"My God, What a Life!"

Fr. Healey and Fr. Barrow

Dear Parishioners:                                  

We had a great “Farewell” send-off for Father Barrow last weekend.  After five happy years of priestly ministry at OLM, he leaves us to begin his first pastorate at St. Teresa Parish in Pawtucket. We say farewell and thanks and promise him our prayers.                                

I am grateful to our OLM Staff and volunteers for arranging the fabulous receptions in Fr. Barrow’s honor. Thanks to the quick thinking of Doug Green, the  Saturday night reception wasn’t rained out by the massive thunderstorm but held in the Church vestibule!  Sunday’s reception had beautiful weather and a great turnout of parishioners to wish Father well!  I am grateful to all those who acknowledged his priestly ministry here at OLM with their good wishes!

“My God, what a life, and it is yours, O Priest of Jesus Christ!”

— Father Henri Lacordaire, O.P. (1802-1861)

Our new Associate Pastor, Father Mahoney, has begun to move his belongings into his rooms.  He begins his duties here at OLM on July 1 and begins celebrating Masses this week at OLM.   

Bishop Tobin ordained Father Mahoney on Saturday, June 5, 2021, at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. He grew up in Wakefield and attended Saint Francis Parish.  His father is a retired Naval Officer,  his mother a retired school teacher, and they now reside in Arizona. He has two brothers who live in Reno, Nevada, and a sister who lives in Rhode Island. 

 He studied for the priesthood at Saint John’s Seminary in Boston, where our own Father Connors taught him.  He is an alumnus of Providence College and South Kingstown High School. And while he roots for the Pats, he is a Green Bay Packer fan as his mother is a native of Wisconsin! I know you will give him a warm welcome as he begins his first priestly assignment.

Father Healey and Father Mahoney.

It is a great privilege and joy to have a newly ordained priest assigned to our parish  I am deeply grateful to Bishop Tobin for sending us Fr. Mahoney.  We look forward to many happy years of faithful and fruitful ministry from him.     

 Over twenty years ago as a newly ordained priest, my first parish assignment was an exciting time.  Finally, I was able to put the years of seminary formation and studies into priestly practice. It was also a privileged time to celebrate Masses, hear confessions, baptize babies, anoint the sick and dying, and celebrate weddings often for the first time.

God has truly blessed my priesthood with fantastic parish assignments. I am truly blessed to be serving at OLM with outstanding young priests such as Fr. Shemek, Fr. Connors, and Fr. Barrow.  Now I look forward to many happy years serving with Father Mahoney.  It is an exciting time for him as a new priest but also for us as a parish.

This week a seminary classmate and long-time friend, Father Ferdi Santos, is visiting. Thirty years ago we studied in the seminary together at the American College in Louvain, Belgium. He is from the Philippines but has been working in the U.S. for the last fourteen years. He spent four years teaching philosophy and theology at Providence College while living with me at St. Ambrose. Then, over the last ten years, he served as a Philosophy Professor and Rector at St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami, Florida.   

Now Father Santos is returning home to the Philippines to be closer to his parents and family.  He is leaving behind the seminary and academic life to serve as a parish priest. His bishop has assigned him to serve as pastor of a parish located in one of the most impoverished areas of his diocese. Please pray for him.

This past Thursday on my anniversary I offered thanks to God for my twenty-six years of priesthood and offered Mass for your intentions.  I also give thanks for the gift of my brother priests.  I have had the great joy to serve  with great priests and to serve wonderful parishioners. It is a blessing indeed!

In his homily last week, Fr. Barrow quoted “The Priest “ by the French Dominican Father Henri Lacordaire, I do  so again:

La messa al campo, (1938) by Emilio Rizzi.

“To live in the midst of the world without wishing its pleasures; To be a member of each family, yet belonging to none; To share all suffering; to penetrate all secrets; To heal all wounds; to go from men to God and offer Him their prayers; To return from God to men to bring pardon and hope; To teach and to pardon, console and bless always. My God, what a life, and it is yours, O priest of Jesus Christ.”   

Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox!

Fond Farewells & Fatherhood

Dear Parishioners:                               

Thursday was the last day of classes at OLM School. Now the students and faculty begin a well-deserved summer vacation. It has been a long year with all the COVID restrictions and policies governing schools. We are grateful to our OLM School Principal, Patrick McNabb, for his tremendous dedication to the students’ well begin and his outstanding leadership throughout the COVID Pandemic.

When he began his administration just two years ago, I am sure he never expected that he would be facing a pandemic! Thanks to his leadership and thanks to our talented and dedicated faculty, OLM School safely opened last September and remained open all year. Our students were happily in their classrooms learning and striving to be saints and scholars. We are grateful to our wonderful students and their parents for their great cooperation and support in this unprecedented pandemic. May they all enjoy the summer and return tan, rested, and ready for school in September!

