Catholic Schools Week Success, Super Bowl Week and Hoped for Success!

Dear Parishioners:We had a tremendous celebration of Catholic Schools Week at Our Lady of Mercy last week.  The students who spoke at Masses were outstanding and we thank them for  helping spread the good news about the OLM Advantage.  We had dozens of families stop by the Open House and look at all the great things happening in our parish school. Also a few alumni of our school visited to see some of the changes!

If you attended or graduated from OLM School be sure to check out the school webpage at olmschool.org.  There is a section dedicated to our OLM School Alumni.  We are always looking to reconnect with our alumni both near and far.  I am grateful to our OLM School Principal, Scott Fuller, and the dedicated faculty and staff who worked so hard to make Open House  and Catholic Schools Week such a great success.  Also we thank the many OLM School students and families who volunteered to help show off all the great things happening at the school.  If you would like to take a tour or look around at the school just contact the OLM School Office to arrange a visit.

In the name of OLM School, I thank the many parishioners who were so generous in supporting the OLM Saints and Scholars Fund Collection last weekend.  This Fund was begun to enable the entire parish to help support the important mission of OLM School.  As you can well imagine the cost of operating such  an excellent school is very costly.  We try to keep tuition  affordable  and offer financial aid to those qualified OLM parishioners who need assistance.  Your generous support of the OLM School Saints and Scholars Fund is appreciated.

By the way, the students at OLM School raised $500 which they presented last week to Sister Emma and Sister Lourdes for the good works of the Franciscan Apostolic Sisters in the Philippines.  The sisters were certainly grateful for the student’s support.

This weekend we mark the World Day for Consecrated Life. In 1997, Pope Saint John Paul II instituted this day of prayer for women and men in consecrated life.  This very important day is celebrated in the Church annually on the Feast of the Presentation and in parishes on the weekend  following. So please pray for the Franciscan Apostolic Sisters, Sister Emma and Sister Lourdes, and also for Sister of Mercy, Sister Jeanne and be sure to thank them on their special day. We are so blessed to have these good sisters working and living with us at OLM.  Also pray for all those men and women who have made commitments in the consecrated life, and all those considering a vocation as a religious sister or brother. May they continue to be inspired by Jesus Christ and respond generously to God's gift of their vocation.

Over a week ago hundreds of thousands of people marched in the nation’s capitol in support of the innocent unborn.  Several speakers spoke at the Pro-Life Rally which preceded the March including Vice-President Pence.  Also the NFL star Ben Watson who is a tight-end for The Baltimore Ravens spoke.  He has been using his fame not to speak for himself but to speak up for the most vulnerable lives in America, the innocent unborn.  He challenged the crowd during the 44th annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. telling them: “We must end the unthinkable practice of abortion in the United States of America.”

Ben Watson is an NFL star but also a husband and father of five children. He challenged men to support and protect women’s and children’s rights and unborn lives to the fullest extent of their abilities. Ben Watson is a major star in the NFL yet he has the courage and the dedication to stand up for the unborn!  Let’s hope Catholic men hear his message and add their voice to defending the voiceless unborn.

It’s Super Bowl Sunday and we are hoping that our own New England Patriots are victorious tonight!  I admit I do like the Atlanta Falcons Star Quarterback Matt Ryan, he is a good Catholic, but I won’t be rooting for him tonight but for the other Catholic and former altar boy, Tom Brady! It should be a great game to watch, so enjoy and root the Pat’s on to victory! Pats 34 and Falcons 31!!

Pray for our good sisters this weekend and thank them for their ministry and service to OLM! Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats, Win!!

Catholic Schools Week! Celebrate OLM School!!

Dear Parishioners: Well Fr. Barrow was relieved he had a “Happy Pastor” and a very “Sad Bishop” on Monday morning! A great game by the victorious Patriots over the Steelers resulted in much happiness for many and some sadness for one native of Pittsburgh who lives on the Wampanoag Trail!  Now we’re on to Houston!!

This weekend we begin our annual celebration of Catholic Schools Week.  We don’t speak much about love in education. Not even in the Church when we speak about Catholic Schools.  Instead, we focus on more tangible measures of success: how 99 percent of Catholic school students get their high-school diplomas; how a black or Latino child is 2.5 times more likely to graduate from college if he or she has attended a Catholic high school; how Catholic schools manage to do all this at a fraction of the cost of public schools.

