Celebrating our Church on Pentecost and Remembering Our Fallen on Memorial Day

Dear Parishioners: “Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth!” This Psalm for Pentecost has been our prayer since the Ascension when we celebrated Jesus returning to His Father in heaven forty days after His Resurrection from the dead.  What did the bewildered, scared, confused Apostles do upon Our Lord’s Ascension into Heaven?  They took our Blessed Mother Mary, locked themselves into a room, and prayed!  That prayer demanded perseverance, because it took nine days for Jesus to reply.  The response He gave to that patient prayer of His Mother and the Apostles was beyond their most exalted hopes. For on Pentecost Jesus sent the Holy Spirit upon the disciples and His mother, giving them the courage, wisdom, and zeal to carry out the last command He had given them nine days earlier when He had ascended into heaven, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations.  Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Mt. 28: 19) Thus the work of the Church began.

Pentecost is truly the birthday of the Church and so we celebrate this Sunday with particular joy and solemnity. We Catholics must passionately love our Church.  Like our family, we are “born into it” at baptism; like a mother, our Church strengthens us in Confirmation, forgives us in Reconciliation, feeds us in the Eucharist, consoles us with the Anointing of the Sick, and gives us away in Matrimony or Holy Orders.  Like our family, our Church is there at birth, sickness, and death.  Like a family, we might quarrel at times and complain about one another, but, like a family, we rarely leave, can always return, and carry our family name, traits, and pride forever.  The Church is our spiritual family!

I am often reminded of the words of Saint Pope John Paul II, spoken at World Youth Day. He said: “I should like to ask you, dear young people, a favor:  be patient with the Church!  The Church is always a community of weak and imperfect individuals.  God has placed His work of salvation, His plans and His desires, in human hands.  This is a great risk, but there is no other Church than the one founded by Christ.  He wants us to be His collaborators in the world and in the Church, with all our deficiencies and shortcomings.”Let us celebrate our Church today. A Church that is human and divine, a Church that continues to grow in faith, hope and love. Pentecost is here and we recall how that small band of fearful and frightened disciples gained the gifts of the Holy Spirit and boldly went into the world to preach the Kingdom of God. Let us go and do likewise!

While the Church marks Pentecost this weekend, our nation marks Memorial Day. It is a holiday begun as a somber day of remembrance; a day when Americans went to cemeteries and placed flags or flowers on the graves of our war dead. It was a day to remember ancestors, family members, and loved ones who gave the ultimate sacrifice. The late President Ronald Reagan wrote of Memorial Day: “Over one  hundred years ago, Memorial Day was established to commemorate those who died in the defense of our national ideals. Our ideals of freedom, justice, and equal rights for all have been challenged many times since then, and thousands of Americans have given their lives in many parts of the world to secure those same ideals and insure for their children a lasting peace. Their sacrifice demands that we, the living, continue to promote the cause of peace and the ideals for which they so valiantly gave of themselves.” This Memorial Day let us stop and reflect on the liberties and prosperity we enjoy as a nation. Let us remember with gratitude and prayer those men and women who gave their lives so we can continue to enjoy such freedom. Let us thank those who defend our nation and let us pray for peace. Join us on Memorial Day for Mass at 8:30AM and then at 7:00PM for May Devotions as we offer our prayers for peace and for all those who died in service to our nation. Happy Pentecost Day! Happy Memorial Day! God Bless you. God Bless America!

Preparing for Religious Education for Next Year and Celebrating Pentecost!

Dear Parishioners: We had a grand celebration of First Communion last weekend as 80 children from the parish received Jesus Christ truly present in the Eucharist for the very first time. It was truly a beautiful day with great weather. The children did a fine job at the Mass. Congralutions to them all! They came back on Sunday for the May Crowning with clean gowns and suits. Again God provided a spectacular day for this wonderful ceremony on Mother's Day. With great joy we crowned our Blessed Mother, Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May! I offer my sincere gratitude to all those who made this celebration of faith and love so joyful.

In a special way we thank Mickey St. Jean, our RE Directress for Grades 1-5, and OLM School 2nd Grade Teachers Mary Ryan and Mary Martin-Tuite for their leadership in preparing the children for First Communion. We offer heartfelt thanks all those who helped them especially Jane Burley, Margaret and Thomas McGrath and Doug Green. The many Altar Servers, Honor Guard, Ushers, and our parish musicians, Henri St. Louis and Deirdre Donovan and the OLM Adult and Children’s Choirs also deserve thanks and gratitude for a job well done! Of course, we must also thank the parents and families of our First Communicants for bringing these children to Christ and ensuring their continued communion with His Church. Parents are the primary teachers of their children in the faith and we commend them providing them the formation necessary to grow in faith and love of Jesus.

