Remember the Fallen, Pray & Fast for Peace

Dear Parishioners:

We’ve watched over these last few weeks the events unfolding in Afghanistan. The violence and the attack resulted in the death of thirteen U.S. marines and soldiers and hundreds of innocent Afghanis. It is a sad and tragic loss of life. I watched with great sadness the transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base for the 13 U.S. service members who gave their lives serving our country and saving Americans and Afghan allies. They died in the Kabul airport terrorist attack.  They are heroes, and we commend them to God to receive the reward of their goodness.

A recent Wall Street Journal editorial entitled, “The Best of America,” offers a tribute to these young soldiers who “ range in age from 20 to 31, represent a mix of ethnic groups, and hail from the middle-class, patriotic families who always bear the worst burden of war. Their family members say most of them joined the military out of individual purpose and national pride. They are the volunteers who follow orders and man the ramparts no matter the risk or ill-advised war plan.  Their service is also reassuring for showing that millions of young Americans are still willing to sacrifice to defend their country and its principles. We’ll wager that they didn’t wait in the locker room when the national anthem was played. They represent the best of America.”

As all the headlines read this week, “America’s Longest War Has Ended,” we must all pause and pray for all who have died over these last twenty years.  More than 2,400 U.S. military personnel and nearly 50,000 Afghan civilians died in the war, with thousands more wounded and permanently injured. In speaking about the situation in Afghanistan, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has called for Catholics to take up prayer and fasting. He said: “I entrust the dead to the mercy of Almighty God and I thank those who are working to help that people so tested, especially the women and children. I appeal to everyone to intensify prayer and practice fasting and penance. Now is the time to do it I’m serious.”    

Perhaps this week, we might all take more time in prayer here in Church before the Eucharistic Lord. Let us pray for the dead and the protection of all our military and those now living under the Taliban who face violence and even death. Our Holy Father has called us not only to more prayer but to take up fasting. It is an ancient and venerable tradition of our faith. Fasting is a powerful and fundamental part of the Christian life. Let us fast this week for such a sacrificial and penitential act is also an act of solidarity with those who still suffer and those who sacrificed their very lives.

St. Pope John Paul II’s Prayer for Peace in the World offers a good beginning of our prayer:

“Immaculate Heart of Mary, help us to conquer the menace of evil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today, and whose immeasurable effects already weigh down upon our modern world and seem to block the paths toward the future. From famine and war, deliver us. From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, from every kind of war, deliver us. From sins against human life from its very beginning, deliver us.

From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of the children of God, deliver us. From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both national and international, deliver us. From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us. From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of God, deliver us. From the loss of awareness of good and evil, deliver us. From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us.

Accept, O Mother of Christ, this cry laden with the sufferings of all individual human beings laden with the sufferings of whole societies. Help us with the power of the Holy Spirit conquer all sin: individual sin and the “sin of the world,” sin in all its manifestations. 

Let there be revealed once more in the history of the world the infinite saving power of the redemption: the power of merciful love. May it put a stop to evil. May it transform consciences. May your Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of hope. Amen.”

Pray. Fast. Remember the dead. Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. God Bless America! Happy Labor Day! 

See You in September!

Dear Parishioners:                                 

We survived last weekend! Henri hit us, no, not our parish organist but the Hurricane and Tropical Storm. While Mass attendance was light on Sunday as many chose to stay safe at home, some brave and hearty souls made it through the wind and rain! We didn’t lose electricity thanks be to God!   There wasn't too much damage to our Church property. However, our planters took a beating and a large tree fell over at St. Patrick’s Cemetery. I am grateful to our crack OLM Maintenance Team who were so vigilant in preparing for the storm and so hardworking in cleaning up afterward. 

School starts this Wednesday at Our Lady of Mercy School! As Benedict XVI reminds us: "A good school provides a rounded education for the whole person. And a good Catholic school, over and above this, should help all its students to become saints." Our excellent faculty begin this week with a Retreat on Monday at the Christian Brothers Center in Narragansett. I am grateful to Father Chris Murphy, Rector of Our Lady of Providence Seminary, for leading the Retreat. Our OLM School Principal, Mr. Patrick McNabb, and our faculty and staff do an outstanding job, and we are grateful for their dedication. May God Bless them this year.

