The Lord is Risen, He Has Risen Indeed! Happy Easter!!

Dear Parishioners:

Happy Easter! Jesus, the crucified one, has now been raised from the dead. He is risen. Utter defeat has been transformed into irreversible victory.  Alleluia, He has Risen Indeed!  Evil has had its way with God’s anointed, the Messiah. It did all it could to break down the courage and fidelity of God’s anointed Savior. It exhausted its arsenal of hate, injustice, humiliation, and pain. It fought a bloody fight – but God’s anointed came out victorious. And what does that mean for us? It means everything, absolutely everything. The resurrection is the stamp that validates everything Jesus did and said: His claim to be God’s Son, to have authority to forgive sin and reestablish communion between God and man; His universal call to abandon self-centeredness for love of God and neighbor as the path to truehappiness; His promise to give grace through a Church that endures forever.

If Jesus had not been raised, none of that would be worth listening to.  He would have been just one more nice guy who finished last, one more dreamer whose dreams were squelched by the harsh reality of real life.  Yes, he suffered and died for us and our salvation.  He did rise from the dead, the tomb was empty on the first Easter morning so long ago.  His victory over evil and falsehood, injustice and suffering is total, incontrovertible, and irreversible.  In the face of twenty centuries filled with the glory of the martyrs anda steady stream of saints making their way to the heavenly communion of saints, an incredible growth of the Church from a small band of disciples, and an unquenchable Christian vitality, no reasonable person can deny really deny the resurrection!

St. Paul reminds us that all faith flows from faith in the resurrection: “If Christ has not been raised, then empty is our preaching; empty, too, is your faith.” Yes, we are partakers in the Resurrection of Jesus.  At ourown death or in the death of loved onewe share in eternal life. This is the ultimate way we share in our Lord’s triumph of Easter.  We also share in the Resurrection of Jesusthrough the Sacraments of the Church.  Yes, Jesus wants to fill our souls with His new, risen life.  We call that life of Christ within our heart grace.  He gives us grace in many ways, but most profoundly anddramatically, through the Seven Sacraments of the Church.

On this EasterSunday 2017, we celebratethat thousands ofpeople professed our Catholic faith for the very first time at the Easter Vigil in Churches across the globe. They received theSacraments ofBaptism and Confirmation, andreceived Christ sacramentally in their reception of First Holy Communion the Easter Vigil Mass! Here at Our Lady of Mercy, we celebrate and rejoice that five adults were received fully into the Catholic Church!  Right before our eyes, we saw people rise to a new life as Jesus poured His light and life into theirthirsting, hungry souls. Thus, we sing with the Exultet: “Rejoice, let Mother Church also rejoice, arrayed with the lightning of His glory, let this holy building shake with joy, filled with the mighty voices of the peoples .”

The Easter Vigil is the “Mother of All Vigils.” Easter Sunday is the greatest of all Sundays, and Easter Time is the most important of all liturgical seasons. The word “Easter” comes from Old English, meaning simply the “East.” The sun which rises in the East, brings light, warmth and hope,  and is a symbol of the rising Christ, who is the true Light of the World. The Easter Candle reminds us of this divine light, which is Christ. It is kept near the pulpitall throughEaster. So during this Easter season , let us   bask in the wondrous light ofChrist and behold the beauty, the glory and the joy of Easter!  Easter truly is the joy of glorified life and the victory over death, expressed most fully in the great resounding cry of the Christian:  “Alleluia!”  So let us shake this holy building, we call Our Lady of Mercy Church, with true joy as we raise our mighty voices and rejoice, Christ is Risen!

Let us joyfully sing today with the Psalmist: “This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad!” Behold the glory and proclaim Christ is Risen! A Blessed Easter! Be well. Do good. God Bless!

Entering into the Mysteries of Our Faith, Celebrating Palm Sunday and Holy Week

Dear Parishioners:

Last Saturday morning we had a grand celebration for Mrs. Claire Sharpe on her 107th birthday.  Bishop Evans celebrated the Mass and her family joined Claire.  All she wanted for her birthday was to receive the Eucharist at Our Lady of Mercy Church! Her words of faith and wisdom at the reception that followed the Mass were truly inspirational.  God Bless her!

