St. Joseph Day Message

The Solemnity of St. Joseph
March 19, 2020

 

Dear OLM Family:

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph, the patron of the Universal Church.  Plagues have a long history in Europe, and when Christians were in the midst of such a crisis, they often turned to St. Joseph.  Beyond asking for his powerful intercession, many Christians would make personal consecrations to St. Joseph, offering to him their entire lives in hopes that they and their families would be spared from the plague. While proper medical attention should always be sought, as well as following instructions given by our government authorities, Christians throughout the centuries highlight the need for prayer to be included in our response to the current pandemic.

 St. Joseph teaches us to trust God in all circumstances and place our lives in his hands. Joseph must have realized that he too had a special part to play in the history of Salvation. He obeyed without hesitation, and with joy. Joseph let go of his own plans and put himself entirely at the service of Jesus and Mary. No spoken word of his is mentioned in the Gospel only mention of him being a kind, hardworking, just and generous man.

 On 19th March 2013, in a homily he gave during the Mass inaugurating his Petrine ministry, Pope Francis said that “Joseph is a ‘protector’ because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the people entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, and he can make truly wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to God’s call, readily and willingly.”

 This morning Fr. Barrow and I celebrated Mass in the Franciscan Convent Chapel with our good sisters.  We offered Holy Mass for you and your families asking for the powerful intercession of St. Joseph, the Protector of the Holy Family.  On this feast day, I was reminded of the words of St. Joseph of Marello, an Italian bishop of the 19th century who founded the Oblates of St. Joseph. The good saint tells us:  “Be in good spirits under the fatherly mantle of St. Joseph, a place of safest refuge in trials and tribulations.”

 How can we remain in “good spirits” in such a time of uncertainty and anxiety?

 Well aside from the fact that we were able to get some zeppoles from LaSalle Bakery today, there is much that might keep us in good spirits.  First and foremost, the cause my “good spirits” is the tremendous response by our OLM Parish  and School Staff to the current crisis.  Their commitment, professionalism and hard work are to be highly commended.  Also the great cooperation of all our RE  and school families now living under the new reality of distance learning is a source of “good spirits.”

 My “good spirits” are also supported by daily prayer and the daily celebration of the Mass.  In these times, we must respond with faith not fear as we choose prayer over panic. Let us remain firm in our faith, hope and love of God and our neighbor.

 Many of our school and parish families have contacted me  asking how they might help especially with our elderly and shut-in parishioners.  We are organizing outreach efforts to ensure those who need food supplies or medicines are able to get them.  We provide food at our OLM Food Pantry to those who need food. We looking for volunteers to help make grocery store and pharmacy runs and deliveries for those who cannot leave their homes.

 What can you do to help?

 First, pray daily! Pray the Rosary as a family daily.  Make a Spiritual Communion daily.  Pray for the many who are sick and suffering and for the many healthcare workers who serve them.  OLM Church remains open for private prayer for most of the day into the evening, we encourage you and your family to stop by and spend some time in private prayer. We just ask that while in the church people maintain safe distance (6 ft.) from one another.

 Secondly, if you have any extra non-perishable food items please place them in the OLM Food Pantry bins located in vestibule of the Church and on the front porch of Mercy House.  We are running low on food as donations have fallen off over the last few weeks. If you would like to directly donate financially to OLM Outreach so we might purchase more food and assist with rental, utility and medical costs for those in need, I ask that you please do so online through Parish Giving. This can be done by clicking the Parish Giving link on the parish website (www.olmparish.org).

 If you are under the age of 60 and  would like to volunteer to deliver food to those who cannot leave their homes or to shop for those who cannot leave home, please contact Doug Green, OLM Outreach Director, at outreach@olmparish.org or by phone at 401-884-4410.

 I ask that you also please check on your elderly family, friends and neighbors with phone calls. Many are living in isolation and no doubt a heighten sense of fear and loneliness. A phone call or a visit (at least 6 feet away) greatly aids the lonely and isolated.  I check on my elderly neighbors, Sister Jeanne and Bishop Evans daily! They are doing very well!

