Turning to the Sacred Heart in Times of Trouble

Dear Parishioners:                    

We continue to grieve the killing of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. There have been many reactions to this horrific tragedy. But clearly, one thing is still needed, and that is prayer. As people of faith, praying for the victims and their families is an action we can all act and agree upon without debate.                               

Last week in the New York Times, Reverend Tish Harrison Warren, an Anglican Minister, wrote an op-ed entitled, "Uvalde Needs Our Prayers." She writes: "Uvalde is grieving and heartbroken. Some want a revival. Some want mental health services. Some want gun control. But every single person I talked to agreed on one thing: They could use your thoughts and prayers."

Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio prays with parishioners at Sacred Heart Church.

This small town in Texas has many churches. One of the centers of prayer and support for the grieving townspeople is Sacred Heart Catholic Church. San Antonio Archbishop García-Siller visited the parish and said:  “People want to pray.  People want to help. All the community beyond the parish is so connected.”

While the Sacred Heart Church in Uvalde is the center of consolation, prayer, and support for a grieving community, we also remember that June is a month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Perhaps we can turn to the Sacred Heart of Jesus with devotion and prayer for the people of  Uvalde. The Sacred Heart Devotion began when St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received private revelations from Jesus Christ. Jesus spoke to her on June 16, 1675, and asked her specifically to promote a feast that honored his Sacred Heart.

Sacred Heart Statue, Saint-Sulpice, Paris.

St. Margaret Mary described her experience with the Lord: "My divine Heart is so passionately fond of the human race and you, particularly that it cannot keep back the pent-up flames of its burning charity any longer. They must burst out through you and reveal my Heart to the world to enrich humanity with my treasures." Following this revelation, Jesus united His heart with hers in a fusion of mystical love and joy.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart is devotion to Jesus and his love. It is a sign and a symbol of both the divine and human love that Jesus has for his Father and us. It also symbolizes the interior life of Jesus, which led to his willingness to lay down his life for us. Pope Leo XIII stated: "There is in the Sacred Heart the symbol and express image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love in return." 

We continue to mourn the victims of mass shootings in Texas, Buffalo, and elsewhere. Let us be moved by love to pray for the dead killed so tragically, the consolation of their grieving families, an end to senseless gun violence, and the healing of communities divided. Let us turn in June to the Sacred Heart of Jesus to guide us with his divine love and help us discover the love so desperately needed in our nation today. 

June is also the month of Father's Day. In light of the coming celebration of Father's Day on June 19, we are having a Father's Day Drive for Baby Goods. There is a great need for infant diapers and wipes and a critical need for baby food and formula. Gabriel's Call, a charitable work of the Diocese of Providence, has asked parishes to help collect the much-needed baby items.

There are bins in the church's vestibule where you may place any donated items. Also, we are accepting donations to our OLM Outreach on behalf of Gabriel's Call. Make a check payable to OLM and mark "Baby Drive" in the memo. More information is available in the bulletin. Thank you for being so supportive of this charity.    

June also brings with it graduations. On Monday, June 6, the OLM School Graduation is celebrated at 6:00 pm. Please pray for the graduating 8th Grade of our outstanding parish school. May Our Lady of Mercy guide and protect them as they enter high school.    

We congratulate them and all OLM parishioners who graduate from college and high school this year. St. Pope John Paul II once said to young people: "The future is in your hearts and hands. God is entrusting to you the task, at once difficult and uplifting, of working with Him to build the civilization of love."

Prayerful best wishes and congratulations to the Class of 2022! Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless our graduates. Pray for Uvalde. 

O Come Holy Spirit, Remembering the Fallen & Praying for Graduates

Happy Memorial Day! This weekend is often described as the unofficial kickoff of summer. There are many activities like parades and picnics. Many people head to the beach or the golf course. It is the end of May, and June brings warmer weather, the end of the school year, and summer!                     

Yet Memorial Day is more than an excuse to golf, sail, go to the beach, or cook on the grill. It is a day to commemorate all the men and women who died in service to our nation and for the cause of freedom. It is a day to place flags and flowers beside the graves of those who have fallen in military uniform. And a day to honor and remember in prayer the fallen and recall their sacrifice with gratitude.  

