A Saint, A Celebrity & A Conversion

Dear Parishioners:                    

St. Padre Pio

On Friday of this week, we celebrate the Feast of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, more commonly known as St. Padre Pio. He was an Italian Capuchin Friar who was ordained a priest in 1910. On September 20, 1918, deep in prayer, he experienced a vision of the wounded Christ and received the Stigmata, the five wounds of our Lord’s Passion appearing on his body. He drew many people to Confession, and many more received his saintly counsel and spiritual guidance through correspondence. His whole life was marked by long hours of prayer and continual austerity. Padre Pio suffered physically and spiritually all through his life. He had a deep devotion to the Blessed Eucharist and Our Blessed Lady.  

   Worn out by over half a century of intense suffering and constant apostolic activity in San Giovanni Rotondo, Padre Pio died on September 23, 1968. Thousands of pilgrims flock to his tomb from all parts of the world, and many testify to spiritual and temporal graces received. On June 16, 2002, over 500,000 people gathered in Rome to witness Saint Pope John Paul II proclaim Padre Pio, “Saint Pio of Pietrelcina.”    

  A new movie entitled “Padre Pio” was recently released. The movie is set in the 1920s during an uprising of fascism in Italy while the now-saint, born Francesco Forgione, is in the early years of his priesthood. The star of the movie, Actor Shia LaBeouf, who plays the role of Padre Pio, recently announced in an interview with Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester and Word on Fire Ministries that his involvement with the film led him to embrace the Catholic faith after reaching a low point in his life.   

 Considering LaBeouf’s checkered past, which includes serious allegations of assault, he seems an unlikely choice to play such a beloved saint. However, it seems that St. Pio of Pietrelcina interceded to bring LaBeouf home to the Church. Although LaBeouf made his bar mitzvah as a 13-year-old boy, he never fully embraced his mother’s Jewish faith. He says he was agnostic before finding God. LaBeouf suggests that after much turmoil and controversy in his life, he was drawn to the Catholic Faith while making the movie.  

Actor Shia LeBeouf with Bishop Barron

   The actor immersed himself in the life of the Capuchin Friars and began to study the faith. He prepared by imitating the way St. Padre Pio celebrated Mass, prayed, sought and dispensed God’s mercy in Confession, dealt with suffering and rejection, prayed from dawn to dusk, challenged others to holiness, and lived his Capuchin vocation with humility and love. He was so deeply affected that he says the experience “saved my life.” 

   The movie trailer looks like it is a movie well worth watching. Capuchin Brother Alexander Rodriguez, who became close with LaBeouf during the actor’s preparation for the role of Padre Pio, recommends the film for anyone to see. He suggests the film’s depiction of the saint is largely accurate and based on Padre Pio’s letters to his provincial and spiritual director between 1911–1918. 

We give God thanks for Shia LaBeouf’s conversion to the Catholic Faith and pray for his continued growth in the faith. We also pray that his conversion might lead many others to the Catholic faith and help all Catholics grow in their faith and deepen their devotion to Holy Mass. Let us turn to St. Padre Pio, asking for his powerful intercession. St. Padre Pio wrote: “My past, O Lord, to Your mercy; my present, to Your love; my future to Your providence.”

  We celebrate St. Padre Pio on Friday, but next Saturday, we celebrate our parish patroness as September 24 is the Feast of Our Lady of Mercy. We begin our Feast Week of Mercy with the Patronal Feast Day Mass at 5:00 pm next Saturday. Join us at Holy Mass as we honor Our Lady and seek her intercession. The Mass kicks off our week of parish celebrations! The other events of our Mercy Feast Week include the Saints and Scholars Golf Tournament, A Holy Hour of Mercy, and An Act of Mercy. We finish up on Friday, September 30, with our Annual Oktoberfest. Fun, faith, and fellowship! So mark your calendar and celebrate Mercy Week! 

Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Get ready  to celebrate  the Feast of Our Lady of Mercy. Go Pats!???!!

Remembering September 11th with Unity & Charity

Dear Parishioners:                    

In speaking about the Sacrament of the Eucharist, St Augustine said: "O sacrament of devotion! O sign of unity! O bond of charity!" His words came to mind as I reflected upon the 21st Anniversary of the September 11 attacks on our nation.                                                             

New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral following the September 11, 2001 Attack.

