“Today the Church – recollected as she was at her birth with Mary – prays: “Veni Sancte Spiritus!” –“Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love!” Amen. “
“Blessed are You, Lord Our God, creator of the universe and fount of all knowledge. Look upon all graduates with Your love and grant them Your peace. Bless them as they move forward in life and keep them safe. May Your Holy Spirit enrich them with wisdom and fatih to proclaim Your glory and goodness to all people. We ask this through Christ Our Lord.”
Dear Parishioners:
There are a lot of comings and goings at OLM these days! Our Summer Seminarian, Dan Mahoney, arrived this past Wednesday to begin his assignment here at OLM. We look forward to having him with us for the next ten weeks as he works and lives with Fr. Barrow and I. Dan will be helping at Masses, with our OLM Outreach, at OLM School and at our upcoming Vacation Bible School. Please give him a warm welcome after Mass. And be sure to say hello when you see him around town or the parish.
Sister Lourdes, one of our wonderful Franciscan Apostolic Sisters, is home for few weeks on a visitation to the Motherhouse in the Philippines. She arrived safely last week after a 30 hour flight! She will visit with her family and then attend meetings with her religious community. Sister returns to OLM in mid June, please keep her in your prayers. .
Next Sunday, the newly ordained Deacon Hiep Nguyen is visiting OLM. He is to preach the homily at the 10:30am Mass. Following the Mass, there is a Reception in Mercy Park where we can offer our congratulations to Deacon Hiep. I hope you can stop by and wish him well.
Now that classes have ended at St. John’s Seminary in Boston, our own Fr. Connors is coming back to OLM for the summer months. He will be helping us with Masses here at OLM, and also helping out other area parishes while back in Rhode Island. We are always happy to have him back with us at OLM!
Monday is Memorial Day, a day in which we pay tribute and honor to all those men and women who died serving our nation and the cause of liberty. Please remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice to our nation in your prayers, and at Masses, this weekend. May God grant them eternal rest.
On Memorial Day join us for Mass at 8:30AM as we pray for our nation and offer Mass for all deceased veterans. The Memorial Day Parade also commences on Monday morning. Once again I have the privilege to offer prayers at the Veterans Memorial on Cliff Street as the parade pauses to remember the fallen. I hope you can get to see the parade, it’s a great tradition for our community.
Also, please join us for the final May Devotions on Monday night at 7:00pm as we pray the Rosary and seek the powerful intercession of our Blessed Mother. Praying the Rosary before the Eucharistic Lord, is a great way to strengthen our relationship with the Lord. May Our Lady of Mercy intercede for us, our nation, and all those who protect our liberty and freedom.
With the end of May comes the end of our 5:00PM Sunday Evening Mass for the season. It resumes on the First Sunday of September which happens to be September 1st this year. For those looking for evening Masses on Sundays, there are several at the beach parishes in South County throughout the summer months.
On Thursday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension. The Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ occurred 40 days after His Resurrection on Easter Sunday. At His Ascension, the Lord Jesus ascended, Body and Soul, into heaven in the presence of His Apostles and disciples. The 40 day period between the Resurrection of Our Lord and His Ascension into heaven is described by the Catechism of the Catholic Church as a time “when He eats and drinks familiarly with His disciples and teaches them about the Kingdom”
This feast contains two elements as Pope Francis teaches us: “On one hand, it directs our look to Heaven, where Jesus, glorified, is seated at the right hand of God On the other, it recalls the beginning of the Church’s mission.” The Ascension is a Holy Day of Obligation and thus Catholics are obligated to attend Mass.
At OLM, there are four Masses for the Feast: a Vigil Mass on Wednesday at 5:00PM and three Masses on the Holy Day itself at 7:30AM, 9:00AM and 7:00PM. The 9:00AM Mass on Ascension Thursday will include the many grandparents who will be with us for the OLM School Grandparents Day. This Mass is likely to be very crowded.
See you at Mass on the Holy Day. Be well. Do Good. Go Sox and Bruins! Have a Happy Memorial Day! God Bless America!
Dear Parishioners:
Mr. Fuller with Fr. Healey and Fr. Barrow on the First Day of School 2019!
