Alleluia, He has Risen! He has Risen Indeed, Alleluia! A Happy and Holy Easter!

Dear Parishioners:   

OLM beautifully deocrated for the Easter Season! 

                             
A Happy and Holy Easter! Alleluia, He has risen! He has risen indeed, Alleluia!  This is the traditional Easter greeting that recounts the great joy of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.  At Easter we celebrate and confess our faith that Jesus is truly risen from the dead! We also proclaim the extraordinarily good news that Jesus also invites us to rise with Him! He shares with us His triumph over the cross! And so we joyfully acclaim  that we are partakers in the Resurrection of Jesus at Easter Mass as we sing: “By dying, He destroyed our death! By rising, He restores our life!” 

With the death of a loved one or a friend, we  often recall that we do share in the victory of the Risen Christ  It is at these times that we immediately trust that, by the mercy of Jesus, we are united with Him forever in heaven.  But immortality, eternal life, is but the ultimate way we share in our Lord’s triumph of Easter. A second way is so beautifully evident in our lives too.  In and through Jesus, we, too, have the power to die to our sins, worries, anxieties, failures, and suffering. 

With Christ we rise to a new life of virtue, peace, fidelity, and truly find meaning in our lives. The cross is still there but with Christ we can conquer it and it has meaning.  Simply ask the cancer survivor, the recovering alcoholic or addict, or even the married couple struggling who persevere and get through their tribulations. The  power of the Resurrection of Jesus  Christ lives on in our lives!

Another way we share in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is through the sacraments.  Jesus desires to imbue His new, risen life into our souls.  We call that life of Christ within our hearts grace.  Christ gives us grace in many ways, but quite beautifully and profoundly through the seven sacraments of the Church.

On Holy Saturday throughout the  Church  across the globe thousands of adults  are baptized, profess our Catholic faith, receive the sacrament of Confirmation, and their first Holy Communion at the Easter Vigil Mass.

Following the Easter vigil, the newly Baptized and Confirmed Al Behbehani wears his White Baptismal gown and poses with his sponsors, Mary Anne and Rod Weaver, and Fr. Healey, OLM Pastor.

Here at the Easter Vigil Mass at Our Lady of Mercy we witness right before our eyes, several people rise to a new life as Jesus pours His light and life into their thirsting, hungry souls. One adult is to be baptized, another adult received into the Catholic Church and  several other adults to be Confirmed.  It is always a great joy for our parish to welcome  new members and  fully initiate others. It is truly a sign of the vitality of our Catholic Faith and the parish life at Our Lady of Mercy.

Following the Easter vigil, the newly Confirmed Joanne and Gerrianne Exil pose with their sponsor, Kelsey Exil and Fr. Healey.

We rejoice as we offer our congratulations to our new Catholics who have made the journey into the Catholic Church.  Together we celebrate this great season of joy and glory for the next fifty days of  Easter. While it is the beginning of spring in the world around us, it is also  spring in the Church. We watch the flowers bloom but we also watch the  faith blossom with  First Holy Communions, confirmations, weddings, and ordinations. We rejoice in the sacramental life of the Church unleashed from the cross and Resurrection.

At Easter, we rise to a new life of grace and mercy as we are renewed in the Risen Lord! This renewal never stops! Jesus is always renewing His Church. We are part of that renewal as we immerse ourselves into the glory of Easter.  The gloom, death and darkness of Good Friday do not have the final word! Rejoice, the Risen Christ radiates light, life and love all over!

Bishop Tobin preaches at the 2015 OLM Confirmaiton Mass.

We are blessed to have our Bishop, the Most Reverend  Thomas J. Tobin, celebrate the  School Mass on the upcoming First Friday, April 6th at 9:00am.  The Bishop will also visit our excellent parish school and see firsthand the great spirit of  wisdom and faith of our wonderful students and tremendous faculty.  In a special way, we celebrate Bishop Tobin’s  birthday. He marks his 70th birthday on Easter Sunday! (It’s not an April Fools joke!) Please join us this Friday as we welcome our Chief Shepherd! 

A very Happy Easter and Birthday Bishop Tobin! On behalf of Fr. Barrow, Fr. Connors, Deacon Dowd, our religious sisters, and myself, I wish you  a Blessed Easter! You are in our prayers and  are remembered at Easter Masses.    Alleluia, He has risen! He has risen indeed, Alleluia!  Happy Easter! Do good. Be well.  God Bless. Go Sox!!

