Marriage, The Supreme Court, Religious Liberty and More!

Dear Parishioners: In your name I offer a warm welcome to Our Lady of Mercy to Father Roy Shea, a member of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Missionhurst). Fr. Shea is here this weekend to preach at all the Masses about the important work the Missionhurst Missionaries. It is our Annual Mission Co-op Weekend at OLM where we commit our prayers and financial support to the missionaries of our Church. Missionhurst was founded in Belgium in 1862 by Father Theophile Verbist for the conversion of China. Their missionary work was originally centered on the area of Inner Mongolia. Later they would go to the Congo and then across the globe.

There are at present over 800 members of the congregation working in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Their mission work includes working in parishes and schools in some of the poorest places in the world. Their good works help to establish hospitals, schools, and churches. I ask for your prayers for the Missionhurst Missionaries and their good works on behalf of the Church. Also the second collection this weekend is solely dedicated to the Missionhurst Missions and I ask for your support and thank you for your generous response.

I hope you are able to offer your best wishes to Summer Seminarian Eric Silva at a “Farewell Reception” at Mercy Park after the 10:30am Mass on this Sunday. Eric’s ten weeks here at OLM have come to an end. It was great to have him with us at OLM. In your name I wish him all the best in his theological studies this fall at St. John’s Seminary in Boston. Pray for Eric as he continues to prepare for the priesthood.

This weekend there is an insert in the bulletin regarding the recent decision by the US Supreme Court on same-sex marriage. On June 26th the Court ruled that the 14th Amendment requires states to issue marriage licenses to two persons of the same-sex and to recognize same-sex marriages from other states. This decision now sets the teaching about marriage of our Church and many others in direct opposition to the law of the land. Changing the legal term “marriage” is not simply one change in the law, but rather amounts to thousands of changes at once. The term “marriage” can be found in family law, employment law, trusts and estates, healthcare law, tax law, property law, and many others. These laws affect and regulate religious institutions, such as churches, religiously affiliated schools, hospitals, and families.

Without a doubt this is going to lead to conflicts between the state and religious institutions and individuals of conscience and faith. Religious liberty for such institutions and individuals is likely to be threaten very soon. While religious liberty is protected in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and in federal and state laws. Religious liberty includes more than our ability to freely go to Mass on Sundays or pray the Rosary at home. It also encompasses our ability to contribute freely to the common good of society with our many charitable works and institutions, our educational and healthcare institutions. Our freedom to offer such good works and also follow the teaching of our Church is under threat.  As Catholics we must be concerned about such threats.

We must always be joyful witness of the truth of our Church’s teaching on marriage and life. We must not compromise our convictions about moral truths because of political or societal pressure. Instead we must advocate for religious freedom for all religious institutions and conscience protections for all people of faith. We must pray and act for the truths of our faith.

I am away this week at a national meeting of State Catholic Conference Directors in Michigan. We are meeting with experts about the looming threats to religious freedom. We are to discuss strategies for advocating on behalf of the Church’s teachings on religious liberty, marriage, human life, immigration, assisted-suicide and poverty. It is certainly a timely meeting. Do good. Be well. God Bless.

Welcoming the Missionary and Saying Farewell to the Seminarian!

Dear Parishioners: A few parishioners have asked if we are using a new chalice at Sunday Masses. The answer is no as the chalice has been used for years at OLM. It was recently refinished and that explains the “new look.” The chalice is Father Francis Brady’s who served as Pastor of OLM for twenty-three years from 1947 until his retirement in 1970. The chalice was given to Fr. Brady by his aunt at his ordination in 1920. After the recent refinishing it now looks as it did in 1920. We continue to use this chalice at Sunday Masses and other special parish celebrations.

