Independence Day and Celebrating our Freedom

Dear Parishioners:                  

I hope you were able to celebrate the Fourth of July! It is always a great day to gather with family and friends for a cookout or watch the fireworks.  I was with my family at my sister’s home in Saratoga, New York for the holiday.  We had a great day celebrating our national independence!                                 

Of course, the Fourth of July is truly a day for us to reflect upon our freedoms.  We enjoy many freedoms here in our land that others across the globe do not.  Freedom and liberty can easily be taken for granted, so let us remember to give thanks to God for our freedom and never take for granted the liberty we enjoy.

Last week I read an article from NBC News that examined the state of politics in Rhode Island. Its premise was that the Ocean State is the last bastion for elected Democrats who are pro-life.  It also examined the effort by the so-called “progressives” to oust pro-life state representatives and senators from office. The central issue for these “progressives” is abortion.  Progress for them is expanding abortion on demand and funding  it with taxpayer dollars.  The article states: “Rhode Island received an ‘F’ grade from NARAL Pro-Choice America in 2016 and has a General Assembly run almost entirely by Right to Life-backed Democrats.”

It’s perhaps the only time an “F” is a good grade!  Yet we must remain vigilant in the face of renewed efforts to expand abortion and oust pro-life politicians. These efforts are well organized and well funded by national groups.  The article also suggests that the Catholic Church has too much influence in curtailing abortion legislation. 

Yet a recent Gallup National Poll determined that Americans (48%) still believe abortion (the direct killing of an unborn baby) is morally wrong, while 43 percent believe it is morally acceptable. Perhaps  it is the case that many people including  elected officials s believe that abortion is morally wrong. If the Church has had some influence it may be in helping people including politicians understand that all human life is sacred and should be protected and respected in law.

The reason abortion seems to dominate the headlines is because the pro-abortion lobby’s relentless pursuit of its agenda.. Under the guise of “women’s issues”, Planned Parenthood and the National Organization of Women  are tireless in trying  to expand abortion in RI.   They and their elected allies in the General Assembly continue to seek the public financing of abortion and advance the passage of radical abortion legislation.

We know that Catholic teaching on the respect for human dignity and sanctity of human life is not limited to abortion. In fact, it  proclaims that all human life is sacred and that the dignity of every human person is  the foundation of a moral vision for our society. This fundamental belief guides our advocacy on behalf of human life and human dignity. Our social teaching calls us to  vigilantly advocate for the rights of not only the unborn but also for family life, for immigrants and refugees, for the dying and terminally ill, for   the elderly and the poor and on behalf of justice and peace.

In Ireland  they recently changed the Irish Constitution and legalized abortion. Now the Prime Minister has announced that  Catholic hospitals must  be required to perform abortions. And no exemption from this grave moral evil is possible. This situation in Ireland is precisely why we remain vigilant in advocating  for the sanctity of human life and    the dignity of the human person. Secular governments and radical activists are not simply vigilant in advancing their  agenda but they are in fact relentless!

So as we remember the freedoms we enjoy in the USA, let us also remember we are called to be faithful citizens.  Each one of us has a duty and obligation to be civically engaged but also to proclaim our Catholic faith in the public square and advocate for life and dignity. The abortion lobby gave RI an “F” but we must remain relentless in our public advocacy as Catholics. As the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said: “A religion that doesn’t interfere with the secular order will soon discover that the secular order will not refrain from interfering with it.” 

Do good. Be well. God Bless America!  Go Sox!

Summer is a Time for Rest, Renewal and Reading

Dear Parishioners:                   

             Despite the weather last Saturday, our OLM Youth Group had their cookout! Of course, it was really a cook-in at OLM School Gym.  We are grateful to all those who supported our youth with their presence while enjoying hamburgers and hot dogs.  Also I extend my thanks to the many parishioners who financially supported the Youth Group’s effort to raise funds for their pilgrimage in July to the Steubenville East Conference.

Monday brought much better weather and the beginning of our OLM Vacation Bible School.  Lots of our parish children spent this past week learning more about the Lord, our Blessed Mother, the Church and their Catholic Faith.  It was a fun-filled and faith-filled week.  I am grateful to OLM Youth Coordinator Billy Burdier who organized this great event.  Also we thank our many volunteers and staff who helped all week long. We are in the midst of summer and the Fourth of July is this week!  Many parishoners are heading on vacations, others to their summer homes and others making the daytrips of the season.  Summer is always a time to try to relax, recreate and refresh.