The last year was a difficult one for both students and faculty due to the pandemic. So please pray for our OLM School administration, faculty, staff, students, and families! May the school year be fruitful, and may they all grow in faith, hope, charity, and wisdom. We are hopeful for another great year for our budding saints and scholars!

We welcome our many new school families to OLM School at the 10:30 am Mass this Sunday. A Welcome Reception follows the Mass, so please stop by and say hello to our new students and their families. We congratulate and thank them for choosing OLM School and sacrificing to ensure a first-class Catholic education for their children.

We also kick off our Annual "See You in September" Raffle this weekend. We sell just 600 tickets for $100 each and give away $10,000 in prizes, including a $5,000 first prize! Out OLM School PTG is selling them after Mass, and they are also available at the Parish Office. The raffle was a great success last year. I hope it is again this year! In the bulletin is a complete calendar of events for our Annual Parish Patronal Feast Week. The Feast of Our Lady of Mercy is Friday, September 24th. We begin with our Annual Saints and Scholars Open Golf Tournament at Quidnesett Country Club. Fr. Mahoney is ready to take first place and eager to take on any challengers! So book your foursome today! A Holy Hour with meditative music is part of our Feast Week. And an Act of Mercy Night as together we prepare food and materials for the hungry and homeless. So please put these  events on your calendar.

On Friday, September 24th, we celebrate the Patronal Feast Day Mass at 9:00 am. Then later on Friday evening we celebrate Oktoberfest. Join us for German beer, food, and music under the tent! We will draw our "See You in September" Raffle winners at the Oktoberfest. Of course, we couldn't have such events last year due to the COVID-19 restrictions on communal activities. We rejoice that can do so this year. It is a perfect opportunity to renew our parish life. The pandemic has caused many to remain isolated from each other and the parish!

Let's strive to make this year's Feast Week a time of renewal of faith and fellowship. Let us strive to reconnect as a parish family with parishioners, friends, and neighbors. In light of Hurricane Henri, I am reminded of a quote by St. Bernard of Clairvaux: "If the hurricanes of temptation rise against you, or you are running upon the rocks of trouble, look to the star – call on Mary!" Indeed let us turn to our patroness, and may Our Lady of Mercy intercede for us and guide our parish! 

 I offer my prayers and congratulations to Father Barrow as he is officially installed as Pastor of St. Theresa Church at a special Mass this Sunday celebrated by Bishop Tobin. Please pray for Father Barrow as he officially begins his first pastorate. Ad multos annos, Fr. Barrow!

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

"Nothing is far from God"

Dear Parishioners:

In the name of Father Jose Jacob and the Mission Diocese of Daru-Kiunga in Papua New Guinea, I offer thanks for your generous support of last weekend's Second Collection.  Over $6,000 was donated in support of the Missions.                                                               

Earthquake in Haiti.

Many parishioners have also asked about how to support the people of Haiti.   As you know, a massive 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit that country last week, killing nearly 1300 people, with death toll numbers increasing. The shock leveled homes and other buildings, including several churches leaving thousands without shelter. Countless others are injured, and hospitals are already overwhelmed.

Haiti is a country already susceptible to hurricanes and still recovering from the disastrous earthquake a decade ago. Many in Haiti are already facing widespread hunger due to drought as well as political and economic instability.      If you would like to help, I urge you to support Catholic Relief Services.  They are already in Haiti and helping.  When you donate to CRS, you provide immediate assistance for our Haitian sisters and brothers desperate to survive this devastating situation. Indeed, our prayers and support will make so much difference. To donate to CRS in Haiti, go to their website at crs.org.  

St. Patrick’s Parish on Smith Street in Providence.

We are also beginning our Annual Backpack Drive in support of St. Patrick's Parish in Providence. A list of needed supplies is in this week's bulletin.  These supplies and any financial contributions go directly to help the families in need at St. Patrick's Parish.    If you want to donate financially, write a check payable to OLM with "Backpack Drive" in the memo.  A container is in the vestibule for any donated supplies, or leave them at the OLM Outreach Office at Mercy House.   