Next weekend we welcome Missionhurst Missionary Father Roy Shea, CICM to OLM. Father Shea is coming to preach all the Masses next weekend on behalf of the good works done by the Missionhurst Missionaries across the globe. Each year a missionary comes to our parish as part of the Mission Co-op Program for the Diocese of Providence. It is our time to offer our prayers and financial support of the missions. There is more about the work of the Missionhurst Missions in the bulletin. The Second Collection next weekend is dedicated to supporting the Missionhurst Missions. There is no envelope for this special collection so I ask you to be pleased be prepared in advance for it. Any check you write should be made payable to OLM. The entire second collection is then sent to the Diocesan Finance Office who then disburse the collection directly to the Missionhurst Headquarters. I thank you in advance for your support and encourage you to please pray for Fr. Shea and all the Missionhurst Missionaries throughout the world.

This is the last week for our Summer Seminarian Eric Silva. It’s hard to believe that he has been here ten weeks already! On Monday night he leads a Bible Study in the OLM School Library on the Letters of St. Paul. I hope you can make time to attend as I am sure it will be time well spent for you and for Eric. Next weekend is to be Eric’s last weekend here at OLM. He leaves on Monday, July 27th to spend some vacation time with his family and reports to St. John’s Seminary in Boston in mid August to begin his studies for the priesthood as a First Theologian. I invite you to wish him well after Masses next weekend and also to join us in Mercy Park following the 10:30AM Mass for a “Farewell Reception” for him. Please keep Eric in your prayers as prepares for the priesthood. It was wonderful having Eric with us for these ten weeks. He was a joy to live and work with during his time here. He was a great help teaching at OLM School, helping at the OLM Bible Camp, serving Masses, visiting our shut-ins and working along side me and Fr. Connors. I know he enjoyed his time here and the experience of living and working at the parish. I know I speak for Fr. Connors and Deacon Dowd when I offer thanks to Eric for his presence and ministry here at OLM.

In this week’s bulletin there is an insert announcing the 2nd Annual Wild Harvest Open House and Food Drive. On both Saturday and Sunday the Open House includes a “Bistro Night” with great food and live music. The food is being prepared by their terrific Chef Erica Maddalena. All donations go to support the work of OLM Outreach as well as the RI Food Bank. Wild Harvest has long supported OLM Outreach with their sponsorship of OLM's Lunch on the Hill at Saint Luke's every first Wednesday of each month. We are grateful to OLM parishioners, Chef Erica Maddalena and Mike Balsamo, for their generous support of our OLM Outreach Ministry. The event next weekend is a great way to enjoy a summer afternoon or evening eating great food, listening to great music and helping a great cause. The event takes place at the Wild Harvest Log Cabin on Route 2. I hope you can stop by and say thanks and offer some support. More details are on the flyer in the bulletin this weekend.

It may be summer but there’s plenty going on here at OLM! Remember the Missions next weekend! Be well. Do good. Enjoy the summer! God Bless.

Freedom, Citizenship, Prayer and Welcoming Missionaries to OLM!!

Dear Parishioners:I hope you had a Happy Independence Day last weekend. The Fourth of July is always a great holiday to celebrate with family and friends. Fireworks, hot dogs, hamburgers and apple pie are the American standard for the holiday. But it is also a day to reflect upon what it means for us to be a citizen of the United States. Sometimes we take our citizenship for granted and forget the freedoms we enjoy. Not  every nation allows such liberty as we do here in the US. Not every nation has the bounty and blessings we enjoy in the US.

As you know Father Shemek, our former Associate Pastor at OLM, became a U.S. citizen last month. He is a native of Poland but came to our country to serve the Church as a priest. When I called him to congratulate him and told him that to become a US citizen was a great event in his life but I also reminded him that it meant he had to vote and pay taxes now! There was a great story last week in the Rhode Island Catholic aboutFather Shemek entitled “Following God’s Call to America’s Shores.” Father has been living and working as a priest in the US on a religious worker visa. With help from the Diocesan Office of Immigration and Refugee Services, Father Shemek was able to obtain his citizenship after taking an exam. On upon becoming a US citizen in June Father Shemek said: “When you come to live here you become a friend of the United States. But after citizenship, it becomes a family.” Welcome to the family Father Shemek!

