It's Time To Come Home to Mass

Dear Parishioners:                               

On the Feast of the Ascension, Bishop Tobin issued a letter stating his intention to restore the obligation for Catholics to attend Sunday Mass. He began the letter by saying: “Dear Brothers and sisters, it’s time. It’s time to come home. It’s time to return to Sunday Mass.”     The Bishop went on to state: “It is important to emphasize that, since the pandemic is still lingering in our midst, some individuals are not obliged to attend Sunday Mass, and perhaps should not attend Mass to protect their health and safety, and that of others. And as always, Catholics are dispensed from the Sunday obligation for other grave reasons such as illness, caring for the ill, the unavoidable obligations of their employment, and travel that disrupts their schedules.”    

The obligation for Catholics to attend Sunday Mass resumes on Sunday, June 6, 2021. On this Sunday, we also celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. It is a beautiful time for us as Catholics and a parish family to renew our love and devotion to the Eucharist. A time for us to properly place Sunday Mass at the top of our schedules and return to worship our God at Mass with joyful thanksgiving!

While the numbers attending weekend Masses continue to rise at OLM, there are still some parishioners who have not returned to the regular practice of Sunday Mass. I don’t mean those who are sick, caring for the ill, or those who have to work on Sundays. Many Catholics have fallen into bad habits during the pandemic—keeping busy on Sundays with chores and shopping, ball games and golfing, and not putting Mass on the schedule. To them, I echo Bishop Tobin’s words:  “It’s time. It’s time to come home to OLM. It’s time to return to Sunday Mass!!”  

The CDC has issued new guidelines concerning face masks. These guidelines suggest that fully vaccinated people no longer have to wear a mask either outdoors or indoors. Governor McKee announced Rhode Island would follow this new directive beginning last Tuesday. The Governor also moved up the complete opening of many places of business to May 21. This opening includes houses of worship. Churches are now allowed to have 100% capacity for seating. Also, all those who are vaccinated no longer need to wear a face mask indoors or outdoors while at Church. However, those not yet fully vaccinated must continue to wear a face mask.  If you are not yet vaccinated, I encourage you to get the vaccine. Do it for your own well-being but also for the common good of our parish and community.

This Sunday we celebrate Pentecost, one of the most important feast days of the year that concludes the Easter season and marks the beginning of the Church. Pentecost is the celebration of the person of the Holy Spirit coming upon the Apostles, Blessed Mother Mary, and the first followers of Jesus. They were gathered together in the Upper Room and a “strong, driving” wind filled the room, and tongues of fire came to rest on their heads, allowing them to speak in different languages so that they could understand each other. The Holy Spirit also gave the apostles the other gifts and fruits necessary to fulfill the great commission - to go out and preach the Gospel to all nations. It fulfills the New Testament promise from Christ (Luke 24:46-49) that the Apostles would be “clothed with power” before spreading the Gospel.

For this reason, Pentecost is considered the birthday of the Church - Peter, the first Pope, preaches for the first time and converts thousands of new believers. For the first time, the apostles and believers were united by a common language and a common purpose of going and preaching the Gospel. As we mark this important Feast, let us call upon the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our individual lives and the life of our parish. “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.”

We thank the many school families, parishioners, and friends who were so generous in supporting the OLM School Fling Online Auction! Last week’s auction was a great success for our school.

Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. See you on Monday night at Devotions!  

Joy & Faith Are Springing Up!

Dear Parishioners:                                                 

Fr. Healey distributes First Holy Communion

It was truly a beautiful day and celebration last Saturday as 43 children of OLM received First Holy Communion. It was a joyful Mass full of faith and hope, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI speaking to children about First Communion, said: 

 “The day of my First Holy Communion was one of the most beautiful days of my life. It is the same for you, isn’t it? And why is that? It’s not only because of our nice clothes or the gifts we receive, nor even because of the parties! It is above all because, that day, we receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time! When I receive Communion, Jesus comes to live in me. I should welcome him with love and listen closely to him. In the depths of my heart.”

