Grateful for Those Who Packed the Priestly Parachute!

Dear Parishioners:             

Captain Charles Plumb

         Former U.S. Navy Captain Charlie Plumb has lived the American Dream. As a poor farm kid from Kansas, he was fascinated with airplanes but felt sure he would never have the opportunity to pilot one. It would be the U.S. Navy who allowed Plumb to live out his dream. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, he became a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War. After 75 successful missions, he was shot down and parachuted into enemy hands. As a P.O.W., Plum would spend six years in a prison camp suffering immense torture and abuse. Plumb survived and returned home. 

         Many years later, while at a restaurant, a stranger came up to him. The stranger said to Plumb: “You’re Captain Plum! You flew fighter planes in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk! You got shot down!”     Captain Plum was bewildered by this and asked: “How in the world did you know that?” The stranger quickly replied: “Because I packed your parachute!” Plumb overcome with shock and emotion welled up with gratitude. He gave his thanks for what this stranger had done for him so many years before.  

         Reflecting on this encounter, Plumb writes: “I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a navy uniform. I wondered how many times I passed him by on the Kitty Hawk and didn’t notice him or even said hello to him because he was a simple sailor, and I was an officer and fighter pilot!” Captain Plumb soon realized just how many hours that sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship. Hour upon hour, this unknown stranger carefully folded parachutes, each time holding in his hands the fate of another stranger.          That parachute was needed for Captain Plumb to land safely. However, he suggests that while as a P.O.W., he required many other parachutes. Mental parachutes, emotional parachutes, and even spiritual parachutes were all needed to survive.  

         Sometimes in our busy lives with its many challenges, we miss what is truly important. We fail to say hello and goodbye, please, or thank you. But each one of us has someone who packs our parachute. A person who provides what we need to survive. People in our lives provide us with small acts of kindness and charity, dutiful prayer, and loving support. Faithful people who do their duty without fanfare and are little noticed by others.

Bishop Louis Gelineau lays hands upon Father at Mass of Priestly Ordination on June 24, 1995

         As I mark my Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of Priestly Ordination, I do so with a profound spirit of thanksgiving and as a genuinely grateful priest. St. Pope John Paul the Great once said: “Every vocation to the priestly ministry is an extraordinary gift of God’s love .”       I am indeed genuinely grateful for God’s gift of love, which called me to this beautiful life as a priest of His Church. I am thankful to my late parents and grandparents, my brothers and sisters, and all my family and many friends. I am grateful to the professors and teachers who taught me over the years. I wish to thank the seminarians, brother priests, and the bishops I’ve known, served with, and worked. 

         And for the people of God,  I am so profoundly grateful to the many, many people I’ve had the great privilege to serve as a parish priest. My priestly assignments at St. Mary, Star of the Sea, St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, and here at Our Lady of Mercy have been a true blessing and a source of great joy. The faith and love of Christ and His Church by so many wonderful parishioners I’ve witnessed over these 25 years are humbling. God has given me a great gift in his priesthood. A gift that allows me to know, love, and serve Him and His people in the sacred ministry. I am ever grateful to God for this gift.     And I give thanks for the many people who have continually and lovingly packed my parachute in my life. I may not always have noticed their quiet support and silent prayer, but I am so very grateful for it. I am both humbled and privileged that God called me to such a joyful and happy life to serve as a priest. Pray for my priestly ministry as I pledge my prayers for you and your families. May our generous and loving God bestow his blessings upon you!      

I must acknowledge my brother priests, Fr. Barrow and Fr. Connors, who I have been so blessed to serve with these many years.  They are tremendous young, holy, and zealous priests and they are a true to joy to live and work with at OLM.  Fr. Connors celebrates his 8th Anniversary of Ordination this Tuesday, June 23, and Fr. Barrow celebrates his 5th Anniversary of Ordination on Saturday, June 27.  Please pray for them and their priestly ministry that it continues to be fruitful and holy!  Also, I thank our OLM neighbor and friend, Bishop Evans, our Auxiliary Bishop, who lives across the street.  He too is a source of true fraternity for me and a great blessing for our parish family.  On July 2nd, Bishop Evans is to celebrate his 47th anniversary of priestly ordination.  We wish continued blessings on him and thank him for his ministry in our diocese and parish.   Ad multos annos, gloriosque annos, vivas!