Also last week our OLM Middle School Students attended the RI Science Olympiad and did very well.  There is a complete list of winners in the bulletin.  We congratulate the entire teamon their hard work and success. We thank the many parents and volunteers who helped prepare the students for the event.  Also thanks to their Olympiad Coach, our outstanding OLM Middle School Science Teacher, Dr. Deborah Husak!  Great job by one and all, you made us proud!

We must also congratulate the OLM Girls Basketball Team who won the RI State Championship and last weekend made their way to the New England Tournament in Bridgeport. They went as far as the semi-finals.  The OLM Girls had a great season finishing 11-1.  We congratulate them on their hard work and success this season.  We thank their coaches Brenda Verdi and Dr. Steve Basler for their commitment to the team.

I bring warm greetings from our former OLM Associate Pastor FatherShemek. He is doing very well in Tiverton where he serves as Pastor of both St. Theresaand St. Christopher Parishes. I am grateful for his kind invitation to lead the parishes on a Lenten Mission last week. They are a vibrant community of faith and I truly enjoyedmy time there.

It’s hard to believe that our forty-days of Lenten prayer, fasting and alms-giving are coming to an end already.  We begin Holy Week by recallingChrist’s entrance into Jerusalem to accomplish the Paschal Mystery.  At the heart of our faith is the Paschal Mystery: the Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ. All of salvation history leads up to and goes forth from these saving events. We callthisweek, “Holy Week” as Jesus’ public ministry culminates with his suffering, death and resurrection.

Our celebration of Holy Week begins this Sunday as we remember in faiththe triumphal entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem to begin his final week and initiate his Passion. TheGospels recount this triumphant entry that Sunday Morning so long ago. Today as we receive thepalm branches, perhapswe might consider ourselves as part of that vast crowd. How will we journey with Jesus this week? Let the palm remind us to praise Christwith our prayerful presence during the Sacred Triduum.

Holy Thursday marks the beginning of the Sacred Triduum. We celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7:00pm with the foot washing of parishioners. At this Mass we recall the institution of the Eucharist and the Sacred Priesthood by Jesus Christ.  The Church is to remain open until Midnight for private prayer and devotion before the Eucharistic Lord at the Altar of Repose.

Good Fridaywe recall the Lord’s Passion and Crucifixion.  It is a day of prayer, fasting and abstinence. Whenever possible,  we are urged to keep Good Friday free of work and social activities, as well as unnecessarydistractions like TV, radio, internet and movies. Rather we should devote ourselves to both private and communal prayer and worship. Join us on Good Friday at 3:00pm for the Stations of the Cross and at 7:00pm for the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion where wevenerate the Cross and receive Holy Communion.

On Holy Saturday we recall Jesus in the tomb as we pray and prepare for the Easter Vigil.  The Easter Vigil Mass is at 8:00pm and is the only Mass that day.  We begin in the darkness as we recall the death of Christ and then the Church comes alive with light as we recall his glorious Resurrection. We rejoice as the tomb is empty!

At the Easter Vigil Mass we will also receive five people fully into the Catholic Faith. Pray for themas they join our Church. On Easter Sunday the tomb is empty and so we rejoice in the glory of the Lord’s Resurrectionwith Masses at 7:30am, 9:00am and 10:30am.  There is no 5:00pm Sunday evening Mass on Easter.

Join us this Holy Week and truly enter into the Sacred Mysteries of our faith. Know of our prayers for those who are traveling for Easter. Be well. Do good. God Bless!