Following the Mass, the children crowned the Blessed Mother Mary, the Queen of the May! They presented Mary with a crown and fresh blossoms to signify her queenship as the mother of Christ, the King of the Universe. They also received a Scapular. The Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel was given by Mother Mary herself to the Carmelite friar, St. Simon Stock.  With special promises to its wearers, the brown scapular is a sign of devotion and personal consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our First Communion Class is now under her mantle of protection and love.

“If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion.”

— St. Maximilian Kolbe

Let us pray for our First Communion Class and their families. May they grow in love and adoration of the Eucharistic Lord. May they worthily and faithfully receive Our Lord in Holy Communion at Mass every Sunday of their lives!

Our first weekend without some of the COVID restrictions and with 80% seating capacity in the church worked out very well. No ropes on pews is a most welcome sight. It appears that more people are returning to Mass, a great sign of hope! Indeed I saw a few people I haven’t seen in over a year! Welcome back!

It was a joy to fill up the Holy Water fonts again! There are two methods of blessing ourselves with Holy Water, dipping our fingers in the font or using one of the automatic Holy Water dispensers. Either way, it is another welcome return of a beautiful sacramental! Processing into Mass and singing again was also joyous. The hymnals are back in the pews. So pick them up and sing with gusto and joy in praise of the Lord! As St. Augustine reminds us: “To sing is to pray twice!” 

It was wonderful to have our Parish Choir back singing at the 10:30 am Mass last Sunday. Their voices are a tremendous sign of joy and hope. The Choir is always looking for new voices, so if you are interested in singing with praise to the Lord, please contact our Music Director, Henri St. Louis. We still need more ushers to volunteer to serve at weekend Masses. They help greet people, open and close doors, take up and secure the collection, and to see to the good order of the church and congregation. If you are an adult man or woman and are able to help the parish with this critical service, please contact the Parish Office.

OLM Parishioners safely worshipping at Holy Mass

We hope to schedule a training session for ushers and anticipate their return to duty sometime in June. In the meantime, please continue to use the safe in the vestibule for the weekly collection. It works well and allows people to drop off their envelopes and donations conveniently and safely at any time.

Over the last year, many parishioners signed up for online giving.  I encourage you to consider this method of support for the parish as it is very convenient, secure, and safe. You can sign-up or learn more about it on the parish website by clicking the link to Parish Giving.

Lifting the COVID restrictions is a gradual process. And as we return to our usual practices at Mass, I ask for your continued patience. We are required to still continue to wear facemasks while at Mass, sanitize our hands upon entering the Church, and keep a social distance of three feet.  I am grateful for your cooperation. With more people getting vaccinated, we are slowly returning to normal practices., I encourage you to please get vaccinated for your health and well-being but also to serve the common good of our community and parish. 

Join us at  Devotions on Mondays as we pray for an end to the pandemic! Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless.

Celebrating First Communion & Motherhood!

First Communion Mass at OLM

Dear Parishioners:                                                 

It's a great weekend of faith and joy, glory, and praise at OLM! Forty-three of our children received First Holy Communion on Saturday. These children have been preparing all year for this special occasion. It is always a great joy to celebrate the First Communion Mass.     

              Our Holy Father, 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 the Body of Christ. It saves us, forgives us, and it makes us one with the Father. How beautiful!" How beautiful indeed!

May Crowing at OLM 2019

We thank the First Communion Class and their parents for living their faith and bringing their children to Christ truly present in the Eucharist. We also offer our gratitude to the teachers who worked so hard in making our First Communion Mass so joyful and beautiful.

We especially thank Mickey St. Jean, who directs the OLM First Communion Program, and Jean Perretta, our OLM School Second Grade Teacher. Following the First Communion Mass, the joy continued with the May Crowning of the Blessed Mother. It is a beautiful ceremony as our First Communion Class crowns Mother Mary and consecrates themselves to her protection and guidance.

As we crown our Blessed Mother, we prayerfully turn to her on this Mother's Day to guide and protect our First Communion Class and our entire parish family. On this Mothers Day, we wish all Mothers, a Happy Mother’s Day! We thank them for their example of love and their tremendous witness to maternal care. Motherhood is a sacred gift from God, and so we celebrate it with great joy and reverence. Mother's Day is a day for us to give thanks to God for Mothers and Motherhood.

