Turn Despair into Hope this Advent

Dear Parishioners:

I hope you had a joyful Thanksgiving with family and friends. This Thanksgiving was especially joyous as I traveled to my sister's home in Saratoga, New York. Since the pandemic, we have not gathered together for Thanksgiving Day.          

  In fact, due to the pandemic last Thanksgiving, I ate alone in the Rectory, albeit with a nice Thanksgiving meal accompanied by a glass of fine wine and a good cigar afterward. So this year was a true blessing to eat Thanksgiving Dinner with my family once again! And to add to the blessings, our own Father Mahoney cooked a Thanksgiving Dinner for the Rectory, so we've plenty of leftovers for Turkey sandwiches, soup, and hash! 

  As we gathered together at the Thanksgiving table, we thanked God for the many blessings and bounty bestowed upon us. The blessings of family and friends, the blessings of being able to gather together, and the blessings of bountiful good food! In these turbulent times in our World, it is easy to forget the many blessings we enjoy and instead focus upon "what's wrong with the world." The London Times once sent out an inquiry to famous authors, asking the question, "What's wrong with the world today?" The great British Catholic writer G.K. Chesterton responded succinctly: "Dear Sir, I am. Yours, G.K. Chesterton."

G. K. Chesterton

  Chesterton would follow with his remarkably perceptive book What's Wrong with the World, in which he suggests: "In the modern World we are primarily confronted with the extraordinary spectacle of people turning to new ideals because they have not tried the old. Men have not got tired of Christianity; they have never found enough Christianity to get rid of. Men have never wearied of political justice; they have wearied of waiting for it."

As Christians, we must never give in to weariness and despair. Despair is the idea that even God cannot save us from looming disaster. We must be a people of hope and joy, not doom and gloom! And so as we begin this Sunday the great season of hope, Advent, we rejoice!

"Advent," says Pope Francis, "is a journey toward the horizon of hope. It does not disappoint because it is founded on the Word of God. A hope that does not disappoint, simply because the Lord never disappoints! He is faithful!" 

As we begin the holy season of Advent and the Church's new year, we start in the hope of the Lord. Saint Thomas Aquinas taught the motive of hope is God's infinite power. We can hope because we believe that "for God all things are possible." The virtue of hope is not a warm feeling, a sunny mood, or a habit of optimism. As the great Catholic French novelist Georges Bernanos once wrote, optimism has nothing to do with hope. Optimism is often foolish and naïve. It is a preference to see good where the evidence is undeniably bad. Bernanos called optimism a "sly form of selfishness, a method of isolating oneself from the unhappiness of others."

Hope is very different. It's a choice to trust in God. "The highest form of hope,"  Bernanos said, "is despair, overcome." The hope of Advent is not to hope that Jesus will come back into the World at Christmas. Jesus did come into the World two thousand years ago—God-made-man, Word made flesh, in Bethlehem. This is a historical fact. Hope is rooted in history, but hope is also about our present and our future.

  "To come to know God—the true God—means to receive hope," Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI taught in his encyclical Spe Salvi. Hope knows the Lord, believing in his promises, and trusting that he loves us, transforms us, and sanctifies us. Advent calls us to renew such hope. It is a season in the Church's life intended to renew the experience of waiting, hoping and longing, for the Messiah.

During Advent, we must enter more frequently into silence, prayer and reflection, Scripture, and the sacramental life of the Church, especially at Mass and Confession. These practices prepare us properly and prayerfully for celebrating Christmas.  Prepare the way of Advent! Overcome despair with hope in Jesus Christ. Our Messiah is coming! Make a good Confession, come to Mass and pray at Adoration! Renew hope and live the Catholic Faith!

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

Is Christ our King Today??

Dear Parishioners:                    

Christ the King by CB Chambers

This weekend is the last Sunday of the liturgical year, as we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. This feast gives special recognition to the dominion Christ our Lord has over all aspects of our lives. 

When Cardinal Ambrogio Achille Ratti was elected pope and took the name Pope Pius XI, much of the world was in shambles. The year was 1922, and while World War I had ended, widespread peace and tranquility were not evident. The war to end all wars had been especially devastating to the countries of Europe.

