Come Lord Jesus!!

Dear Parishioners:             

I hope and pray you had a nice celebration of Thanksgiving with family and friends.  It is a day to give thanks for blessings of the bounty we enjoy from God.  We thank the Almighty for our food, shelter, family and faith.  I had a wonderful celebration with my family at my sister’s home in Saratoga, New York.  Our family is growing with an additional newborn grand niece and nephew and a third on the way at Christmas time! God is good and we thank him. I also wish to thank the many parishioners who supported the Our Faith, Our Future Capital Campaign last weekend.  We are off to a great start of meeting our goal of $2 Million. 

In September, Our Lady of Mercy kicked-off the “Grateful for God’s Providence; Our Faith, Our Future” Capital Campaign to raise $2,000,000. To date, we have received over $800,000 in pledges, and we are very thankful for the support we have received from those parish families that have already donated to the campaign!   Although this is a significant accomplishment for our parish, it is of greater importance that we have the participation of every family that considers Our Lady of Mercy their spiritual home and close to their hearts. We hope that we can count on your support.

 Our Campaign is being conducted on the simple premise that not everyone can make the same size gift but everyone can make the same size sacrifice. Although each household is being asked to consider a pledge of $4,000 or more payable over the next four years, every pledge of every amount is welcome and is vital to the success of this project.  Please return your pledge today if you have nto yet done so!  This is an exciting time in our parish history. With your help and that of all those associated with Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, we will be able to complete our improvements.I thank you for your support and sacrifice for Our Faith and Our Future.

  We begin the month of December this Sunday and so we enter into the Solemn Season of Advent. During Advent we prayerfully prepare for the coming Feast of Christmas when we remember with joy and faith the First Coming of the Son of God, the birth of Jesus Christ. But it is also a time for us to anticipate with faith and hope Christ’s Second Coming at the end of time.  It is a season of “devout and expectant delight!” We wear the violet color of the season and bless and light the Advent Wreath as we pray:

“Lord Our God, we praise Your Son, Jesus Christ, He is Emmanuel, the hope of the peoples, He is the wisdom that teaches and guides us, He is the Savior of every nation. Lord God, let Your blessing come upon us as we light the candles of this wreath. May the wreath and its light be a sign of Christ’s promise to bring us salvation. May He come quickly and not delay.”

Advent is time to pause and prayerfully recommit and convert our lives to Christ.  We  recall the ancient cry of the early  Christians: “Maranatha! Come  Lord Jesus!” During Advent let us all ask how can we welcome Christ into our lives?  More faithful attendance at Sunday Mass? More time in prayer and reflection? Making a good Confession of our sins? Helping the needy and the poor with greater generosity and  charity?  During Advent 2019, let us cry out in both our words and works: Come Lord Jesus!

Reflecting upon this solemn season, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI teaches us: “Advent, this powerful liturgical season that we are beginning, invites us to pause in silence to understand a presence. It is an invitation to understand that the individual events of the day are hints that God is giving us, signs of the attention he has for each one of us.”

Next Sunday is December 8th which is normally the  Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  However, as it falls on the Second Sunday of Advent, the solemnity is moved to Monday, December 9th and therefore the Immaculate Conception is not a Holy Day of Obligation this year. Please join us  this Friday at 9:00AM for the OLM School Mass for the Feast of St. Nicholas! I hear St Nick might make a   appearance!

Thank you for your support of the Our Faith, Our Future Campaign. Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats! Oremus pro invicem! 

Gratitude to God

Dear Parishioners:             

I thank the many parishioners who have so generously responded in support of the Our Faith, Our Future Capital Campaign.  Thus far we have over $750, 000 pledged toward our goal of $2 Million. It is a great start to this vital campaign for the future of our wonderful parish. I offer my thanks also to Joe and Carol Cavanagh and Michael and Brooke O’Connell who serve as the Our Faith, Our Future Campaign Chairs.  Their leadership and support has helped to get us off to this great start for the campaign. 