Memorial Day first began as Decoration Day. The Grand Army of the Republic, the group of Union veterans that survived the American Civil War, first established the day in May 1868 to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. The focus for that day, and the activities that had come to define it, expanded after World War I. All service personnel from all wars who lost their lives in service to the United States are now included. So please enjoy the Memorial Day weekend and its many activities with family and friends. But also spend some time praying for those who sacrificed their lives for our nation. Honor the dead and pay tribute to the memory of those who gave their lives for the USA.

On Memorial Day, join us as we pray for the fallen at Holy Mass at 8:30 am. And then, on Memorial Day night at 7:00 pm, join us to pray the Rosary before the Eucharistic Lord. In a particular way, we remember those who have died in the time of war serving our nation as we pray for peace in our world today.

On Friday this coming week, we celebrate our Final First Friday School Mass at 9:00 am! It is the last time our 8th Grade Class will be in attendance at First Friday Mass. Their time at our excellent parish school is drawing to an end as they head for high school.

OLM Class of 2022

Next Sunday, we pray for our 8th Grade Graduates, especially at the 10:30 am Mass. At this Graduation Mass, we call upon Our Lady of Mercy, our parish patroness, to lay her mantle of love and protection on the OLM Class of 2022. Each graduate receives an OLM School Medal with a beautiful image of Our Lady. Following the Mass, the graduating class, their families, and the school faculty gather for a Graduation Luncheon. At this celebration, we pay tribute to the outstanding scholars in the class who have exhibited the excellence and hard work for which OLM School is so well known.    

On Monday, June 6 at 6:00 pm, we celebrate the OLM School Graduation in Church. As we prepare to say goodbye to our 8th Graders and wish them much success in high school, I ask you to please pray for the Class of 2022! May they continue to grow to be the saints and scholars God calls them to be!  

Also, next Sunday, we celebrate the great Solemnity of Pentecost. With this feast, the Church celebrates one of the most important feast days of her liturgical year. It always occurs 50 days after the death and resurrection of Jesus and ten days after his ascension into heaven. Pentecost concludes the Easter season and celebrates the beginning of the Church. 

On Pentecost, we recall the Holy Spirit coming upon the Apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Jesus, who were gathered together in the Upper Room. We will celebrate it with Adult Confirmations at the Saturday 5:00 pm Mass. Please pray for these candidates.

This week’s bulletin contains information about the drive to fund abortion in R.I. with tax dollars. The legislation pending in the General Assembly would force all taxpayers to pay for the abortions of state employees and those on Medicaid.   I urge you to contact our local State Senator Valverde and let her know your opposition to her bill.   For women who live in poverty, abortion is a desperate act, not an act of choice. Advocating for the destruction of human life to save funds in the state budget is a cold and calculating policy that seeks to imitate the coercive abortion policies of China and North Korea. It is truly devoid of any sense of morality and must be rejected.

Be well. Stay safe. Do good. Happy Memorial Day! God Bless the USA!

Celebrating OLM Athletes, Grandparents & the Lord's Ascension

Dear Parishioners:                    

The Ascension Window at St. Aloysius Church, Great Neck, New York

This Thursday, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. This Feast commemorates Jesus' Ascension into heaven 40 days after his resurrection. Thus Ascension Day falls 40 days after Easter, on the 6th Thursday of Easter.  The Ascension is a Holy Day of Obligation for all Catholics. On Wednesday, we celebrate the Vigil of the Ascension at 5:00 pm, and on Thursday, Masses are at 7:30 am, 9:00 am, and 7:00 pm. Certainly, ample opportunity for everyone to fit the holy day into their schedule.  

In a sermon on the Ascension, St. Augustine said: "While in heaven he is also with us; we while on earth are with him. He is here with us by his divinity, power, and love. We cannot be in heaven, as he is on earth, by divinity, but in him, we can be there by love." 

  On Ascension Thursday, the 9:00 am Mass is an OLM School Mass. It is also Grandparents' Day at OLM School. The Grandparents of our students join us for Mass and then get to visit with their grandchildren in their classes. It is always a great day of celebration as a couple of hundred grandparents join us from near and far. 