OLM School 8th Graders get ready to graduate!

We celebrated 8th Grade Graduation last Monday with a joyous ceremony. We say “Farewell” to the Class of 2021. Please keep them in your prayers as they depart our parish school and continue to strive to be saints and scholars at high school!

This weekend, we also say “Farewell” to Father Barrow. After five years serving as the Associate Pastor at OLM, he leaves us to serve as Pastor of St. Teresa Church and School in Pawtucket. We are certainly most grateful for his priestly ministry and dedication. He is a terrific young priest and is sure to be an outstanding Pastor. Be sure to stop by one of the receptions this weekend and wish him well. Also, please pray for him and his new parish. May God bestow his abundant blessings upon him and his priestly ministry in Pawtucket!

Father Healey and Father Barrow

I will certainly miss him as he has been a loyal and hardworking Associate Pastor and a supportive brother priest. We have lived and worked together for five happy years. I wish him well as he becomes a pastor, and I know he is going to be an excellent pastor of souls. St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, once said: “The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus. When you see a priest, think of our Lord Jesus Christ.” These words bespeak Father Barrow. For he is an exemplary priest who truly loves the heart of Jesus Christ!  Ad multos annos!     

We celebrate Fathers’ Day today. Pope Francis writes about Fatherhood in his apostolic letter for the Year of St. Joseph, Patris Corde (“With a Father’s Heart”). The Holy Father writes: “Fathers are not born, but made. A man does not become a father simply by bringing a child into the world, but by taking up the responsibility to care for that child. Children today often seem orphans, lacking fathers.”

As of 2019, roughly 16 million American children, about 1 in 4, live without a father in the home. And while this happens for many reasons, the largest reason is family breakdown and the huge rise of births out of wedlock. Today, many think that Fatherhood is neither important nor special. We know better, for we see the inexplicable good that happened when St. Joseph was a faithful, loving father and obedient to God. Fathers can protect and give life to the world, sowing the seeds of  virtue and goodness, beauty, and truth, and making the presence of Jesus felt and experienced in a world sorely in need of direction, strength, love, faith, and hope.

As we commemorate Father’s Day, we also celebrate God’s gift of life and love through the sacred calling of Fatherhood.  On this Father’s Day, I offer my best wishes to all who fulfill the responsibility of Fatherhood. Please join me in praying that all fathers experience the authentic love and joy that comes with raising a child. Let’s pray for God, the Almighty Father, to shower his blessings on all fathers that they may guide, provide for, protect, and love their families following His will. Let’s also pray that God will comfort those whose fathers have gone to their eternal rest and those who do not have a father present in their lives. A Happy Fathers Day to all Fathers!

With deep gratitude and thanksgiving for his time at OLM, I offer a fond Adieu to Fr Barrow.  Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless.  And yes, Go Sox!!!

Graduation Season and the Sacred Heart

Dear Parishioners:                                 

Ordination Mass on June 5, 2021.

Last Saturday, Bishop Tobin ordained two men to the priesthood, Fr. Dan Mahoney and Fr. Doan Nguyen.   It was a beautiful and solemn Mass of Ordination and indeed a joyous and hopeful occasion for our Church.  Fr. Mahoney served at OLM as a Summer Seminarian just a couple of years ago.  Bishop Tobin has assigned the newly ordained Fr. Mahoney as the new Associate Pastor at OLM.  In your name, I thank Bishop Tobin for sending  Fr. Mahoney to us.  We are truly grateful for the presence and ministry of another priest at OLM.   Fr. Mahoney begins his priestly ministry at OLM on the First of  July.   

Meanwhile, Fr. Barrow is busy finishing up many projects, getting things ready for Fr. Mahoney, and packing up his belongings.   He is very excited about becoming the Pastor of St. Teresa Church and School in Pawtucket.  I know he will be a dutiful shepherd who lovingly and faithfully serves his flock. 

Next weekend is to be Fr. Barrow's final weekend at OLM!  It is always a bittersweet moment when we have to say "Farewell" to a friend. Father has been an exceptional Associate Pastor for our parish. I am grateful for his zeal for priestly ministry and also his fraternal support and friendship these past five years.  We are appreciative of his many gifts especially his technological genius that has been a tremendous service to our parish and school as our resident "Tech Wizard!"

