Pilgrims and Indians. There is no better way to prayerfully offer thanks to God than celebrating Mass together as a Parish Family!

I wish to thank the parishioners who spoke at Masses last weekend. They are taking the lead in our Increased Giving Campaign. As I have said, this is very low-key mail campaign. We are simply asking every parishioner to consider their level of support for the parish. Thank you for your support! I wish you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving . May God Bless and protect you and may your travels be safe. Enjoy the holiday! God Bless. Go Pats, Go Gray!!

Where Your Treasure Is, There Will Be Your Heart Also!

Dear Parishioners: As your heard from parishioners today, Bishop Tobin has required that every parish in the Diocese of Providence conduct what is called an “Increased Offertory Campaign.” This has proven to be very successful at parishes across the state as parishioners have taken the time to seriously pray and reflect about their level of giving. It is a low-key mail campaign that asks each parishioner to consider a modest increase in their weekly support of the parish. The program is a time for all of us to reflect on how we support the parish financially.

Has our level of support increased over the years? We all know that inflation has increased and the costs of running a large parish with a sizable physical plant have also increased. Simply put, if each parishioner gives a little more, the results will be superb. This coming week, you will receive my letter asking for an increase. Most importantly, whatever you decided to do after prayer and reflection, please return the enclosed envelope. This will stop all future mailings for you!

We also ask parishioners to consider giving through the Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) online giving program. The use of this online giving option enables you to give to the parish securely and regularly. So when you are away from the parish or cannot get to Mass, you can still support the parish. We have many parishioners currently using the EFT and we encourage more to consider it. The use of the EFT means you won’t have to write out 52 checks or prepare 52 envelopes!

I wish to thank the many parishioners who were so generous with this month’s Outreach Collection. We are donating November’s Outreach Collection to Catholic Relief Services for their End Hunger Now Program. Also thanks to your generosity to the Outreach Collection we are able to give donations of $1,000 to McCauley House, St. Patrick’s Soup Kitchen, and Assumption Parish Food Pantry for Thanksgiving Day. We are also able to distribute Thanksgiving Food Baskets and gift cards here in the East Greenwich area. Thank you for your tremendous support of OLM Outreach!

This week we begin OLM Altar Server Boot Camp! About 11 of our parish children have signed up to be trained to serve at God’s Holy Altar. Each afternoon this week Fr. Connors and I along with Nancy Wray, our faithful Parish Sacristan, are training the new recruits. Once they have been trained they will be scheduled for regular service. We currently have 60 Altar Servers at OLM and this new class will only add to the great job they do. We are grateful for our Altar Servers, many of whom remain faithful to serving all the way through High School. We thank them all for taking the time from their busy lives to serve God and Our Lady of Mercy Parish.

We continue in this All Souls Month of November to pray for our beloved dead and all the souls in Purgatory. The All Souls envelopes inscribed with the names of your beloved dead remain on the altar and we continue to pray for them at Mass. It is a work of mercy to prayer for the dead and so we remember all those who have died especially the poor souls who have no one to remember them or pray for them. Pope Francis reminded us in his homily at All Souls Day Mass in Rome: “The memory of the dead, care of graves, and prayers for the dead bear witness of a confident hope, rooted in the certainty that death does not have the last word over human destiny.”

I thank you for your generous support for the parish and hope you prayerfully consider supporting the Increased Giving Campaign. We are among the last parishes in the diocese to conduct the campaign but I am confident that it will be as successful as it has been across the state. I thank the members of our parish who spoke on behalf of the Increased Giving Campaign this weekend. As we begin this campaign I ask for your support and understanding but most importantly your prayers. St. Matthew reminds us in his Gospel: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” God Bless. Go Pats!!

Helping Hands at Our Lady of Mercy!

Dear Parishioners: What a tremendous turn out we had for our “Helping Hands” Event for Catholic Relief Services and End Hunger Now. A couple of hundred parishioners of every age came to the OLM School Gym to help pack meals for the poor and hungry in West Africa. An assembly line of these volunteers packed 20,000 meals in just an hour and half! I wish to thank Dudley and Kathy Bennett who helped to organize this great event for our parish. All of the meal packages are to be sent to West Africa where each can provide six meals. I am grateful for the many people from our parish and school who volunteered to put mercy in action at OLM. In the name of the poor and hungry, I thank all those who contributed so generously to this OLM Outreach effort.

This week enclosed in the bulletin is the Annual Parish Financial Report which was approved by the Finance Committee and sent to Bishop Tobin last month. I wish it were a more positive report but unfortunately due to a large drop in enrollment at our parish school last year and a major increase in healthcare costs we ran a deficit of $100,000. On the positive side our income has remained consistent and some of our expenses last year were one time expenditures. The Annual Collection was strong last year and helped pay for one time projects. I am grateful to our Parish Finance Committee and Parish Auditors for helping with this report. Their guidance and advice are helpful in securing the future of our parish financially and fiscally. I hope you are able to review the enclosed report in the coming week.

Also sent to the Bishop with the Annual Financial Report is the Status Animarium Report. This report is about “the status of the souls” in the parish. This report includes the census of the parish and the number of people receiving the sacraments over the year from September 2013 through September 2014. We presently have 2,245 registered families at Our Lady of Mercy. There are 375 students in our parish school and 400 students are registered in our Religious Education Program. We baptized 50 new Catholics this year and received 4 adults into the Catholic Church. This is an increase from last year’s 40 baptisms. This year 83 children received First Holy Communion and 93 young adults received the Sacrament of Confirmation. These are great signs of growth and vitality for our parish. We don’t track the number of Confessions but we know that 83 First Communion Candidates went to First Confession. We estimate that nearly 30 people come to Confession a week. We offer Confessions on Saturdays at 3:00PM and Mondays at 6:00PM.

We had only 4 weddings this year and that is a sharp decrease from the previous year’s 12 weddings. The number of weddings both in churches and even civilly are down across the country. Many young people are choosing to either not get married and cohabitate before ever getting married. In other cases many Catholics choose to get married outside the Church with the increased popularity of “destination weddings.” We administered the Sacrament of the Sick to over 100 people this year. This includes people at Kent Hospital where Fr. Connors and I cover two days a month. And sadly we celebrated 46 funerals this year as we commended to God these faithful souls.

Again I would remind you that if someone is sick at home or hospitalized to please call the Parish Office to let us know. Due to privacy laws we are not notified when parishioners are hospitalized. We are happy to visit and offer the Sacrament of the Sick. If you know of someone who is homebound we can also arrange for them to regularly receive Holy Communion. I am away this weekend attending the Annual Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops where I serve as a consultant to the Marriage Committee. Let us continue to pray for the souls of the faithful departed during this All Souls Month of November. The Pats are off this week but what a game last week. God Bless.