Don’t misunderstand, we are very proud when our OLM  School students succeed.  When their test scores are high and their academic work superior.  In the popular view, Catholic schools succeed because they have greater discipline, higher standards and more committed teachers.  But remember that the Latin root for the verb “to discipline” is not “to punish” but “to teach.” It’s a lesson that begins with recognizing the love of God and the God-given dignity of every human being.

In short, the Gospel that commands us to love one another obliges us to treat each person we encounter as we would Christ. That’s not an easy thing to ask of a school, even a Catholic school.  Though many might argue that Catholic education, which is still the largest private education system in America and still outperforms most public schools, is about many things but not love. However,  I firmly believe that the center of Catholic Education is love.

Philadelphia, known as “The City of Brotherly Love”,  is home to the very first parish school, St. Mary’s School founded in 1783 by a parish priest, Fr. Robert Molineux.   As pastor he had to raise the funds to build the school, then find the funds to keep it operating and so he preached an annual “Charity Sermon” on behalf of the school so that the parishioners without children in the school might also contribute to its upkeep and operation. 

Not much has changed in over 200 years, I still have to do the same each year during Catholic Schools Week.  A time when we highlight the contribution of Catholic Education to our Church and society, the excellence of our own parish school and seek your support through today’s second collection,  the Saints and Scholars Annual Fund. OLM’s 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, Fr. Brady established OLM School. The Religious Sisters of Mercy staffed the school with  Sister Helena serving as Principal. God built the Church and School we’ve inherited through the hard work and sacrifice of the generations of believers who have gone before us. Their generosity and witness made our faith possible and both this wonderful parish and our excellent parish school possible. It’s now our turn to shape the future of this 21st Century  with the same zeal and dedication.

The Mission Statement of OLM School reads: Our Mission at Our Lady of Mercy School is to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church as we pursue excellence in academics, athletics and the arts. In the midst of a safe and nurturing environment we seek to develop a good moral character built upon the teachings of the Catholic Church.  We strive to be Saints and Scholars who serve the evangelical mission of our parish so that Mercy may flourish.

The measure of our success at OLM School is not to be solely found in  the  great academic achievements, the  many athletic victories, the outstanding programs or the  artistic accomplishments.  After all any student at any school, parochial, private or public,  can expertly learn to add and to subtract, to read and to write, to run and to throw or to paint and to sing. Catholic education is not about being “socially useful.” Nor is it only about good “values.” Catholic education is and must be about developing saints by  lovingly growing the seeds of the Catholic Faith in the children entrusted to our school. Anything less cheats these  children of their dignity as children of God.

So this week please join in and celebrate Catholic Schools Week, pray for OLM School and our budding saints and scholars! Thank your for your generous support of the Saints and Scholar’s Fund.  Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats, Go!!!

Pray, Advocate and Act For Life!

Dear Parishioners: This Sunday, January 22, 2017 is the 44th Anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court Decision that legalized abortion in the United States.  As the U.S. Bishops have stated: “Abortion has become the fundamental human rights issue for all men and women of good will. For us abortion is of overriding concern because it negates two of our most fundamental moral imperatives: respect for innocent life, and preferential concern for the weak and defenseless.”

All this week we as Catholics along with all people of good will are asked to pray, advocate and act against abortion. Monday is a National Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn.  This important Day of Prayer will be observed at OLM with All-Day Adoration of the Eucharist beginning after the 7:30am Mass. Join us Monday night at 7:00pm as we pray a Rosary for Life and listen to a Reflection on the Sanctity of Life.  Our speaker is  the Dominican Friar, Father Albert Duggan, OP. He is a graduate of Brown University  and currently serves as the University Chaplain there.  Even if you cannot attend Adoration or the Rosary, I ask you to please spend some time on Monday praying for the protection of the unborn.

On Tuesday, the Pro-Life Community of Rhode Island gathers for the Annual Pro-Life Rally.  Pro-Life students, activists, leaders, clergy along with pro-life elected officials gather in the State House Rotunda at 3:00pm to rally for life! Please come to the RI Statehouse on Tuesday and add your voice to the chorus of pro-life people calling for the protection of the unborn.  If you cannot make it to the Statehouse then perhaps you might write or call your State Representative or State Senator and urge them to support all pro-life legislation or thank them if they already do support it!

