Lent is Here! Give Alms! Pray! Fast! Support the Catholic Charity Appeal Today!

Dear Parishioners: Lent has arrived! We saw big crowds at Ash Wednesday Masses as the faithful came forward to “Turn away from sin and believe the Gospel!” It is our time to pray, fast and give alms for forty days.  From the very early times in the Church the commemoration of the approach of Christ's passion and death was observed by a period of self-denial.

In 379, St. Athanasius enjoined  the people of Alexandria  to a 40 days' fast, telling them: "to the end that while all the world is fasting, we who are in Egypt should not become a laughing stock as the only people who do not fast but take our pleasure in those days." On Ash Wednesday in the early Church, the Pope walked barefoot to St. Sabina's Church in Rome ""to begin with holy fasts the exercises of Christian warfare, that as we do battle with the spirits of evil, we may be protected by the help of self-denial."

In our own time, Lent might be likened to Spring Training for Major League Baseball.  Working on the fundamentals and striving for excellence not as baseball players but as Catholic disciples. Of course the fundamentals in this case are the three traditional pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting and alms giving. Alms giving is a sign of our care for those in need and an expression of our gratitude for all that God has given to us. Works of charity are an integral element of the Christian way of life we began when we were baptized.

During the forty days of Lent, we renew our commitment to loving our neighbor by being more generous in our charitable giving, by reaching out to the poor and needy with acts of charity, and  sacrificing some of the  bounty we enjoy so the needs of the least among us might be met. This weekend we have a tremendous opportunity to renew our sense of alms giving with the Catholic Charity Appeal. This very important charity supports  the many ministries and programs of the Diocese of Providence which provide social, educational and spiritual support to thousands of Rhode Islanders who are in need.

The ministries supported by the CCA range from social service ministries that provide direct support to the poor, the hungry and homeless, to immigrants and refugees, as well as emergency rent, heating and medical assistance for the poor. Also the important work of prison ministry is funded primarily through the CCA. OLM has always led the Diocese in supporting the CCA and  so we are known across the state for our commitment to helping the poorest and neediest among us. The good works of the Church of Providence wouldn’t exist if not for the generous donations of so many committed Catholics in Rhode Island.

I am especially grateful to the over 500 parish families that contributed to the CCA last year. Their generosity brought us well past our goal of $193,000 in 2016. A total of  $268, 000 was donated at OLM last year. This support came in many pledges  including from those who are Bishop’s Partners in Charity and give in excess of $1,000.

Last year our average gift to the CCA at OLM was $450!  It is a great witness to your charity, generosity and goodness! Again this year we are asking every parish family to prayerfully  consider a pledge of $300.  This is a monthly pledge of $30 or just $1 per day!  Please consider making such a pledge, but also know that there is no amount too small to give and that every gift is truly appreciated.

The foundational call of Catholic discipleship to charity is a Gospel call. During Lent, we are asked to focus more intently upon alms-giving, which means donating to the poor and also performing other acts of charity.  As one of the three pillars of our Lenten practice, alms-giving is "a witness to fraternal charity" and  "a work of justice pleasing to God."

The Catholic Charity Appeal has supported the good works of our Church since the 1920’s.  Its future depends on each of us to survive. In many cases, the Catholic Church is the only source of support for some of the poorest and neediest in our state.  As Catholics we can take great pride in the good works of our Church done daily in the name of Christ.  However, such pride must also be accompanied with real support, so I ask you to please consider a gift to the CCA today.

I thank parishioners Kevin McDevitt and Steve Zubiago for once again Chairing the CCA at OLM.  With their leadership and your generous support I know OLM can once again lead the Diocese! Let’s  beat St. Luke’s in Barrington this year! In the name of the poor, I thank each of you for your support and generosity!

Lent is here, let’s live it! Pray! Fast! Give! Be well. Do good. God Bless!

Lent is Coming! Ash Wednesday This Week! Are You Ready? Pray, Fast and Give Alms!!