 If you have any neighbors or family members who are in need of food or other items, please let Mr. Green know how OLM Outreach can assist them. We have a supply of Stop and Shop gift cards to help those who are in need of assistance in addition to the food in the OLM Food Pantry.

 The Coronavirus Pandemic has led to incredible financial hardship for many people and businesses.  If you are able, I encourage you to order take-out or delivery from our local East Greenwich restaurants.  Over the years many of these local businesses have been very generous in their support of OLM Parish and if you can help them in their time of need, I urge to please do so.

 If you or your family are suffering any financial hardship due to the current economic crisis, please contact us at the OLM Parish Office. I know that many business are laying off employees and small businesses are closing.  If we can assist you with any financial concerns, please let me know.

 At OLM School and Parish we continue to pay all our employees their normal salary during the crisis.  Our school faculty and parish staff continue to work on a daily basis. Our OLM Maintenance Staff are working overtime to ensure the school and church are thoroughly cleaned and remain hygienic.  I thank them all for their continued dedication to our school and parish community.

 This is truly a unique Lent for all of us. Like our Lord we are in the desert and like him we are learning to hunger for our neighbors, our families, and most especially for the Eucharist. Please be assured of our prayers for your safety and health.

 Here at OLM we have been moving swiftly to try and adopt to our current situation and to ensure that parishioners are served materially and spiritually.  We are in the process of equipping the church with live streaming so we can post the Mass online on our website or through another suitable program (e.g. Facebook Live, Youtube, etc.).

 Fr. Barrow, Fr. Connors and I are readily available for Sacramental emergencies, to talk with anyone in crisis or to hear Confessions.  We have been responding to those who are gravely ill with the Sacrament of the Sick and are hearing Confessions at the regularly scheduled times or anytime by appointment.  If you need to speak with anyone of us, please call us at the Parish Office at 401-884-4968.

 In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus tell us, “Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid!” (Mark 6:50).  Like  those who have gone before us in faith, the apostles, martyrs, and saints we are all called to boldly lead not only in response to people’s material  needs, but to care for their even more important spiritual needs. With our prayers, let us remain in solidarity with all our brothers and sisters who are suffering and sick and for those who care for them.

 Please know of my continued prayers for you and your families as I humbly ask for yours.  With joyful anticipation, I look forward to the day when once again we can be joined together at God’s Holy Altar as a family of faith to celebrate Holy Mass.  What a joyous and glorious celebration it will truly be!

 I leave you with these beautiful words from Pope Francis in response to the Coronavirus. I found great hope and comfort in them, and I think you will too.  Our Holy Father said:

 “Tonight before falling asleep think about when we will return to the street. When we will hug again, when all the shopping together will seem like a party. Let us think about when the coffees will return to the bar, the small talk, the photos close to each other. We think about when it will be all a memory but normality will seem an unexpected and beautiful gift. We will love everything that has so far seemed futile to us. Every second will be precious. Swims at the sea, the sun until late, sunsets, toasts, laughter. We will go back to laughing together. Strength and courage!"

 

Our Lady of Mercy, pray for us!

Father Healey

OLM Response to Crisis

Dear Parishioners,

This is truly a unique Lent for all of us. Like our Lord we are in the desert and like him we are learning to hunger for our neighbors, our families, and most especially for the Eucharist. Please be assured of our prayers for your safety and health.

Here at OLM we have been moving swiftly to try and adopt to our current situation and to ensure that parishioners stay are served materially and spiritually.

Here are some of the projects we anticipate launching in the next few days.

• Currently Fr. Barrow and I are celebrating private Masses to ensure that the Mass intentions are offered. We also use it as an opportunity to pray for your personal intentions.

• Fr. Barrow and I continue to hear confessions at the regular Lenten and normal hours.

• We are in the process of equipping the church with live streaming so we can post the Mass online on our website or through another suitable program (e.g. Facebook Live, Youtube, etc.).

• We are organizing our OLM Outreach efforts to serve the community, especially for those who are elderly or homebound. We may reach out to parishioners to volunteer their time to deliver food and supplies.

• We are in the process of setting up “Flocknote” which is an email and text platform to quickly send out updates and information to the entire parish.

