Dear Parishioners: On Friday we prayed for the legal protection of unborn children in our nation. I am grateful for the many parishioners and others who turned out to spend some time in prayer and adoration for this great cause. Also I thank Fr. Joe Upton, the URI Chaplain, for his inspiring words about “Living the Gospel of Life.”
This week at the RI State House the RI Right to Life Committee and other committed pro-lifers are to gather to give voice to the voiceless unborn. The Right to Life Rally is to take place on Wednesday, January 27 from 3:00PM until 4:00PM in the State House Rotunda. It is a tremendous opportunity to call upon the state’s political leaders to work to protect and respect all human life.
Also this week at the RI Statehouse this week, the RI Families for School Choice are hosting an event to highlight the need for expanded parental choice in education. This group includes families from Catholic and Jewish schools as well as supporters of school choice in education. The event is Thursday, January 28 from 2:00PM to 5:00PM in the State Room of the RI Statehouse. The featured speaker is the
national school reform leader Kevin P. Chavous. He is a former Washington, DC City Councilman and was instrumental in helping DC establish a school voucher for economically disadvantaged children.
In RI we have a Tuition Scholarship Tax Credit program that helps economically poor students obtain scholarships for the school of their choice. Tax-credit scholarships allow taxpayers to receive full or partial tax credits for donating to nonprofits that provide K–12 private school scholarships. The amount of tax credits distributed is capped at $1.5 million, which, in turn, affects the availability and size of scholarships. It is a great program for those who own small businesses to obtain valuable tax credits as they aid poor children.
Speaking of choice in education next Sunday we kick-off Catholic Schools Week. There is a great week of events planned at our parish school. Our excellent students are to speak at all Masses next weekend about OLM School and its many benefits. Also on next Sunday we are hosting an Open House at OLM School from 10:00AM until 12:00PM for any families who might be interested in exploring our school. All parishioners are invited to stop by and take a tour of the school to see the many great things that are going there.
When I was growing up (many years before Fr. Connors was born), if people asked where you were from, you never said a town but "St. Paul's"
or "OLM" People understood that the success of a parish school was tied to the success of the parish. The same is true today. When our parishes flourish, our schools flourish. When there are more people at Mass, when more families understand the mission of Catholic schools, they succeed.
Here at OLM, our 13th Pastor, the late Fr. Brady, had a tremendous concern for the children of the parish. With the permission and encouragement of then Bishop Russell J. McVinney, the fifth Bishop of Providence, Fr. Brady purchased a home on First Avenue for use as a convent and invited the Sisters of Mercy to staff the new parish school. In September of 1950, the first parish students enrolled at Our Lady of Mercy School. The Kindergarten class was in the Convent, and grades one and two in the basement of the Church. Under the direction of the first principal, Sr. Helena McNulty the number of students grew rapidly. In the summer of 1951, Fr. Brady then purchased three acres of land on Fourth Avenue and began construction of a new school building. The new school opened in January of 1952 and remains a 
vital part of our parish today.
I hope you’ll attend one or all of the many important events taking place this coming week. Have a great week! It’s good to be home. We look forward to another Pat’s victory this weekend! Be well. Do Good. God Bless.
In his address to the Joint Session of the US Congress last September, Pope Francis praised four Americans: the Trappist Monk Thomas Merton, the Peace and Poverty Activist Dorothy Day, President Abraham Lincoln and the Civil Rights Leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He called them "four representatives of the American people." Pope Francis lauded Day, King, Lincoln and Merton for using their dreams of justice, equal rights, liberty and peace to make America a better place.
the civil rights and equality of African Americans In speaking of Dr. King, Pope Francis said: "I think of the march which Martin Luther King led from Selma to Montgomery 50 years ago as part of the campaign to fulfill his 'dream' of full civil and political rights for African Americans. That dream continues to inspire us all. I am happy that America continues to be, for many, a land of 'dreams.' Dreams which lead to action, to participation, to commitment. Dreams which awaken what is deepest and truest in the life of a people."
On Friday, January 22nd, we remember the continued injustice of legal abortion in our nation as we mark 43rd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade US Supreme Court Decision. The great tragedy and injustice continues as millions of unborn children lose their innocent and precious lives to abortion every year.
Protection of Unborn Children on this Friday. All-Day Eucharistic Adoration begins at 9:00aM and at 6:00PM it concludes with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Also at 6:00PM we are to offer Prayers of the Protection of the Unborn, and URI Chaplain Father Joe Upton is to offer a reflection on “Living the Gospel of Life.”
political leaders that they may have the courage and conviction to work to protect all human life. And may we pray for the legal protection of unborn children in our nation and across the globe. Prayer is a powerful instrument in helping to end abortion so please join us on Friday as we commit to defending life and praying for the protection of the unborn.
