Protecting Life and Liberty for All!

Dear Parishioner

This week I will be away at the Annual Summer Meeting of the National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors in Avon, Colorado. This meeting will be our first in-person gathering in two years, with almost forty states represented.  These meetings provide an excellent opportunity to interact with State Catholic Conference Directors. They advocate on public policy issues on behalf of the Church in nearly every statehouse in the nation. Also, it's a chance to get updated on public policy issues and advocacy strategies from colleagues and experts.  

The meeting agenda includes advocacy strategies in light of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Like our R.I. statehouse, many statehouses have been closed to the public and in-person advocacy. Such closures to the public often present challenges due to the lack of personal interaction with elected officials. In addition, it means testimony is done remotely by phone or Zoom, leading to less effective advocacy.  

Also to be discussed are the threats to religious liberty and the sanctity of human life. The U.S. Congress, with the support of the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, is advancing an appropriations bill that eliminates the Hyde Amendment and other bipartisan provisions, including the Weldon Amendment. These provisions have ensured for over forty years that tax dollars cannot fund abortions. Eliminating these provisions would force taxpayers to pay for elective abortions and force health care providers and professionals to perform and refer for abortion against their deeply-held beliefs, as well as force employers and insurers to cover and pay for abortion. 

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee for Religious Liberty, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, chairman of the USCCB’s Pro-Life Committee issued the following statement:

  "This is the most extreme pro-abortion appropriations bill that we have seen, effectively mandating healthcare professionals to participate in abortion, and forcing American citizens to pay for abortion with their tax dollars. By eliminating the Hyde Amendment, and other Hyde-like policies, the financial fruits of Americans' labor would advance the destruction of the smallest, most vulnerable humans. Abortion is not healthcare nor a 'human service' to anyone. Rather, abortion is inhumane. Americans' tax dollars should be used for the common good and welfare of all, not to finance abortion or force Americans to violate deeply-held beliefs.”   

There will also be a presentation on how the Church can more effectively support pregnant mothers, especially those who live in poverty. Additionally, the U.S.C.C.B. staff will offer updates on immigration reform and refugee resettlement programs, Catholic Education and school choice initiatives,  and review Supreme Court cases.      

We are lucky enough to have a fine young Dominican Friar, Father Justin Brophy, OP, speaking to the group. He is a Professor of Political Science at Providence College. He will speak on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on advocacy and politics in light of Fratelli Tutti, ("On Fraternity and Social Responsibility"), the third encyclical of Pope Francis pontificate. In this encyclical, the Holy Father suggests that the world response to the Covid-19 pandemic was a failure in global cooperation and he calls for more human fraternity and greater solidarity. He also pleas for a rejection of war.

Of course, the Rocky Mountains are sure to be quite spectacular. The three-day meeting includes free time to explore the area. It should be a fruitful time of valuable updates and information. It will be great to be with friends in person for the first time in two years! 

Last weekend's heat and humidity didn't present a problem for our Church air conditioning as It seems to be working very well! Thank God! Also, we hope to have the bids for the Church door project funded by the capital campaign in the coming weeks. I will keep you posted as the project progresses.

Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Enjoy the summer! Stay Cool! Go Sox!

Summertime! Read, Rest and Recreate with God!

Dear Parishioners:

Just when you think all is going well, remember Murphy’s Law! In last week's heatwave, the pump for our Church air conditioning broke down. It's an easy fix, but the new pump took a week to get here because of supply chain issues. It's now installed and the AC is once again on in Church.    

Despite the lack of AC, I wish a blessed summer to all! Summer seems to go by so quickly. But thankfully, people are traveling again and taking vacations. I received a few church bulletins from the Jersey Shore, Virginia, and South Carolina. So if you are traveling, grab a church bulletin when you attend Mass. I enjoy seeing where people go in their travels and what other parishes are doing. 

When I think about summer, I think of the word recreation as in God re-creating us. We all need time to pray, reflect, rest and spend time with family and friends. We also need to take time off from social media and television news. And turning off our cell phones isn't a bad idea either. 

In other words, everyone needs a break from their routine. Whether it's a complete vacation away from home or just an afternoon off, we need to recreate and rest. This summer, it is easier to do so as we enjoy the end of pandemic restrictions on travel and get-togethers. The things we took for granted, like going to the beach, visiting friends and relatives, having a picnic with family and friends, and traveling out of state or country, we can now do once again. Thank God for that!