Stay safe. Be Well. Do Good! God Bless! Our Lady of Mercy, pray for us!

Gratefully in Christ,

Fr. Healey

Finding Joy Amid Sorrow, Good News Amid Bad News

Dear Parishioners:                   

Amid so much bad news lately, it is helpful to speak about some good news! Early last Sunday morning, as I looked at the newspapers, I was thrilled to see our own Fr. Connors on the front page of the New York Sunday Times. It was an excellent article on Catholic priests in Boson who serve as COVID 19 Chaplains to the sick and dying. It is an exceptional examination of the Sacrament of the Sick and the importance of the Priesthood. Both so needed at such crucial times in our lives and our world.   

Fr. Connors anointing a Covid patient in Boston.

  If you have not yet read the article, I encourage you to read it online at the N.Y. Times website. It is entitled, “We Are Not Alone: The Last Anointing,” and written by N.Y. Times reporter, Jennifer Dias. It features some great pictures of Father Connors and other priests and is well worth the time and effort to read.

Fr. Hiep and Bishop Tobin after Mass of Ordination on June 6, 2020

  Last weekend we also rejoiced as Fr. Hiep Van Nguyen was ordained a priest by Bishop Tobin. It was a beautiful Ordination Mass full of faith, joy, and hope. You may remember Father Hiep as he spent a summer at OLM as a seminarian. I and Fr. Barrow also had the great joy to attend Father Hiep’s Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Philip Church last Sunday afternoon.

He did an excellent job celebrating his First Holy Mass. The Mass live-streamed allowed his family in Vietnam, including his older brother, who is also a priest, to watch and pray along. Father Hiep’s older sister is a Religious Sister, and she was able to be here last weekend for this great day for his family, friends, and the Church of Providence.

Father Hiep has been assigned by Bishop Tobin to serve as the Associate Pastor at St. Francis Xavier Church. It is a vast and active parish in East Providence with an excellent pastor, Fr. Rocha. Pray for Father Hiep as he begins his first priestly assignment, may it be fruitful, and may God continue to guide and bless him in his priestly ministry. It was nice to see so many OLM parishioners were able to attend the Masses and wish Father Hiep well. We hope to have Father Hiep celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving here at OLM sometime in the fall when his schedule might allow it. It will be another opportunity to celebrate with him! Father Hiep’s Ordination reminds me of my Priestly Ordination.

Next weekend I  celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving for my Silver Jubilee of Priestly Ordination. It’s hard for me to believe that its been twenty-five years since Bishop Gelineau ordained me a priest on June 24, 1995. As I mark this milestone in my priestly ministry, I humbly ask for your prayers. It has been a joyful and happy life as a priest, and I am genuinely grateful to God for the gift of his Priesthood.

I am deeply thankful to my parents and family, friends, parishioners, brother priests, and bishops who have supported me over the years. It has been twenty-five wonderful and happy years as a priest. I encourage any young man to consider answering the call to serve God and His Church as a priest! Pray for vocations!

Due to the restrictions on the number of those permitted to attend public Masses, I know that not all of my family and friends can participate in the Mass next Sunday at 10:30 am. Those who cannot attend may join us in Spiritual Communion as the Mass is to be live-streamed.

There is still more good news to report. Thanks to your generous support of the Our Faith, Our Future Capital Campaign, we can begin some much-needed projects. New roofs on the Franciscan and Mercy Convents, as well as the west side of the OLM School building, are finished. D’Angelo Custom Homes won the project bid. They also put the new roof on OLM Church a couple of years ago.