The Week that Changed the World, Celebrate Holy Week

Dear Parishioners:                                

Holy Week is the week that changed the world.    We begin this most sacred of weeks with the celebration of Palm Sunday and the Proclamation of the Passion of our Lord. This day inaugurates Holy Week with the triumphal entrance of Jesus in Jerusalem.                

We relive this historic event of salvation history  at Mass with a procession into the church and a solemn blessing of palm branches. St. Augustine writes: "The palm leaves symbolize homage, for they stand for victory. Our Lord is on the point of conquering by dying on the cross. Under the sign of the cross, he is about to triumph over the devil, the prince of death."

On Monday of Holy Week, Bishop Tobin celebrates the Chrism Mass, a Mass in which the oil of the sick, used in the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, and the oil of catechumens, used in preparation for the Sacrament of Baptism, are blessed. Also the sacred Chrism, used in the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders, is consecrated. At this Annual Mass, all priests of the diocese renew their priestly promises and their pledge to remain in communion with the bishop, our Chief Shepherd and head of the Church of Providence. The Chrism Mass reminds us  that we are anointed at our baptism and that, through the ordained men He chooses, Christ continues the ministry of his one High Priesthood, a ministry of word and sacrament.

On Holy Tuesday we  move ever closer to Jesus’ Passion as the liturgy focuses on Jesus announcing Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial. On Spy Wednesday, the traditional name for the day before Jesus is betrayed, Judas visits the chief priests of the Temple  promising to betray Jesus in exchange for 30 pieces of silver. This day is traditionally called “Spy Wednesday” in reference to the “spy” or “traitor,” Judas.

Holy Thursday marks the end of the holy season of Lent and the beginning of the most sacred time in our liturgical year: the Paschal Triduum. These three days are one unit wherein the greatest mysteries of our redemption are celebrated.    On Holy Thursday we gather in the evening to celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. We celebrate the institution of the ordained priesthood and the Sacrament of  the Holy Eucharist.

Holy Thursday is also called “Maundy Thursday” in reference to the “mandatum,” which is Jesus’ commandment to love one another. It is symbolized by his washing of the feet of the apostles and the gesture is reenacted by the parish priests with the washing of feet of parishioners. On this holy night, the Eucharist is carried in procession to the altar of repose. There we adore Christ truly present in the Eucharist and keep watch with him as did the apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane.

On Good Friday we  fix our gaze on the Cross. There is no celebration of Mass on this  most somber day in the Church’s calendar.  In the solemn ceremonies of Good Friday — the adoration and veneration of the Cross, the reading of the Passion and the reception of Holy Communion — we not only behold the wood of the Cross, but we also unite ourselves and our crosses to our Savior.

Holy Saturday  is a holy day of “waiting,” when Jesus is said to have “descended into the dead” to bring the just souls who died before his sacrifice on the cross to the glories of heaven. We wait in prayer until the Easter Vigil, which begins in the dark and ends in the light of Christ’s resurrection. It is a solemn and beautiful liturgy as those coming into the Catholic faith are baptized, recieved and confirmed. The Alleluia and the singing of the Gloria return to the liturgy, and church bells that have been silent ring joyfully.

St. Augustine calls the Easter Vigil, the “Mother of all Vigils.” This year at OLM we baptize one adult, receive a non-Catholic into the Church and confirm several other adults.  On Easter Sunday, we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ in which he conquered death itself and opened the gates of Heaven to us. And so we proclaim with great joy on Easter : “The Lord is Risen. He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia!”

Please join us this week for the celebration of Holy Week 2018.  Holy Week is indeed the week that changed the world, so let it change your world this year! Do good. Be well.  A Blessed Holy Week to you all!

Enough Snow! Let's Celebrate Saints and Prepare for Holy Week!!

Dear Parishioners:                                

I hope you survived the big snowstorm on Tuesday! It was a reminder that winter has not ended yet! I thank Paul Anderson, and his crack crew, who worked very hard all day to shovel and plow the snow!  They did a great job and we are grateful!                             

Luckily we didn’t lose power, or heat, but we were snowed in all day.  We still celebrated Mass at OLM!  In fact, about 10 hearty souls attended the 7:30am Mass on Tuesday morning!  Two brave souls trekked through the height of the snowstorm to attend the 12:05pm Mass!  I commend them all for their faith, witness and dedication to God!

Let’s hope it’s the end of snow until next winter.  But I fear it’s not!  I remember an Easter snowstorm or two over the years!  Let’s pray it doesn’t happen this year but Easter is on April 1st!  April Fools Day just might surprise us all! We celebrated St. Patrick's Day on Saturday morning. 