  We haven't been able to celebrate Grandparents' Day in two years due to the COVID Pandemic. It's a wonderful tradition at OLM School, and we are delighted it's back on the schedule. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, recently delivered a very timely message for World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly.

The Visit to the Grandparents by Adolph Tidemand (1814-1876)

He states:" 'In old age, they will still bear fruit' (Ps 92:15). These words of the Psalmist are glad tidings, a true 'gospel' that we can proclaim to all on this second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. They run counter to what the world thinks about this stage of life, but also to the attitude of grim resignation shown by some of us elderly people, who harbor few expectations for the future.

     Many people are afraid of old age. They consider it a sort of disease with which any contact is best avoided. The elderly, they think, are none of their concern and should be set apart, perhaps in homes or places where they can be cared for, lest we have to deal with their problems. This is the mindset of the "throw-away culture," which leads us to think that we are somehow different from the poor and vulnerable in our midst, untouched by their frailties." 

As we celebrate OLM School Grandparents' Day, we offer our prayers and gratitude to the many grandparents who daily offer us an example of love and wisdom. May Saints Anne and Joachim, the patron saints of grandparents, intercede for them all.   

OLM Student Athletes compete in the statewide CAL Cross Country Meet last fall.

At the 5:00 pm evening Mass this Sunday, we honor the OLM School Student-Athletes. Our parish school fields teams for Cross Country, Basketball, Soccer, and Baseball. We award the Most Valuable Players and the Catholic Sportsmanship trophies at the Mass.   I am most grateful to the many parents who volunteer their considerable time and talent to coach our students. They help teach the fundamentals of the game, teamwork and sportsmanship but most importantly Catholic values.   

The 5:00 pm Mass this Sunday is the last one until the fall. It follows our Religious Education schedule and resumes on the first Sunday in October. So please plan your schedule to attend Mass accordingly. 

Next weekend is Memorial Day Weekend, and we pray for all those who have died serving our nation in the military. Memorial Day is a day to honor, remember, and celebrate those who have gone before us in faith. May we honor their sacrifice on behalf of our nation, freedom, and liberty. Let us offer up prayers on Memorial Day for the gentle repose of their noble souls, our sincere gratitude for their service, and a renewed commitment to live our lives in ways that will reflect their sacrifice for an entire nation to see.

I am very grateful to the 424 parishioners who generously donated to support the Catholic Charity Appeal. For the first time in two years, we have reached our parish goal of $190,000! This year OLM surpassed the goal by over $50,000! Also, over 100 additional parishioners supported the Appeal this year! In the name of the poor and needy served by the Appeal, I offer my sincere thanks and deep gratitude.

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

Children, Faith and the Sanctity of Human Life

Dear Parishioners:           

Although the weather didn't cooperate, we had a wonderful celebration of First Holy Communion last Saturday. It was a joyful and faith-filled occasion for our parish family, especially the children who received Jesus Christ in the Eucharist for the very first time.   

On Sunday, we especially celebrated Mother's Day as our First Communion Class crowned our Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of the May! It is always a beautiful ceremony and made special on Mother's Day! May Our Lady continue to guide and protect our parish family, especially the children of the First Communion Class.      

We received notification that pro-abortion extremists were organizing demonstrations around the country to disrupt Masses in Catholic churches on Mother's Day. Thankfully at OLM, our Masses on Mother's Day were not disturbed! If such disruptions should ever happen while at Mass, please remain calm, peaceful, and recollected, and do not confront the protesters. Our ushers will contact the East Greenwich Police Department for assistance if necessary.

Sadly Catholic Churches in our nation were vandalized and received threats of violence and disruptions at Mass by pro-abortion zealots. In Colorado, a Catholic Church was vandalized with pro-abortion graffiti, and its windows were smashed.

Pro-abortion extremists also disrupted Holy Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. In New York, a hostile protest occurred at Old St. Patrick's Cathedral. This New York protest was particularly vile and sinister. Protestors blocking the church doors shouted, "God loves abortion!" What I saw of this demonstration was not only reprehensible but diabolical.

These protests are the poisonous fruit of an ideology of hatred for life that has deeply wounded our country for two generations. Our response to such hatred and violence must always be to bear witness to the mercy of Christ, who teaches us to love our enemies, to pray for our persecutors, and to do unto others as we would have others do to us.