Dear Parishioners:
Our OLM Principal, Mr. Scott W. Fuller is retiring at the end of the school year. I am grateful for his tremendous leadership of our parish school and wish him well in his much deserved retirement. As Mr. Fuller’s replacement I am happy to tell you that I have appointed Mr. Patrick H. McNabb as the new Principal of Our Lady of Mercy School.
Mr. McNabb holds a B.A. in History from Haverford College and a M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision from National Louis University. With experience in teaching and administration, he has served as a coach, classroom teacher, and Vice-Principal.
Since 2016, he has served as Middle School Religion Teacher and Director of Faith Formation at Holy Name Church and School in Fall River, MA. Previous to working at Holy Name School, McNabb began his career in education at the Shelby Middle School in Shelby, Mississippi for Teach for America.
He went on to serve as Middle School Teacher and then Vice-Principal at KIPP DC: KEY Academy in Washington, DC and as Vice-Principal of KIPP DC: College Preparatory in Washington, DC. Principal McNabb and his wife are parishioners of St. Barnabas Church in Portsmouth, RI and are the parents of two young children.
With Mr. McNabb’s appointment we begin another great chapter in the history of our parish school. I am confident that his skillful and faith-filled leadership of Our Lady of Mercy School with build on the tradition of strong faith and academic excellence.
He brings a wealth of educational experience, an abundance of energy and talent and most importantly a strong commitment to his Catholic Faith. In your name, I welcome him to our parish family and look forward to his leadership of our wonderful parish school.
I wish to thank Mr. Greg Paolino, Chair of the OLM School Board, who led our Principal Search Committee. He and the committee members did an outstanding job finding great candidates for the position. I am grateful for their insight and guidance in the search for a new principal for OLM School.
Two of our longtime OLM School Teachers, Miss Paula Noll and Mrs. Donna Beaulieu, are to retire at the end of the school year. They have taught at OLM for many years and both are excellent educators who are dedicated to their students and committed to Catholic Education. In your name, I offer our deep gratitude for their years of service to the students of OLM School. Ad multos annos!
On Saturday night we had our Annual Spring Fling in support of OLM School. This great night of fun includes both a live and silent auction. All the proceeds go to support our mission of teaching the future saints and scholars of our world and Church. I am grateful to Spring Fling Committee for organizing another great night.
There are always some great auction items like front row tickets to Hamilton on Broadway, Red Sox and Patriots tickets, a day cruise to Newport on a luxury yacht, at stay at Block Island’s premier hotel, the Spring House, Hi-Lo Jack Night at the Regency Cigar Emporium with Fr. Healey and Fr. Barrow and of course, dinner in the OLM Rectory with the Fathers!
I thank the many generous supporters of OLM School for their generous donations and their generous support of our mission. This event raises much needed and critical funds to keep that mission going for our parish, school and Church. Thanks for all those who make this event fun and also a great success!
Our Parish Deacon John Dowd is moving! He and his wife, Cathy, have sold their home in North Kingstown and are headed south to retired life in Wakefield. Unfortunately this means he is leaving OLM. Deacon Dowd has been a important part of our parish family and we thank him for his ministry here at OLM. He will be with us until the end of June and we will offer him our public thanks in the coming weeks.
This week another celebration is coming to OLM. One of our parish priests is turning the “Big Three O” and it’s not me! Thirty was a long time ago for me! Yes, Fr. Barrow turns 30 on Tuesday! So be sure to wish him a Happy Birthday! Join us on Monday for May Devotions! Be well. Do Good. Go Sox and Bruins! Happy Birthday Fr. Barrow!!!
Pope Francis reminds us: "The Eucharist is such a great gift. That's why going to Mass is so important. Going to Mass not just to pray, but to receive Communion, the Bread and Body of Christ. It saves us, forgives us and it makes us one with the Father. How beautiful!”
Saint Pope Paul VI writing on this venerable tradition in an encyclical letter entitled Mense Maio, teaches: “The month of May is almost here, a month which the piety of the faithful has long dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. Our heart rejoices at the thought of the moving tribute of faith and love which will soon be paid to the Queen of Heaven in every corner of the earth. For this is the month during which Christians, in their churches and their homes, offer the Virgin Mother more fervent and loving acts of homage and veneration; and it is the month in which a greater abundance of God's merciful gifts comes down to us from our Mother's throne.”