The cost for the two Convent roofs was $17, 000 for both and the school roof, $16,500. Thanks to your generous support of the Our Faith, Our Future Campaign, the project has the necessary funds to cover the costs. 

We also hope to install a new security camera system for the Church and Rectory in the next week. It will provide us the ability to keep the Church open safely and monitor activity around the parish property. Sadly this is an essential reality in the world we live in at present. Some of our parish churches in the state fall victim to robberies and vandalism. We hope this new system will not only help prevent this type of activity but help us identify any culprits should it happen.

Also, the architects have begun to work on the design of new Church doors. The doors are over fifty years old and do not work well. New doors certainly enhance the beauty of the Chruch but also provide doors that can lock adequately and ensure safety.

We offer prayers, best wishes and congratulations to the OLM School 8th Grade, who graduated this past week! These 31 young men and women now depart for the rigors of high school. We are genuinely grateful to their parents for choosing OLM School for their children and for their sacrifice in ensuring them an excellent Catholic Education. The many academic achievements of our graduates are noted in the bulletin this week.

OLM School ended Friday, and summer has officially begun! It has been a long few months for our OLM School principal, faculty, and students, but they did very well with "distance learning" and keep the same high standards of instruction and academic excellence. We wish the students and faculty all the best for the summer!

Stay safe. Be Well. Do Good! God Bless! Our Lady of Mercy, pray for us!

Public Worship and Peaceful Prayer Needed Now More Than Ever

Dear Parishioners:                                

We began public Masses last weekend with great rejoicing and with much hope. I am grateful for the patience and cooperation that helped to make it go smoothly. The 7:30 AM Mass saw the most people attending, but there were many people at all the Masses.   The safety precautions of wearing face masks and social distancing are essential to observe for the health and well being of all of us. Also, the method for receiving Holy Communion offers a safe way to receive for those who wish to take Communion. We hope and pray for that the day when Covid-19 Virus might cease, and we can return to a normal style of worship.

My thanks to our OLM Maintenance Crew, who work so hard to keep our church clean and also for preparing for public Mass. Their hard work and great concern for the well being of our parish is deeply appreciated. If you see them, please offer your thanks.

We continue with the new schedule of weekend Masses: 5:00 PM on Saturdays and 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM on Sundays. Unfortunately, the cleaning of our large church after public Mass takes time, and we cannot complete it and reopen for the 9:00 AM Mass on Sundays.     We are keeping this weekend Mass schedule until further notice. Mass is also celebrated publicly at 7:30 AM, Monday through Friday, and at 8:30 AM on Saturday mornings. We encourage you to consider coming to daily Mass.

However, if you are elderly, infirm, or sick, please stay home and stay safe. Also, if you remain concerned about gathering for public Mass, please know that the obligation to attend Sunday Mass continues to be dispensed by Bishop Tobin. Therefore, it is not a grave sin to miss Mass. Instead, we urge you to join us for the live stream Mass each Sunday at 10:30 AM and offer a Spiritual Communion. We continue to live stream Sunday Mass at 10:30 AM for all those unable to attend. We know you've found consolation in these virtual Masses, and we know that for some of you, this is your only way to participate in Sunday Mass.

Sadly, just as we resumed public Masses last weekend, we witnessed much violence and rioting across the country. The killing of George Floyd, which led to this unrest, was a senseless and brutal act of injustice. The sadness and pain surrounding this tragedy are intense. We pray for comfort for his grieving family and friends, peace for a hurting community, and prudence while the process moves forward. This tragic injustice indeed calls us all to continue to pray for justice and peace.

Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops stated: "We should not let it be said that George Floyd died for no reason. We should honor the sacrifice of his life by removing racism and hate from our hearts and renewing our commitment to fulfill our nation's sacred promise — to be a beloved community of life, liberty, and equality for all."

