Join us in Rejoicing This Christmas!

Dear Parishioners: We did a lot of rejoicing last weekend on Gaudete Sunday! On Saturday our All Day Confessions had hundreds coming all day long to receive God’s mercy and forgiveness. There were four priests at all times and a steady flow of people for the entire six hours. We rejoice that so many received the grace of the Sacrament of Confession. It is the best Christmas gift that money cannot buy! I wish to thank Father Connors who organized the entire day and arranged all the priests and volunteers who helped to make the day a great success. We thank the many priests who heard Confessions for hours and the volunteers who helped people feel welcomed and made Confession easy. We hope to have another All Day Confessions during the Season of Lent and also schedule another day next Advent.

On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception our Holy Father, Pope Francis, lit the Vatican Christmas Tree. During the ceremony he spoke about Confession. He said: If you have something dark in your soul, ask the Lord for forgiveness. Christmas is  a great opportunity to cleanse the soul, eh! Do not fear, the priest is merciful, forgiving all in the name of God, because God forgives everything. let light be in your hearts, in your families, in your cities. And now, with this wish, turn on the light.” This Monday night we are adding an extra hour of Confessions for those who have not yet made a good Confession before Christmas. Two priests are available from 6:00PM until 8:00PM . If you haven’t yet, seize the opportunity to give yourself the best gift of Christmas, a clean soul!

We also rejoiced last Sunday with our twelve new Altar Servers. These fourth graders are all trained and were formally installed at the 10:30AM Mass last week. They begin their service at God’s Holy Altar in January. Keep them in your prayers as they serve our parish in this very important ministry.

On Monday night we rejoiced with Bishop Evans on the fifth anniversary of his ordination as a Bishop. For these five years he has faithfully served our Church of Providence as our Auxiliary Bishop. I thank Bishop Evans for presiding at the Vespers on Monday night and Father Richard Valentine for his inspirational homily. Ad multos annos, Bishop Evans!

Advent is soon to end as Christmas arrives this Thursday! I pray and hope that you have been able to take some time to pray with God in silence and reflect on the true meaning of the great feast of the Nativity of the Lord we soon celebrate. Christmas invites us to pause before the manger and place our aspirations and needs before the Prince of Peace. Christmastime calls us to consider the Word which became flesh, dwelt among us, and freed us from sin. There never has been, is not now, and never will be anyone not saved through the merits of Jesus Christ.

The Christmas Mass Schedule at Our Lady of Mercy is in the bulletin. I invite you to share it with your family, friends and neighbors who may not come to Mass or have slipped away from the practice of the faith. Invite them to come to God’s House this Christmas to experience the joy and peace of the Christ Child. The more the merrier but remember that the 4:00PM Vigil is usually standing room only. You might consider the Midnight Mass or attending a Mass on Christmas Day where there is more seating available. If you are traveling and are to be away from OLM at Christmas, please know that Fr. Connors, Deacon Dowd and I will keep you in our prayers. I ask you to please pray for the sick and shut-in of our parish during this Christmas Season. And also for those who find the holiday a time of grief and sorrow. On Christmas kindness and truth, justice and peace meet; they have become incarnate in the child born of Mary in Bethlehem. That child is the Son of God; he is God appearing in history. His birth is a flowering of new life for all people. May every heart and home receive the kindness and truth, the justice and peace of Christ. A Happy and Holy Christmas to you and your loved ones!

The Lord is Near! Let us Rejoice!! Celebrating Late Advent...

Dear Parishioners: On Monday as we celebrated the Holyday of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I also distributed report cards to our OLM school students. It’s always a privilege to do so to our fine students who are so well taught by our outstanding faculty. The report cards were very good as we are blessed with students who work hard, study hard and are dedicated to their studies. We are blessed to have such a fine school as OLM where students not only are provided academic excellence but also most importantly taught the Catholic Faith by word and example on a daily basis.

In our secular age when Christmas is becoming the Winter Holiday and God is removed from the public square, how blessed we are to have a fine parish school where the faith is practiced and God made welcome every day. At OLM School during the Advent Season our students are taught the value of patience and prayer as they joyfully anticipate the coming of Christ. In very concrete ways they are taught to serve God and neighbor. As they study the rigors of math and science they also are taught Christian Charity on a daily basis. This is done unabashedly and proudly as the students  learn  to think not only of themselves but of those less fortunate and those suffering in need. Whether its helping the good folks at McAuley House serve the poor and homeless or supporting the Keep the Heat On Fund, the OLM School students, faculty and families strive to serve others first and foremost. It is clear that OLM School makes a difference in our community and in our world and we should all be proud of the school and her continued mission of mercy.

How is your Advent going? Have you been able to slow down and pray? Have you made a good confession? Have you put God at the top of the list of things to do this season? Advent moves quickly as does the world around us this time of year. Take some time in the next week to stop, pray and reflect on the real meaning of the season. God came to us in human flesh at Christmas not so we would spend hours waiting in lines to shop and spend but rather that we might spend our time trying become more like Him, more Godly!

One great way to stop and reflect on the Season of Advent is to take place on Monday night at 7:00PM. I invite you to join us for a celebration of Advent Vespers as we gather to sing and pray the psalms and songs of the season. We are grateful that Bishop Evans is to lead our time of prayer especially as Monday marks his fifth anniversary of ordination as a bishop. Also I am so pleased to have Father Richard Valentine, the Pastor of St. Michael's Parish in Smithfield, offer a reflection on Advent. I hope you might join us for thirty minutes of prayer, song and reflection as we celebrate the true meaning of the Season of Advent. The mall can wait, join us on Monday night! The Lord is near, let us rejoice!

This week we move into what is traditionally known as the Late Advent Season as we begin to pray and recite the “O Antiphons” from December 17th through December 23rd. In the bulletin this week we have included an explanation of the “O Antiphons” as well as a prayerful reflection for you to use during this time. It is during these Late Advent Days that our preparation and prayer for the coming of Christ becomes more intense as we joyfully anticipate his arrival and the celebration of his birth on Christmas.

Advent is a season of vigil that calls us to remain vigilant for Christ in our lives. During the busiest days preceding Christmas we are called to watch in prayer and with patience for the signs of Christ’s coming to bring us His peace. Christ comes not in the past nor in the future but Christ comes to us in our everyday life and in our world today. Let us prayerfully prepare room for Him in our hearts, homes and world! We rejoice in the Lord on this Gaudaute Sunday because His arrival is near. May these next weeks be a time of rejoicing in the Lord with prayer and patience, charity and love, generosity and faith, hope and mercy! Have a great week, celebrate Advent! God Bless. Go Pats!

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!!