So seize the chance to break up the routine, go to the beach, take a walk in the park, catch an outdoor concert, sit on the patio or in the backyard under a tree, rest, reflect and read a good book. Recreate with God! Pope Francis says: "It's important that in the time of rest and detachment from daily concerns, we re-energize the forces of body and spirit, deepening our spiritual path."

It's summertime, so try to re-energize body and spirit! Rest with God in the sun or the shade. And enjoy the blessings of God's creation. September is sure to be here before you know it, so enjoy this season of summer! But wherever you go and whatever you do on Sundays, don't skip  Mass! 

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI says: "When we have a break from our activities, especially in the summer, we often take up a book we want to read. Each one of us needs time and space for recollection, meditation, and calmness. Thanks be to God that this is so! This need tells us that we are not made for work alone."

 Indeed, he is correct, we are not made for work alone!  I am hoping to get through my summer reading list. It includes Archbishop. Chaput's new book, "Things Worth Dying For: Thoughts on a Life Worth Living." It received excellent reviews and should be a good read for any Catholic. It provides serious reflection on how we choose to live our lives as Catholic Disciples.

Also on the list is a spiritual classic recommended by a priest friend.  It is entitled,  The Family That Overtook Christ, and is written by Fr. Mary Raymond. It is the story of the  family of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. St. Bernard, my patron saint, was a Cistercian monk and the founder and abbot of the Abbey of Clairvaux. He was one of the most influential theologians and churchmen of his time. Each of his family members also has a remarkable spiritual story.

The author, Father Mary Raymond, was born Joseph Flanagan in 1903. He would become a Jesuit priest and teach at Holy Cross College in the 1920s. In 1936. he would join the Order of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists). And at the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemane in Kentucky, he received the religious name, Mary Raymond. As a Trappist Monk, he authored over twenty books dealing with monastic and spiritual life. 

And finally, for a light and easy beach read, I was given a copy of former Speaker of the U.S. House John Boehner's new book, "On the House." He recounts his many years serving in the U.S. Congress with some amusing stories about the characters and charlatans in the world of politics. I've heard it goes well with a good cigar on the beach! So what's on your reading list this summer?

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

Building & Grounds in the Hot Summer!

  Dear Parishioners:                              

Fr. Mahoney offers his First Priestly Blessing to Bishop Tobin at the Ordination Mass.

I hope you had a joyful celebration on the Fourth of July.  I was able to get up to visit with my sister and her family in Saratoga, NY.  It was the first time in over a year I’ve seen my sister and her family.  It’s hard to believe that so much time passed during the COVID Pandemic   

Fr. Mahoney is settling in very nicely to life as a priest and life at OLM. He is getting very familiar with the schedule and the surroundings.  His new golf clubs arrived this past week, and he’s itching to try them out on the course soon. Many parishioners have welcomed him and received a First Priestly Blessing from him.

There exists a long and venerable tradition of seeking out the first blessing of a newly ordained priest. A special grace ma is gained from receiving a “first blessing” of a newly ordained priest. First blessings are customarily offered when first Masses are celebrated, but they may be given up to a full year after ordination.  So be sure to say “Hello” and “Welcome” to Father Mahoney and ask for his blessing.  

 Just before the Fourth of July, we had a few building emergencies in the Rectory.  A few days before the heatwave, the air condition split units in the kitchen and Fr. Connors’ suite stopped working.  They were the two oldest units in the Rectory and were over twenty years old.  The two new units were installed in just one day by Gem Plumbing.  The new units are much more efficient and also much quieter.  There was some rewiring also done.  The cost of this project was $10,000.   

On the same day, we had the fence on the OLM School Field installed.  A considerable portion of the fence was damaged during the winter by the snowplow.  It took many months to find a fence company that could supply a matching fence and install it.  I am grateful to an OLM Parishioner who got Joe DiBenedetto of First Choice Fence Company to do the job.  They finished the job in a matter of hours, and the cost of this project was $5,000.      

Leaky pipe in OLM Garage

Just when we thought we had finished up these building and grounds projects, a plumbing leak sprung!  The sixty-year-old plumping pipe for the two suites above the garage was leaking in the garage ceiling.  Thankfully Paul Anderson, our hard-working Director of Facilities, was able to find the leak and remove the cracked part of the pipe.  It was an enormous crack that probably has been there for years but just now began to leak.  

In one day, Paul Anderson, with our excellent  OLM maintenance staff, removed the old pipe, installed a new pipe, and sanitized the garage!  We are truly blessed to have such a talented and hard-working maintenance crew.  Now Fr. Connors can rest in the cool of his suite and brush his teeth without worry!!   