As the late Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty, the great Hungarian Churchman stated so well:

"The Most Important Person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral - a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body. The angels have not been blessed with such a grace. They cannot share in God's creative miracle to bring new saints to Heaven. Only a human mother can. Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any other creature; God joins forces with mothers in performing this act of creation. What on God's good earth is more glorious than this: to be a mother?"     

On Mothers Day, we are offering Masses for all Mothers, living and deceased. May God bless all Mothers with his abundant and choicest blessings! Let us pray for them and give thanks to God for our Mothers! May all our deceased Mothers pray for us!

Sadly as we honor the dignity of Motherhood, many of our elected officials seek to attack it. A serious effort is underway in Congress to force all taxpayers to pay for abortion. The Hyde Amendment and other similar laws have long protected taxpayers from funding elective abortions.

Now, members of Congress, including our own RI Delegation, seek to eliminate these laws. Laws that prohibit the funding of abortion have always garnered support from both Democrats and Republicans for over 45 years. President Biden was once a supporter of these laws until he ran for President. So I urge you to contact Congressman Langevin and Senators Reed and Whitehouse and tell them not to allow tax dollars for such evil practices as abortion. 

The RI General Assembly is also considering the state funding of abortion. State Senator Valverde is the sponsor of the bill. I urge you to contact Senator Valverde and State Rep. Caldwell and tell them not to support this legislation. Abortion is not healthcare but a wrongful attack on life, as millions of American women and men believe, and it is wrong to use government funds to promote it. The government should better direct federal and state tax dollars to ensure the healthy birth of unborn children and provide quality prenatal care and support for expectant Mothers rather than attack Motherhood and destroy innocent unborn children.   

Be well. Stay safe. Do good. Happy Mother’s Day! Come pray for an end to the pandemic at Monday Devotions!

May Brings Much More Than Flowers!!

Dear Parishioners:                                                 

Let’s hope all those April showers bring May flowers! The month of May is dedicated to our Blessed Mother.  As our parish patroness, we honor her with May Devotions on Mondays at 7:00 pm.  We come before the Eucharistic Lord, pray the Rosary, and receive Benediction. It’s a great way to honor our Blessed Mother, so please join us.             

Pope Francis has encouraged Catholics across the globe to dedicate the Marian month of May to pray for an end to the pandemic. The Rosary is to be recited daily at the 30 Marian Shrines from various parts of the world.  It takes place under the theme “The whole Church was fervently praying to God,” which recalls a verse in the Book of Acts (12:5). After more than a year, and with the world still in the grips of the pandemic, the Pope and the Church are imploring God for an end to the suffering which so many people bear. Join us every Monday in May as we fervently pray the Rosary for an end to the pandemic.    

May is also the month of First Communion as next Saturday, the children of OLM make their First Holy Communion at a Noon Mass.  The Mass concludes with the May Crowning of our Blessed Mother.  Please pray for these children as they make their final preparation for this glorious day in their lives!     

This week I received a communication from the Diocesan Office of Worship about the changing guidelines and restrictions for churches during the pandemic.  Following the Governor’s Office and the RI Department of Health guidelines, certain practices at Mass may now resume effective on May 7, 2021.   The communication calls for removing all tape, markings, ropes, and signs related to Covid restrictions. Since indoor seating capacity increases from 75% to 80%, the roping off of pews is no longer necessary.  Also, the sanitizing of the church with harsh chemicals after each Mass is no longer required, and routine cleaning is to resume.  

Processions at Mass may continue, including bringing up the gifts at Sunday Mass.  The hymnals are allowed back in the pews and singing resumes.  Also, Holy Water fonts filled once again.   Our ushers can take up the collection once again, as has been our practice.      These changes are undoubtedly good news for churches and congregations across the state.  The cleaning chemicals are taking a toll on the pews.   Blessing ourselves with Holy Water is a most welcome restoration!  Processions and singing add much to our solemn celebration of Holy Mass.  

The communication makes it clear that parishioners must continue to wear facemasks while indoors during Mass. It also directs us to provide ventilation whenever possible.  So the church windows are to be left open during Mass if the weather cooperates.     As for seating in the church, the social distance of three feet is in effect.  Every pew is now to be available for seating and the ropes removed! We must continue to be vigilant by washing hands, wearing masks, and keeping a minimum distance of three feet.    