Our Religious Education Program has ended for the year and so I encourage our RE families at OLM to re-register for next year. This registration takes place after all Masses this weekend. It helps us prepare over the summer for the coming year. I urge all RE families to please register this weekend and I thank them for their cooperation. Vacation Bible School at OLM is coming this June 22—26 for children aged 4 through 12. I am grateful to OLM Teacher Bethany Bessette for coordinating this great experience for all the children of OLM. Sign-ups are coming soon but in the meantime we are in need of a few parental volunteers to assist during the camp. If you are interested, please contact Bethany.

Our Summer Seminarian Eric Silva arrives this week and next weekend you will have a chance to greet him and give him your usual warm OLM Welcome! Our own Parish Seminarian, Brian Morris, has been assigned to St. Paul Church in Cranston and is to work also with the Chaplain at RI Hospital. Please keep all our seminarians in your prayers as they continue to prepare for the priesthood.

Fr. Connors is away this weekend with the OLM Middle School on their trip to Washington, DC. I am sure they are having fun as they explore the nation’s Capitol. Fr. Connors, who once worked for the US Senate, is sure to guide them to all the right places. They are celebrating a Mass together at the National Shrine along with visits to the various monuments. Please pray for their safe return.  I thank Senior Priest, Father John Kiley, and Bishop Hendricken High School Chaplain, Father Chris Murphy, for helping cover Masses in Fr. Connors absence. They are to be with us this Sunday so please say hello and thank them for their priestly service to OLM.

Next weekend we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost. Not always as popular as are Christmas and Easter but just as important a feast in the life of the Church. We commemorate the Holy Spirit’s descending upon the apostles and Pentecost is often called the “Birthday of the Church.” Red vestments are worn as a sign of the Holy Spirit and the liturgy is more solemn. We don’t exchange gifts or hunt eggs to celebrate Pentecost but it should be celebrated with great joy. So I encourage you to wear something red to Mass next week! It is just a small way to celebrate the great feast with joy and faith! Happy Pentecost! May Devotions continue on Monday nights at 7:00PM. Join us for the Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction. A great way to spend some time in prayer and reflection. God Bless.

Congratulations to Our First Communion Class

We wish our 80 parish children prayerful best wishes!

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING AFTER MASS

Lord, Father all-powerful and ever-living God, I thank You, for even though I am a sinner, your unprofitable servant, not because of my worth but in the kindness of your mercy, You have fed me with the Precious Body & Blood of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that this Holy Communion may not bring me condemnation and punishment but forgiveness and salvation. May it be a helmet of faith and a shield of good will. May it purify me from evil ways and put an end to my evil passions. May it bring me charity and patience, humility and obedience, and growth in the power to do good. May it be my strong defense against all my enemies, visible and invisible, and the perfect calming of all my evil impulses, bodily and spiritual. May it unite me more closely to you, the One true God, and lead me  safely through death to everlasting happiness with You. And I pray that You will lead me, a sinner, to the banquet where you, with Your Son and holy Spirit, are true and perfect light, total fulfillment, everlasting joy, gladness without end, and perfect happiness to your saints. grant this through Christ our Lord, AMEN.  -St. Thomas Aquinas

Celebrating First Communion, Mothers' Day and the Blessed Mother!

Dear Parishioners: “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!” We rejoice as 80 children receive Holy Communion for the very first time in their lives this weekend. On Saturday we celebrated two First Communion Masses, one for OLM School students and the other for OLM Religious Education students. It is always a joyful celebration when our parish marks such a special day in the life of these children and our parish. They are the future of our parish and Church and we rejoice as they receive the Eucharistic Lord. Congratulations to them all! Last May Pope Francis spoke to a large group of Italian school children who had recently made their Frist Holy Communion. He told the children: “The Eucharist is such a great gift. That's why going to Mass is so important. Going to Mass not just to pray, but to receive Communion, the Bread and Body of Christ. It saves us, forgives us and it makes us one with the Father. How beautiful!”

On Sunday these children come to the 10:30AM Mass to make their “second” Communion and to crown the Blessed Virgin Mary. This beautiful ceremony that honors our Blessed Mother as the Queen of the May and Queen of Heaven and Earth is made all the more special as it occurs on Mother’s Day. We turn to the Mother of God and the Church to intercede for us and for all Mothers on their special day. We offer a very Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mothers of Our Lady of Mercy.