Renewed by Lenten Mission, We Prepare to Enter the Holiest of Weeks

Dear Parishioners: With great gratitude we offer our thanks to Father Chris O’Connor who led us on Mission this past week.  His witty and wise sermons provided much food for thought for all of us about what it means to be an authentic Catholic disciple.  I hope you were able to get to some of the Mission Talks as Fr. O’Connor is a gifted preacher and was well worth the time.  In your name, I thank Fr. O’Connor for taking the time to be with us and offer such inspirational words.  He is a busy priest who does great work at St. John’s Seminary preparing future priests. I am so grateful to him for his kindness and generosity in leading our Parish  Mission. Please keep Fr. O’Connor in your prayers as he continues his important priestly ministry.

I also thank the visiting priests who joined us for Confessions during the Mission.  They report that many people came forward to receive the Sacrament of Mercy and that is a great thing! Also I thank the many people who turned out for the Mission each night, it was a wonderful time for our whole parish to come together and deepen our understanding of our Catholic Faith.

We had a small celebration this Saturday morning at the 8:30am Mass.  Mrs. Claire Sharpe celebrated her 107th Birthday by coming to Mass!  It was a great celebration for her and her family and we were so delighted she was able to come to Church for Mass. She is a woman of deep faith and love of Christ and His Church and truly an inspiration to us all.  A very Happy Birthday  to Claire and God’s Blessings!

This is the last weekend of Lent as next Sunday we celebrate Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week.  Palm Branches will be distributed and blessed at all Masses.  At the 10:30am Mass next Sunday, we will begin our Solemn Entrance from Mercy Park.  Pray for spring weather! Also at all Masses next Sunday we  solemnly proclaim the Passion of Our Lord according to the Gospel of Saint Matthew. Pope Emeritus Benedict teaches us:

“Palm Sunday is the great doorway leading into Holy Week, the week when the Lord Jesus makes his way towards the culmination of his earthly existence. May these days call forth two sentiments in particular: praise, after the example of those who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with their "Hosanna!", and thanksgiving, because in this Holy Week the Lord Jesus will renew the greatest gift we could possibly imagine: he will give us his life, his body and his blood, his love.”

I hope and pray that the Holy Season of Lent continues to help prepare each us for the coming glory of Easter.  Our prayer, fasting and alms-giving should help us to truly celebrate the great feasts of our faith with a sense of renewed faith. If you have not yet gone to Confession, I urge you to please do so before Easter. We have Confessions every Monday night at 6:00pm and Saturdays at 4:00pm.

Next weekend we also take up the annual Rice Bowl Collection for Catholic Relief Services.  Those humble paper bowls that were given out on Ash Wednesday are hopefully now overflowing with your sacrificial donations for the hungry of the world.  Catholic Relief Services was founded in 1943 by the U.S. Bishops to serve World War II survivors in Europe. Since then, they have expanded in size to reach more than 100 million people in 101 countries on five continents. For over 40 years, CRS Rice Bowl has provided material support to those who hunger for food throughout our world.

All the monies collected for the Rice Bowl Collection go directly to CRS efforts to feed the hungry.  We are grateful for the tremendous support that OLM has  shown over the years for this collection.  Again this year the hungry of the world are counting on us to help them through our prayer, sacrifice, self-denial and charity.  I ask that you please not return loose coins but either cash or a check as this makes it much easier for our Monday morning collection counters. In the name of the poor and hungry who are aided by Catholic Relief Services, I thank you for your generous support of the Rice Bowl Collection and  ask for your continued prayers for the good works of CRS.  As Catholics we should take great pride in the incredible work of CRS in bringing Christ to the neediest of the world.  It  is such works that we support here at OLM!

Please remember that the Saturday 4:00pm Mass is now moved forward to 5:00pm and Confessions from 3:00pm to 4:00pm!  I am away this weekend preaching the Lenten Mission at St. Theresa & St. Christopher in Tiverton.  Fr. Shemek, our old OLM friend, invited me months ago and I couldn’t say “No” to him! It is still Lent so don’t forget to  Pray, Fast and Give Alms! Be well. Do good. God Bless!

Celebrating Gaelic and Garlic Saints!! Making Our Mission!!