Planned Parenthood of RI and their pro-abortion allies are pushing an extremely aggressive pro-abortion agenda at the RI General Assembly. With a slight increase in the number of pro-abortion elected officials this year  they seek to expand abortion on demand in RI.  This includes making all RI taxpayers pay for abortions.  So please add your  pro-life voice and your advocacy to those  calling for the respect and legal protection of the innocent unborn.

On Friday thousands of pro-lifers from across the nation gather in Washington, DC for the  Annual March for Life. The March begins with a rally with thousands of pro-lifers on the National Mall before marching to the Supreme Court.  Rally speakers include religious leaders, Members of Congress and also this year  the Baltimore Ravens Tight End Benjamin Watson and Abby Johnson, a former Director of Planned Parenthood in Texas.

The Diocese of Providence Office of Life and Family Ministry is coordinating buses from RI for the March for Life.  Did you know that they also offer support for expectant mothers including counseling  and financial assistance.  They provide support for mothers of newborn babies too! And they  offer programs for women suffering after their abortion like the Rachel Vineyard support group and healing retreats.  The Life and Family Ministry Office is always in need of volunteers and financial assistance.

As Catholics we must continue to pray, advocate and act against abortion and in defense of innocent human life. The Political Commentator   Charles Krauthammer of Fox News, who is  of the Jewish Faith, recently suggested: “I think years from now people are going to look back on the issue  of abortion and commend the Catholic Church for having held its own, very unpopularly, when there was this sweep and wave of legalizing abortion and to make it like an appendectomy;  the Church was the one institution that would not waver, despite the ridicule, the mockery and the attacks it suffered.  And we’ll thank the Church.”

Next Sunday we kickoff the Annual Catholic Schools Week  with an Open House at our wonderful OLM School from 10:00am until 12:00pm.  Some of our great OLM students will be speaking at Masses next weekend in celebration of this Catholic Schools week.

So Fr. Barrow tells me there is a big game on Sunday night and that he’s hoping and praying that his Pastor is much happier on Monday morning than his Bishop! Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats, Go!!!

Snow No More!! Pray More!! Pray for Our New President! Pray for Nation!

Dear Parishioners: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!  Last weekend saw the first big snowstorm of the season.  A few people called to ask if we were having Mass or would it be cancelled because of the snow?  As long as Fr. Barrow and I are in the Rectory there will always be Mass.  We don’t have a long commute so the snow doesn’t prevent us from making it to Church. We got a foot of snow on Saturday but a few parishioners still managed to make it to the 4:00pm Mass! Kudos to them!

We are most grateful to Paul Anderson and his crack maintenance crew who plowed and shoveled the snow last weekend.  The walkways and parking lots were cleared of the slippery snow for Masses.  We thank them for their hard work in ensuring the snow is removed in a timely fashion. Enough of the white stuff for now!  If you’re praying for snow, aim for weekdays not weekends! This week all the beautiful decorations of Christmas were removed as the season officially ended on Monday with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  The crèche from Church and the one from the front lawn were put away for another year.

We now move back into the Season of Ordinary Time with its green vestments and plain decorations.  The US Bishops remind us:  “The Sundays and weeks of Ordinary Time take us through the life of Christ. This is the time of conversion. This is living the life of Christ. Ordinary Time is a time for growth and maturation, a time in which the mystery of Christ is called to penetrate ever more deeply into history until all things are finally caught up in Christ. The goal, toward which all of history is directed, is represented by the final Sunday of Ordinary Time, the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe.”

The Season of Ordinary Time lasts until Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Season of Lent on March 1st.  The great Feast of our Faith, Easter Sunday and the celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection, is on Sunday, April 16th.   So we have several weeks of Ordinary Time before we take up the rigors and discipline of the Lenten Fast of Forty Days.