We have a chance to offer personal and fond "Farewell" and sincere thanks to Fr. Barrow next weekend.  There is a Wine and Cheese Reception in Mercy Park following the 5:00 pm Mass next Saturday night.    Also on Sunday, there is a Coffee'an in Mercy Park after the 10:30 am Mass. It's Father's Day next Sunday.  It is a perfect day to remember and honor all Fathers for their love and support, including such an outstanding Spiritual Father as Fr. Barrow!  So mark your calendars.   

We celebrate with our 8th Grade from OLM School, who are graduating this weekend.  They join us at the 10:30 am Mass as we pray for them as they leave our excellent parish school for high school.  Following the Mass, the 8th Grade Class and their families gather for a Graduation Luncheon to recognize their academic achievements.   On Monday, June 14 at 6:00 pm, the 8th Grade graduate from OLM School at a 6:00 pm ceremony in our Church.  Many of these students have been in our school for eight to nine years. When I arrived at OLM, they were in Kindergarten! The time flies, but it has been a fruitful time for these students who are well prepared.   

At OLM School, they received a first-class Catholic Education from our outstanding faculty.  They are correctly formed in the Catholic Faith, instructed in the teachings of Christ, and instilled with the values of Western Civilization and know the priority of virtuous living. We commend them to Our Lady of Mercy for her continued guidance and protection.   

As we acknowledge the OLM Class of 2021, we also offer prayers for all those OLM Parishioners graduating high school, college, and graduate school this year.  May they use their gifts and talents for the building up of the Kingdom of God.   June is graduation season but also the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We honor Christ's loving and humble heart that calls us to faith, humility, and love. We pray:

"O most Sacred Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore you, I love you, and with lively sorrow for my sins I offer you this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure, and wholly obedient to your will. Grant, Good Jesus, that I may live in you and for you. Protect me in danger. Comfort me in my afflictions. Give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, your blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death. Amen."

I thank the parishioners who have donated to the Catholic Charity Appeal thus far.  We are above last year's amount raised and also the number of parishioners donating. However, we are $40,000 shy of reaching our goal of $190,000.  Many other parishes report going over goal this year, so I am hopeful  OLM can do the same. Please make your pledge or donation today!    Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God bless. Prayerful best wishes to the Class of 2021!

Corpus Christi, Celebrate Christ Truly Present!!

Dear Parishioners:

On Holy Thursday, we celebrate with great devotion and solemnity the day our Lord instituted the Sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and Sacred Priesthood. However, it is also a day we recall the sad and sorrowful memories of the betrayal of Judas, Christ's agony and arrest, Peter's denial.                           

So the Church in Her wisdom has given us today's great Feast of Corpus Christi, the Sacred Body and Blood of Christ. It, too, is a day to be celebrated with great solemnity and devotion but also much joy. We are joyfully rejoicing in so a great a gift as the Eucharist, the very source and summit of our Catholic Faith. 

  In the 13th Century, it was a humble nun in Belgium, Saint Juliana, who first suggested and advocated a special feast in honor of the Blessed Sacrament on a day other than Holy Thursday. From her sixteenth year, often in her prayers, she beheld a strange sight: it was as if the full moon appeared to her in brilliant light, while a part of its disc remained black and lightless. Finally, in a vision, Christ showed her the meaning of this picture. The moon represented the Church year; the black spot indicated the lack of a festival in honor of the Blessed Sacrament. She was to announce to the authorities of the Church that God wished to establish such a feast. 

  In 1230 Juliana communicated her secret to a small group of learned theologians. As her message became publicly known, she suffered scorn and ridicule for some years. But the Bishop of Liége, Belgium, and some of his canons eventually lent a willing ear to her appeals. A diocesan synod in 1246 decided in her favor and prescribed such a feast for the churches of Liége.

 One of the men who had supported her efforts in Belgium later became pope. He was Jacques Pantaléon, Archdeacon of Liége. Upon his election to the papal office, he assumed the name of Pope Urban IV (1261-1265). On September 8, 1264, six years after Juliana's death, he established for the whole Church that festival in honor of the Holy Eucharist, which the saintly nun had proclaimed to be willed by God. Today we continue to celebrate and acknowledge the Church doctrine that Jesus is truly present under the appearance of bread and wine in the Eucharist. The theological name for this is "transubstantiation."

The Catechism explains: "By the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood."

The First Mass in the Vernacular, March 7, 1965 celebrated by Saint Pope Paul VI

  St. Pope Paul VI reinforced this teaching and forcefully rejected the idea that the Eucharist is a mere symbol. He wrote about it in his encyclical, Mysterium Fidei:

"For the constant teaching that the Catholic Church has passed on to her catechumens, the understanding of the Christian people, the doctrine defined by the Council of Trent, the very words that Christ used when He instituted the Most Holy Eucharist, all require us to profess that 'the Eucharist is the flesh of Our Savior Jesus Christ which suffered for our sins and which the Father in His loving kindness raised again.'" 