This weekend we are asking every parish family to make their pledge in support of the campaign. We are asking every one of our 2,200 parish families to consider a pledge of $4,000 over four years. We know that some may be unable to afford this size gift but also that many others can afford to do more.  However, everyone can make the same size sacrifice.

This campaign is part of the larger diocesan campaign called Grateful for God’s Providence.  It’s total goal is $50 Million and already $42 million has been pledged by Catholics across the state.  Our portion of the campaign that will support the Grateful for God’s Providence Campaign is $535,000. We have already gone beyond that amount, so please know that every dollar pledged this weekend goes directly in support of the projects at OLM.  These critical projects are estimated to cost $1.5 Million and will help ensure the future of our beloved parish. 

We are truly blessed to live in such a community as East Greenwich and worship at Our Lady of Mercy.  God has been generous with the blessings bestowed upon our town, our parish and our families.  One of the sincerest ways to express our gratitude to God is to share our blessings.  I am very hopeful that each and every parish family will  make the necessary sacrifice and share their blessings in support of the Our Faith, Our Future Capital Campaign.  With such sacrifice and support, we are certain to be successful in reaching our goal of $2 Million! I thank you in advance for your sacrificial support Our Faith and Our Future!

We need every parish family to participate to be successful in this vital campaign for our parish. As we consider our support of this noble effort,  I am reminded of the words of St. Pope John Paul the Great: “Remember the past with gratitude.  Live the present with enthusiasm.  Look forward to the future with confidence.” May we remember those who have gone before us at Our Lady of Mercy and by whose sacrifices left us this parish. May our  present effort  in support of our parish be full of enthusiasm and sacrifice. And may we always be confident of our future as a family of faith!

It is gratitude that we celebrate this week as a nation on Thanksgiving Day as we gather with family and friends and share a meal.  Although it is a civil holiday, it is primarily a spiritual occasion for us  to stop, reflect upon our blessings  and offer prayerful thanks to God the Almighty Father.    On Thanksgiving Day before we eat our turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie, even before we enjoy the football games and good times with family and friends, we must offer prayers and thanksgiving to God. We give thanks to God for bestowing  so many blessings upon us. We give thanks for  the blessings of freedom and liberty, prosperity and good fortune, family and faith! The great spiritual writer, St. Teresa of Avila reminds us: “In all created things discern the providence and wisdom of God, and in all things give Him thanks.”

Certainly the best way for us as Catholics to offer prayerful thanks to God is at the Thanksgiving Day Mass at 9:00am on Thursday. Together we gather as a parish family to offer praise and thanksgiving to God as together we pray and worship at Holy Mass.  There is no better way to begin Thanksgiving Day then to gather as family of faith and celebrate the Eucharist, which itself means thanksgiving in the Greek. Following  Thanksgiving Day Mass, I make my annual trip up to my sister’s home in Saratoga, NY for the holiday dinner.  This year as an added blessing, I get to baptize my new grand-niece on next Saturday afternoon in NY.

Happy Thanksgiving! Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats! Oremus pro invicem! 

Sacrifice for Our Faith, Our Future

Dear Parishioners:                          

Our Lady of Mercy Church circa 1920s. Original Church on Main Street

For over 160 years the Catholic faithful of Our Lady of Mercy Church have been generous in supporting their church and living their faith. We honor “Our Faith” as we build on the rich foundation of the many people who have gone before us in faith, we build “Our Future” as we strive to carry the mission to live the life of Christ in humble service to others.

  At times in our lives, we find ourselves at a crossroads: significant moments that define and shape who we are and what our future will be. This is also true in the life of a parish. We are so grateful and appreciative of those individuals who, in the past, saw themselves at such a moment. They put their faith into action, responded to the needs and built the parish facilities we enjoy at this time. Because of them and their and your ongoing support, Our Lady of Mercy continues to be, “A family of faith.”

Now it is our time. Standing at this crossroad we can see how current and future generations will benefit from the work that we are now challenged to embark upon. Your ongoing support and spirit of volunteerism shows how much you care and desire to be the instruments of the Lord. Our fundamental mission as a parish family is to lead all people to the Lord Jesus.