Dear Parishioners: We had some great celebrations at OLM last week.  On Friday we had a large crowd for our Annual St. Patrick’s Day Mass.  Sinead Campion did a brilliant job of reading in her native Irish, Fr. Dave Cavanagh delivered a terrific homily on the virtues of St. Patrick and Bishop Evans, an honorary Irishman, celebrated the solemn Mass. On Monday we celebrated St. Joseph with a beautiful Mass in Italian celebrated by Fr. Angelo Carusi.  Dr. Anthony Bruzzese and Andrea Minopoli read terrifically  in Italian.  And the zeppoles and coffee were also  delicious!!

On Saturday night a couple of hundred good folks gathered  for the Gaelic and Garlic Night. There was delicious corned beef, pasta and homemade meatballs!  A large number of great gift baskets were raffled off and door prizes befitting the feast days were given away. We enjoyed Uncle Al the Accordionist serenading us with the Italian hit parade.  The students of the Kelly School of Irish Dance put on a terrific show of Irish Step Dancing! And Shawn “The Irish Rebel” Reilly sang so well the many happy war songs and sad love songs of Ireland!  We thank them for sharing their talent with our parish.

We must truly thank Jamie Pedro, President of the OLM PTO and her many helpers for organizing such a great night.  We thank  the OLM Staff especially Dave Belanger,  Sandra Demers, Doug Green and Mickey St. Jean who also worked to make the night a great success.  These good folks and many others worked hard to make Gaelic and Garlic Night a terrific night for all! We wish to thank  those who supported the event with their generous donations including Jamie Pedro and Kim Izzi who made 350 delicious meatballs!!

We are most grateful to Tim Haxton of Haxton Liquors for donating all the liquor for our  baskets and OLM Parishioner Paul Voigt of PJ’s Pub in Cranston who donated many of our raffle items.  Also we are deeply grateful to OLM’s  Andrea Minopoli of La Maseria Ristorante who  supplied us with the delicious pasta for the night. And also OLM Parishioner Scott Nicchia of Boars Head Meats who donated all the corned beef and cheese for our sandwiches!  We thank the over 200 parishioners and guests who joined us at Gaelic and Garlic Night.  They made a great night of great food, fun and fellowship.  The proceeds from the night are going to the OLM Saints and Scholars Fund and we thank those who donated to support it. Truly a grand time was had by all!

This weekend we welcome Fr. Chris O’Connor from the Archdiocese of Boston to OLM. He  is the President of the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization, and the Vice-Rector of St. John’s Seminary. He was ordained in 1998 after studying at St. John’s Seminary and at the Gregorian University in Rome. He received a Licentiate in Philosophy from Catholic University of America in 2004 and a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from Boston College in 2010. Previously, Father served as director of the Pre-Theology Program and a professor of philosophy at St. John’s  Seminary. He also served as the Associate Pastor  at St. Mary Church in Chelmsford.

He has organized seminary trips to Peru to visit with the Society of St. James and served as  a member of the Archdiocese’s World Youth Day committee. He was director of the Archdiocese’s Youth Gospel Road Program from 2002-2007. In addition to his other duties Father O’Connor assists at weekend Masses at both St. John the Evangelist Parish in Winthrop and Sacred Heart Parish in East Boston. Father is a chaplain to the Missionaries of Charity and to the MCI Norfolk State Prison. He is  currently working on completing his doctoral degree.

Father O’Connor was most kind and generous in taking time out of his tremendously busy schedule to be with us and lead us on our Lenten Mission. I am so happy he kindly accepted the  invitation to be with us and lead us on Mission. He is a well know and popular Mission preacher in the Boston area and in great demand. You will enjoy his insights into living our Catholic Faith more authentically in this 21st Century.   Father is preaching at all Masses this weekend and each night at 7:00PM on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Confessions are being heard each of those nights at 6:00PM with four priests. I encourage you to find the time and make the effort to come to the Mission to deepen your faith and devotion.

See you at the Mission! Welcome to OLM, Fr. O’Connor! Be well. Do good. God Bless! Pray, Fast and Give Alms!

Called to Fast in Lent! Fast from Sin and Come to Confession!!