Governments were in economic chaos, unemployment was rampant, and people were starving to death in many places. The stability of the old social and political orders that had embraced royal houses and crowned heads of state was crumbling. Pessimism, a sense of helplessness compounded by hatred among the nations, was overwhelming. Fascism and communism were on the rise.

  In their distress, people clung to anyone who offered them hope, offered some direction out of the chaos, and promised to put food on their tables. And so, they gravitated to the emerging dictators. As they did, they often sought to be self-sufficient and to exclude God from their everyday lives.

  Many considered the basics of morality and the teachings of the Church to be out of date, no longer relevant in 20th-century society. Modern thinking allowed that, at most, Christ might be king in the individual's private life, but certainly not in the public world.

Some political regimes advocated the banishment of Jesus and religious faith altogether, not only from society but also from the family. Moreover, as nations were being reborn and governments restructured, their foundations, policies, and laws were often fashioned without regard to Christian principles.

Pope Pius XI

  The new Pope Pius XI saw that people were denying Christ in favor of a lifestyle dominated by secularism, materialism, and false hope created by the new ideologies and leaders. He realized that he had to address the political and economic forces attacking the kingship of Jesus. As a start, he dedicated his reign as pope to "The Peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ.”.

  In 1925, to acknowledge the supremacy of Jesus Christ over all people and nations perpetually,  Pope Pius XI issued the encyclical Quas Primas (In the First). It added the feast of "Our Lord Jesus Christ King" to the annual Church liturgical calendar.

In 1969, St. Pope Paul VI, to emphasize Christ's universal reign, changed the name of the celebration to the feast of "Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of Universe.” He also moved the Solemnity to the last Sunday of the liturgical year. This change emphasized the connection between Christ's Kingship and His second advent (coming) to judge the world even more strongly. 

Protester in Washington, DC

Today, peace still eludes us; social, political, and economic orders are in turmoil due to the pandemic, and nations continue to reject the light of the Gospel. The problems of the early 20th Century seem to be alive and well in the early 21st Century.

The Archbishop of Los Angeles, José H. Gomez, recently gave an address in Spain entitled, "Reflections on the Church and America's New Religions." I suggest reading it in its entirety as it offers an insightful reflection about the current state of our nation.

The Archbishop suggests that the new social movements that exist in the U.S., such as "social justice," "wokeness," "identity politics," or "successor ideology," are "pseudo-religions, and even replacements and rivals to traditional Christian beliefs."

He further suggests:  "Today's critical theories and ideologies are profoundly atheistic. They deny the soul, the spiritual, transcendent dimension of human nature; or they think that it is irrelevant to human happiness." Archbishop Gomez suggests "the world does not need a new secular religion to replace Christianity. It needs you and me to be better witnesses. Better Christians." We can be grateful, then, for the chance to celebrate each year the Solemnity of Christ the King — for the world needs now, more than ever, our witness to His rule over all things.

Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats!!!! Fr. Mahoney and I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Parish Finances & Faith

Dear Parishioners:

Last month we sent our Annual Financial Report for the Fiscal Year, July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021, to  Bishop Tobin.  A summary of the report is in this weekend’s bulletin for your review.  Our Parish Trustees and Finance Council approved the report, which was also reviewed by our Parish Auditors, Paul St. Onge, and Ed Loiselle.   

The news is good for the fiscal and financial stability and vitality of our parish.  The budget collection increased by $40,000 during this period, while our expenses decreased by $35,000.  Also, the Annual Collection last year increased by $16,000.  However, we had to increase the subsidy to our parish school to $100,000.     

Much of our additional costs during this period were due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.  The Pandemic increased maintenance costs and salaries.  Also, the Pandemic affected the school budget with a slight decline in enrollment and a decrease in income from our afterschool program.    

Thankfully we benefited from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which provided us with a loan of $400,000 for payroll and benefits costs during the Pandemic.  We split the loan between the school and parish,  $280,000 for the school and $120,000 for the parish. This loan was recently forgiven by the  Small Business Administration and is included in our operating results for this fiscal year.     