We are working on a plan to gradually reinstate many of these practices over the next several weeks. We ask for your continued patience and understanding as we try our best to follow guidelines and resume some of our formerly restricted practices.  Your cooperation is essential in achieving this, so please cooperate by sanitizing your hands, wearing a mask, and keeping social distance as far as possible.   

With more and more people getting vaccinated, it seems we can gradually return to some everyday living and worshiping at OLM again!  Unfortunately, these new changes affect only the church and not our parish school.  The restrictions in schools continue much as they have been over the year.  We look forward to the day when the school day is more typical again!!  It has been a very long year of pandemic and pain, sickness, and suffering, but signs of hope are here!  Let’s keep the faith, come back to Mass, and worship God with greater devotion and enthusiasm.  

Join us on Mondays during May in praying for an end to the pandemic! Saint Padre Pio said: “The Rosary is the weapon for these times.” It remains as accurate today as when he said it decades ago! Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless.

Praying for Good Shepherds

Dear Parishioners:                      

This Fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. As the Shepherds of Our Lady of Mercy Parish, I humbly ask for your prayers for Father Barrow and myself. Also, I invite you to please remember in your prayers all priests, bishops, and our Holy Father, Pope Francis. There is a poem entitled "The Beautiful Hands of a Priest," which reads, in part, "At the altar each day we behold them, and the hands of a king on his throne are not equal to them in greatness. It's the hand of a priest that will absolve us. When the hour of death comes upon us, raised over us in blessing the beautiful hands of a priest."

This Sunday is also World Day of Prayer for Vocations. The purpose of World Day of Prayer for Vocations is to publicly fulfill the Lord's instruction to "Pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest." While appreciating all vocations, the Church concentrates its attention this day on vocations to the priesthood. Please pray for an increase of vocations in the Diocese of Providence.   Today is a day to pray particularly for more men to hear the call to the priesthood. Saint Pope John Paul the Great, in his book Gift and Mystery: On the 50th Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination, stated: "There can be no Eucharist without the priesthood, just as there can be no priesthood without the Eucharist."

No priest, no Eucharist. A simple yet profound statement. It echoes the language of St. John Paul II in his last encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia. In that 2003 encyclical, the Pope wrote that "the most holy Eucharist contains the Church's entire spiritual wealth: Christ himself, our Passover and living bread." He added that "the Eucharist builds the Church and the Church makes the Eucharist."

The Church is also called the mystical body of Christ. We are incorporated into this mystical body at baptism. This body — indeed, each of us — needs to be nourished to maturity in the faith. That nourishment comes, in part, from the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. Little wonder that the Catechism, says, "The Eucharist is 'the source and summit of the Christian life.'"                                                                                               

The Eucharist is the body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ himself, under the appearances of simple bread and wine. We believe Christ is truly present in the Eucharist because he said so at the Last Supper.  At the Last Supper, he also instituted the priesthood, giving mere men the power to consecrate bread and wine in his name and under his authority. Every Mass is a solemn re-presentation of what Christ gave us at the Last Supper: the gift of himself in the Eucharist.

The fruit of this sacrament, worthily received, are nourishment for the soul and growth in holiness, charity, and stronger bonds of unity within the Church. The Eucharist brings us closer together and helps us think, act and love in union with one another.

The Eucharist is the source of unity and charity for Catholics. If a community wants the Eucharist, it needs a priest. A priest receives ordination from a bishop and assists him in ministering to the flock. The bishop is a successor to the Apostles and named by the Pope, the successor of St. Peter, whom Jesus designated as the visible head of the Church on earth. Hence we can see a link between the Eucharist and the Vicar of Christ.

““At the altar each day we behold them, and the hands of a king on his throne are not equal to them in greatness. It’s the hand of a priest that will absolve us. When the hour of death comes upon us, raised over us in blessing the beautiful hands of a priest.””