I know how helpful this drive is to the people of St. Patrick's struggling to afford basic school supplies.  Sadly due to the pandemic, we could not provide such assistance last year.  Please also know of the thanks and gratitude of my dear classmate Father James Ruggieri, the Pastor of St. Patrick's Church.     

Speaking of schools, the good Dominican Friars of Providence College are coming to OLM this Monday for Confessions.   The PC Friars are now scheduled once a month on Mondays to hear Confessions at OLM.  I am grateful to them for their assistance with the beautiful Sacrament of Mercy! Not to worry, we only asked the kindest and most forgiving Friars to help out!!        

Augustine and Monica, by Gioacchino Assereto (1600 - 1649)

This week we celebrate some noteworthy Saints. In particular, on Friday, the Feast of St. Monica and then her son St. Augustine on Saturday. He was a wayward soul who led a sinful life until his conversion. St. Monica, his pious Catholic mother,  was left to weep and pray for his salvation for more than a decade!    She never ceased praying for his return to the Catholic Faith. After more than 15 years of prayer, Augustine heard St. Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, preach. He decided to study the Faith and eventually being baptized in 387.  St. Augustine became a priest and then a bishop and is now considered a Doctor of the Church.   

 Like so many Catholics today,  St. Monica wrestled daily with the pain of having a loved one fall away from the Faith. Like us, she often feared that her prayers and tears were of little worth, empty, futile. Not so! Her prayerful perseverance led to the conversion of her son, her mother-in-law, and her husband.  Today, with Google searches, online shopping, text messages, tweets, Amazon Prime, and instant credit, there is little patience for things that take time. Likewise, we want instant answers to our prayers. Instant gratification and immediate answers are a part of our troubled culture.  

Yet the Church offers us the witness of St. Monica, the patroness of troubled parents, as a model of patience and perseverance in prayer.  Her years of prayer finally led to the conversion of her hot-tempered husband, her cantankerous mother-in-law, and her brilliant but wayward son, Augustine. May she intercede for us that we might grow in faith, hope, patience, and perseverance in our prayers! As St. Monica said: "Nothing is far from God."

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

Called to a Mission

Dear Parishioners:

All Catholics are called to be missionaries by their baptism, sharing the good news of salvation in Jesus by their actions and words. Pope Francis states: "We must renew the Church's missionary commitment and give fresh evangelical impulse to Her work of preaching and bringing to the world the salvation of Jesus Christ to the world."

Every baptized Catholic has a responsibility to share the Gospel. Baptism and membership in the Church go together and are essential for salvation. And they also can contribute to peace and harmony in the world. The Mission of sharing the Gospel and offering them the gift of baptism "is part of our identity as Christians," Pope Francis has said.

We bear witness to this missionary calling at OLM this weekend. We welcome Father Jose Jacob, who is preaching all the weekend Masses about the work of missionaries in Papua New Guinea. It is a small South Pacific nation of about 7.5 million people, more than one-quarter Catholic. It is the world's most linguistically diverse nation, with more than 800 languages spoken. The Church first arrived by French missionaries in 1847, but the early efforts to evangelize proved problematic. In 1855, an Italian priest and missionary, Giovanni Battista Mazzucconi, was killed by hostile natives. He is now beatified.

By the 1880s, the Church began to make significant inroads, and as the 20th century arrived, there were several centers of missionary activity. Such progress, however, brought risk, and on August 13, 1904, ten missionaries, including five religious sisters, were killed on the island of New Britain. Yet many natives continued to convert to the Catholic Faith. However, missionary work was curtailed by the World Wars, particularly the Second World War, which saw invasion and occupation by the Japanese military. They persecuted, imprisoned, and killed many missionaries of any Christian denomination.

