Dear Parishioners:
It’s back to school for our OLM School children this week. Yes, the first day of school is this coming Friday! It’s hard to believe it’s already arrived. Where did the summer go? As the students return to OLM School I ask that you please continue to pray for them, and also for the administration, faculty and staff of OLM School. May God abundantly bless this new academic year with wisdom, faith, hope and love as our students strive to be both saints and scholars. Our Lady of Mercy, pray for them.
Our terrific faculty make a retreat on Thursday at the Retreat Center on Enders Island in Mystic, CT. Father Chris Murphy, the Chaplain at Bishop Hendricken High School, is leading the retreat. It is a great way for our faculty to renew their faith and zeal for the Lord as
they begin another year teaching our children at OLM School. Let us offer this prayer for the new school year at OLM School: Merciful Father, We give You thanks for the opportunity to begin this new school year, and we ask that you bless the students, administration, faculty, staff and school families that make our school a place of excellence and faith. We pray that you will guide them in your ways, so that they always seek Your will in all they do, and strive to always love others as You love us. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
OLM School is back in session this week and so is our Back-To-School Supplies Drive for St. Patrick’s Parish in Providence. Fr. James Ruggeri, St. Patrick’s Pastor, called me earlier in the summer seeking the help of OLM. So again this year we pledged to help and to bring back-packs full of much needed school supplies to the children at St. Patrick’s in Providence. There is a complete list of needed supplies in the bulletin. You can place all donated school supplies in the boxes in the vestibule of the Church. If you would rather donate monetarily, please do so by striking a check payable to OLM Outreach with “Back-Pack Drive” in the memo and simply place it in the collection basket at Mass. We are collecting these supplies through the end of August and hope to make delivery before September 1st. I offer my thanks for your generous support of this good work of OLM Outreach.
Sandra Demers, our Parish Secretary, returned safe and sound from World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland. She and her daughter, Simone, joined over 60 pilgrims from Rhode Island and say it was truly a fun and faith filled trip. They
joined scores of young and happy Catholics from around the world singing and celebrating their Catholic faith together. The closing Mass with Pope Francis saw over 2 million gathered together! At the closing Mass, Pope Francis offered some profound words to the Catholic Youth of the World:
“God loves us the way we are, and no sin, fault or mistake of ours makes him change his mind. As far as Jesus is concerned – as the Gospel shows – no one is unworthy of, or far from, his thoughts. No one is insignificant. He loves all of us with a special love; for him all of us are important: you are important! God counts on you for what you are, not for what you possess. In his eyes the clothes you wear or the kind of cell phone you use are of absolutely no concern. He doesn’t care whether you are stylish or not; he cares about you! In his eyes, you are precious, and your value is inestimable. God is hopelessly hopeful! He believes that we can always get up. He demands of us real courage: the courage to be more powerful than evil by loving everyone, even our enemies. People may laugh at you because you believe in the gentle and
unassuming power of mercy. But do not be afraid.”
This powerful message of God’s love and mercy from Pope Francis provides something for all of us, both young and old, to pray
and reflect about this week. Thanks for your generous support of this week’s Peter’s Pence Collection. Also many thanks for helping Fr. Ruggeri and the good people at St. Patrick’s Parish with back-to-school supplies. I know it makes a big difference in their lives. Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox!
We said “Farewell” to our Summer Seminarian Billy Burdier last weekend. He now gets ready to return to his priestly studies in Rome in September. Billy is entering his third year and has two years left before ordination to the priesthood. My thanks to all who helped organize the “Farewell Reception” in Mercy Park and the many parishioners who stopped by to offer Billy their thanks. Vaya con Dios Billy!!
returned from Nebraska on Sunday night. The good sisters were on retreat and made their way back travelling across the country in their mini-van. They arrived safe and sound late Sunday night. Now rested and ready from their retreat they once again take up their ministry here at OLM. Welcome home Sisters!!!
I recently received the news that Deacon Brian Morris, a native son of OLM and graduate of OLM School, is to be ordained a priest on Saturday, June 3, 2017. He is to offer his Mass of Thanksgiving here at OLM on Sunday, June 4, 2017. Please put those dates on your calendar now as it will be a weekend for our parish family to celebrate with Brian and his family. Brian is coming to OLM next Sunday, August 21st to preach at all the Masses. He then returns to his final year of studies at St. John Seminary in Boston and prepares for priestly ordination next June!
parishioners Dudley and Kathy Bennett was named Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in East Boston. Fr. Bennett worked in Boston as a Physical Therapist before entering the seminary and was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston in June 2012. It is a sure expression of Cardinal O’Malley’s trust and confidence in Fr. Bennett’s tremendous abilities and talents to name him a Pastor of such a large parish as Sacred Heart.
parish school. Fr. Bennett studied in Rome so Mass In Italian shouldn’t be a problem and he has the assistance of a Vietnamese Priest who serves the large Vietnamese population there. Fr. Bennett begins his first pastorate on August 15th, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a sure sign that Our Lady is to guide his pastorate! We congratulate Fr. Bennett and his parents on this great milestone in his priestly ministry and extend him our prayerful best wishes!
that “Jesus went about all the cities and villages... When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest’” (Mt 9:35-38). The prayer which Jesus asks of all of us, therefore concerns the need to increase the number of those who serve his Kingdom as priests.
year as it falls on a Monday. There is an explanation provided by the Office of Worship in the bulletin this week. There is to be only one Mass offered on this Solemnity at 7:30am on Monday, August 15th and I encourage you to join us on this great feast of Our Lady. The arrival of the Assumption is always a sign that summer is coming to an end too fast.