This Friday, January 20th, is Inauguration Day as Donald J. Trump is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States of America.  Regardless of which candidate we voted for, which party we belong to or whose personality we like or   dislike, as a people of Catholic Faith we must pray for our new President and Vice-President.  The future of our nation and the free world are now in the hands of our new president and his administration.  So please Pray for President Trump and Vice-President Pence that they might be inspired to lead with justice, truth and love for all human life and a deep respect for human dignity.  We must pray for all our elected leaders that they may truly serve the common good of our nation.

We might remember the Prayer for Government composed by Archbishop John Carroll of Baltimore.  In 1789 he was named the first bishop in the United States and was the first-cousin of Charles Carroll, the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence.  Archbishop Carroll wrote these prayerful words: “We pray Thee O God of might, wisdom, and justice! Through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty."

On Monday we remember the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and his fight for justice. Dr. King reminds us:  “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Let us pray for an end to all  injustice, bigotry, racism and hatred.  Happy MLK Day! Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats, Go!!!

2017 is Here! Let Us Resolve to Pray More!

Dear Parishioners: Did you make a New Year’s resolution?  How is it going? I read that gym memberships surge in January due to the amount of people  resolved to get in shape.  Apparently it is a big money maker for heath clubs as they collect new membership fees and the new members drop out quickly!

What about a spiritual resolution for 2017?  Did you make one?  Confession once a month? More faithful attendance to Sunday Mass? More time for family and less on career? How about more time for prayer?  Perhaps even committing to stopping by Church once a day or once a week for some quiet time of prayer and reflection with the Lord?  These are all good spiritual resolutions you can add to the usual resolutions we make like getting in shape and stopping bad habits!

Bishop Tobin has declared 2017 to be a Year of Mary here in the Diocese of Providence.  This takes on particular significance for our parish which under the patronage of Mary under her title, Our Lady of Mercy. Perhaps we might resolve as individuals and as a parish to pray more for her intercession for our world, our Church, our Parish, our family and our community.  We might also try to pick up our Rosary Beads more often and turn to our Lady for her help and guidance in 2017.

Let each one  of us resolve to make this new year a year of   prayer.  Let us  pray for more than simply our own needs and concerns.  Let us turn to Our Lady of Mercy and resolve to pray once a day for her powerful intercession this year. In this Year of Mary for our local Church there is no better intercessor than the Mother of God, Mary our Mother!

Pray for those you know and those you don’t.  Pray for Pope Francis, Bishop Tobin, and Bishop Evans.  Pray for the clergy and religious  of OLM.  Pray for the priests of the Diocese of Providence.  Pray that more young men and women might answer God’s call to serve the Church as priest and religious. Pray for Deacon Brian Morris from this parish who  is to be ordained a priest  of Providence this June.

Pray for world leaders. Pray for peace among nations. Pray for our new President, our new congress,  our new General Assembly and all our  newly elected leaders. Pray for wisdom and justice, charity. Pray for all refugees, migrants,  the many victims of war and violence.  Pray for an end to terrorism and hatred of any kind.

Pray for marriages, that they will be strengthened.  Pray for families who are struggling and parents who are overwhelmed.  Pray for mothers. Pray for unborn children.  Pray for fathers. Pray for those who grieve the loss of a loved one.

Pray for those who feel they are alone and who suffer in silence.  Pray for those people we often forget and those we often overlook or even avoid.  Pray for the homeless, the jobless, the addicted, the mentally ill and all those who suffer in any way.  Pray that the new year might truly give them a new beginning.

Pray for people who  live in hope, that they never lose hope. Pray

that more people will come to know Jesus Christ, the hope of the world.  Pray that Catholics who have fallen away from the faith might come back to Mass and the Sacraments.  Pray that more of us might spread the Gospel of Joy with our words and deeds.

Yes,  by all means let us resolve to drop some pounds and give up some bad habits this year.  But please resolve to make 2017 a year of more prayer.  May it be a year truly dedicated to our patroness, the Blessed Virgin Mary, as we turn to her in prayer and beg for her most powerful intercession.

St. John Vianney reminds us: “We do not have to talk very much in order to pray well. We know that God is there in His holy tabernacle; let us open our hearts to Him; let us rejoice in His Presence: This is the best prayer.“

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany and the end of the Christmas Season.  Epiphany means manifestation. What the Church celebrates today is the manifestation of our Lord to the whole world.  Having been made known to the shepherds of Bethlehem, Christ is revealed to the Magi who have come from the East to adore Him. Christian tradition has always seen in the Magi the first fruits of the Gentiles. They lead in their wake all the peoples of the earth, and thus the Epiphany is an affirmation of universal salvation.