• The church remains open for private prayer. We just ask that people maintain safe distance (6 ft.) from one another.

• Our maintenance crew are thoroughly cleaning the church and school on a regular basis.

• Our RE team is providing resources for home instruction

• Our OLM School faculty and students have begun online classes

These are just some of the efforts we are enacting as we adapt to these times. We remain in solidarity with all our brothers and sisters who are suffering and sick and for those who care for them.

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus tell us, “Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid!” (Mark 6:50). Like those who have gone before us in faith, the apostles, martyrs, and saints we are all called to boldly lead not only in response to people’s material needs, but to care for their even more important spiritual needs.

Please know of our continued prayers for you and your families.

Our Lady of Mercy, pray for us!

In Christ,

Fr. Healey

Cancellation of Masses at OLM

Dear Parishioners,

I am sad to tell you that we will not be having public Mass this weekend at Our Lady of Mercy (March 14th and March 15th) and until further notice for the week of March 16th. This decision comes after much prayer, consultation, and thought. We do not make it lightly. It comes after the Governor's and Health Director's request. We will still have confessions today, March 14th at 3:00pm and on Monday March 16th at 6:00pm. The Church will be open March 15th at noon for private prayer and throughout the week. Please spread the word. 

Spiritually we train ourselves to desire Christ in the Eucharist. Yet, there may come a time in our lives when we cannot attend Mass (whether due to sickness, age, political turmoil, and so on). Our Lord warned us that the bridegroom may be taken away from us. We call to mind that the Mass and the Eucharist are a supreme gift from God that we should not take for granted. At times like these we look forward to the day when we can once again go to Mass and receive our Lord. Until then, we ask our Lord to increase our desire for Him and not to let this be a time when our devotion decreases. We pray like the Psalmist in Psalm 63: "O God, you are my God—it is you I seek! For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts; like a dry, weary land without water." (http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/63). As St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans: "What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us."

We encourage the faithful to watch the Mass, continue one's prayers, and to make an "Act of Spiritual Communion." Please be assured of our prayers for your health and safety.  

In Christ,

Fr. Healey and Fr. Barrow

A Time to Confesss Sins

Dear Parishioners:             

How is your Lent going? We are entering our Third Week of this Holy Season and so let us review. How well is our prayer going? How frequent and faithful is our fasting?  How generous and sacrificial is our alms giving?      Don’t give up! Stay the course! And if you’ve fallen off, pick up the prayer, fasting and alms giving again!     

Pope Emeritus Benedict XV teaches that: “In Lent, each one of us is asked by God to mark a turning point in our life, thinking and living in accordance with the Gospel, correcting some aspect of our way of praying, acting, or working and of our relations with others. Jesus makes this appeal to us, not with a severity that is an end in itself but precisely because he is concerned for our good, our happiness and our salvation. On our part, we must respond to him with a sincere inner effort, asking him to make us understand which particular ways we should change.”

Yes Lent is a season of change!  It is a season of conversion to Christ!  We take up our cross daily and we follow him.  So let us strive to make Lent a time of welcome change and joyful conversion. It’s only three weeks into the season, if you haven't yet begun to pray, fast and give alms, start today! A truly joyful and helpful way to change and convert to Christ is to make a good Confession.  How long has it been since your last Confession? A month? A year? Ten years? Thirty years? Fifty years?  Then why not make the necessary change in your life to trust in God’s love, mercy and forgiveness.

Every Monday we have Confession at 6:00PM here at OLM.  In Lent, we invite a guest priest to help us with Confessions on Monday.  A great chance to change from sin to grace, from fear to faith, and from despair to hope!  Pope Francis says: “Be courageous! Go to Confession!”

Next Saturday, March 21st, OLM hosts  All Day Confessions. We’ve invited the most kind and merciful priests from across the state to help us.   Four priests are to be available from 9:00am until 3:00pm to hear Confessions here at OLM No lines! No waiting!  Come one, come all! Take some time amidst the busyness of life to experience God’s mercy and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Confession.  I promise you will not  regret it! I ask you to please pray for all those making their Confession during Lent especially those who have been away from the Sacrament awhile, may it be a true time of  conversion and grace;   pray too for all the Priest Confessors, may they be as kind and merciful as God and of course pray for those who are avoiding making a good Confession, may they have the courage and faith to humbly admit their sins to God the Merciful Father! 