We remember the evil attacks on that day that killed thousands of innocent people, including many first responders, and left too many families to suffer great loss and grief. I remember, too, that many Churches were full in the days following the attack as people turned to God in prayer. Sunday Masses in the weeks following the attack were packed with people gathered in a bond of unity and charity.

At a Mass for the Victims of the September 11th Attack, the late Archbishop of New York, Edward Cardinal Egan, stated: "Then we learned - perhaps even to our surprise - that within the hearts of the best of the best of us, there resides a goodness that is incredibly selfless. We learned that, when summoned by great events, we become in great numbers remarkably committed to the well-being of others, even total strangers. We become a strong people, a courageous people, a noble people - a people for others."

  Over the last twenty years, that great bond of unity and charity has faded. Unity and charity continue to diminish as our nation and Church grow more divisive. The social bonds that unite us seem to be not only fading away but, at times, disappearing altogether. 

Social media has helped erode these bonds as people angrily attack and insult one another with Tweets and Facebook Posts. There is a growing ideological puritanism that doesn't tolerate or respect the opinions of others. However, we must not simply lay the blame at the feet of social media. We all have a part to play in this problem.

Yes, it is easy to point the finger at others when we consider the state of the world. It's social media's fault! It's that politician or political party! It's those people! However, if we are honest, we all have to take responsibility. After all, we are all sinners in need of God's mercy. And every time we point a finger of blame at someone else, three fingers point back at us. What are we to do? How do we respond to the many problems of our world today with charity and unity?    

We must respond individually and as a Church as we did twenty-one years ago. By returning to God in prayer. By making more frequent Sacramental Confession of our sins. And most of all, by faithfully coming to Mass each Sunday to grow in devotion, unity, and charity! 

The Eucharist is a sacrament of unity because it unites all the faithful and us more closely with Jesus and one another. The Eucharist makes us one in Christ and strengthens our love and respect for one another as we grow in charity.   In the Eucharist, Jesus Christ has left us, His Church, a symbol of our unity and the charity he desires for all Christians. What we receive at Mass is infinitely more than a good passing feeling or a nice life lesson. At Mass, we participate in the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ himself! We receive His sacred body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Holy Eucharist.

For the Catholic family, there is nothing more important than going to Mass together every Sunday. The adage remains true: "A family that prays together stays together." In the Mass, we pray and worship with the same sacrifice made 2000 years since the Last Supper. At Mass, we are united with the whole Church as one and united with our families together as one in the Lord.   

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks on our nation, we were more united and charitable as Americans and as Catholics. We can be once again if we strive to be more devoted to the ultimate source of unity and charity, the Holy Mass. For only at Mass, do we encounter the living God and strengthen our bond of faith, hope, and charity!

Pray today for the victims of the September 11 attacks and their grieving families and friends. And as we remember the victims of the September 11 Attack, let us renew ourselves in unity and charity with the most perfect prayer, Holy Mass.

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

Resting from Your Labors on Labor Day!

Dear Parishioners:                    

Last Sunday, we had a beautiful Mass and reception to welcome the forty new families who have enrolled their children at OLM School. This year we begin with 246 students and have wait-lists for Grades Pre-K through 5. We continue to enroll new students in our Middle School, but openings are limited. What a credit to our Principal and Faculty and a great sign of hope for our school!

The first day of school at OLM School was a joyful occasion! New, returning, and first-time students all made their way into their classrooms, some with the help of parents! They begin a year of learning and praying! Homework, science labs, quizzes and tests, writing papers, art projects, reading books, and preparing for classes have begun with gusto! However, the mission of OLM School is more than simply educating the mind but also nurturing the souls of our students with virtues and faith. Our students strive to be both scholars and saints!

As said by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI: “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.”   

  We thank our OLM Maintenance Crew, led by Paul Anderson, for getting the school ship shape for the new school year. They worked hard during the heat of August, cleaning and polishing floors, remodeling classrooms, and painting the hallways and classrooms with fresh paint. Indeed we are grateful for all they do to keep OLM looking good and beautiful! 

  The small parking lot next to OLM School was seal coated this past week to keep things looking good. Future Sealcoating Company did a great job filling the cracks, sealing the parking lot, and painting new lines. Also, the driveway behind the Rectory Garage was seal coated. The cost of this project was $10,000. It is funded by our Grateful for God’s Providence Capital Campaign.