I am grateful to Bishop Evans who celebrated the Mass and Fr. David Gaffney who served as the homilist.  Also, I thank OLM Parishioner Sinead Campion who did the readings in her native Irish!  It was a beautiful and solemn celebration with beautiful music and a great reception of Irish coffee and soda bread!

Of course on Monday at Noon we mark the Solemnity of St. Joseph with Mass in Italian.  Again Bishop Evans serves as our celebrant and will celebrate the Mass in Italian!  We thank Andrea Minopoli, from    La Masseria,  and Dr. Anthony Bruzzese who will read in Italian.  It is always a beautiful and solemn celebration and afterwards we enjoy a little Italian Coffee and a zeppole or two!  I hope you can join us!

On Friday of this week I invite you to join in our special presentation of the Living Stations of the Cross. This beautiful and prayerful event is performed by the students of OLM Middle School.  It is always a great way to prepare for Holy Week.  There are two performances on Friday, the first at 1:00pm and then again at 7:00pm in OLM Church.  Join us, and bring the whole family, you and your children will find it a great reflection for this holy season.

Of course, next weekend we celebrate Palm Sunday and the Passion of the Lord is to be solemnly proclaimed at all Masses. Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem and marks the beginning of Holy Week. We will bless palm branches at all Masses and celebrate the solemn palm procession from Mercy Park at the 10:30 Mass. 

On Palm Sunday our second collection is always the Operation Rice Bowl Collection.  I hope and pray you’ve been filing those humble cardboard bowls throughout these forty days of Lent.  All the funds collected from the Rice Bowls go directly to support the hungry of our world.  There are millions who suffer in famine and malnourishment and its our Church through the great work of Catholic Relief Services that helps to feed them on a daily basis.  

I ask that you please count the many coins you’ve collected and return it in the form of a check payable to OLM.  This helps our Monday morning counters complete the count.  My thanks in advance for your cooperation and your generous support of the Rice Bowl Collection.

Yes this is our last full week of Lent! How has your Lent been going? Have you been praying and fasting? Have you made efforts to give alms to the poor and needy?  Have you made a good Sacramental Confession of your sins?  There’s still plenty of time left to change your heart and renew your relationship with the Lord Jesus. Don’t let Easter come without truly preparing this year.

Next Saturday OLM is hosting All Day Confessions from 9:00am until 3:00pm.  There will be four or more priests available the entire time.  So spread the word among your friends and neighbors! It is a great opportunity to take the necessary time to confess your sins and receive God’s mercy and forgiveness.  It is a special grace to do so on the threshold of Holy Week.  St. Augustine reminds us: “The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.”

Happy St. Patrick’s Day and St. Joseph’s Day! See you at Living Stations on Friday. Do good. Be well.

Surviving Storms, Making the Mission and Confessing Sins! It's Lent!!!!

Dear Parishioners:                                

I hope those of you who lost your electricity in the storm last week are now in the light! It was a long weekend for many parishioners left in the cold and dark!  Thankfully we never lost the power at OLM like several other parishes throughout the state.  They celebrated Masses with just the candlelight!        

However, the high winds did some damage to the northeast corner of the Church roof and we lost many shingles.  Also the wind caught a door in the school and did some damage.  There were also a few leaks that sprung up as result of the rain and strong winds!  Thankfully Paul Anderson, our very able and reliable Director of the Physical Plant, was able to limit any severe damage.  Also a large branch on  a tree next to the Mercy Convent fell but thankfully missed the Convent.  Several large limbs fell over at St. Patrick Cemetery but missed the fence and headstones.  It’s nice to see that kind of storm go back to sea!  Thankfully Spring is just around the corner!

Monsignor Cook enjoys the New England weather on the last night of the Mission!

I hope you were able to join us for the Lenten Mission this past week.  We had good crowds at the Mission each night and the priests were also kept busy in the Confessionals each evening.  It was a great time of prayer and renewal for our parish.  The Mission reminded us to make Lent a time to truly remember so we can truly celebrate Easter on April 1st!

In your name, I thank Monsignor Douglas Cook from Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Newport Beach, California who led our Mission last week. He did a terrific job preaching the Gospel and leading us on Mission.  Let’s take his message to heart so we change our hearts this Lent and truly prepare them to  celebrate the crucified and risen Christ at Easter!

I invite you to join us for the Feast of St. Patrick next Saturday  with Mass at 11:00am as we honor of the Apostle of Ireland.  The Mass features readings and hymns in Irish.  Bishop Evans is our celebrant and Father David Gaffney, the Rector of Our Lady of Providence Seminary, is our homilist.  As usual we are having a reception following the Mass complete with Irish Coffee, Irish Soda Bread and Shamrock cookies!  You don’t have to be Irish to come celebrate!