You will also notice the payment of $282,000 from the Grateful for God’s Providence Capital Campaign, which began at OLM in 2019.  This payment results from the faithful fulfillment of pledges towards the total of $1.85 million pledged. We have also paid the Diocese their portion in the amount of $235,000.    

We are now completing our second year of the pledge campaign.  Over the last two years, the GGP Campaign has financed many capital improvement projects.  The projects include new roofs and boilers at the convents, a partial new roof and new gutters on the school, a new boiler in the rectory, and a new security camera system in the parish. The cost of these projects was $135,000. 

We are finalizing the bid on our new doors and hope to have more information soon.  The GGP Campaign will also finance this project.  Other infrastructure projects we expect to complete in the coming year include new parking lots and a new road in St. Patrick Cemetery.   

I thank the many parishioners who so generously support our parish.  We couldn’t be the vital and faithful parish we are without your tremendous financial support. We are grateful for this support that sustains the faith and good works of OLM.   

We also sent our Status Animarum (Status of Souls) Report to the Bishop last month. It provides the statistics for the sacramental life of the parish.  Currently, there are  1,872 families registered at OLM.  Of this number, just over 800 financially support the parish, and unfortunately even fewer attend Sunday Mass regularly.      

Forty baptisms occurred last year, including one adult.  Sadly we laid to rest forty-eight fellow parishioners. We had nine couples happily enter into the Sacrament of Matrimony. And fifty-seven children received First Communion, and sixty-three young adults received the Sacrament of Confirmation.  

These statistics show us the vitality of our parish over the last year.  Of course, it was a year in which we lived with a pandemic. Happily, the Pandemic is subsiding, and we are returning to a more normal way of life. We continue to see more people coming back to Mass and more interest in our parish school and religious education program. 

While many parishioners are not including the worship of God at weekly Sunday Mass in their schedule, they are returning to the local shops and restaurants, gun ranges and golf courses, soccer fields, and ice rinks, and even Gillette Stadium. We must invite them back and encourage our family, friends, neighbors, and fellow parishioners to join us at Mass every Sunday. 

Remind them that not only God but also all of us truly miss them! Together we must all put Mass back on the schedule on Sundays!  “It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do without Holy Mass,” said St. Padre Pio.  How right he is!

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

The Church: Triumphant, Suffering & Militant

Dear Parishioners:                                 

We had a festive celebration of All Saints Day on Monday. Our school students and families gathered for Mass as we celebrated the saints. Following the Mass, Bishop Evans blessed the new statue of St. Joseph with the Christ Child.  This beautiful new statue was a gift from the OLM School Class of 2021. We thank them for such a fitting gift for our school and parish, especially as we continue to celebrate the Year of St. Joseph. We are also grateful to Paul Anderson, who ensured the statue was erected quickly and had lights!

Finally, with the Apostolic Letter "Patris corde" ("With a Father's Heart"), Pope Francis recalls the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. The Holy Father has proclaimed a "Year of Saint Joseph" to mark the occasion, which concludes on December 8, 2021. At the conclusion of his Letter, he invokes a prayer to St Joseph:

 "Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. To you God entrusted his only Son; in you Mary placed her trust; with you Christ became man. Blessed Joseph, to us too, show yourself a father and guide us in the path of life. Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage, and defend us from every evil. Amen."

  Perhaps we might all offer this prayer as we gaze upon the beautiful statue of St. Joseph night and day. May he guide and protect our parish and school community. St. Joseph, pray for us!

On All Saints Day, we celebrate the Church Triumphant, which is the Church in Heaven. In the kingdom of God we find the Holy Trinity, the angels and saints, and all those who have reached the fullness of salvation in Christ.  

  The term "Church Triumphant" underlines the truth that in the glory of Heaven, all human sin will have been transformed, death and suffering will be no more, and the glory of God will have triumphed over all the imperfections of human history.

  When the Church canonizes a saint, She confirms they are in Heaven. The Pope does this based on the supplied evidence of a holy Catholic life and the evidence of miracles credibly attributed to the prayers of the saint. Canonization says they are in Heaven now and that any purification they might have needed is complete. The Church is not thereby indicating that the saint required no time in Purgatory, only that their purgation is now complete and they are in Heaven, as seen by the evidence of the miracles wrought by God through their prayers.