We continue to give thanks to God for our nation.  Perhaps we might offer this prayer I recently came across. Let us pray:

Lord, in your Infinite Wisdom, you have inspired men and women to forge this great nation.  If ever a state was founded upon the principles of the Bible, it is truly the United States. No other nation has given it’s people the power – and the privilege – to effect and influence the lives of so many.  Please help us to be aware of the gift and the responsibilities that this power grants us all.   We beseech You to stretch Your hand over those serving our nation, our soldiers and our leaders.  Fill them with Your Presence that they may see what is Right.  O Jesus, You gathered men and women to do Your work for the time when You returned to the Father in Heaven.  Grant us the wisdom and the courage to be Your disciples, the strength to work Your will in exercising our civic duties.  Blessed Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Patron of this nation, please fill our hearts with love and reverence.  Please intercede for us, that we may be enkindled by the Holy Spirit with the grace to know what is right and the conviction to ensure that God’s will be done.  For Your Many Blessings, we thank You, O Lord. For Your Glory, not ours, let us go forth. We ask these things through the Lord Jesus Christ and our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. Amen.

During the weekend of July 25 and 26 the Mission Co-op will be held at OLM. This is our annual commitment to spiritually and financially help the good works of the missions of our Church. Each year every parish across the state takes a weekend and dedicates it to the missionaries. These missionaries preach all the weekend masses and the second collection goes to support their good work. This year we welcome the Missionhurst Missionaries to OLM. On the weekend of July 25/26, Father Roy Shea, CICM who works in the missions of Brazil joins us at OLM. He is to preach all the weekend Masses about the good works of Missionhurst. There is more about this in the bulletin this week. The entire second collection that weekend is taken up in support of the Missionhurst Missions. There is no envelope so please be prepared for the collection. We also commit to praying for the missions and the missionaries that they may continue to spread the good news of the Gospel to the four corners of the earth. May God bless them and their good works. Have a great week! Enjoy the summer! God Bless.

Happy 4th! Celebrating Freedom Means Condemning Racism in East Greenwich!!

Dear Parishioners: Happy Independence Day! A day to remember our liberty and rejoice that we live freely. It is a time of picnics and fireworks, celebrations and homecomings. Sadly the celebration of our 4th of July was recently marred right here in our Town of East Greenwich. Just last week many homes in our local neighborhoods were littered with pamphlets that contained a racist rant. Of course they were distributed anonymously as is always the way with cowards.

So often we think of other places when we think of racism. Places far from our own homes. So often we think of other people when we think of racism. People very unlike ourselves. However, when such racist vitriol and hatred strikes so close to home we must reconsider our own attitudes and the attitudes of our entire community. This hateful act comes just as our nation continues to mourn the nine people murdered by a racist maniac in Charleston, South Carolina. Earlier this month the US Bishops gathering in St. Louis reminded us that “racism is an evil which endures in our society and in our church.” This h hateful and racist literature must always be condemned and called for what it truly is, moral evil. Writing it, passing it out and supporting it is a grave sin.  Unfortunately the  cowards who made this literature are likely never to be known.

As Catholics we must make it part of our faith lives to end any racism that exists in our homes, schools, neighborhoods, and churches. We must pray for the conversion of all those who hate others simply because the color of their skin that they might respect the dignity of every human person. If we reach out to our African-American neighbors and all those of other races and stand together as brothers and sisters then the cowards who promote such racist hatred might begin to realize that they are unwelcome and unwanted in East Greenwich!

Of course while East Greenwich was dealing with this unfortunate incident of racism, the United States Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right. While many seem to be rejoicing is such a decision, it is truly a troubling event for those of us who hold to the traditional view of marriage. This includes not only the Catholic Church but the many faithful of other religious groups in the Protestant Community, the Orthodox Church, Mormon Community, Orthodox Judaism and Islam. This decision has many implications far beyond who can and cannot be married. The narrow decision simply casts aside the Biblical and Christian view about the nature of marriage as nothing more than mere bigotry. It also raises many serious questions about religious liberty and personal conscience for millions of Americans and their faith communities.

As Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops stated: “I encourage Catholics to move forward with faith, hope, and love: faith in the unchanging truth about marriage, rooted in the immutable nature of the human person and confirmed by divine revelation; hope that these truths will once again prevail in our society, not only by their logic, but by their great beauty and manifest service to the common good; and love for all our neighbors, even those who hate us or would punish us for our faith and moral conviction.”

And finally in the midst of such a tumultuous week, the RI General Assembly ended their legislative session rather abruptly. While the state budget had previously passed, much more legislation was left behind on the desk as our state leaders adjourned. Thankfully before adjournment the General Assembly did restore funding for the textbook loan program and busing that helps Catholic and private school families. They also fixed the state’s healthcare exchange program by allowing for coverage that excludes abortion in the plans. And thankfully the attempt to legalize physician assisted suicide died legislatively!  Much to think about on this 4th of July as we celebrate liberty and freedom! Pray for our nation. God Bless. God Bless America. Happy Fourth of July!

Vacation Bible School, Ordinations, Vocations and July 4th!! Summer is here!!

Dear Parishioners: We had a great week of Vacation Bible School this past week. Over 50 children spent the week learning about their Catholic Faith through fun activities. I am grateful to Mrs. Bethany Bessette, Mrs. Karen Maguire and Mr. Michael LaChima from OLM School for planning and running the camp. They were assisted by a great group of volunteer parents and young adults in providing this great time for the children of the parish. We thank them all!

Many were expecting something dramatic from Pope Francis’ new encyclical. There were predictions of controversy and politics. Instead what he has given us is something much more profound. Laudato Si is indeed very provocative, but far less political than the prognosticators pontificated. No doubt there are those who will use the encyclical to suit their own ideological purposes. Doing so is truly a great disservice not only to the Holy Father but also to those who have not yet read it. We can all profit from a careful and thorough reading of the encyclical. The Holy Father has not attempted to change public policies, but rather to call us to conversion. I encourage you to read the full text of the encyclical. If you aren’t up to reading the entire document than please read the prayer with which Pope Francis concludes the encyclical. This prayer gives a clear sense of what the Pontiff is trying to say. In the meantime, ignore the hype and hyperbole and read the encyclical yourself on the patio, at the beach, or anywhere in the beautiful world God created!

On Saturday Bishop Tobin ordained three young men as priests for service in our Diocese of Providence. The beautiful Ordination Mass took place at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. It is truly a great day for the Church and we rejoice that these men have answered the call to serve God’s People! As is the tradition, these three new priests each celebrate a First Mass of Thanksgiving at their home parishes. It is always a special day for a parish when a native son returns to celebrate his priesthood by offering Mass where their faith began and was nurtured. I know the music is to be very good as our own parish organist, Henri St. Louis, is playing each of the three First Masses.

Brian Morris, our own native vocation from OLM, is to be ordained a Transitional Deacon next spring. After a year of Diaconal service and upon the completion of his seminary training and theological studies at St. John’s Seminary, he is to be ordained a priest in June 2017. We continue to pray for Brian and look forward to his Frist Mass of Thanksgiving at OLM in 2017!

There is also good news about another native vocation from OLM, Brian Bennett. He is the son of OLM parishioners Dudley and Kathy Bennett and the brother of Father Eric Bennett, another OLM vocation, who celebrated his First Mass here and is a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston. Brian has been accepted into the 2015 Novitiate class of the St. Joseph Province of the Dominican Fathers of the Eastern United States.Brian enters this first stage of discerning the call to be a Dominican Friar along with fourteen other young men. A novitiate is a time of formation as a member of a religious order. It is almost like a year long retreat or a year long spiritual boot camp. Novices learn how to pray, study, and share their lives together in community. By its very nature the novitiate is a testing out of the Order as the Order is testing out the novice. Brian and his brother novices begin their novitiate on the feast of St. Dominic on August 8, 2015 in St. Gertrude Priory in Cincinnati. The Novice Master for the Dominican Fathers is another OLM vocation, Fr. Francis Belanger, OP! Father Francis is the son of Bob and Ginny Belanger and a frequent visitor to OLM! We offer our prayers and congratulations to Brian and his brother Dominican novices!