The Our Faith, Our Future Capital Campaign is a serious and important challenge to all of us in the parish. We must pray for its success, lend our many God-given talents to its completion, and make equal financial sacrifice on all our parts to make it happen. Working as one Body in Christ, we can ensure that our Legacy of serving those who come to worship our Lord with us and outreach to the wider community will endure far into the future. With prayers, gratitude and having full faith that God who has begun this good work in us will also bring it to a successful completion. 

Our Campaign is off to a great start! To date, more than $450,000 in pledges has been received towards our campaign goal of $2.0 million. While it is important that we reach our goal, it is of greater importance that we have the participation of every parishioner who calls Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church their spiritual home.

Every member of our parish is being asked to consider a pledge of $4,000 or more to this Campaign, payable over 3 years. This pledge can be paid with an optional down payment of $400 and then with monthly installments of $100. A $4,000 pledge is only $3.29 per day.

Groundbreaking for the new Our Lady of Mercy School 1950.

A few parishioners have asked us, “why do we have to make a pledge?” The reason we are asking all parishioners to consider making a three-year pledge is that it allows us to budget and plan for the future of our parish. We are conducting this campaign on the premise that not everyone can make the same size gift, but that everyone can make the same size sacrifice. All pledges and donations are welcomed, needed and greatly appreciated. I realize that every family has different circumstances. I only ask that you consider a pledge to the best of your financial ability. If you have been financially blessed and are able to give more, please consider doing so. Your generosity and sacrifice is needed and would be most appreciated.

Next weekend, November 23 and 24,  is our “Commitment Weekend.”  We would ask all families to make a  commitment to Our Faith, Our Future Campaign with a  pledge. With your help and prayers, we will be successful in raising the necessary funds for these much needed projects for our parish.  Your generous and sacrificial pledge to the campaign helps to ensure that Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church a sign of God’s generous love and a beacon of God’s mercy in East Greenwich. All of us have been called to be stewards of the gifts God bestowed upon us. I have faith you will be as generous as you are able. Every parish family is being called upon to make the same sacrifice in support of this vital campaign for Our Faith and Our Future. We thank you for your financial support and prayers for the campaign.

We thank the many parishioners who have already pledge and made the sacficie needed for Our Faith and Our Future.  Thank you for your time and consideration. With your support and sacrifice, Our Faith and Our Future will flourish! Our Lady of Mercy, prayer for us!

Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats! Oremus pro invicem! 

Honoring Our Veterans

Dear Parishioners:                          

This weekend we mark Veterans Day a national holiday that originated as “Armistice Day” on November 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and November 11th  became a national holiday beginning in 1938.    Unlike Memorial Day, Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans—living or dead—but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime. Here at OLM we mark Veterans Day with Holy Mass on Monday at 8:30am.  This Mass is offered for all veterans, living and deceased, in thanksgiving for their sacrifice and service to our nation and our freedom. That includes, especially, the freedom to practice our faith. This freedom does not come without cost. So we pray with gratitude for all veterans and those men and women who put their lives on the line to preserve our freedom.

We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to those killed in the line of duty, those still suffering from the effects of their wounds from serving the nation’s call, and, of course, all those who have  retired from active duty. Let us remember those who have sacrificed so much to serve our nation  in our prayers and with gratitude on Veterans Day and always. Please be sure to join us on Veterans Day for Mass.  There is no better way to pray in thanksgiving for our veterans. 

Following the Mass the Annual Veterans Day Parade  commences in East Greenwich.  I hope you get a chance to attend and thank the many veterans who march in it.  Veterans Day is a special day to remember, to give thanks, to pray, and to salute those who serve and have served our nation.  As we honor our noble veterans, recall the words of President Ronald W. Reagan: “Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But  veterans don't have that problem.”

This weekend at OLM along with parishes across the nation we have a unique opportunity to support Catholic ministry in the U.S. military and Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers by giving to a first-ever, special collection at Sunday Mass  in support of  the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS). The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved this national special collection last year and it is to be taken up once every three years beginning this year. The collection is timed to coincide with Veterans Day each year.