The question, “How are you?”, is so often answered with “Busy.”  Yet, many times we don’t have to be quite as busy as we schedule ourselves to be.  Though there is great importance and dignity in the work we do, we often forget that there is also value in rest.

Our on-the-go culture makes it difficult to see the necessity of taking the time to rest.  We might even be considered lazy or unmotivated when we do reserve time for relaxation.  However, not pausing amidst our chaotic life to take a break can lead to mental, emotional, physical and spiritual problems.

God knew we would need time to replenish ourselves. He set the example by resting Himself on the seventh day of creation.  Follow His lead.  If you cannot take time in the summer to get away from work than at the very minimum, set aside time on Sundays to kick back and relax in these days of summer.  St. Augustine reminds us: “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds it rest in You.”

It’s summer so please do take some time to rest and refresh whether its away, at the beach, at a park, on a golf course or in the backyard! However, this time of rest isn’t meant to lead us away from God but rather draw us closer to Him. Don’t take a rest from attending Sunday Mass or striving to lead a life of virtue and faith. If you’re traveling  this summer check out Masstimes.org to find where you can go to Sunday Mass. Mass is celebrated in all fifty states and in nearly every country in the world!

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI  has suggested that : “Even amid the ‘busy-ness’ and stress of our daily lives, we need to make space for silence, because it is in silence that we find God, and in silence that we discover our true self.  And in discovering our true self, we discover the particular vocation which God has given us for building up His Church and the redemption of our world.” 

One way I relax in the summer is to do some extra summer reading.  This summer I am reading Dagger John by John Loughery.  It is the new biography of Archbishop John Hughes, the first Archbishop of New York.  It has gotten great reviews in the press.   Also I plan some spiritual reading with a new book entitled, Holiness In A Secular Age: The Witness of Cardinal Newman.  Blessed John Newman lived in an age not unlike our  own and this book offers his example and insights on how to live as a disciple amid an increasingly secular culture. And just for fun I plan to read a couple of the  Bruno, the French Police Chief detective series. Written by Martin Walker they are set in rural France. I have read a few before and they are thoroughly enjoyable, easy reads especially on a warm and sunny day on the beach or by the pool with a good cigar!

On Wednesday we celebrate our nation’s independence!  The Fourth of July is truly a day to celebrate our freedom and liberty and to give thanks to God for the blessings and bounty of our nation. May this great land  always be "one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Happy 4th of July! Do good. Be well. God Bless. Go Sox!  Enjoy summer!!

Celebrating Priesthood, Cookouts and Bible School! It's June at OLM!!!

Dear Parishioners:                 

Last Saturday night our Summer Seminarian, Patrick Ryan, and myself attended Mass at Portsmouth Abbey.  The Mass was celebrated by Timothy Cardinal Dolan of New York who also delivered an address at the dinner that followed.  This was part of the Annual Portsmouth Institute which this year examined “Faith, Family and Civilization.” 

An apostolate of the Benedictine monastic communities of Portsmouth and Saint Louis Abbeys, the Portsmouth Institute for Faith and Culture is a center for Catholic scholarship and evangelization. It explores Catholic thought and promotes Christian culture by examining    the connection between faith and reason, religion and public life. It annually holds a conference in June. Cardinal Dolan delivered an outstanding talk at the dinner which featured some of his trademark humor.  His insights into the family life and the Church in our contemporary culture were excellent. It was a great evening and the Cardinal provided much food for thought for the large crowd gathered at the event.

This Saturday night our OLM Youth Group are hosting a cookout in Mercy Park!  Hamburgers, cheese burgers and hot dogs are to be served and tickets can be purchased at the event. We thank the many parishioners who bought tickets last weekend and are joining us.  This cookout is a fundraiser for the OLM Youth Group who are attending the huge Steubenville East Conference this July.  The funds raised help defray the cost of the conference, lodging and transportation.  I thank those parishioners who generously sponsored some of our youth group for this pilgrimage.  If you are interested in sponsoring a teen for the pilgrimage, please contact me at the Parish Office. The OLM Youth Group chose to celebrate the priesthood for their cookout.  We are grateful for their recognition of their parish priests. 