Dear Parishioners: As I write this column the state and most of the east coast are getting ready for Winter Storm Stella!  A major blizzard with lots of snow and high winds is predicted.  Officials are urging everyone to be safe and stay home on Tuesday!  I hope and pray people will heed the warning and remain safe at home. I also hope and pray this is the last of the snow we see this year!  Spring begins on Monday, March 20th!  We hope the sun with it’s warm temperatures reappears and we can get back to the normal routine especially the school children!  So-long Stella and welcome Spring!!

Despite the bad weather, Lent continues! Lent is often described as a "forty day fast."  Fasting is one of the most ancient practices linked to Lent. In fact, the paschal fast predates Lent as we know it.

Fasting is more than a means of developing self-control. It is often an aid to our prayer, as the pangs of hunger serve to remind us of our hunger for God. Fasting should also be linked to our concern for those who are forced to fast due to their own poverty and need, those who suffer from injustice, oppression and persecution, and those who are in need for any reason. Thus fasting, too, is linked to our living out our baptismal promises.

God calls  us to look deep within ourselves and reflect during Lent. Fasting helps us to this.  Fasting should help us see the suffering that so many people in our world experience daily. It should lead us to greater efforts to alleviate that suffering and need. Thus, fasting is tied closely to alms-giving and concern for the poor.  Pope Francis teaches us: "Fasting makes sense if it really chips away at our security and, as a consequence, benefits someone else, if it helps us cultivate the style of the Good Samaritan, who bent down to his brother in need and took care of him."

Fasting  serves to make the forty-days of Lent a  time of true spiritual renewal and conversion to Christ.  As we fast from the pleasures and comforts we enjoy so readily, we are reminded of those who never enjoy such things.  We also fast from sin as we take up our cross and deny ourselves.  The great Doctor of the Church, Saint Augustine teaches us: “Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one’s flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, and kindles the true light of chastity. Enter again into yourself.”

Yes, during Lent we are called to “enter again into” our very selves as we renew our life in Christ. “Confession is an act of honesty and courage - an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God,” taught Saint Pope John Paul II. When is the last time we’ve made an examination of our conscience?  What sins and temptations do we continually struggle with in our lives?  Catholics are expected to confess their grave sins in the Sacrament of Penance.

Lent also calls us to confess and turn away from sin in order to truly enjoy and celebrate the great glory of Easter. When was the last time we went to Confession? At OLM, we celebrate the Sacrament of Confession every Monday night beginning at 6:00pm with an additional guest confessor during Lent.  Also we offer Confession before the 12:05pm Mass every day during Lent.  During our Parish Lenten Mission, Confession will be offered on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 6:00pm with four priests available.  Again St. Augustine wisely reminds us: "In failing to confess, Lord, I would only hide You from myself, not myself from You."  

Everyone is invited to join us on Monday for the great celebration of the Solemnity of St. Joseph, the patron of the Universal Church and husband of our Blessed Mother.  Fr. Angelo Carusi from St. Rocco Church in Johnston will celebrate the 12:05pm Mass in Italian and preach about the virtues of St. Joseph.   The readings and hymns will also be in Italian! Please join us after the Mass for a zeppole and a cup of coffee!

Next weekend we welcome Father Chris O’Connor of Boston to Our Lady of Mercy.  Father  is coming to preach our Annual Parish Lenten Mission and to offer us “Helps for the Journey.”

Father  is dynamic preacher and fine priest who serves as the  Vice-Rector at St. John’s Seminary in Boston.  I know you will give him your usual warm OLM welcome.  He will preaching all the weekend Masses and leading us on Mission during the week.  A complete schedule is in the bulletin.

Celebrate Lent: pray, fast and give alms! Discover God’s mercy and forgiveness in a Confessional Box near you! Be well. Do good. God Bless!

Lent and the Saints! Join us as We Celebrate Both!