St. Bridget offers sage advice on Confession. “Just as an animal becomes a stronger beast of burden and more beautiful to behold the more often and better it is fed, so too confession, the more often it is used and the more carefully it is made as to both lesser and greater sins. conveys the soul increasingly forward and is so pleasing to God that it leads the soul to God's very heart.”

We mark to great and important Feast Days in the life of our Church this week! The Feast of St. Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland and the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church!  So remember to pray and celebrate these great feasts of faith! We turn to  St. Patrick and St. Joseph in prayer as we seek their powerful intercession for us and our world.  No matter our ethnic background let us celebrate our common faith and the heritage we’ve inherited! Remember Fridays are for fish and the Stations of the Cross! Be well. Do Good! God Bless.

Faith not Fear, Prayer not Panic!!

Dear Parishioners:             

By now we’ve all learned that the Coronavirus Flu has hit Rhode Island.  Some staff and students at St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket have been diagnosed with it after traveling to Italy and France on a school trip. St. Ray’s cancelled school this past week.  It other parts of the world where there has been an outbreak, churches, schools and all public gathering locations  have been closed.  Also some local Bishops have suspended public Masses in Italy and other countries. Professional soccer teams in Europe have been playing in empty stadiums. 

We must stands in solidarity with those affected by the Coronavirus and their families, health workers who are valiantly trying to diagnose and treat patients, and those under quarantine awaiting results of their screening for the virus. We continue to offer our prayers for healing and support those organizations, both domestic and international, working to provide medical supplies and assistance to address this serious risk to public health.

Here at OLM we have already suspended the communal sign of peace. We have instructed our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion to wash and sanitize their hands in the sacristy before and after the distribution of Holy Communion. We try to regularly clean surfaces lots of people touch in Church and change the Holy Water in the fonts frequently. It is also advisable to receive Holy Communion on the hand rather than directly in the mouth until this flu period has ended. But  perhaps one of the best way of protecting us from the flu’s spread is for everyone to use  common sense and good hygiene.

Here are some guidelines to follow: if you sneeze or cough, please do so into a tissue or into your sleeve not on the person in front of you or in your hand! If you do use a tissue please dispose of it properly.  There isn’t a day that goes by that dirty tissues are not found on the Church floor!  Wash and sanitize your hands before Mass. Do not touch your face unless you’ve washed your hands.  And please if you are sick, have flu or cold symptoms stay home and call you doctor!! 

Fear and panic are not the proper response to this Flu Crisis.  Rather we should  practice good hygiene and respond with common sense and faith.  So please pray for those suffering from the flu and for the crisis to end.  Pray for the intercession of St. Charles Borromeo, who as the Archbishop of Milan was so courageous and faithful in serving the sick and easing the sufferings of the victims of the plague in the 16th Century. 

I hope you made it to the Lenten Parish Mission! Fr. Macdonald our Mission Preacher did a fine job!   It was truly a grace filled time for our parish family to begin the Holy Season of Lent.  Father is a talented and terrific young priest who offered a great message for us to reflect upon and pray about as we take the up the Battle for Lent!  May we persevere with Christ in the desert during these forty days of renewal and conversion.  We had plenty of opportunity to make a good Confession each night of the Mission with four priests available to hear Confessions. 

If you haven’t made a good Confession in awhile, consider coming on Monday night at 6:00pm. There are two priests available in Lent including a Guest Confessor.   Also All Day Confessions are scheduled for Saturday, March 21st!

On Saturday afternoon our First Communion Class made their First Confessions.  What a great day for these children as they Sacramentally experience God’s mercy  for the very first time. It is truly an occasion of faith, hope and joy for these children, the priests and our entire parish family.   Saint Pope John Paul the Great teaches: “Confession is an act of honesty and courage - an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God.”  Trust in God’s love and mercy. Be courageous, go to Confession this Lent!  