Fr. Connors celebrates six years of priesthood on Saturday, June 23rd.  I celebrate twenty-three years of priesthood on Sunday, June 24th.  Fr. Barrow celebrates six years of priesthood on Wednesday, June 27th.  And Bishop Evans celebrates forty-five years of priesthood on July 2nd! As Billy Burdier, our OLM Youth Activities Coordinator, mentioned last weekend at Masses, that is over 75 years of priestly service.  It seems just like yesterday that I was ordained by Bishop Gelineau at the Cathedral.  In the name of my brother priests, we thank our OLM Youth Group for their recognition of our priesthood and prayers.

Next Saturday Bishop Tobin is to ordain Transitional Deacon Phillip Dufor as a priest of the Diocese of Providence.  Deacon Dufor has been studying at the North American College in Rome and after ordination is to return to complete his studies.  The Ordination Mass is Saturday, June 30th at 10:00am at the Cathedral in Providence.  Everyone is most welcome to attend the Mass which is always a very joyful, beautiful and solemn occasion.  Please keep our newest priest of Providence  in your prayers.

You may have read in last week’s edition of the R.I. Catholic that Bishop Tobin announced that he has, in conformity with the Code of Canon Law and the Priest Personnel Policy of the Diocese of Providence, appointed twenty-three pastors to a new six year term effective July 1, 2018.  I am happy to report that I was one of those twenty-three pastors. At the end of this month, I mark the end of my first six year term as Pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Church.

It has been a truly wonderful six years serving as pastor to this great parish with such committed, faithful, and joyful parishioners.  I continue to thank God for the blessing that OLM has been to my priestly life and I pray that my pastorate may always be faithful, joyful and fruitful. 

On Monday morning we begin our OLM Vacation Bible School.  It runs every day all week and is a fantastic opportunity for our parish children to learn about Christ and His Church. It is a week of fun and faith!  We look forward to seeing the many children here at OLM each morning  Keep them in your prayers. It’s summer!

If you’re traveling away this summer check out Masstimes.org to find where you can go to Sunday Mass. Do good. Be well. God Bless. Go Sox! 

Graduations, Cookouts, Father's Day and Vacation Bible School! It's Summertime at OLM!!

Dear Parishioners:                  

With the sound of the Blue Angels overhead all last weekend, we celebrated the OLM School Class of 2018.  On Sunday the graduates of our 8th Grade joined us at 10:30am Mass.  Each of the graduates received the specially designed Our Lady of Mercy Medal which serves as a reminder of their years of study but also a symbol of their patroness. 

The OLM School Class of 2018

On Monday night the thirty-one graduates who are listed in this weeks’ bulletin gathered for the OLM School Graduation Ceremony.  Most of these graduates spent over 8 years in our parish school.  We thank their parents and families for their support and the sacrifice they make for a Catholic Education for their children.  As Cardinal Dolan of New York says so often, a Catholic Education is “the pearl of great price.” These young men and women now head off to the rigors of high school and we continue to pray for them. 

We also offer our prayerful congratulations to all those who graduated from East Greenwich High School, our Catholic High Schools and other high schools this June.  They now prepare for the challenges of university life.  And finally our best wishes to our many OLM parishioners who graduated college and graduate school this year.  May God bless them all! 

Last Saturday night there was a whole lot of OLM School talent on display at E.G. High School Auditorium.  The students put on a production of “Mary Poppins.”  Bishop Evans, Fr. Barrow, our Summer Seminarian Patrick, Sisters Lourdes and Emma and myself had great seats for the play.  It was an outstanding performance by our students with great singing and dancing!  Kudos to our student actors and actresses and all those who helped produce the performance!

Each summer the Franciscan University of Steubenville organizes  a series of conferences across North America that help teens encounter the love of Christ and renew their Catholic Faith. The  mission of these Youth Conferences is to build the Church by evangelizing, equipping, and empowering God’s children to become radical and joyful disciples. The Steubenville East Conference at the University of Massachusetts Lowell takes place in late July.  Thousands of Catholic teens from across the region  gather together for this great weekend of faith and formation.

Steubenville East Youth Conference.

Our OLM Youth Group under the direction of our Youth Activities Coordinator, Billy Burdier, is planning on attending this great event along with Fr. Barrow and our Summer Seminarian Patrick. Next Saturday evening following the 5:00PM Mass the OLM Youth Group is hosting a Cookout in Mercy Park. They are hoping to raise money to defray the expenses of their  travel and lodging at the event.  Members of the Youth Group are selling tickets after Masses this weekend for the cookout.  If you want to support the youth of our parish, join us for a hamburger or hot dog next Saturday at Mercy Park!