   We had hoped to repave all the parking lots and the road at St. Patrick Cemetery this year. However, due to the exceedingly high cost of asphalt at present, we are delaying those projects. We have parishioners in the asphalt business who advised us to wait for the high prices to come down. Let’s hope and pray they do! 

  We also are waiting for the new doors to the Church to arrive later this month. They have been delayed due to supply chain issues for months. Our contractor assures me they should arrive in late September, and installing the 22 new doors can begin.  

   Supply chain issues have also delayed the arrival of the new Sacred Heart of Jesus Statue. It was crafted by a sculptor in Mexico and completed a couple of months ago. However, it’s on a slow boat from Mexico, and is now sitting on a container ship in the harbor at Long Beach, California!    

  We hope to install new drapes in the four Church Confessionals this month. They have been ordered, but they, too, are delayed due to supply chain issues with the material. You may remember we removed the old drapes for health and safety issues during the pandemic. They were almost 40 years old and weren’t worth keeping once we took them down.

Also, last month we updated our Fire Alarm Boxes in the Church, Rectory, and School. The newly updated boxes were required to be updated by the end of next year. Doing the project early, we received a discount. However, the project still cost us $7,000. But better to be safe than sorry!

This summer, we had to work on the electrical system for several rooms in the Rectory. This project was done in late July and took a couple of days for the electrician to complete. It cost just over $2,000. But we have electricity throughout the Rectory now!!  

   Our Monthly Building and Grounds Collection partially funded most of these building projects. Thank you for your continued generosity in supporting this most important monthly collection. We couldn’t do it without your financial support. In buildings as old as ours, there is a never-ending list of to-dos, not to mention surprises along the way!

If you’re tired from reading this maintenance report, take some time to rest from your labors and celebrate Labor Day! Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats! A Very Happy Labor Day! 

Summer's Ending Soon as School Begins!

Dear Parishioners:                    

Fr. Healey greets students for the First Day of School last year.

  “Summer’s lease hath all too short a date,” wrote William Shakespeare. Sadly for students and teachers, summer is coming to an end this week. On Wednesday, classes begin again, and another school year commences. It’s hard to believe it’s already here, but it is!                         

While the fall season officially begins on September 22, summer ends for many when school begins! But of course, the beginning of a new school year brings the joy of being with school friends again and the hope of a fruitful year of study. Yes, the joyous sound of our school children coming and going from school and playing on the school parking lot and field begins again this week. Our hope and prayer are for a fruitful year of happy, healthy, and holy education! Pray for all teachers, students, and their families for a safe and productive school year.

In a very special way, I ask you to pray for the Faculty of Our Lady of Mercy School. They begin the new school year with a retreat on Monday. This year the Retreat Director is Father David Barnes from the Archdiocese of Boston. He is the Spiritual Director at St. John’s Seminary in Boston and was the Chaplain at Boston University for many years. He is an outstanding priest and fine preacher. I am certain our faculty will benefit from his spiritual insights. Please pray for him and a fruitful retreat for our school faculty.

OLM School Mass.

We invite you to pray for the new school year at Mass this Friday at 9:00 AM. The Opening Mass of the Holy Spirit is to be celebrated by Bishop Evans. We call upon the Holy Spirit to guide our principal, faculty, staff, students, and families at this Mass. We will also install our faculty, including our new teachers. Join us for this important Mass and pray for our school community. Also, join us for the reception to follow the Mass in the OLM School Cafeteria. It’s the first reception since before the pandemic! Mass and the reception are a great way to begin the new school year!

Bishop Evans

Friday is also important for Bishop Evans as he will turn 75! We wish him a Happy Birthday. On a bishop’s 75th Birthday, he must send a retirement letter to Pope Francis and await its acceptance by the Holy Father. So as we celebrate Bishop Evan’s 75th Birthday, we also give thanks for his service to the Church as both priest and bishop. For forty-nine years as a priest and thirteen years as a bishop, he has faithfully served the Church of Providence. We are grateful for his priestly service and continued presence at Our Lady of Mercy. Happy Birthday Bishop, and assurances of prayer for a happy, healthy, and holy retirement!

Sister Jeanne Barry RSM

Also, on Friday, we celebrate Sister Jeanne’s sixty-fifth Profession of Vows as a Religious Sister of Mercy. On September 2, 1957, at eighteen, she solemnly professed the sacred vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. For sixty-five years, she has faithfully lived them out serving the Church.