The post-WWII era saw a rise in missionaries, mainly from Australia, Canada, and the US. In 1966, the Catholic hierarchy of archdioceses and dioceses was established in Papua New Guinea. There are now a total of 19 dioceses, including four archdioceses. The Catholic Faith is the nation's largest denomination, with 27 percent of the total population, followed by Evangelical Lutheranism (19.5 percent), the United Church (11.5 percent), and the Seventh Day Adventist Church (10 percent), according to the US State Department. The Diocese of Daru-Kiunga is in the remote section of Papua New Guinea. It is 38,470 Square Miles with a total population of 211,000 people with 51,000 Catholics.

There are just thirteen parishes with only one Diocesan Priest. However, there are fourteen Missionary Priests who serve the Diocese. There are about 50 Religious Sisters and Brothers who also help there. The Missionaries who serve and have served there do incredible work proclaiming the Gospel and converting souls to Christ and the Catholic Faith. In 1970, there were just over 2,000 Catholics! Fifty years later, there are over 50,000!

This weekend we are called to support the Mission Church in Papua New Guinea. Each year we are reminded of our call to be missionaries. And while we cannot physically go to Papua New Guinea, we can support the Mission with our prayers and our financial donations. As we give thanks for the blessings of our faith, our Church, and our parish, let us be mindful of the Missionary Church. The Mission Church is poor but vibrant and needs our help.

The Second Collection this weekend is dedicated to aiding the Diocese of Daru-Kiunga in Papua New Guinea. There is no envelope for this Second Collection. However, you may make a check payable to OLM with "Mission Co-Op" in the memo. If you are unprepared to help at Mass this weekend, you can drop a check off at the Parish Office or in the deposit box in the vestibule this coming week. I thank you for your generous financial support and prayers for the Missions. Welcome, Father Jacob!  

Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox! Happy Feast of the Assumption!

The Sanctity and Dignity of Human Life

Dear Parishioners

US Capitol Building in Washington, DC

Last week the U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of a package of appropriations bills that currently exclude the Hyde, Weldon, and Helms amendments and other longstanding, pro-life language that have always had bipartisan support in Congress. This legislation could now force foreign countries with strong legal and cultural opposition to abortion to embrace abortion in order to receive desperately needed help for their people. Pope Francis has referred to this type of situation as ideological colonization. Further, this legislation allows for abortions and abortion advocacy to be funded with tax dollars. 

RI Congressman James Langevin with Speaker of the House Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer.

Sadly yet not surprisingly, our U.S. Representatives, Mr. Langevin and Mr. Cicilline voted in favor of these bills. Mr. Langevin represents the Second Congressional District which includes East Greenwich and Warwick. He is Catholic and has claimed to be pro-life. However, as these votes indicate, Congressman Langevin does not favor protecting the lives of the innocent unborn and believes that tax dollars should pay for abortion. I urge you to contact Mr. Langevin and share your disappointment and dismay at his shameful vote. Contact the Congressman at his Rhode Island Office at (401) 732-9400 Also, contact U.S. Senators Reed and Whitehouse to encourage them to stop the funding of abortion with tax dollars.

The drive to eliminate these pro-life amendments has long been a goal of the radical pro-abortion lobby led by Planned Parenthood. The Biden Administration and Speaker Pelosi are their champions and use the pro-abortion messaging strategy, abandoning the slogan of "choice" to claim that abortion instead is essential healthcare for women. 

  But this claim is contrary to the facts. Abortion is a marginal practice, neither performed nor accepted by most healthcare providers; it does not improve and can even jeopardize women's life and health. Moreover, American law has recognized for decades that it is not "just another medical procedure." Far from being integral to our healthcare system, abortion is something that supporters seek to impose on that system by force of law.

Further, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law" (No. 2271). 

President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, Congressman Langevin, and Senator Reed, all of whom profess to be Catholic, would do well to reflect upon the words of Pope Francis. The Holy Father states:

"Among the vulnerable for whom the Church wishes to care with particular love and concern are unborn children, the most defenseless and innocent among us. Nowadays, efforts are made to deny them their human dignity and do with them whatever one pleases, taking their lives and passing laws preventing anyone from standing in this way. Precisely because this involves the internal consistency of our message about the value of the human person, the Church cannot be expected to change Her position on this question. It is not 'progressive' to try to resolve problems by eliminating a human life." 