We say so-long to our Summer Seminarian, Billy Burdier, this weekend. He has been here for the last eight weeks. His time here has been well spent working at OLM School, the Vacation Bible School, assisting at Masses, visits to shut-ins, writing a weekly column and working along side Fr. Barrow and myself. Billy has a lot of energy and personality but also a lot of talent. He speaks three languages fluently and can get by in few more. He displayed his musical talents at the Vacation Bible School with his guitar playing and singing!
resettlement, poverty and educational choice. These issues effect every state and we were able to hear from the staff of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops about them. These diverse public policy issues are getting more complicated and more numerous.
We also celebrated Mass at the Cathedral of San Fernando with the Archbishop of San Antonio, the Most Reverend Gustavo-García-Siller. The beautiful Cathedral was founded in March 1731 by a group of 15 families who came from the Canary Islands at the invitation of King Phillip V of Spain. It is now a hub of the City of San Antonio. Over 5,000 people participate at weekend Masses each week. The Cathedral Parish has over 900 baptisms, 100 weddings, and 100 funerals each year.
quite an impressive place that is full of history and brings to life the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson. He is one of the most fascinating U.S. Presidents in history. After Austin I moved on to Houston where I was able to visit the President George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Park. The elder President Bush’s life and presidency is also well worth the visit. His vast service to the nation throughout his life most especially during the Second World War was well worth spending time examining.
taking time to rest is a great way to practice your faith. On the seventh day of Creation, God rested; and as we are made in His image and likeness we too are called to take time to rest. Pope Francis has said: “Together with a culture of work, there must be a culture of leisure as gratification. To put it another way: people who work must take the time to relax, to be with their families, to enjoy themselves, read, listen to music, play a sport.”
MassTimes.org before you leave for a vacation to find Mass times at a nearby church so you can participate in Sunday Mass. Vacations are a wonderful way to step out of your daily routine to get some rest, have an adventure, and spend quality time with your family. But that doesn’t mean you should take a vacation from your faith.
Beginning your trip with a prayer sets the right tone and starts you off on the right foot. Say a quick prayer for protection and for a fruitful, restful vacation as you start off. Here is a nice quick prayer to say right as you pull out of the driveway: “O Lady of the Highway, be with us on our journey, for all your ways are beautiful and all your paths are peace. O God, Who with unspeakable provident does rule and govern the world, grant unto us, Your servants, through the intercessions of our watchful mother, to be protected from all danger and brought safely to the end of our journey. Amen.” 
going over the Diocesan Goal. We raised over $267,000 here at OLM, well over our goal of $193,000 and even over last year’s total of $244,000 at OLM. It is a great witness to your love of the poor and your generosity in supporting the good works of the Church of Providence. Thank you for all your support of the CCA!
This weekend we welcome to Our Lady of Mercy Sister Josephine and Sister Therese of the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary. The Sisters are speaking at all Masses about the important work they do in the Missions in Africa. This is our Annual Mission Co-op weekend in which we dedicate one weekend a year to learning about the good works of Missionaries and support them with your prayers as well as our financial contributions. The Sisters are here to share with us the story of their religious community of the Holy Rosary and the many good works they do throughout the world. They are located in Africa, Mexico and Brazil and provide much needed education and healthcare to some of the poorest areas of our world. They also bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to these areas through their witness of the faith.
The nation continues to deal the aftermath of the terrible tragedy that took place in Dallas last week. We continue to mourn the loss of live and pray for peace and justice. Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas issued a statement in response. His words are well worth reflecting upon:
escalating cycle of violence that has now touched us intimately as it has others throughout our country and the world. All lives matter: black, white, Muslim, Christian, Hindu. We are all children of God and all human life is precious.
ancient chant, In Paradisum. It is an antiphon from the traditional Latin liturgy of the Western Church Requiem Mass. It may be familiar to you as it is often used at Funeral Masses and it reads: "May choirs of angels escort you into paradise: and at your arrival may the martyrs receive and welcome you; may they bring you home into the holy city, Jerusalem. May the holy angels welcome you, and with Lazarus, who lived in poverty, may you have everlasting rest.” May the fallen of Dallas’ finest, rest in peace.
Nebraska for two weeks. There they join all the Franciscan Apostolic Sisters serving in the U.S. They have community meetings and also have a community retreat at the Seminary of St. Gregory in Seward, Nebraska. Please keep our good Sisters in your prayers for their safe travel and safe return home to OLM! I know while they take this time of prayer and reflection they are praying for us.