We continue to take registrations for the OLM Vacation Bible School which is scheduled for June 25th through the 29th.  If your child or grandchild is interested in having a fun filled week learning more about their Catholic Faith, register soon! There are details in the bulletin. This Sunday is Fathers Day, a day in which  we honor  Fathers.  In a special way we pray for all Fathers at Sunday Masses as we remember all living and deceased Fathers.   

The worthy example of Fatherhood for all Fathers is St. Joseph. He was a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart he had deep love and great tenderness. Such love and tenderness   is not a sign of weakness but of strength. Pope Francis, our Holy Father, reflecting on Fatherhood says:  “Being a father is not easy since it takes lots of patience and grace, Nothing could better express the pride and emotion a father feels when he understands that he has handed down to his child what really matters in life, that is, a wise and gentle heart. It is a joy that rewards all the toil, that overcomes every mistake and heals every wound.”

A Happy Fathers Day to all Fathers! May God our Loving Father, guide and protect you all and bestow his choicest blessings upon you!

Hope to see you at the Youth Group Cookout! Do good. Be well. God Bless. Go Sox! 

Congratulations OLM Class of 2018, School's Out for the Summer!!

Dear Parishioners:                                

The OLM School Class of 2018 with Principal Scott Fuller, Fr. Barrow, Fr. Healey, Mrs. Kerins and Mr. Cleary. 

This week we honor the thirty-one OLM Students graduating the 8th Grade.  On Sunday at the 10:30am Mass these students join us as we offer our prayers and blessings for them.  At this Mass we recognize the vital part they play in the life of our parish.  Following the Mass, the graduates and their families gather for a luncheon in celebration of their many academic achievements. On Monday night please join us for the OLM School Graduation Ceremony at 6pm. We gather with our school administration, faculty, students, graduates and their family and friends.  This ceremony is a meaningful way to recognize this milestone in the life of these young men and women.  They leave our parish school and begin their journey to high school. Congratulations OLM Class of 2018!

Archbishop José H. Gómez, Archbishop of Los Angeles, recently delivered the commencement address at my alma mater, the Catholic University of America.  His remarks to the Class of 2018 are  fitting for our OLM graduates and worthy of reflection for all those graduating this year.  The Archbishop states: “My prayer for you is that you will write a story that is filled with goodness, love and service; with prayer and giving thanks for simple gifts. I pray that you will always seek to know what is right — and have the courage to do it. People will tell you this vision is naïve; that it doesn’t pay; that we are too far gone for all that. Don’t believe them.”

Let us pray that indeed our OLM School graduates and all our young people “don’t believe”  that they cannot strive to be saints in the City of Man. We pray for the Class of 2018 from OLM School but also we offer prayers for all those graduating any school this year.  May God bless, guide and protect them all.

Fr. Connors defends his doctoral dissertation at the Angelicum University in Rome.

Speaking of graduation, last week I had the distinct honor to attend the doctoral defense of Fr. Connors.  As you might imagine our erstwhile Associate Pastor was outstanding in defending his thesis before a panel of learned professors.  One priest describing the event said to me, “it was like a group of peers having a discussion.” Indeed it was and I am happy to report that Father Connors was awarded his Doctorate of Sacred Theology (S.T.D.) by the Angelicum University in Moral Theology.  He is now to serve as a Professor of Theology at St. John’s Seminary in Boston where he will teach and guide young men preparing for the priesthood. We congratulate Fr. Connors on this outstanding achievement in his priestly life. 

It was a true joy to be present at this momentous occasion with Fr. Connors, his dear parents, Joe and Lisa, and his many priest friends who live and study in Rome.  We wish him well as he prepares for the next chapter of his priestly ministry and life. Of course, Fr. Connors is keeping a room here at OLM and you may see him around this summer as he is to help with Masses.  While he is officially assigned to serve at St. John’s Seminary in Boston as a priest of the Diocese of Providence he has been officially assigned a residence here at OLM.  Be sure to congratulate him when you see our new Reverend Doctor!!