A week from Monday at 12:05pm we mark the Solemnity of St. Joseph with a Mass in Italian. Bishop Evans who is fluent in Italian is our celebrant and Fr. James Ruggeri, my classmate and Pastor of St. Patrick Church in Providence, is our homilist.  The Mass features readings and hymns in Italian.  Not to worry the homily is in English!  Our reception following features Italian Coffee and those delicious treats, zeppolies! You don’t have to be Italian to come celebrate.

The last two Saturdays we have celebrated First Confession for our Second Grade First Communion Classes.  The children did an excellent job and know all their prayers!  I thank their teachers, OLM RE Directress Mickey St. Jean and Mrs. Mary Ryan from OLM School. I also thank their parents for sharing the Catholic faith with their children and continuing to see that they are grow in the faith.

Thanks to a few brother priests, the parents were also able to go to Confession while the children came foreword for the first time. Confession as they say is good for soul!  We have ample opportunities here at OLM for Confession, so if you’ve not made a good Confession in sometime, try to do it before Easter.

On Saturday, March 24th OLM is hosting All-Day Confessions from 9:00am until 3:00pm. There is going to be four priests available the entire time so there won’t be any waiting or long lines.  This is an annual event across the world and in some Churches in major cities they hold Confessions for 24 hours! Here in Rhode Island there are many other parishes across the Ocean State with All-Day Confessions.

So if you’ve been away from God, if you need the second chance that only God can offer, if you need some mercy and forgiveness in your life or you simply want to properly prepare for Easter, make a good Confession. Saint Pope John Paul II taught us: “Confession is an act of honesty and courage - an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God.”  Be sure to make a good Confession this Lent and make it an Easter to celebrate with peace and joy!  Do good. Be well.

Make the Lenten Mission, A Means of Renewal and Conversion

Dear Parishioners:                                

A few folks recently asked if Church was being left cold over the last week as a form of Lenten discipline.   No its not.  The boiler in Church broke down and we’ve had to wait for the part to arrive to fix it.  Luckily while it was a little chilly in Church, the weather outside has been fairly mild.                                        

The heat should be up and running now during the unpredictable weather of March. The boiler is five years old and this is the first problem we’ve had with it.  The cost to fix it was over $4,000.  I thank you for your generous support to the monthly Building and Grounds Collection which helps defray these unexpected expenses.

You may have noticed a crucifix hanging in the hallway by the sacristy.  This crucifix hung for many years at the now closed St. Casimir Church in Providence. We were able to get it without cost and place it here at OLM.  It is a beautiful image to behold as you enter that area of Church.

We also were able to get an even larger crucifix from St. Casimir Church.  It is very large and beautiful but in need of some small repairs.  This too was obtained without cost to the parish.  We plan on hanging it in the OLM School Auditorium in the coming months.

The crucifix is always given a prominent placement in any Catholic Church and Catholic home.  But it isn’t merely an object of devotion or a piece of beautiful art.  The cross is call to us  to a conversion to Christ.  Such conversion, we are taught in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, is done:
“ in daily life by gestures of reconciliation, concern for the poor, the exercise and defense of justice and right, by the admission of faults to one’s brethren, fraternal correction, revision of life, examination of conscience, spiritual direction, acceptance of suffering, endurance of persecution for the sake of righteousness. Taking up one’s cross each day and following Jesus is the surest way of  penance.”

We are called to conversion in our daily lives.  Conversion is a major theme in the Bible. The Old Testament prophets, St. John the Baptist, and St. Peter preached about the call to conversion. Jesus began his public ministry with the words, “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

The Lord’s first words were a call to conversion. For Jesus, we are all in need of repentance.  We all need to recognize our failings and need to place our trust in God’s merciful love. Lent helps to do so.

This week  we welcome our Parish Lenten Mission Preacher, Monsignor Doug Cook, who  is preaching all the Masses this weekend. He is preaching  a Mission Talk each night on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 7:00pm.  Also each of those nights Confessions with four priest   available begins at 6:00pm.
 

The theme of our Lenten Mission is  “A Lent to Remember, An Easter to Celebrate.”  This Mission is our opportunity as individuals and as parish to deepen our faith, take up the call to conversion and renew our commitment to Christ and His Church.  The renewal from such a time of  time of prayer and reflection should invigorate us. 