The Archdiocese of Military Services was established by St. Pope John Paul II in 1985. It is serves millions of Catholics across the globe providing Catholic priests who serve as chaplains in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, the service academies and the VA. There are some 1.8 million American Catholics worldwide who depend on over 1,000 Military Service priests for their spiritual care, the celebration of the sacraments and their regular practice of the faith. The Military Archdiocese receives no funding from the government, and all weekly collections at U.S. military chapels must be distributed according to military funding rules, so private donations are the sole means of survival for the archdiocese.  I know you will be generous in supporting our military chaplains and the many active duty Catholics who serve across the globe.  There is no envelope for this collection, so simply mark your check AMS.  In the name of our chaplains and they military personnel they serve, I offer my  profound thanks for your support.

The Our Faith, Our Future Capital Campaign is off to a great start as over $400,000 has been pledged toward our $2 Million goal.  This campaign is vital to advancing the good work of our parish and providing for the future of our faith here in East Greenwich.  We recall the sacrifice of veterans this weekend, let us also recall the generations of faithful parishioners who sacrificed to make OLM the tremendous family of faith She is today.  With this in mind, we ask every parishioner to pray for the campaign and consider what sacrifice they are willing to make for Our Faith and Our Future.

Happy Veterans Day! Be well. Do good. God Bless America! Oremus pro invicem! 

Caring for the Dead

Dear Parishioners:                          

             It was St. Augustine  who said: “If we had no care for the dead, we would not be in the habit of praying for them.”       This Sunday in a very special way we pray for the fifty-six souls from OLM who have died this past year.     During this All Souls Month of November we remember all our beloved deceased and also all the dead who have no one to pray for them.

The Church has consistently encouraged the offering of prayers and Masses for the souls of the faithful departed and the poor souls in Purgatory. At the time of their death, these souls are not perfectly cleansed of venial sin or have not atoned for past transgressions, and thereby are deprived of the Beatific Vision. We, the faithful on earth, can assist these souls in Purgatory in attaining the Beatific Vision through our prayers, good works and the offering of Masses.

In the early days of the Church, the names of the faithful departed were posted in Church so that the community would remember them in prayer.  Each Sunday we pray for all the living and deceased parishioners of OLM.  This Sunday at the 10:30am Mass we pray in particular for the dead whose names are posted in the bulletin. May they rest in peace. 

There is also an ancient and venerable tradition of visiting the graves of the dead especially in November. This tradition finds its roots in the scriptures.  Our Lord Jesus Christ visited the tomb of his friend Lazarus, only to call him out and raise him from the dead.  On the morning of the Resurrection, Mary Magdalene was on her way to the tomb of Jesus to pay her respects, when she discovered the empty tomb.  As we visit the graves of our loved ones, we do so in anticipation of that day when God will call forth the dead from their graves into the fullness of resurrected life.

As we mark this All Souls Month of November as a parish family I encourage every family to visit the grave of a deceased loved one, to remember them in daily prayer and to have Holy Mass offered for the repose of their souls. Also when visiting a cemetery consider finding a grave of someone who has not had any visitors  in some time and  most likely also has no one to pray for them and add them to your list of daily prayer intentions. 

Our Lord appearing to St Gertrude

St. Gertrude, a 13th century nun and mystic, received visits from Jesus.  Tradition suggests that Our Lord taught her a prayer and told her that when prayed it would release 1,000 souls in Purgatory.  It’s a short, beautiful, and powerful prayer: “Eternal Father, I offer You the most precious blood of thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, for those in my own home, and in my family. Amen.”

The most common prayer for the faithful departed is the Eternal Rest prayer.  It is my practice, and I highly recommend to all people, that during every visit to the cemetery to conclude your time with it.  “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.  And let the perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.  And may their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.”