Let’s hope that this is the end of emergency maintenance problems for a while.  I am grateful for your generous support of the monthly Building and Grounds Collection.  This collection helps fund these types of projects and the hard work that goes into keeping our Church properties and grounds neat and beautiful.   

We have just begun the bid process for the replacement of the Church doors.  As you know, this parish improvement project is funded by our capital campaign, Grateful for God’s Providence. Our Church doors are old, difficult to open, close, and lock and some are rotting severely.  As we move forward with this critical project, I will keep you apprised of its developments.   

Last week we celebrated a Funeral Mass for one of our oldest OLM Parishioners, Rosalie Ferruccio.  She turned 100 years old on April 24, and many of us, including Bishop Evans, Fr. Connors, and I, were blessed to attend the birthday celebration.   Sadly a few weeks later, Rosalie’s health began to decline, and she entered into eternal life on June 24. A beautiful and solemn Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated for her.  In the sermon, I mentioned how much has changed in the 100 years since her birth.  Yet so much stayed the same with Rosalie, especially her devotion to praying for the souls in Purgatory and having Masses offered for the dead as well as her love of the Mass and Priests.  We would all do well to be as dedicated to our faith as Rosalie.  May She rest in eternal peace and may the perpetual light shine upon her.

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

Let Freedom Ring for All!

 Dear Parishioners:                              

The Signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 (Edward Hicks, 1845)

 On July 4, 1776, amid the American Revolution, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia boldly declared the thirteen colonies independent from Great Britain. We celebrate that anniversary today as Independence Day! We rejoice today that the shackles of British imperialism are destroyed, and we as, a nation gained our liberty from royal oppression. On Independence Day, 245 years later, we continue to celebrate this Declaration. With all our fellow Americans, we celebrate our freedom and liberty. As Catholics, we especially pray for and celebrate religious freedom and liberty in our nation. 

  Many of the colonists who came to America in the 17th and 18th centuries were fleeing religious persecution. Like the Puritans and Quakers, Catholics also came to America to escape persecution. English and Irish Catholics first settled in Maryland since the first Baron of Baltimore, George Calvert,  was a Catholic and founded Maryland as a haven for persecuted Christians. As a result, Catholics and Protestants lived peacefully side by side in Maryland. The Act of Toleration of 1649 guaranteed religious liberty. But in 1654, when Puritans took over the governance of Maryland, they repealed the act, and Catholics were outlawed.  

Maryland joined the other colonies in enacting the English penal laws that restricted the freedom of Catholics: the denial of the right to vote or to hold public office, the prohibition of public worship, and even the imprisonment of priests. The penal laws against Catholics were in force with different levels of severity in the colonies for over a century. Nevertheless, for over a century, the small number of Catholics in the thirteen colonies clung to their religious faith despite active persecution and denial of their civil rights. They supported the American Revolution hoping that independence from Britain would bring them greater religious liberty in the new republic.

Bishop John Carroll, First Catholic Bishop in the United States.

American Catholics, including the Bishop of Baltimore, John Carroll, who in 1790 was ordained the first Catholic bishop in the United States, and his cousin  Charles Carroll, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, rejoice in the newfound liberty. They were especially pleased that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, especially the First Amendment, defined our first freedom: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." 

The First Amendment allowed Catholics the freedom to practice their faith. Yet, it did not eradicate the cultural anti-Catholicism that persisted in sometimes violent form during the following century with the rise of the Know-Nothing Party and other nativist groups. Sadly, this persistent prejudice is still alive today, especially among certain elites in politics, academia, Hollywood, the media, and other influential molders of public opinion.  Today, religious liberty is primarily concerned with a more general anti-religious cultural movement, rooted in secularism and relativism, which seeks to limit the role of religion in public life. This limitation was certainly not the intent of our founding fathers, who recognized the essential role of religion and the virtues it inspires in providing the foundation for the success of a democratic society. 

Little Sisters of the Poor protest government mandates in violation of their religious liberty.

  Our founding fathers believed that religion, virtue, and morality based on the natural law were essential foundations for the success of the American Experiment. In his farewell address to the nation, George Washington declared: "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness." 

  On  Independence Day, we pray for the protection of religious freedom in our nation. We pray too for those who are persecuted for their faith across the globe.   May Almighty God, who gave us life and liberty, bless us, our nation, and the world. May freedom ring! Welcome, Fr. Mahoney! Happy Fourth of July! Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox! God Bless America!

"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!!!