It’s hard to believe that its July 4th already! Our Parish Office is closed on Friday, July 3rd, in observance of the holiday and Mass is to be offered at 8:30am on Friday. Hope you are enjoying the summer! God Bless. Happy Independence Day!

Summer's Here, Read a Book! A Happy Father's Day! Pray for All Fathers!

Dear Parishioners:We had a wonderful celebration of Graduation for the 8th Grade of Our Lady of Mercy School. It began on Sunday with the Mass in honor of the graduates and then an Awards Luncheon. On Monday night the graduates received their diplomas at the beautiful Graduation Ceremony. Congratulations!! Also last weekend I along with Fr. Connors, Seminarian Silva and Bishop Evans attended the OLM School Production of the Lion King. It was a fabulous play and the school children were fantastic. The children had only a few weeks to prepare for the play but nonetheless it was a great production and yet another reason why our parish school is so special.

School ended last Tuesday for OLM School and ends this Monday for EG Public Schools! Summer begins on June 21st and now we hope and pray for good weather, sunny days and a healthy and happy summer for all. If you are traveling this summer be sure to pick up the church bulletin when you go to Mass out of state. When you get home to OLM simply put it in the collection basket. I always love to see where people went and what other parishes across the country are doing.

For me the summer usually means more time for books on the beach. What are you reading this summer? I know that Fr. Connors and I will be reading the new encyclical from Pope Francis on the beach! Released this past week from the Vatican the encyclical letter is entitled "Laudato Si': On the Care of Our Common Home.” It is about something called "integral ecology." This idea tells us that the way we relate with one another and how we relate to the environment are intimately connected. Integral ecology means that "natural ecology"—the environment, our natural resources, the precious gift of Creation—is decidedly linked to "human ecology"—how we respect life, treat one another, regard the poor, structure our economic decisions and policy, mold and shape our society. I know It should prove to be a very interesting read.

However, it isn’t only encyclicals that I read at the beach. I also like to read Alan Furst spy novels! He writes historical fiction about espionage in the period just prior to the Second Word War. They are quick and great reads for the beach or a plane ride! I suppose my interest in such historical fiction about World War II comes from my late Father who loved both to read books and was also a World War II combat veteran. It is from him I got the desire to read such novels. So perhaps you might share a book with your child this Father’s Day!Today is Father’s Day and we honor and give thanks for all Fathers for their love and support but also for the great gift of Fatherhood. We offer our prayers and Masses Sunday for all our Fathers both living and deceased. We ask God to bestow upon all Fathers his blessings, guidance and protection. Happy Fathers Day to all our OLM Fathers!

Speaking of Fathers, next Saturday Bishop Tobin is to ordain three young men as priests. The new Fathers are Joshua Barrow, Nicholas Fleming and Ryan Simas and are to be ordained priests at the Cathedral at 10am on Saturday, June 27th. The bishop offers these profound words as part of the ceremony: “Understand what you do, imitate what you celebrate, and conform your life to the mystery of the Lord’s cross.” Please pray for these new priests as they begin their priestly ministry. Father Connors and I were also both ordained in late June. Fr. Connors celebrates three years as a priest on Tuesday, June 23rd and I mark my 20th year of priesthood on Wednesday, June 24th. I humbly ask for your prayers for the both of us and our priestly ministry at OLM. May Christ, the Eternal High Priest, continue to guide us to understand what we do, imitate what we celebrate, and conform our lives to the great mystery of His Cross. Summer is here !! Jesus says: “Come away by yourselves and rest a while.” Enjoy it before it ends! God Bless. Happy Father’s Day!