And from where do priests come? They come from Catholic families, but the call to the priesthood comes from Jesus. Our Lady of Mercy has been a source of vocations to the priesthood in the recent past. Let us with our prayers ensure it is today and in the future. We remember with great pride that Father Brain Morris, a graduate of OLM School, was ordained a Priest of Providence in 2017. Father Morris serves as Chaplain at Bishop Hendricken. He is also the Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Providence. Please pray for him and for his work in promoting vocations to the priesthood.                                                                                        

On this Good Shepherd Sunday, pray for priests and also more vocations to the priesthood especially in the Diocese of Providence and from Our Lady of Mercy Parish. Your prayers for vocations are vital to the work of the Church. "Pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest."            

 Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless.  

 Father Healey

Bringing the Risen Lord to His People

Dear Parishioners:                              

As the spring weather continues to get better and more people receiving their vaccinations, some normality resumes in our lives. More people are coming to Mass, more businesses open, and regulations are easing up. While we continue to remain vigilant about health and safety measures here at OLM, we are hopeful we can resume some of our ministries and outreach efforts soon.  

Recently, Father Al Ranallo, who serves as the Coordinator of Pastoral Care for Healthcare Facilities, wrote us. He has been working with Deacon Tim Flanigan, MD, an infectious disease expert, to resume ministry in our healthcare and nursing home facilities. They have sought guidance from the Center for Health Facilities Regulation of the Rhode Island Department of Health (DOH) regarding resuming activities in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities.  

Facilities are now allowed to resume activities provided they adhere to space requirements, mask-wearing, and proper handwashing. It remains the decision of the facility as to what activities they plan to resume. Currently, they are allowing visitations by family and friends.   Fr. Barrow and I will be working with the nursing home facilities we serve here at OLM to see if we can soon resume monthly Masses and perhaps the weekly distribution of Holy Communion to residents. These facilities include St. Elizabeth, Anchor Bay, Atria Harborhill, and the Seasons. We hope to resume Masses and bringing Holy Communion to these places in May.          

In the meantime, if you know of anyone or have a family member at one of these facilities, Fr. Barrow and I are happy to visit them. As always, we are on call for emergencies. Anointings of the Sick. Please let us know.     Also, hospitals are now allowing visitors to visit with patients. We are always happy to visit with sick parishioners in the hospital. Please let us know. Hospitals do not inform us who is in the hospital due to privacy laws. Fr. Barrow and I and the priests of the area regularly cover Kent Hospital for emergency Anointings of the Sick.                                                                                                                                                              

We will also be reaching out to our homebound about possible visitations and Communion Calls soon and will only visit if they are comfortable with visitations. Their physical health, safety, and well-being are concerns whenever we visit nursing homes, hospitals, or homes. However, the spiritual health and well-being of the faithful are equally important. Many civil authorities have neglected this vital facet of our faith lives over the last year. Tragically many were denied the final Sacraments before death even though priests were readily available and willing to offer them. Healthcare bureaucrats and civil authorities prohibited them in many places.                             

On Good Friday, in London, England, the police raided services at a Catholic Church, citing a violation of safety rules. Police shut down the  Good Friday service at the church and threatened worshippers with a £200 fine each. The Pastor has said the police grossly exceeded their authority. Ironically the English Prime Minister announced with great joy the very next day that England's pubs were reopening!                             

In Ireland, any public worship continues to be prohibited, so Easter Masses were not possible. However, one young Irish Priest, Fr Gerard Quirke, of the parish on Achill Island called for Churches to reopen for Mass. The isolation caused by the current Covid-19 restrictions affects the mental health of people living alone in rural areas he said.

Fr. Quirke offered Public Mass for his parishioners outside on Easter Sunday on a Mass rock overlooking picturesque Keem Bay. Such "Mass Rocks" are scattered across the Irish countryside and are enormous rocks used to celebrate Mass during the Penal Laws in Ireland, when it was illegal to be Catholic in public. Mass Rocks are a powerful symbol as they kept the faith alive throughout the persecution of the penal era.                                                                                                                                     

All this reminds me of the words of the Catholic author, Hilaire Belloc, who said: "The Church is a perpetually defeated thing that always outlives her conquerors." Let us pray for those deprived of the Sacraments and those persecuted for the faith.

Stay well. Be safe. Do good. God Bless. A Blessed Easter Season! 

Father Healey