The tragedy also moved many people to legitimately protest against injustice and racism. Such peaceful protest is a liberty we rightly enjoy living in a free country. It has a proper role in allowing us to speak out for justice and dignity.   But the violence and destruction witnessed across the nation this past week, even here in Providence should be rightly condemned. It is self-destructive and self-defeating. Nothing is ever gained by senseless violence and wanton destruction. Rather so much is lost. Dr. Martin Luther King taught: "Violence never brings permanent peace." In this time in our nation's history, as we seek peace, his words speak loudly and profoundly.

Amid this pandemic, we've seen much death and great suffering. Human frailty is so very evident. Let us remember the call of the Gospel of Life to respect the life and dignity of every human being. Such respect must be apparent whether they be civilians in need of protection or law enforcement officers charged with providing that protection. All human life is sacred.  

  We pray for our nation in these uncertain times. We join the Psalmist in praying for that day when "love and truth will meet [and] justice and peace will kiss.” Be Well. Do Good! Stay safe. God Bless  Our Lady of Mercy, pray for us. 

Come Holy Spirit, Renew the Face of the Earth

Dear Parishioners:                                

This weekend in a very particular way, we call upon the Lord to send out His Spirit and renew us This weekend, our joy is twofold. Firstly, because we celebrate the great Solemnity of Pentecost, also, we rejoice because we are celebrating Mass with a congregation for the first time in months!                        

Pentecost marks the end of the Easter season. For Christians, it is a memorial of the day the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and the Virgin Mary in the form of fiery tongues. This event took place fifty days after the Resurrection of Jesus and is the culmination of the Paschal mystery. It also commemorates the official inauguration of the Christian Church by the apostolic preaching of St. Peter. Pentecost is, thus, the official birthday of the Church.

The Scripture readings for Pentecost remind us that it is an event of both the past and the present. The readings remind us that is that the gift of the Holy Spirit is something to be shared with others. In other words, the gift of the Holy Spirit moves us to action and inspires us to share this gift with others. The Holy Spirit is that Paraclete (a Greek word meaning Counselor, Comforter, Helper, Encourager, or Enabler), who quietly works in us and through us every day behind the scenes of the daily activities of our lives and the lives of the people around us. He is also there in all His fullness wherever people worship and pray in the name of Jesus, most notably at Holy Mass.

Therefore, we rejoice on this excellent and "essential" feast of our faith. We rejoice today because we are celebrating this great feast together with public Masses after too many months away. We rejoice because we believe and know that the Holy Spirit is with us on this day in a special say. We have longed for this day for many weeks of isolation and quarantine. The Psalmist sings today: "Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth." So as we rejoice on Pentecost as we fervently pray for the Lord to send us His Spirit and renew our lives, our parish, our Church, and our world! 

  Pope emeritus Benedict XVI teaches: "The Holy Spirit is first and foremost a Creator Spirit, hence Pentecost is also a feast of creation. For us Christians, the world is the fruit of an act of love by God who has made all things and in which he rejoices because it is 'good', it is 'very good', as the creation narrative tells us (cf. Gen 1:1-31). Consequently God is not totally Other, unnameable and obscure. God reveals himself, he has a face. God is reason, God is will, God is love, God is beauty. Faith in the Creator Spirit and faith in the Spirit whom the Risen Christ gave to the Apostles and gives to each one of us are therefore inseparably united." 

   So we celebrate today on this Pentecost with great joy and a strong sense of renewal. The Holy Spirit came down upon the Apostles and the Blessed Mother on the first Pentecost. They, too, were uncertain of their future. They also had been in isolation and living with fear. The gifts of Spirit enabled them to enter the world and boldly preach the Gospel with courage, with hope, with faith, and with joy! Our calling is to do the same in our uncertain times, amidst the pain, suffering, and fear of our world. May the Spirit leads us to preach the Gospel in word and deed with great courage, hope, faith, and joy! May it call us to renew our faith and trust in our loving God and the Church He established in Christ.  