Just as the battle for civil rights for African Americans was born of religious faith so too is the battle for the right to life of the unborn. In an age when many falsely contend that faith has no place in the public square, our history and experience teach us differently. The voice of religious leaders and people of faith is needed today as much as it was when Dr. King spoke out so passionately for justice and equality. Let us give voice to the voiceless as we call out for justice and equality for the unborn child threatened by abortion.
Wow! Winter arrived with a vengeance this week! Snow on Monday and below zero wind chills on Tuesday! It’s hard to believe that it was just 70 degrees on Christmas Day and we had the air conditioning on in Church! Looks like our old friend winter is here for awhile so put away the shorts and get out the snow shovels!
freezing in Rhode Island as you can be laying in the sun in Florida? Not so sure! Quite a few of our parishioners have flown south to sunny Florida for the winter, I don’t think they bought what Chekhov was saying! At least the days are getting a little longer in Rhode Island now!!
Sister Lourdes is returning from the Philippines next week after a month of meetings and conferences with her congregation at the Franciscan Apostolic Sisters Motherhouse. While she was away, Sister Emma was joined by the Franciscan Sisters who serve at the nearby Scalabrini Villa Home. So please be sure to welcome Sister Emma home when you see her next! We are happy to have her back and I know Sister Emma is too. The Sisters are truly a great addition to our parish family. They often express to me how happy they are here at OLM and how welcomed the parishioners have made them feel. They certainly are a joyful and faithful presence at OLM especially in their work at the parish school, the food pantry, teaching Religious Ed Class and visiting our parish shut-ins.
This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Baptism of Our Lord. It brings to an end the season of Christmas. On this feast the Church recalls Our Lord's second manifestation or epiphany which occurred on His baptism in the Jordan River. Jesus descended into the River to sanctify its waters and to give them the power to beget children of God. Many of the things which accompanied Christ's Baptism are symbolical of what happened at our own Baptism. At Christ's Baptism the Holy Spirit descended upon Him; at our Baptism the Trinity found its home in our soul. At His Baptism Christ was proclaimed the "Beloved Son" of the Father; at our Baptism we become the adopted sons and daughters of God. At Christ's Baptism the heavens were opened; at our Baptism heaven was opened to us. At His Baptism Jesus prayed; after our Baptism we must pray to avoid temptation and sin.
family of OLM.
A Happy New Year to all! It’s 2016 has arrived and we begin a New Year full of new beginnings and new opportunities. We ask God , Our Merciful Father, to bestow His abundant blessings upon us, our families, our homes and our parish. May 2016 truly be year of Gospel Joy and Mercy for OLM!
session and I resume my duties as the Director of the RI Catholic Conference and lobbyist for the Diocese of Providence. Since 2016 is an election year I don’t think that many controversial matters will arise during the session. However, there is still a well financed and organized nationwide campaign to legalize physician assisted-suicide. Last year several bills were introduced and committee hearings held on the issue. So we must be vigilant about this issue especially since California recently legalized physician assisted suicide this fall.
at the RI Statehouse. The voice of the Catholic Church in the public square is truly needed to secure justice, protect human life and dignity and serve the common good of our state. I like to say that I lobby for the “virtues” while the highly paid lobbyists lobby for the many legal “vices” like gambling, alcohol and tobacco!
As the new legislative session begins, perhaps we and our elected officials might reflect upon the wisdom of Pope Francis once again. In his address to the Joint Session of the US Congress this past September, he said: “Each son or daughter of a given country has a mission, a personal and social responsibility. Your own responsibility as members of Congress is to enable this country, by your legislative activity, to grow as a nation. You are the face of its people, their representatives. You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics. A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk. Legislative activity is always based on care for the people. To this you have been invited, called and convened by those who elected you.”
I ask you to please pray for all our elected officials, those you like and voted for and even those you dislike and voted against! May all elected officials
especially the members of the RI General Assembly, our Governor and our General Officers, and our Congressional delegation serve with honor, honesty and integrity and may they always serve the common good of our nation and state. It’s also back to class, back to studies and back to learning this week for school students! We wish them a great new year and a renewed effort to strive to be both saints and scholars. I hope there aren’t as many snow days for them this year! Welcome back! Happy New Year! Be well. Do good. Go Pats! God Bless.