Dear Parishioners: This Wednesday we begin  the Solemn Fast of Lent.  The forty days of prayer, fasting and alms-giving as we prepare spiritually for the great and glorious celebration of Easter.  Are you ready for Lent?  Are you prepared to pray more, fast more and give more alms for the next forty days?   We begin this sacred season on Ash Wednesday as ashes are smeared on our foreheads.  We are reminded of our own mortality as we receive the ashes: “Remember you are dust and to dust you will return.”  It is a time for us to repent, turn away from sin and selfishness and convert our lives to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We have a full schedule for Lent at OLM including an extra daily Mass at 12:05pm, Confessions every day Monday through Friday, guest Confessors on Monday nights, Stations of the Cross every Friday and a Lenten Mission from March 25-29, preached by Fr. Christopher O’Connor.

Fr. O’Connor is a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston who serves as the Vice-Rector of St. John’s Seminary in Boston.  He is a talented and dynamic preacher who has a terrific Irish wit.  So mark your calendar now that you  might make the Mission this year, you won’t regret it!

Lent is all about doing extra and sacrificing more in an effort to repent of our sin and renew our relationship with the Lord.  For  forty days, we are asked to pray more, come to  Mass more, go to Confession and receive God’s mercy, forgiveness and love.

Lent is truly a wonderful opportunity to refocus our lives on what is important and lasting, our relationship with God.  We are called to deepen our faith and commitment by conversing more with our God in prayer,  renew ourselves by making acts of penance and sacrificing from pleasures and comforts, take up fasting and abstaining from meat. We do all this and much more not to beat ourselves up but rather to deepen our Catholic Faith and convert our lives more fully to Jesus Christ.

We are also called during Lent to consider the plight of the poor and needy.  We do this by sacrificing to help them with our love and bountiful charity.  So take a Rice Bowl home and fill it not from your surplus coins but give up a meal out so a hungry child in Africa might have food to eat.  Please make a donation to the Catholic Charity Appeal so a homeless addict has a warm bed and a hot meal.  Please consider making a generous donation to the OLM Outreach so a local family might be helped in their time of need with food, heating or rent assistance. All of these are terrific ways to give alms during Lent.

There is much information about Lent and the Lenten Schedule at OLM in the bulletin. Clip the schedule out and put it on your refrigerator.  Also find the guidelines for Abstinence and Fasting during Lent  are available to guide you. Read all this information carefully so you may properly prepare for the solemn fast of forty days beginning  this Wednesday.

In his Annual Message for Lent, our Holy Father, Pope  Francis writes to us the following for our reflection:

“Dear friends, Lent is the favorable season for renewing our encounter with Christ, living in his word, in the sacraments and in our neighbor. The Lord, who overcame the deceptions of the Tempter during the forty days in the desert, shows us the path we must take. May the Holy Spirit lead us on a true journey of conversion, so that we can rediscover the gift of God’s word, be purified of the sin that blinds us, and serve Christ present in our brothers and sisters in need.

I encourage all the faithful to express this spiritual renewal also by sharing in the Lenten Campaigns promoted by many Church organizations in different parts of the world, and thus to favor the culture of encounter in our one human family. Let us pray for one another so that, by sharing in the victory of Christ, we may open our doors to the weak and poor. Then we will be able to experience and share to the full the joy of Easter.”

Yes, Easter will indeed be all the more joyful and glorious if we faithfully take up our cross, deny ourselves and follow the example of the Lord in Lent.  Pray! Fast! Give Alms!  Live Lent  2017  to the fullest and your faith is to surely deepen and your relationship with Christ is to surely be renewed.  The forty days are coming soon, so “Repent and  believe in the Gospel!”

Next week we  kickoff the Catholic Charity Appeal at all  Masses. OLM usually leads the Diocese in supporting this very important charity of our Church.  I thank you once again for your support this year. Be well. Do good. God Bless.  Lent is coming, are you ready yet?!