Fr. Connors and Fr. Ricci have returned to Rome to resume their studies.  We thank them for their priestly service to our parish during the Christmas Season.  It was a joy to have them here and we were truly blessed. I have again resumed my duties lobbying at the Statehouse this past week, please pray for my work there!  Happy Epiphany! Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats!!!  Resolve to pray more in 2017!

Honoring Mary, Our Mother to Begin the New Year Year!

Dear Parishioners: What a grand celebration of Christmas was had at Our Lady of Mercy!  Crowds of people coming to worship and praise God for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.  Beautiful singing and music in the spirit of the season.  Reverent and solemn celebrations befitting the King of Kings! Christmas at Our Lady of Mercy was truly terrific.   Of course, none of this is possible without the hard work of lots of good people.  The OLM Parish Staff and our many wonderful volunteers put lots of time and talent  into getting ready for the Birth of our Savior!

We thank God for all His blessings upon this parish throughout the past year! We also thank all those who made Christmas so special at OLM.  Celia Franzone and her dedicated band of decorators who ensure our Church is always so beautifully decorated with trees, flowers and a truly beautiful nativity.  Paul Anderson and our hard working OLM Maintenance Staff who do all the heavy lifting, the moving of trees, and ensure the cleanliness of our Church.

We also thank our great musicians and choirs for giving us the great gift of music this Christmas.  Our OLM Organist and Music Director, Henri St. Louis and the OLM Choir provided beautiful music at Masses. Our OLM Soloist, Deirdre Donovan sang  beautifully the great hymns of Christmas! The Children's Choir sounded truly terrific at the 4:00pm Vigil Mass.  Their angelic voices add such grace to the Mass! If you couldn’t attend the Midnight Mass then you missed the Choir accompanied by our majestic organ, brass, timpani, and strings!  The Concert of Christmas Music prior to Midnight Mass was spectacular. We are so blessed to have such talented and gifted musicians at OLM.  If you’ve never been to Midnight Mass, make the effort next year as it is truly an outstanding celebration of Christmas.

We must thank our hard working OLM Sacristans who ensure all the Mass linens, sacred vessels and vestments are cleaned, polished and ready to go for Christmas!   We thank also our great Altar Servers for serving God at Holy Mass with dignity, grace and reverence.  We give thanks for the Lectors who proclaimed God’s Word so profoundly and the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion who ensure that the Body of Christ is distributed with reverence.  We are grateful for our many Ushers who offer a warm welcome to visitors and see to the good order of Mass. Yes, God is good and we rightly give Him thanks and praise.  We thank Him for the blessings of  Our Lady of Mercy Parish.  We thank Him for the beautiful celebration of Christmas.  We thank Him for the gift of His Son born on Christmas Day!

The Christmas Season continues so don’t take the tree down just yet or put away the lights now!  We have another week to celebrate the light and the joy of the Christ Child as the great feast of the Epiphany comes next Sunday and draws the season to a close. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of  Mary, the Holy Mother of God.   We begin the New Year dedicating our lives and our parish to the protection and guidance of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a great start to the New Year as we give praise to the Mother of God and seek her maternal intercession.

In this New Year of 2017 the world marks the 100th anniversary of  the apparitions of the Blessed Mother to three  shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin has proclaimed that the Diocese of Providence is to commemorate this historic anniversary to a special Year  dedicated to Mary our Mother. In declaring the Year of Mary, Bishop Tobin stated: “Mary is part of our family and our spiritual family. So we honor her, we love her, we keep mementos of her around us and we turn to her for help whenever we need it. So our devotion to Mary is really a family celebration in our  Catholic family .”

On behalf of Fr. Barrow, Deacon Dowd and myself, we offer our deep thanks and gratitude to the many kind parishioners who were so thoughtful in remembering us at Christmas with generous gifts, warm greetings and delicious goodies at Christmas!  Their generous recognition of our  ministry at OLM is appreciated

A  Happy New Year to you all! Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats!!! 2017 is here!!