  The most significant support of this essential belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is the witness of the Twelve Apostles. This evidence is that eleven of the apostles died as martyrs, and the twelfth died in prison.    Is there anyone who believes they would have undergone torture, prison, and even horrible deaths for a mere symbolic Eucharist and not the real presence of Christ? Would we? As the Catholic Author, Flannery O’Connor once famously said: “Well, if (the Eucharist) is just a symbol, then to the hell with it!”

St. Augustine teaches us clearly that: "What you see is the bread and the chalice; that is what your own eyes report to you. But what your faith obliges you to accept is that the bread is the body of Christ and the chalice is the blood of Christ!" 

So this Corpus Christ celebrate the Eucharist, with a renewed faith, love, devotion, and joy. We offer prayerful congratulations to our new priests, Fr. Dan Mahoney and Fr Doan Nguyen. Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. 

Corpus Christi Procession. Carl Emil Doepler.(1824–1905)

June Brings Welcomes & Farewells

Dear Parishioners:

      As Father Barrow announced last weekend, Bishop Tobin has appointed him as the new Pastor of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus Church and School in Pawtucket.  He begins this new assignment on July 1, 2021. Congratulations, Fr. Barrow!  We wish Fr. Barrow all the best in his first pastorate and assure him of our prayers. And we thank him for his five years of zealous priestly ministry here at OLM.  As our Associate Pastor, he has done a tremendous job serving the parish and school.   He is a joy to work and live with, and will be missed by many including myself.   

At this time, Bishop Tobin has not named a replacement for Fr. Barrow.  This year six priests are retiring from active ministry, and just two men are to be ordained.  So please pray for an increase of priestly vocations in the Diocese of Providence.        

Father Barrow's last Sunday at OLM is June 20, 2021.  Appropriately enough, it is also Father's Day!  On that weekend, we shall have a chance to officially say "Thank You" and "Farewell" to Father.  So please mark your calendars.   

It's hard to believe that June begins on Tuesday.  The school year is soon coming to a close, and we celebrate our final OLM School Mass on Friday, June 4.    It is to be the final First Friday Mass for our graduating 8th Grade Class.      Many of these students have spent the last eight to nine years at our parish school striving to be saints and scholars.  We pray for them, in particular at the Mass on Friday. All parishioners and school families are welcome to join us for the Mass.   

 Next weekend, we hope to begin the customary practices of having the ushers take up the collection and the gifts of bread and wine presented by parishioners.  These traditional practices were suspended for safety reasons during the pandemic but are now allowed.   We could always use a few more ushers to help take up the collection, open and close doors, and greet people.  Also, we invite all families who wish to bring forward the gifts to inform the ushers.    

Next weekend we also resume the usual method of distributing Holy Communion.  Our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are to assist us once again as they did before the pandemic. All the priests and EMHCs are to continue sanitizing their hands before distributing Holy Communion.

The wearing of face masks is optional for those vaccinated.  However, the CDC and the RI Department of Health still insist that the non-vaccinated wear a face mask in church.  I thank you for your cooperation, patience and understanding.  

Next weekend the dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass ends. As you know, obeying the Third Commandment to honor the sabbath, we are obliged to attend Sunday Mass every week. It is a grave sin to miss Mass without a good reason. Coming to Sunday Mass also fulfills the interior law inscribed in the human heart to render God visible and public worship as a sign of radical dependence upon Him and as gratitude for all the blessings we have received. We pray many parishioners begin to return to Sunday Mass.    

Next Sunday is the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.  This feast calls us to focus upon the Holy Eucharist. At every Mass, our focus is upon the Eucharist and the Real Presence of Christ in it. But on Corpus Christi, we celebrate the great gift of the Mass and renew our belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.     

A Eucharistic Procession to Mercy Park follows the 10:30 am  Corpus Christi Mass. A beautiful and venerable tradition on this great feast. At Mercy Park, we kneel in adoration and pray with renewed devotion before the Eucharistic Lord.  As St. Thomas Aquinas wrote:

“Down in adoration falling,
Lo! the sacred Host we hail,
Lo! o'er ancient forms departing
Newer rites of grace prevail;
Faith for all defects supplying,
Where the feeble senses fail.”

On Saturday, June 6, Bishop Tobin is to ordain two new priests for our Diocese.  Transitional Deacons Dan Mahoney, who served at OLM as a summer seminarian, and Doan V. Nguyen, are the new Priests of Providence.  Please pray for them and their priesthood.
   Happy Memorial Day! Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. See you at Devotions!

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!