In your name, I thank Fr. Tom Macdonald for preaching our Lenten Mission! He did an outstanding job and we are grateful for his priestly ministry. Please pray for him and his good work at St. John’s Seminary.  It’s Lent so pray, fast and give alms! And  remember that all Fridays during Lent are for fish and the Stations of the Cross! Be well. Do Good! God Bless.

Make Lent a Mission This Year

Dear Parishioners:             

Lent has begun! We have been marked with the ashen cross and we now take up these forty days of prayer, fasting and alms giving.   St. Benedict reminds us: “Renounce yourself in order to follow Christ; discipline your body; do not pamper yourself but love fasting.”  Lent is a time for us to sacrifice and do penance.  Often people give up some pleasure they enjoy like candy, dessert, alcohol, tobacco or these days technology (phone, computer, ipads)!  It is a worthy practice and can help us focus more on our relationship with Christ.  What did you give up for Lent?

The Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen once remarked about this practice.  He said: “Lenten practice of giving up pleasures are good reminders that the purpose of life is not pleasure.  the purpose of life is to attain to perfect life, all truth, and undying ecstatic love which is the definition of God, in pursuing that goal we find happiness.”

Also part of our Lenten practice is taking on more prayer and devotion in our daily lives.  We are blessed to have a parish with two priests and therefore we  are able to schedule two daily Masses in Lent.  We also have daily Confession and every Monday in Lent we invite a guest Confessor to join us.  We also have Stations of the Cross every Friday at 7:00PM. 

From the earliest of days, followers of Jesus told the story of his Passion, Death and Resurrection. When pilgrims came to see Jerusalem, they were anxious to see the sites where Jesus had walked, taught, performed miracles as well as the holy sites of his Passion, Death and Resurrection.  Eventually, following in the footsteps of the Lord, along the way of the cross, became a part of the pilgrimage visit. The stations, as we know them today, came about when it was no longer easy or even possible to visit the holy sites.  In the 1500's, villages all over Europe started creating "replicas" of the way of the cross, with small shrines commemorating the places on the way to Calvary. Eventually, these shrines became the set of 14 stations we  know today and were placed in  every Catholic Church in the world.

We pray the Stations of the Cross as a powerful way to contemplate, and enter into, the mystery of Jesus' sacrifice for us and our sins upon the  cross at Calvary.  “Apart from the cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven,” said St. Rose of Lima.  So please join us on Fridays for Stations as we walk with the Lord to Calvary.

We are truly blessed to have a Church that is open all day for prayer and devotion. So stop by during the day to spend  time in prayer with the Lord truly present in the tabernacle.  Perhaps make the Stations of the Cross privately.  Such quiet time in prayer and reflection is part of our Lenten discipline.

This weekend we welcome Fr. Thomas Macdonald to OLM.  Father is the Vice-Rector at St. John Seminary in Brighton, MA where Fr. Connors now teaches.  He is a terrific young priest and an outstanding preacher.  Father is here to lead our Annual Parish Lenten Mission and is preaching to us about “Taking Up the Battle of Lent: Persevering with Christ in the Desert.” Fr. Macdonald is preaching at all Masses this weekend and is preaching a Mission Talk on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 7:00PM.  Each night of the Mission four priests are available for Confessions beginning at 6:00PM.  So put the Mission in your calendar and add it to your schedule. Join us as we take up the “Battle of Lent”!

A Lenten Mission is a time to take a spiritual retreat from the normal routine of daily life.  We spend time together in prayer as Father Macdonald leads us in reflection and renewal.  It is a time of special grace for our parish and I hope you make every effort to come to the Mission this week. How is your  “Battle of Lent” going?  Let us persevere in our prayer, fasting and alms giving for these forty days.  May this Season of Lent truly be a time to convert our lives more fully to Christ. St. Teresa of Calcutta teaches: “As Lent is the time for greater love, listen to Jesus’ thirst. He knows your weakness. He wants only your love, wants only the chance to love you.”

See you at the Mission! Pray, fast and give alms! Remember that Fridays are for fish and Stations of the Cross! Be well. Do Good! God Bless.