This week all the Bishops of New England including Bishop Tobin and Bishop Evans are in Rome on what is traditionally called "ad limina apostolorum." This means "to the thresholds of the apostles" Saints Peter and Paul, who were martyred in Rome.  On their ad liminia visit Bishops meet personally with the Holy Father and also visit various Vatican Offices to report on the condition of their individual diocese. Bishops also offer Masses for their local Churches at the Basilicas of Rome and at the Tomb of St. Peter.  Please pray for them this week.

Fr. Barrow is on his annual retreat this week at Arnold Hall Retreat House in Pembroke, Massachusetts.  Each year a priest is required to make a retreat of five days.  Father departs on Monday and is to return late on Friday.  Please pray for him and the other priests on retreat this week that it may be a fruitful time of prayer and renewal. 

It’s November remember the dead and pray for All Souls! Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats!  Oremus pro invicem! 

Our Beloved Dead

Dear Parishioners:                          

It’s hard to believe that October is coming to an end! So now we anticipate the month of November.  It is a month in which especially remember  the dead as it is dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory.   The Church commemorates all her faithful children who have departed from this life, but have not yet attained the joys of heaven. St. Paul warns us that we must not be ignorant concerning the dead, nor sorrowful, "even as others who have no hope ... For the Lord Himself shall come down from heaven ... and the dead who are in Christ shall rise.”

The Church has always taught us to pray for those who have gone into eternity. Even in the Old Testament prayers and alms were offered for the souls of the dead by those who thought "well and religiously concerning the resurrection." It was believed that "they who had fallen asleep with godliness had great grace laid up for them" and that "it is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins."

The month of November begins with the great Solemnity of All Saints Day on Friday, November 1st.  It is a holy day of obligation and we have four masses at OLM: 5:00pm Vigil, 7:30am, 9:00am School Mass and 7:00pm.  On this great feast we celebrate all those who have attained heaven who we call saints both known and unknown,   Pope Francis suggests: “The Feast of All Saints, then, is not celebrated only in honor of those who have reached the goal and attained to heaven. It is also for the many simple and hidden people whom we may know, and who, through everyday holiness, help God to carry the world forward.”

We also mark the solemn commemoration of the dead on  All Souls Day, November 2nd. In a very special way we remember all those who have died and in particular we pray for the souls in Purgatory.  We will have two All Souls Day Masses at OLM on Saturday, November 2nd, at 8:30am and 12:00pm. You are invited to join us for these solemn Masses. Also please know we honor all our beloved dead throughout the month of November.  Your All Souls envelopes with the names of your own beloved deceased family and friends are remembered at Masses in November.

On Sunday, November 3rd we remember in particular all our fellow OLM parishioners who have died over the last year. Their grieving families are to join us at this special Mass of Remembrance.   As we pledge our prayers for our beloved dead, we are reminded of the words of Saint John Chrysostom in the 4th Century:  “Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them.”  Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord; and let light perpetual shine upon them. May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI teaches: “We commemorate all of the faithful departed, who have ‘gone before us marked with the sign of faith and... who sleep in Christ’ (Eucharistic Prayer I). It is very important that we Christians live a relationship of the truth of the faith with the deceased and that we view death and the afterlife in the light of Revelation.“

The Our Faith, Our Future Parish Capital Campaign has begun with a great and enthusiastic response.  Many parishioners have attended our campaign receptions to learn more about this vital effort for our parish and diocese.  I thank the many volunteers who have been helping and also the many parishioners who have pledged such generous gifts thus far.  There are more campaign receptions scheduled this week. I urge everyone to attend and learn more about the campaign. 

We’ve inherited a great legacy of faith and sacrifice in this wonderful parish of Our Lady of Mercy. The witness of those who came before us  calls us today  to continue in the same spirit of sacrifice and faith.  Please pray for the success of the campaign, attend a reception, and consider  making a sacrificial gift for Our Faith and Our Future.

Please note  next weekend is Daylight Saving Time and clocks fall back one hour. So next Saturday the 5pm Mass falls back to 4pm start time and Confessions to 3pm until April 4th! Next Sunday set your clocks back and enjoy the extra hour of sleep!! See you at Devotions! Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats!  Oremus pro invicem!