While we celebrated Motherhood last Sunday, these radical and extremist protestors celebrated the destruction of the unborn. Babies in the womb deserve legal protection and possess the basic human right to life. Unborn children at six weeks have a heartbeat. They have fully formed noses, lips, and eyebrows by fifteen weeks and suck their thumbs and feel pain.

The abortion lobby and their elected allies in the White House, Congress, RI Governor's Office, and RI General Assembly support abortion for any reason until birth. The vast majority of Americans, however, support protections for the unborn. It's time to end the tragic and extreme abortion policy that puts us on par with China and North Korea.  

The Catholic Church and the pro-life movement across the country are committed to serving mothers and babies. More than 2,700 pregnancy care centers nationwide serve millions of mothers and babies annually—many states fund alternatives to abortion programs to serve expectant mothers.

The Diocese of Providence, through Gabriel's Call, supports expectant mothers and their unborn children. It provides emotional and practical support to those families in need, including diapers, baby clothing, baby furniture, and other needed items for them and their children. RI Right to Life Services also assists pregnant mothers and new mothers and their babies.

Sadly in Rhode Island, abortion until a child's birth is legal and will remain so. In 2019, the General Assembly passed legislation to codify abortion rights in Rhode Island. This year abortion advocates in RI seek to fund abortions with taxpayer funds.

Pope Francis has written: "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 to do with them whatever one pleases, taking their lives and passing laws preventing anyone from standing in the way of this. It is not 'progressive' to resolve problems by eliminating a human life.."

Pray for a culture of life in our nation, and the legal protection of the unborn and expectant mothers. Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless!

Celebrate Motherhood & First Communion!

Dear Parishioners:                    

Happy Mother's Day! Saint Pope John Paul the Great said: "The history of every human being passes through the threshold of a woman's Motherhood." Thus, on one Sunday a year, we honor our Mothers and celebrate God's gift of Motherhood.                        

Today, we can express our thanks to all of them, including the adoptive mothers, the foster mothers, the grandmothers, and all those women who, by their care for others, help mothers in caring for their children and families. It is a lot to honor in a single day.  I have always found it fitting that Mother's Day falls on the second Sunday of May, the month of Mary, Mother of God. Mary's divine Motherhood begins in her consent to God's invitation to become the mother of Jesus and all of his brothers and sisters in faith. In life, Mary knew in her heart that only in reflection, prayer, and conversation with the God who had called her to be the mother of his child would she be able to carry on her mission with faith and love. 

We give thanks for the blessing in our lives of our mothers who, like Mary, have been faithful to their calling of caring for us with the deepest love. A mother's love, like all love, is of God. It models unselfish and sacrificial love. It is grounded in mercy and forgiveness. In their special way of loving, mothers reflect God's love for their children. 

Take a moment this weekend to thank the woman in your life who loves you in that special way that only mothers do. Give thanks to God for the blessing she is to your life. Or, if your mother is deceased, take a moment, as I will, to remember gratefully the woman who gave you life, formed you, and nurtured you in faith with love.

Pope Francis said: "Every human person owes his or her life to a mother." So say a prayer for your mother and give thanks for the generosity of her life. Pray as well, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of God, that the beauty and sacrifice of a mother's love might be at the heart of the life of the Church and the love and care we give to one another. Happy Mother's Day!

This weekend we also celebrate First Holy Communion for the children of our parish. It is a joyful occasion of faith, hope, and love! The children also celebrate the May Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 10:30 am on this Mother's Day! These are occasions to celebrate as a parish family. But what exactly are we celebrating at First Communion? The Catholic Catechism describes the Eucharist as a "sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet 'in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.'"

 It is bread and wine transformed into Body and Blood. It is the greatest of intimacies and the most profound of mysteries. It is a moment of deep union between the broken and the Divine Healer. It is "the source and summit of the Christian life."

And further, "The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch."

The great Catholic writer Flannery O'Connor once sat quietly at a cocktail party amidst fashionable New York writers condescending about the Eucharist as "a pretty good" symbol. Having said nothing the entire evening out of an awkward nervousness, O'Connor finally blurted out, "Well, if it's a symbol, to hell with it."