Sister Jeanne has followed the example of Mother Catherine McCauley, the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, as well as countless Sisters of Mercy. Since 1831 they have served the poor, the uneducated, and the needy with faith, love, and mercy. We thank Sister Jeanne for her service to God and Church! Next Saturday, Sister Jeanne is celebrating her Birthday, so please wish her well.

Please pray for Sister and offer the Suscipe of Mother McAuley:

 “My God, I am yours for time and eternity. Teach me to cast myself entirely into the arms of your loving Providence with a lively, unlimited confidence in your compassionate, tender pity. Grant, O most merciful Redeemer, that whatever you ordain or permit may be acceptable to me. Take from my heart all painful anxiety; let nothing sadden me but sin, nothing delight me but the hope of coming to the possession of You my God and my all, in your everlasting kingdom. Amen.”

God is good, and his blessings are bountiful. We thank Almighty God for the many blessings bestowed upon our parish, especially this week, the blessing of our parish school, Sister Jeanne and Bishop Evans! We are truly blessed at Our Lady of Mercy by such people and their witness to faith, hope, and joy!   Let us give thanks to God for these gifts! Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Get your “See You in September” raffle tickets today! Go Sox! Go Pats!

A Parent's Patient, Persistent Prayer Pays Off! Ask St. Monica!

Dear Parishioners:                   

I recently spoke with a parishioner who was very troubled because her children and grandchildren had not been to Church in many years. She was distraught at the thought that her beloved children had lost the Faith, and her unbaptized grandchildren did not even have it yet to lose!   I don’t think this is unusual today. Many good and faithful Catholics have seen and continue to see their children drift away from the Faith. Sometimes aggressively, but more often apathetically. It happens more often than I like to think. Sadly for me, it’s happened in my own family.

SAINT MONICA BY BENOZZO GOZZOLI, 1464–65

  Lapsed and fallen away Catholics are not a modern phenomenon — the life of St. Monica teaches us that. Her son, Augustine, rejected the Faith she had taught him as a child and joined a peculiar pagan sect. Next Saturday, August 27, we celebrate the feast of St. Monica. She is the patron saint of patience and mothers. Her holiness in her life led to her husband’s and mother-in-law’s conversion, two children entering religious life, and her son Augustine becoming a Doctor of the Church.

Her continual prayer for her son and imploring others to pray on his behalf are part of his faith story detailed in St. Augustine’s Confessions. We, too, must sustain such persistent and patient prayer throughout our lifetime for all we love who are far from the Faith. 

.An excellent and helpful book was written a few years ago by Maggie Green, a pen name for a Catholic wife and mother who waits for some of her children to return to the Faith. It is entitled  Saint Monica Club: How to Wait, Hope, and Pray for Your Fallen-Away Loved Ones. I recommend it to all those who lament the lapsed Catholics in their family. 

   For those who join the “St. Monica Club” as a result of having people you love far from the Faith, Maggie Green recommends a few rules to follow with your involuntary membership.   First is to pray for them and to pray without ceasing. Call upon the intercession of the saints, enlist their guardian angels, ask the Holy Souls in Purgatory; ask the souls you’ve known who have died to pray that these prodigals may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

St. Augustine, fresco by Sandro Botticelli, 1480; in the Church of Ognissanti, Florence.

Take up fasting, make sacrifices, and make them a spiritual offering for your lapsed family member. St. Monica gave alms and offerings until told not to and made that obedience an offering. Surrendering some small comfort or pleasure is a way to mold and conform our will to God’s will.

Continue to love your prodigal children. Be with them at meals and special events, and pray in their presence whether they will or not. Always be fully present and authentically faithful when with them. Do not cease to put on Christ in their presence, but present the Lord in their presence by the love with which you welcome them. 

    Ask others to pray with you for them, even if they do not know the one you love is far from the Faith. Petitionary prayer is powerful. Each of us who prays for another is a person helping to reveal our trust that God hears our prayers and seeks to heal those we love beyond even what we ask. 

Be persistent! Members of the St. Monica Club understand that God uses all our lifetimes to court each soul and that no moment of prayer, love, sacrifice, or service is ever wasted. We should never feel discouraged because we know God longs for their company at the great wedding feast more than we do. 