  With such sincere faith, we continue to pray for the thousands of dead and the many still suffering physically, emotionally, and financially. We pray for all those who serve the suffering and the sick. And we pray for all leaders that they are inspired by the Holy Spirit to serve the common good. We pray that this pandemic may soon end!

Yes, we do rejoice today because of the resumption of the public celebration of Mass. Joyful that we pray together  at Mass.  The limited seating, social distancing, and the lack of singing change how we celebrate Mass. Yet we know that these necessary changes help maintain the safety and well being of all, priests as well as parishioners. However, the essential truth of what we celebrate at Mass, that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, is unchanging.

We rejoice on this Pentecost with faith, with hope, and with great joy! A Joyous Pentecost! Welcome back! Be Well. Do Good! Stay safe! God Bless. Come Holy Spirit!!! 

Preparing for Public Mass

Dear Parishioners:        

          On Monday, Governor Raimondo announced that beginning next weekend, houses of worship in RI could open for public worship. The details of the safeguards and guidelines were made available this week. With new guidance from the Diocese of Providence, we are presently working on a plan to offer public Mass at OLM.  Beginning next week please note that when public Masses resume that the schedule of Masses will be limited to ensure time to clean and sanitize the Church before and after each public Mass. The number of people allowed to attend will be very limited to allow for the six feet of separation and social distancing. The communal singing of hymns is not encouraged and our music will be limited as the hymnals have been removed from the pews. 

          The dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass is still in effect, and therefore you are not morally obligated to attend. We urge all parishioners who are elderly and infirm and those who have underlying medical issues or are sick in any way not to attend Mass. The safety and well-being of every parishioner are of paramount concern. Those who choose not to participate in public Mass out health and safety concerns are entirely justified in their decision.  Also, we urge everyone to wear a face mask during the Mass and to wash their hands before Mass. We want everyone to be safe. As we resume public Mass, know that not everyone might be able to attend due to limitations on the number of people. 

          As the parish staff and I continue to plan for the resumption of public Masses at OLM, I ask for your patience and understanding. We hope to communicate the details of our plan this week by Flock Note and on the webpage. If you have not yet signed up for Flock Note, I encourage you to do so now as this is the most efficient and timely way for us to communicate to the parish.  

          It is not a time for us to be reckless or rebellious but rather to practice unity and charity. Recently I have noticed an increased lack of charity and civility towards people working on the frontlines in stores and also regrettably even towards our parish staff.  People quickly berate workers when they don’t get the answer they desire.  I assume it is the result of isolation, fear, and frustration during a crisis.  However, such rude impatience with others and harsh criticism offered uncharitably and sometimes angrily are not the way of the Christian. They are more than a bad habit, but instead, they are quite sinful! This week might be the week to make the way back to the Confessional and worthily prepare for Holy Communion.  

          After all, the reception of Holy Communion worthily is not a trivial matter. The Catechism teaches what the chief effects of a worthy Holy Communion are:  “First, a closer union with Our Lord and a more fervent love of God and of our neighbor; Second, an increase of sanctifying grace; Third, preservation from mortal sin and remission of venial sin; Fourth, the lessening of our inclinations to sin and the help to practice good works.”

          Over these weeks of isolation due to the pandemic, the Mass is being celebrated daily across the globe. Christ comes to us every day through the Sacred Priesthood and the daily offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.           While many have had to fast from the Eucharist temporarily, many of our fellow Catholics across the globe, have gone without weekly Communion for much more extended periods due to war, persecution, famine, and remote location. One sage commentator noted: “Neither our faith, nor our salvation, nor the centrality of the Eucharist depends on insisting on our ‘right’ to receive Communion every Sunday.”   

While the Church encourages the faithful to receive Communion regularly, there is an obligation only to receive once a year, especially during the Easter season. I hope that the fast from the Eucharist leads to a renewal of faith and a greater understanding of the real presence of Christ. May, the absence of Holy Communion, make our hearts grow fonder for the Eucharistic Lord.      