Pope Francis recently recalled his own upbringing as one of five children, and spoke of how much work and how many problems, but also how much happiness and joy, come with motherhood. In speaking about Mothers Pope Francis noted: “Mothers are the strongest antidote to the spread of selfish individualism. A world without mothers would be inhumane because mothers always know how to give witness — even in the worst of times — to tenderness, dedication, and moral strength. Being a mother does not mean just bringing a child into the world, but it is also a life choice. What does a mother choose? It is the choice to give life, and this is great, this is beautiful.” How right the Holy Father’s words of wisdom truly are! Happy Mother’s Day!

On Thursday OLM School is to celebrate the First Annual Grandparents’ Day Celebration. The children of the school have invited their grandparents to join them for Mass and a celebration in school following. We are looking forward to welcoming the many grandparents of our 375 students to OLM! Some of them are coming from great distances to be with us for the special day. Thursday we also celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, a holy day of obligation for all Catholics.

All of these grandparents along with their families and our OLM students join us for the Ascension Day Mas at 9:00AM. Therefore, we have added a 12:05PM Holy Day Mass for our parishioners because we expect a full Church for the 9:00AM Mass with our many guests. We have also scheduled the usual Holyday Vigil Mass on Wednesday night at 5:00PM and Masses on Ascension Thursday at 7:30AM and 7:00PM. Certainly their is ample opportunity to get to Mass for the Holyday at OLM. So please join us in celebrating this special feast and Holyday!

On Friday our OLM Middle School students leave for their trip to Washington, DC. Fr. Connors, Principal Fuller, a few teachers and parents are accompanying the students as they explore and learn about the nation’s capitol. They are to tour the US Capitol, US Supreme Court, and White House. These tours are offered along with some educational sessions. In addition, they will make a pilgrimage to the Saint Pope John Paul II Museum run by the Knights of Columbus. We wish them safe travel, good weather and a great time! I offer my sincere thanks to the 417 OLM families that donated to the Catholic Charity Appeal and helped to get us over our parish goal!! In the name of the poor who benefit from your generosity, I offer my gratitude and thanksgiving! Congratulations to our First Communion Class! A Happy Mothers’ Day! See you at May Devotions on Monday at 7:00PM! God Bless.

May Means Mary, Rosary, First Communion, Mother's Day and May Crowning!!

Dear Parishioners: The Month of May has arrived! May is always a busy month at the parish with First Communions and May Crowning. First Communion at OLM is next Saturday, so please pray for fine weather! Also, please pray for our First Communion Class as they receive Jesus Christ truly present in the Eucharist for the very first time. We hope and pray that nourished by the Eucharistic Lord they might continue to grow in faith and remain close to Christ and His Church. May is also a month dedicated to Our Blessed Mother Mary. We celebrate Mary each Monday night at 7:00PM at May Devotions. We expose the Blessed Sacrament, pray the Rosary and offer Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. It is a wonderful and prayerful way to honor the Mother of God. Pope Francis reminds us about Mary: “I like reflecting on the life of Mary; you see how Mary always leads us to Jesus.” So please join us as we turn to Mary, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, to intercede for us and lead us ever closer to Christ!

Next Sunday is Mothers’ Day and we offer Masses for all Mothers, living and deceased. At the 10:30AM Mass our First Communion Class crowns Mary. It is always a beautiful ceremony and celebrating the May Crowning on Mothers’ Day makes it even more special.

Last week I made a trip up to St. John’s Seminary in Boston where many of our Providence seminarians are preparing for the priesthood. It was an appreciation night for the priests who have worked with seminarians during the year or over the summer. I was able to join with our parish seminarian Brian Morris and some of the other young men studying for the priesthood for the Diocese of Providence. Bishop Tobin recently wrote to inform me that Our Lady of Mercy Church is once again to have a seminarian assigned to serve here for the summer. This year we are happy to welcome Providence Seminarian Eric Silva.

I met Eric last week at St. John’s where he is finishing up his pre-theology studies of philosophy. He is a fine young man and arrives to OLM on May 18th to begin ten weeks of living and working with us. Eric is a life-long resident of Cranston where he makes his home with his parents and attends St. Mark Church. He attended the Cranston-Johnston Catholic Regional School (now the Immaculate Conception School) and graduated from Bishop Hendricken High School in 2009. Eric received a B.A. in Communications at URI and worked for a few years in radio industry including producing Pawtucket Red Sox games! He has been studying the last two years at St. Johns and enters his first year of Theology there next fall. Fr. Connors and I are delighted to have Eric live and work with us at OLM. Eric informs me that he is an avid Red Sox fan, but not to worry he also studies philosophy so he and Fr. Connors have something to chat about at breakfast too!