Ary Scheffer: Saints Augustine and Monica 1795-1858

St. Monica saw her son St. Augustine convert fully into the Faith at 31. God is willing to wait a lifetime for our friendship and Faith. Our job while waiting with him is to pray for the grace to be present as needed to others and to keep from blocking anyone’s vision of Christ by our words, actions, silence, or inaction. We must always wait in joyful hope and loving witness.

Begin your prayer for fallen-away children today with this Prayer to St Monica:

“Exemplary Mother of the Great St. Augustine,  you perseveringly pursued your wayward son, not with wild threats but with prayerful cries to heaven. Intercede for all parents in our day so they may learn to draw their children to God. Teach them how to remain close to their children, even the prodigal sons, and daughters who have sadly gone astray. Amen.”

Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox!!! St. Monica, pray for us! 

From "Dog Days" to School Days!

Dear Parishioners:                    

We've been living through some hot and humid weather these last weeks—the "Dog Days of Summer," as they are known. The phrase "Dog Days of Summer" might conjure up images of canines panting in the heat, but the origin of the phrase has to do with the stars.

Historians say the phrase dates back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who would keep track of the seasons by looking up at the sky. The star Sirius was known as the "dog star" because it made up the nose of a constellation shaped like a dog. Near the end of July, when Sirius would appear in the sky just before the sun, it marked the beginning of the very hottest days of the year. The Romans referred to this period as "dies caniculares" or "days of the dog star," which was eventually translated as just "dog days."

Now that we've survived the "Dog Days of Summer," it is time to prepare for the upcoming school year! Yes, school is just fifteen days away!! OLM School and East Greenwich Public Schools begin the new school year on Wednesday, August 31. Where did the summer go?    

Our enrollment at OLM School has increased this year to over 240 students from last year's 220! It is always a great sign that many families are interested in our school. Most of our elementary grades (Pre-K thru 5) are full with a waitlist for admission. There is still room in our Middle School for more students, so spread the word!  

While we said farewell to some of our outstanding faculty members who retired this past June, we have hired excellent new faculty for Middle School Guidance, Math, History, and Theology. In addition, we have outstanding new Pre-K, Technology, and Music teachers.   The tradition of excellence continues at OLM School under the leadership of our School Principal, Patrick McNabb.   

In the coming weeks, you will be able to support the great work of forming the future saints and scholars of our church and world. Next weekend we kick off the Annual See You In September Raffle. The tickets are $100 a piece, and we will be giving away $10,000 in prizes! All of the proceeds of the raffle go directly to the Saints and Scholars Fund for OLM School.

Golfers enjoy the 2021 Saints and Scholars Open

Also, mark your calendar for the Annual Saints and Scholars Open at Quidnessett Country Club on Monday, September 26. This tournament is always a great event, with nearly 150 golfers gathering for a great day of golf in support of our budding saints and scholars. 

Sign-up online with a foursome or come alone, and we'll match you up with other golfers. If you cannot make it, we always need sponsors for Tee Signs!

Our resident golfer in the Rectory, Fr. Mahoney, is very determined to win it all and has been practicing all summer.  We'll need some competitive golfers to see if they can beat him and his team! Rumors are that he has a ringer coming!!   Rory McIlroy, perhaps??!!

And, of course, the coming school year means we are now taking registrations for our Religious Education Program. Over the last couple of years, we have had to modify the program due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.  

This year we have changed the schedule with the restoration of Sunday morning class for the elementary students (Grades 1-4) and Sunday evening class for middle school (Grades 5-8). The classes are returning to the OLM School as they were before the Pandemic. I urge all families with chidden in non-Catholic schools to register today.  

Sisters of Mercy at OLM First Avenue Convent circa 1950s.

Our parish school and Religious Education Program are vital to our mission of Catholic Education and the well-begin of our parish family.   The goal of this mission is simple:  to form saints for life in this world and next!   We build upon the great witness and tradition first begun in our parish when Fr. Patrick Lenihan arrived in East Greenwich in 1853. He purchased a small house that served as a rectory, a church, and a school!  And while our parish has grown in size and space over these last 170 years, the mission remains the same.   

Catholic Education of our children is not about being "socially useful" and instilling "good values" but about making saints and growing the seeds of virtue and truth. Anything less cheats our students of their dignity. So pray for the families and students of our parish school and religious education program.

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