Though we cannot know if or for how long a canonized saint might have needed purification in Purgatory, it seems likely that even most canonized saints would need some purgation after death. Even very holy people probably need some final cleansing for the Lord to finish and perfect this awesome promise in us. 

  The Church Suffering refers to the Church in Purgatory. Purgatory is not a kind of temporary Hell but rather the threshold, the antechamber of Heaven. In Purgatory, all those, whether Christian or not who have entered the gates of death without reaching the full perfection of life. This perfection is represented in Christ, and so they are cleansed in a kind of ongoing baptism and purified by the Holy Spirit's enlightening fire. The suffering of Purgatory is not one of destruction but the suffering that comes from leaving the old self behind and taking on the new. In November, we pray especially for the Poor or Suffering  Souls in Purgatory.

The Church Militant refers to the Church on earth. The term "militant" can suggest an antagonistic relationship between the Church and the world. However, it refers to an authentic reality: that the Church on earth works to overcome the imperfect and sinful dimensions of human existence. The Church's mission is not to oppose the world and society. Rather it is to work for the transformation of the world by the effective preaching of the Gospel, by the instructive power of good works, and the bold witness of the baptized into Christ.  Thus, in faith, we ask the Church Triumphant to intercede for us, in hope we pray for the Church Suffering, and in charity, we are the Church Militant!    

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

Praying for All Saints, All Souls

Dear Parishioners:

The month of November begins Monday, and our thoughts turn toward Purgatory and the holy souls who dwell there for a time, expiating their faults. As is our custom, we keep by our Altar of Sacrifice in Church the names of deceased family members and other loved ones inscribed on All Souls Day envelopes. These souls are faithfully remembered at each Mass offered during the month of November. Therefore, we invite you to return, before November 1, your All Souls envelopes with the names of your loved ones who are deceased. We happily include these souls in this great benefit of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for their speedy release and eternal peace.

Our Catholic faith teaches us that death is not the end of our story. From the moment that He created humanity, God desired that we should be with Him for eternity. Even after Adam and Eve turned away from God in the garden, thus introducing death into the world, the Lord did not abandon that desire.     To make this eternal union with Him possible once again, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to restore that link that had been lost.   Through His death and resurrection, He has reconciled us to Him and has allowed us to share that destiny of eternal glory that He intended from the beginning.

If our relationship with Jesus is meant to continue after earthly death, the same is true of our relationship with all other members of the Body of Christ. As Catholics, our relationship with Jesus is not purely individual. It is corporate.  We encounter Him in our membership in the Church, united with one another in the bond of our common faith. The bond that unites us is more powerful than death, and it continues after we die, which requires that we have faith to see beyond what seems to be the end. Our praying for the dead expresses our belief in the power of that bond and unites us with the faithful, both living and dead.  

All Saints Day, Monday, November 1, is a day on which we call to mind those souls who, after dying, have received their reward in Heaven. They remain united to us by interceding for us before the throne of God as we make our way through this life.

On All Souls Day, Tuesday, November 2, we remember all the faithful departed especially those in Purgatory. They spend eternity with Christ and are united in a bond of love with  Him at the time of their death. However, they still bear some of the remnants of their previous sins. In His rich mercy and  great desire to extend His victory to those who die in this way, God has made possible a state whereby one is purified of these traces of sin. Thus they may be worthy of joining the company of saints cleansed of any residue that may have been clinging to them from their journey of life.

In this state of Purgatory, the faithful departed depend on our prayers, Masses and sacrifices to aid them in this process. So we gladly offer our prayers for them in various ways, individually and collectively. But, unfortunately, many people in our culture today dismiss this important practice of our faith. Many would like to assume that their loved ones have gone to Heaven and therefore see no need to pray for the repose of their souls.  Yet to offer prayers for the dead is in no way a lack of hope on our part, but rather an expression of true love for them and a firm trust in God's infinite mercy.