Good Shepherd Sunday last weekend was also World Day for Prayer for Vocations. Bishop Tobin announced at our Annual Priest’s Study Day two weeks ago that nearly 50% of our active priests are scheduled to retire in the next five years! This year eight priests retired from active administration as pastors and only three new priests are to be ordained in June. How blessed we truly are at OLM to have two priests serve our parish. I urge you to pray every day for an increase of vocations. There is urgent need for this prayer and for more priests!

The Month of May is here! The late Francis Cardinal George once said : “I’m glad to remember on May 1 that we dedicate a full month, no matter what else happens, to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In recent years, many Catholics have re-discovered the Rosary or have learned to pray it for the first time. A month is not too long to think about Mary and join in prayer.“ Please join us for May Devotions on Mondays this month, “no matter what else happens!” Let us pray for our Frist Communion Class as we turn to Our Lady of Mercy, our patroness and Mother, to intercede for them. God Bless.

Spring has Sprung! Let's Fling!!! Supporting OLM School and Outreach!

  Dear Parishioners:

It seems like spring has finally sprung! Warmer weather and the long awaited sunshine have arrived. The plants and flowers around the parish grounds are flowering. In the next weeks we hope to remove any that didn’t fully survive the harsh winter. Also you have most likely noticed the sidewalks buckling up around the Church. We are waiting to see how they settle back during the warmer weather and then hope to fix them. They have been painted so you might see the raised sidewalks and cones placed where the walkway immediately in front of Church has slightly raised. So please be cautious when walking around the property.

Spring has indeed sprung and this Friday we have our most important fundraiser for Our Lady of Mercy School, the Spring Fling! This annual event raises critical funds for the operation of our school. Our tuition only partly funds the schools annual budget of $2.5 million. The Spring Fling is crucial to keeping the school financially secure and flourishing. I sometimes encounter people who think that OLM School doesn’t need any financial help since its located in “affluent” East Greenwich. However, that is a total myth. There are many families in our school who make great sacrifices to ensure their children a first-class Catholic Education at OLM School.

Annually we grant tuition assistance to families and last year it totaled $75,000. Our fundraising for the school is crucial for such assistance and also to keep up with the rising cost of healthcare and utilities. It helps fund the proper maintenance and updating of the school. Our fine faculty do not receive large salaries but have a great commitment to providing a first-class Catholic Education and willingly make great sacrifices to serve the school. If you haven’t had a chance to support the Spring Fling and would like to make a donation to the event in support of OLM School, please contact me this week. We need the entire OLM Parish Community to support the great success of our parish school. I thank all those who support our school so generously at the Spring Fling and throughout the year.

Recently I received notes of thanks from the many organizations and agencies that we have supported with funds from OLM Outreach. These include the House of Hope in Warwick which benefits from the OLM Food Pantry. We also sent $1,000 at Easter to both Mary House Soup Kitchen at St. Patrick’s Church in Providence and McAuley House in Providence. We were able to make a donation of $3,000 to the Keep the Heat Fund run by the Diocese of Providence thanks to your generous support of the Outreach Collection. Monthly our Outreach Office provides rental assistance, utility assistance and food assistance to the many needy families in our own community of East Greenwich. It is your loyal and generous support of our Outreach efforts that makes this possible. Thank you!

I also wish to thank the parishioners who have donated to the Catholic Charity Appeal. We are nearing our parish goal of $193,000 but need every parish family to pledge their support in order to reach that goal. We have asked every parish family to consider a gift of $250 pledged over time. Thankfully 387 families have pledged thus far including many who have been very generous with their pledge. In order for the Appeal to succeed at OLM we need all of 2,200 of our parish families to pledge their support and make a donation. All of the proceeds of the CCA go directly to funding the many good works of our Church throughout the state. The Month of May arrives this week! Join us on Friday, May 1st for our First Friday OLM School Mass at 9:00AM and for Eucharistic Adoration throughout the day. The Month of May is busy with First Communion, Mother’s Day, and graduations. It is a month dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary with Devotions every Monday of the month! They say that April showers bring May flowers! Enjoy the flowers! God Bless. Go Sox!