So come out for the Mission.  It is a time of grace, a time for repentance, for change, and for becoming a renewed disciple. Confession is an essential part of any good  Lenten Mission. So seize the chance to go to Confession this week and receive God’s mercy. St. Alphonsus Ligouri used to say that the sign of a successful Mission was  how many people came to Confession! I pray you keep the four priests busy in the Confessional this week!

I have been friends with Msgr. Cook since we studied together in the seminary at the American College in Belgium. He is an exemplary priest and an excellent preacher.  He made the long journey to lead us on the Mission at OLM from sunny Southern California! We thank  him for his presence and preaching in our parish.

Let’s make this a Lent to remember at Our Lady of Mercy, so we can truly celebrate Easter with renewed faith and great joy!! Come to the Mission this week! Go to Confession this week! Invite a friend and bring along a neighbor with you!! Do good. Be well. Repent and believe in the Gospel! See you at the Mission!

Praying for Our New Catholics to Be and Preparing for the Lenten Mission

Dear Parishioners:                          

The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) is the program of catechetical instruction for those adults needing the Sacraments of Baptism, Communion and Confirmation.   Here at OLM we are truly blessed to have a great team led by Fr. Barrow who meet every Sunday to teach and learn about the Catholic Faith.

Fr. Barrow, OLM RCIA Team with the new elect, Sue Healey and Al Behbehani  at the Rite of Election at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul

The candidates are non-Catholics who need full initiation into the Church, including Baptism, those non-Catholics needing to be fully received into the Church, and some baptized Catholics who need Communion, and Confirmation. Last Sunday afternoon two of our candidates received the Rite of Election at the Cathedral.

Bishop Tobin presided at the ceremony which had a large group of people from across the Diocese who are to enter into the Church at the Easter Vigil. At this rite, upon the testimony of sponsors, and catechists, and the catechumens' affirmation of their intention to join the Church, the Church makes its "election" of these catechumens to receive the Sacraments of Initiation.                      

Bishop Tobin greets Al Behbehani. 

In the presence of the bishop they inscribe their names in the Book of the Elect at the cathedral as a pledge of fidelity. Now the catechumens are called "the elect' or the   illuminandi" ("those who will be enlightened"). They now begin a Period of Purification and Enlightenment — the final, intense preparation for the  reception of the Sacraments of Initiation at Easter.

With great joy we offer our congratulations to two of our candidates who are now called “the elect.”  Our “elect” from OLM are Sue Healey, she is to be received into the Catholic Church, and Al Behbehani who is to be baptized and fully     initiated into the Catholic Faith.  These last weeks of Lent are a particularly intense period of prayer and preparation for these catechumens as they ready themselves for the Sacraments at the Easter Vigil Mass. 

I ask you to please keep them in your prayers, that they continue to grow in the faith and in the love and knowledge of God. We rejoice for the so many across the Diocese who have chosen to join us in living our Catholic Faith, and being active members of our Church.  RCIA was traditionally called “Convert Class” until the renewal of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.    But conversion isn’t only a term that applies to someone joining another faith tradition or church.  Conversion is about a change of mind, and heart, that affects all the baptized. We are all called to a conversion to Christ in our daily lives.                

The source of this daily conversion is our encounter with Jesus Christ in prayer, in good works, and in the Sacraments. We find this especially in our experience of his forgiveness, love, and mercy. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are the three traditional pillars of Lent. They are the embodiment of this conversion during this holy season.              Lent calls us to renew our dependency on God and others through intense prayer, the experiencing of hunger and serving the needs of the poor. Conversion is truly living the incarnate love of God manifested at Holy Week, the final destination of our Lenten fast of forty days.   

Next week we begin our Annual Parish Lenten Mission at OLM. We welcome Monsignor Doug Cook from Newport Beach, California.  He and I studied together for the priesthood at the American   College in Belgium and he is an old friend!                                              

Monsignor Doug Cook

The theme of his mission is “A Lent to Remember, An Easter to Celebrate.” He will be preaching at all Masses next weekend and then will lead us each night of the Mission.  A complete schedule is in the    bulletin.  This Mission is our time to depart from our regular routine and set aside an intense time of prayer and reflection.  We needn’t go to a Monastery or Retreat House, but we gather right here at OLM!  It is great way to renew our faith and live our call to conversion to Christ.  So please mark your calendar and be sure to make the Mission!

I am grateful for your support of the Catholic Charity Appeal this weekend. This crucial collection funds the many good works of our Church in RI, and your support is vital. In the name of the poor, I offer my sincere thanks for your generous response.        

It’s Lent! Don’t forget  Fridays are for fish and Stations of the Cross! Do good. Be well. Pray, fast and give!