The Missions in Diocese of Daru-Kiunga in Papua New Guinea

Next weekend is the Annual Mission Cooperative Appeal at OLM. Each year a missionary visits our parish to preach about the work of the Missions. In turn, we generously offer our financial and spiritual support to these missionaries. In this way, we bear witness to the reality that we are a universal Church. Fr. Jose Jacob, SMM, a member of the Montfort Missionaries, is preaching all the Masses next weekend about the Mission Diocese of Daru-Kiunga in Papua New Guinea. Father worked for many years there and understands well the needs of the Mission Church. Our support aids in faith formation programs, offering the Sacraments, and serving the poor and needy. The Diocese of Daru-Kiunga is very poor and needs our prayers and financial support. Next week's Second Collection is our chance to help, so please be generous. Thank you for your support.

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

The Sounds of Divine Worship

Dear Parishioners:

Mr. Henri St. Louis

In last week's bulletin, I mentioned Murphy's Law, the adage that suggests: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." And so it goes!   Last week our very gifted Parish Music Director and Organist Henri St. Louis came to me with bad news! Our organ had stopped working! The organ is a complicated instrument. Our parish organ has 1776 pipes! So Henri immediately contacted the Peragallo Pipe Organ Company, the maker of our organ. Working with Henri via the phone, they surmised that a transformer had blown out. The company is in Paterson, New Jersey. The Peragallo Company traveled up this past week to fix it. Henri was able to use the piano at Masses last weekend.

OLM Choir

However, the beauty of the organ adds so much to our divine worship. Music historians believe that the pipe organ was introduced into churches about the tenth century. The Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the document shaping modern Catholic liturgy, states: "In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument which adds a wonderful splendor to the Church's ceremonies and powerfully lifts up man's mind to God and to higher things."

The Council Fathers were correct. We need the pipe organ. For our Catholic Faith, symbols enrich our religious experience and religious life. The Constitution states that "In the earthly Liturgy take part in a foretaste of that Heavenly Liturgy which is celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God."

In other words, we do not come to Mass to only experience another meeting of like-minded friends and acquaintances and find support, only to see the things and hear and sing the words and music so similar to what we might hear on radio or television. We go for transcendence, to lift our praise and worship to God, not ourselves. The Mass is our foretaste of the Heavenly Liturgy.

St. Pope John Paul II states: "As a manifestation of the human spirit, music performs a function which is noble, unique, and irreplaceable. When it is truly beautiful and inspired, it speaks to us more than all the other arts of goodness, virtue, peace, of matters holy and divine. For good reason it has always been, and it will always be, an essential part of the liturgy"

So as we come together at Mass to offer praise and worship of God, let the sacred music we hear and sing lift worship up. At the proper time, there is a need for stillness and silence at Mass. Likewise, there is an appropriate time to lift our voices in song. We are called to have "full and active" participation during Mass. Sacred music is a beauty that prepares us to receive the fullness of grace in the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar. For as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops state in their letter, "Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship," when the church prays and sings, Christ is present.

Christ Surrounded by Singing and Music-making Angels or Santa María la Real de Nájera Altarpiece by Hans Memling (1483-1494)

We may not always be in the mood to sing. Perhaps our hearts are heavily burdened with personal problems or fear and despair, especially in our current world, seemingly torn by strife, sickness, violence, and racism. The bishops speak of our participation and the occasional challenges we face when singing at Mass. They state: "Sometimes, our voices do not correspond to the convictions of our hearts. At other times, we are distracted or preoccupied by the cares of the world. But Christ always invites us to enter into song, to rise above our own preoccupations, and to give our entire selves to the hymn of his Paschal Sacrifice for the honor and glory of the Most Blessed Trinity." 

 Our good Franciscan Apostolic Sisters were on retreat this past week. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic especially on the rise in the Philippines, they couldn't gather together in Nebraska as they usually do. Instead, Sister Lourdes, Sister Emma, and Sister Soledad traveled north to Greenville to join with the local FAS Sisters at St. Philip's Convent. The retreat was held via zoom so all the Franciscan Apostolic Sisters could be united in prayer and worship. They return to OLM this weekend, renewed and ready! Welcome back!!

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