 November is dedicated to the Poor Souls in Purgatory, let us offer many prayers, Rosaries, Masses and sacrifices for those who await their entrance into Heaven. May we be especially mindful of the profound assistance provided to those souls each time we come to Mass.    

All Saints Day is not a holy day of obligation this year as it falls on a Monday. However, there are two Masses, 7:30 am, and a 9:00 am School Mass. Following the school Mass, we will bless the new statue of St. Joseph on the school's front lawn. 

On All Souls Day, we have three Masses scheduled: 7:30 am, 9:00 am, and Noon.  The OLM Middle School students will process to St. Patrick's Cemetery after the 9:00am Mass on All Souls Day as we pray for, and remember, our beloved dead who rest in that sacred ground.  

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

Gratitude & Joy, Faith & Prayer

Dear Parishioners:                                 

It was indeed a tremendous celebration of Confirmation last Sunday. We thank Almighty God for such a grand day for this important event in the life of our parish family. We are grateful to Bishop Matano, the Bishop of Rochester, NY, for traveling to OLM to Confirm our 72 young adults. His sermon was profound and inspiring. We are deeply grateful for his presence at OLM.

We also thank the many people who made our celebration so solemn and joyful. In particular, we thank Doug Green and Mickey St. Jean, our Religious Education Program coordinators, who prepared the candidates for Confirmation. Their hard work and dedication to the youth of our parish are genuinely appreciated.

We thank Henri St. Louis, our talented and dedicated Music Director, the OLM Choir, and our guest musicians. The music was truly magnificent and uplifting and added much joy to our celebration. The Choir sang beautifully, and the brass quartet and timpani made the music even more festive! We thank them all for sharing the gift of sacred music that lifts our worship to God!

We also thank Cecilia Franzone and the OLM Decorating Committee for their dedication and hard work in ensuring our Church is truly beautiful for Confirmation. The flowers and altar linens were beautiful. We must also thank Sister Lourdes and those who work so hard in the Sacristy to ensure the vestments, sacred vessels, and the many details for the Confirmation Mass.

We are always grateful to the OLM Altar Servers, the many siblings of the newly Confirmed, who so dutifully served the Confirmation Mass with tremendous reverence. And we also thank our OLM Ushers, who welcomed the many guests and provided a warm welcome and hospitality for the Confirmation Mass.

And we especially thank the parents of the newly Confirmed. Their sons and daughters have reached this important milestone in their faith lives by fulfilling the promises their parents made for them at baptism. We thank the chosen sponsors of the newly Confirmed. They have borne witness to the Catholic Faith and inspired the Confirmed. We pray they continue to inspire and bear witness as they offer a good example of faith, hope, and charity to the newly Confirmed.

And finally, we thank the 72 young adults who are now Confirmed. Ultimately, they decided to receive this wondrous Sacrament and confirm their Catholic Faith before God and His Church. Now filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we hope and pray they continue to choose Christ and serve His Church.

Next Sunday, at the 10:30 am Mass, we celebrate another important and solemn event at OLM. The Mass is offered for the over fifty fellow parishioners who have died over the last year. Their families join us at the Mass as we pray for their consolation and the gentle repose of the soul of their loved ones.

The Church has always taught that it is a Spiritual Work of Mercy to pray for the faithful departed souls. She traditionally sets aside November to remember all the dead in faith, hope, and prayer for this Work of Mercy. St. Augustine said that monuments are built for the living. Prayer, he suggests, is the best way to assist the dead.

So please join the Our Lady of Mercy Parish Family as together we offer the Mass, the highest form of prayer we know, for the beloved dead of our parish family.  As we pledge our prayers for the dead, we remember the words of St. John Chrysostom: "Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them." May all our beloved dead rest in eternal peace, and may perpetual light shine upon them.

   On Monday two Dominican Friars are hearing confessions beginning at 6:00 pm. This is an excellent opportunity to receive God's mercy in the Sacrament of Confession. Dominican Fr. Michael Weibley, OP, is also joining us for Devotions at 7:00 pm to offer a spiritual reflection entitled "The Providence of Life." So please join us for our final October Devotions on Monday night as we pray the Rosary and reflect on God’s Providence.

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