Dear Parishioners:     I thank those parishioners who have pledged their generous support to the Catholic Charity Appeal.  With 191 parish families donating thus far we have raised $70,547.50 towards our parish goal of $193,000!  It’s a great start to reaching our goal this year!     If you have not yet made a pledge to the Catholic Charity Appeal, I ask you to consider to please doing so.  We are asking every parish family to make a pledge of $300.  This is $30 a month over 10 months or less than a dollar a day!  Your support helps the Diocese of Providence to help the poor and the needy through her good works. I thank you for your generous support!

Last week I wrote about alms-giving as pillar of Lent.  This week we consider the pillar of prayer. More time given to prayer during Lent is meant to draw us closer to the Lord. We might pray especially for the grace to live out our baptismal promises more fully and faithfully. We might pray for those joining our Church this coming Easter.  We might pray that more might turn to the Sacrament of Confession  during Lent that they will be truly renewed by God’s love and mercy. During Lent there are many ways to pray more if only we make the time and sacrifice to do so.  

Each Friday we can prayerfully walk the Stations of the Cross at 7:00pm.  The Stations of the Cross began as the practice of pious pilgrims to Jerusalem who would retrace the final journey of Jesus Christ to Calvary.   Later, for the many who wanted to pass along the same route, but could not make the trip to Jerusalem, a practice developed that eventually took the form of the fourteen stations currently found in  every Catholic Church.  Join us on Fridays to prayerfully make the Stations of the Cross.

There are  two daily masses at OLM during Lent, 7:30am and 12:05pm.  Try to attend Daily Mass during the week.  The Eucharist is the truly the best way that we have to pray.  Adding more prayer to your daily routine in Lent can help deepen your faith and strengthen your relationship with the Lord.

Also I encourage you to mark your calendar for the Lenten Mission at OLM.  Fr. Chris O’Connor, a priest from Boston who serves as the Vice-Rector at St. John’s Seminary there, will be leading us on Mission from March 25 through 29.  The theme for the Mission is “Helps for the Journey.”  Each night of the Mission Fr. O’Connor will speak and there will be the opportunity for Confession.  This is another great way to deepen your faith and strengthen your prayer life. Speaking of calendars, don’t forget to add some great events coming this week.

On Friday we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a Mass at 12:05pm.  Bishop Evans is to celebrate the Mass and Fr. David Cavanagh is the homilist.  It will feature readings in Irish along with hymns from Ireland!!  Bishop Tobin has most graciously granted a dispensation from the rule of abstinence from meat for March 17th!

The Bishop writes: “This year, St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) falls on a Friday during Lent. On this specific occasion, in light of the festive nature of the day, I hereby dispenses Catholics in the Diocese of Providence from the disciplines of fast and abstinence that are normally required on the Fridays of Lent.  Catholics who take advantage of this dispensation are reminded that, in maintaining the penitential spirit of the Lenten Season, some other form of penance, prayer, or charitable work should be substituted at an appropriate time.” So you may eat your corned beef and cabbage in good conscience on Friday!

Also St. Joseph’s Day is moved to Monday, March 20 because it falls on a Sunday this year. So we will celebrate St. Joseph’s Day with Mass in Italian celebrated by Fr. Angelo Carusi, the Pastor of St. Rocco Church. The 12:05pm Mass features readings and hymns in Italian.

Next Saturday night we celebrate  the Irish and the Italians with “Gaelic and Garlic Night.”  Join us at the OLM School Cafeteria from 5;00pm until 9:00pm for a night of Italian and Irish music, corned beef sandwiches, pasta and meatballs, and lots of great desserts. We’ll have Irish Step Dancers stopping by and loads of raffles and door prizes! It is a great occasion for us to get together as a parish family and celebrate St. Patrick and St. Joseph!  Tickets are being sold after Masses this weekend and are available in the Parish Office.  It’s going to be a great family party so be sure to mark it on your calendar and stop by!

Enjoy the corned beef on Friday!  See you at Gaelic & Garlic Night! Lent is here! Pray! Fast! Give! Thanks for the support of the Catholic Charity Appeal! Be well. Do good. God Bless!