With graduations behind us, summer is soon coming. In fact, OLM School ends this Friday at Noon!  It’s hard to believe but school is going to be out and the summer fun for students is about to begin!  Where did the year go?  We offer our gratitude to our OLM School Principal, Scott Fuller, our excellent faculty, our supportive school families and the entire student body for another outstanding year.  In particular we offer thanks and gratitude to OLM School Faculty members, Mary Ryan (2nd Grade) and Jill Hackett (3rd Grade) who are retiring from teaching.  We thank them for their service and commitment to Catholic Education and OLM School.  May God bless them with health, happiness and holiness!

The OLM Vacation Bible School is coming up soon. If you have a child or grandchild interested in having fun while learning about the faith, please register them. The OLM VBS is always a great week of fun, faith and community. 

Also please note that next Sunday we honor our Fathers on Fathers Day as we offer Mass for them on Sunday. Please return your Fathers Day envelopes in memory of your beloved Fathers, living and dead.  Do good. Be well. God Bless. Go Sox! 

Celebrating Corpus Chrisiti with Reverence and Respect

Dear Parishioners:                               

This weekend the Church marks the great feast of Corpus Christi as we celebrate the real presence of Jesus Christ, body, soul and divinity, in the Eucharist. Today’s feast reminds us of the truth that the Eucharist is not a mere symbol and is the source and summit of our faith. 

When we receive Holy Communion - the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, soul and divinity - we mystically enter his death and resurrection. Our belief in the Eucharist is central to our faith as Catholics. And as such an essential belief we should remember the wisdom of  St. Philip Neri, who said, "The Blessed Sacrament should be treated with reverence.”

This annual celebration of the Feast of Corpus Christi calls us to account for not only what we believe about the Eucharist but also how we act toward the Eucharist.  Do we receive the Eucharist worthily? Do we receive the Eucharist frequently?  Do we receive the Eucharist reverently?

Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, lovingly invites to Mass each and every Sunday not only when its convenient to our schedule or when we feel like coming. When we come to Mass we come to a banquet with our God and so we should arrive  on time.  In fact, we should try to  arrive early to pray and properly prepare ourselves for the great and sacred mystery we are about to celebrate together.

We shouldn’t rush in  at the last minute but rather show the world around us that Holy Mass  is, a priority and central in our lives as Catholic disciples. Precisely because the Eucharist is so central to our  Catholic Faith, we should  come to Mass with  a proper  prayerful attitude of reverence and awe. Also we should be properly dressed as if we are attending a banquet with our loving God not  dressed as if we’re headed to the bar or the beach.

We  prepare ourselves to receive Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in Holy Communion  worthily by keeping the fast of one hour from all food and drink before our reception of Holy Communion.  If we have committed a grave sin, we should seek out God’s forgiveness in the Sacrament of Confession and wash our soul clean with God’s mercy.  We should always strive to receive Christ in Holy Communion with a clear conscience and a clean soul!

 Once we have arrive at Mass we should participate fully and actively by reciting the prayers and responses with enthusiasm. We should join in the singing of the hymns with joy and thanksgiving. St. Augustine tells us, “When we sing, we pray twice!”

 When we  come forward to receive Holy Communion we must be focused on what we are about to receive, the body of Jesus Christ.  The Communion line is not the line at the grocery store or post office.  Se we reflect what we are doing by   receiving with great reverence as we make a sign of reverence with a simple head bow. 

As we are presented the Body of Christ, we  respond with the declaration of our faith as we loudly and joyfully respond “Amen.” Staring in silence or by saying “Thank you, Father” are not proper options.  If we receive in the hand, lift up our hands, make a throne for Jesus Christ the King of the Universe! We then go to prayerfully offer our thanksgiving for having received so great a gift as the Body of Christ.

 Of course, we  acknowledge that when invited to a banquet a guest should stay until the banquet is finished. So we wait to leave Mass until the Lord send us forth. We shouldn’t sneak out early, but have enough respect and reverence to stay until Mass has ended.

Perhaps we should take heed of the sage advice of St Francis de Sales, who said:   "When you have received Christ in communion, stir up your heart to do Him homage; speak to Him about your spiritual life, gazing upon Him in your soul where He is present for your happiness; welcome Him as warmly as possible, and behave outwardly in such a way that your actions may give proof to all of His Presence."

I am in Rome this weekend and return to OLM on Monday. Fr. Connors, our new Doctor of Sacred Theology, comes back to OLM on Saturday and will be with us during the summer.  Next Sunday we send forth our graduating OLM School 8th Graders at the 10:30am Mass, please keep them in your prayers as they prepare for the rigors of high school.

Do good. Be well. God Bless. Go Sox!