As a parish family, we patiently prepare for public Mass with an abundance of prudence and caution always striving to serve the common good not our individual needs. So too, we should prepare ourselves individually for the reception of Christ in the Eucharist. Let us do so with prayer and devotion, unity and charity, the avoidance of sin, the mercy of a good Confession, and the proper interior spiritual preparation so we might indeed receive Our Eucharistic Lord worthily.                   

Be Well. Do Good! Stay safe! God Bless. Our Lady of Mercy, pray for us!

Fr. Healey

Prayers, Patience & Public Massses!!

Dear Parishioners:             

We continue to live through this Covid-19 Pandemic with faith and hope.  The faith that God  provides us the strength, perseverance and patience to endure this time of trial.  The hope that the crisis may soon subside, restrictions on our social living eased, cures and vaccines might soon be found.  It is clear that without such faith and hope, we would be doomed to despair and overcome with anxiety.

It is with this spirit of faith that we hope to once again celebrate public Mass with a congregation. Bishop Tobin has publicly shared his desire that public Masses may recommence on Pentecost Sunday on May 31.  His  office is presently formulating guidelines for this eventuality.  These guidelines are the result of a national committee of liturgists, canonist, theologians, medical doctors and scientist who have been advising  the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops  They express how to best  restore public worship in the Catholic Church that ensures the public health and safety of all.

Rhode Island’s own Dr. Timothy Flanigan, a Permanent Deacon of the Diocese of Providence and international expert on infectious disease along with PC’s Professor of Biology  Dominican Father Nicanor Austriaco, O.P. are part of this team of national experts  providing  guidelines for public worship during this time of pandemic.   Locally, Bishop Tobin and his staff have been working closely with the Governor’s Office and  the RI Department of Health. As restrictions on activities and size of gatherings begin to ease over the next few weeks, we intend to follow the guidance of our Bishop and plan to restore the public celebration of Mass at OLM.

I ask  for your prayers  as we begin  this process at OLM but also for your patience and cooperation. The public celebration of Mass will be limited in size and include many safeguards for the safety and well being of all. So please pray for this good end but also be very patient  through the process. Certainly there will be a limit on the size of the congregation allowed in church and also the need to maintain distance during Mass. The church  will need to be hygienically cleaned before and after every public Mass.  Given supply chain difficulties, it may be especially challenging to purchase needed cleaning supplies expeditiously. Also the reception of Holy Communion  undoubtedly presents a challenge. There are no procedures that entirely prevent all risk of infection .  We are relying upon medical and public health experts to give us the best possible advice and guidance about this subject. Working with the Diocese and following proper common sense and safeguards, we are working on a a plan for OLM.

In the meantime, OLM is open daily for your private prayer and devotion.  We hope you  keep social distancing while in church and wear a mask for the sake of others.  Thankfully most parishioners have been cooperative and used common sense when in church. The very last thing I wish to become is a public safety officer who has to admonish people for not following common sense precautions.  We must work in solidarity  and also we must be realistic.  The public celebration of Mass will be very different than we’ve known it.  It will require tremendous patience and great kindness along with cooperation, consideration and common sense by all. 

There has been much pain and suffering endured during this pandemic.  Families have seen their loved ones die alone  without a Mass of Christian Burial. People continue to suffer with great sickness while others endure financial hardship and burdens.  We must continue to pray for them that God might end this plague. Also I know the suffering endured  by many because of no Mass and Holy Communion.  The Eucharistic fast borne of Covid-19, is a painful time for people of faith.  I pray that we are united again at God’s Holy Altar and together rejoice in the Risen Lord truly present in the Eucharist! Our plans for public Mass will be announced in the coming weeks until that time, please continue to pray, persevere and have patience! As Saint John Paul II, reminds us: “Don’t waste your suffering!”

Be well. Do Good! Stay safe! God Bless. Our Lady of Mercy, pray for us!