The Pats Win!, Our Call to Proclaim the Church's Social Teaching

Dear Parishioners: Wow! What a Super Bowl!   I hope you didn't give up on the Patriots on Sunday night.  In the greatest all time comeback victory in NFL history, the New England Patriots beat the Atlanta Falcons!  Tom Brady won his fifth ring, his fourth Super Bowl MVP and showed the world he is the GOAT! Greatest of All-Time!    While the NFL Football Season has come to a truly terrific end, let’s no forget that this week catchers and pitchers report to Red Sox Spring Training in Florida!  Let’s hope we are celebrating with the Sox in the World Series in October!  After all, Sunday night proves that anything is possible!

Last week Bishop Tobin issued a statement on President Trump’s recent executive orders on immigration.  The Bishop said:

“For many years the Bishops of the United States have promoted immigration reform that is both comprehensive and compassionate. I have consistently and strongly supported that call. President Trump’s recent executive orders about immigrants and refugees do not move us toward that goal. The executive orders were ill-timed and poorly communicated; they caused widespread confusion and division. They have created a damaging pothole on the road to secure refugee resettlement and meaningful immigration reform.

In November, after Mr. Trump was elected, I said the following: ‘I extend my prayerful support for immigrants and refugees who have settled in Rhode Island. The Catholic Church will continue to be a welcoming community, and we will offer material, pastoral and spiritual care to all, especially those in need. May we all work together to promote the common good and encourage a spirit of peace and harmony in our community.’

I repeat those words today, and I again commit the Diocese of Providence to welcoming and working with immigrants and refugees who come to us looking for safety and security, and to make a new beginning for themselves and their families. To do so is an expression of our faith and is fully consistent with our national heritage.”

Civilized societies are distinguished by the protections they afford their weakest and most vulnerable members, and our government acts its noblest when it speaks for those who have no voice. The Church's teaches us  that each and every human life has inherent dignity, and thus must be treated with the respect due to a human person.  This is the foundation for the Church's entire social doctrine, including  Her teachings on abortion, on war, the use of capital punishment, euthanasia and assisted suicide, health care, poverty and immigration.  Certainly it must be with this principle in mind that we as Catholics reflect upon public policy issues like immigration.

The Church also fully understands the need for safety and security for our nation and its borders.  However, we cannot simply ignore the reality that 65 million people including 8 million children are fleeing violence, terrorism, religious and political persecution, and warfare across the world. We should be proud as Catholics that our Church  is the largest organization in the country to resettle refugees from various countries.  This includes the work of our own Diocesan Office of Refugee Services. I urge you to read the Bishop’s statement and pray for refugees. This is a crisis that calls for prayer and serious reflection by Catholics.

Meanwhile at the RI Statehouse, Planned Parenthood and its pro-abortion allies had a small rally to introduce one of the most radical pro-abortion bills in the nation.  They claim that 37 RI Representatives co-signed House Bill 5343 that codifies the killing of the unborn in state law.  The bill would  prevent any ban of the gruesome and evil practice of Partial Birth Abortion and allow for abortions to take place up until the birth of the baby.  H5343 also removes all state regulation of  RI abortion mills by the RI Department of Health.

This is an extreme bill that radically expands abortion on demand and deregulates the abortion industry. It must be stopped! I am grateful that  RI State Representative Anthony Girarrusso of East Greenwich opposes the bill and is faithfully pro-life!  I commend him for having the courage of his moral convictions as a Catholic.  However, if you live in districts in either Warwick or North Kingstown, two newly elected RI Representatives, Julie Casimiro and Evan Shanley, both co-sponsored the bill and rallied with the abortionists from Planned Parenthood.  I urge you to call them and tell them NO on House Bill 5343.  There is  information in the bulletin that explains the bill and provides their contact information. Stand up for the unborn and be the voice of the voiceless!!!!

Be well. Do good. God Bless.

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!!!