Pope Francis celebrates First Communion Mass.

No, the Eucharist is not just a "pretty good" symbol. The Eucharist, instituted at the Last Supper, is truly the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. It is Jesus's Precious and Holy Blood, poured out for us and our sins. Eating His Body and drinking His Blood puts His life inside of us. This truth of the real and abiding presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is what we celebrate in faith and joy this weekend as a parish family with our First Communion Class. May we never take it for granted, for St. Maximilian Kolbe said: "If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion." 

Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless! Blessings upon all Mothers this Mother’s Day! Congratulations to our First Communion Class!

It's May! Time for First Communion, Mothers, Mary & the Rosary!

Dear Parishioners:                                 

Today we begin the month of May! It is a month dedicated to Our Blessed Mother Mary. Saint Francis de Sales said: "Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence."  And so during this month, we run to Mary in prayer and with confidence. Each Monday night in May, we gather as a parish to pray the Rosary for Peace in Ukraine. We call upon the powerful intercession of our patroness Our Lady of Mercy, the Queen of Peace. So schedule thirty minutes each Monday to come to May Devotions as we pray the Rosary before the Eucharistic Lord and receive Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.  As Saint Padre Pio once said:  “The Rosary is the ‘weapon ‘ for these times!”

The month of May also brings us the celebration of First Holy Communion at OLM. Next Saturday, the Our Lady of Mercy First Communion Class children receive Jesus Christ, body, soul, and divinity in the Eucharist for the first time in their young lives. Pray for them!  Celebrating a First Holy Communion Mass in a parish church in Italy in 2019, Pope Francis said to the children:

"We rejoice because, for love of us, Jesus gave his life on the cross and destroyed sin. He rose again and made us adopted sons and daughters of God the Father. We are joyful because he is alive and present among us, today and always. That is why we can encounter him today in the Eucharist." 

First Communion is a beautiful day of faith, hope, and love for our parish children, their families, and our entire parish family. As our children celebrate this First Holy Communion, we pray that it is just the beginning of a lifelong and loving relationship with Jesus Christ nourished and strengthened weekly at Sunday Mass.   

Next Sunday is Mother's Day! We celebrate God's great gift of Motherhood and honor our Mothers for their love and support. We will offer Masses next Sunday for all Mothers, living and deceased. So please return your Mother's Day Memorial envelopes before next Sunday so we may pray for your beloved Mothers and Grandmothers.

Next Sunday, we also celebrate Motherhood in a very special way. at 10:30 am Mass. Our First Communion Class will crown the Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of May. It is a beautiful tradition and a wonderful way to pay tribute to our parish patroness, Our Lady of Mercy.

The English author William Makepeace Thackeray once said: "Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children."  What a joy for our parish family to celebrate both the Mothers of our parish and First Communion for our parish children.

May is a month for us to pick up our Rosary beads and put them to work. Take them out of our pockets and use them to pray. Many great popes, saints, and scholars have encouraged us to pray the Rosary daily. It's a powerful prayer that can change your life, strengthen the family, bring peace to the world, convert entire nations, and win the salvation of souls.

Some people have the impression that the Rosary is not relevant to them. It might be a sacred prayer for very religious people—priests, religious sisters, and pious Catholics—but not for an ordinary layperson.  Many view it as the marathon of Catholic devotions. They dismiss it as too long and too difficult.  We don't have to be holy to pray the Rosary and we don’t have to pray it  all at once. 

Some people quietly pray a whole rosary in one sitting. But we can also choose to divide it up, prayying just a decade or two at a time at different points throughout the day. Perhaps on the way to work, in between errands, in between meetings, while folding laundry, or doing dishes. Many holy men and women have prayed the Rosary just this way and found it fruitful for their busy lives.

We can pray it anywhere! The Rosary is like a portable chapel we pull out anytime, anyplace. Whether we have a sudden, urgent situation to present to God in prayer, or we want to fill some of our days with thoughts of God, all we need to do is pull out our beads and turn to the Lord in this prayer. Indeed, the Rosary is always accessible. It's May so take out the beads and pray the Holy Rosary!

Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless! Hope to see  you at Devotions on Monday as we pray together for peace.