Giving Thanks for Mercy, Aiding Those In Need

Dear Parishioners:                    

I'm sure you noticed that the new drapes for the Confessionals arrived and are now installed. However, we are still waiting for our new doors to arrive! Our new statue of the Sacred Heart, which was generously donated, has finally arrived. It is larger than the old one and carved out of stone. We hope to place it in Mercy Park.            

Kevin and Nancy McDevitt and Marybeth and John Morris, OLM School Alumni Parents enjoy the Saints and Scholars Open at Quidnessett Country Club.

The Mercy Feast Week was a great success. The Saints and Scholars Open Golf Tournament was a terrific event. The weather was beautiful, and we had 136 golfers play! Alas, Fr. Mahoney and his team did not win!

We thank our Golf Tournament Chairwoman, Mrs. Lee Mita, for her incredible hard work and dedication to making this event a success. The generous sponsors of our tournament are listed in this week's bulletin, and we are truly grateful for their support.

We thank the many folks who helped us fill backpacks for the homeless at the Act of Mercy. These backpacks and the supplies are a great help to those who are homeless in our state. Also, we thank those parishioners who couldn't be at the event but donated supplies and financial support for this Work of Mercy.

OLM Outreach Director Doug Green enjoys the Oktoberfest in his lederhosen!

Oktoberfest was a great night of fun and fellowship. The German beer and food were Wunderbar, as was the crowd of about 600! We thank the OLM staff and the volunteers for their hard work in making this an enjoyable time for our parish family. We also thank the Lynch Family for their construction site lights that lit up our time together!

The Feast Week is a wonderful week of Faith, fun, and fellowship, and we thank God for this time of celebration and the good weather He provided. Let us continue to call upon Our Lady of Mercy for her powerful intercession.

On Monday, we celebrate Columbus Day, which did not become a federal holiday until 1937. Local celebrations among Italian immigrants began in the late 19th century. The Know Nothings, a nativist anti-Catholic immigration movement, fought against these Columbus Day celebrations. Their violent anti-Catholic bigotry included great prejudice against the Italian immigrants who celebrated Columbus Day. It is no coincidence that today similar bigoted anger and hatred often prompts rioters to destroy and desecrate statues of Christopher Columbus.

The First Landing of Christopher Columbus in America, by Dióscoro Teófilo Puebla Tolín, 1862.

When Columbus landed 530 years ago, he introduced the Catholic Faith to America. With his discovery, the creation of our society began. His achievement is one of history's great triumphs, so we rightly celebrate him and his Catholic Faith. Mass is at 8:30 am on the holiday. Also, Dominican Father Jordan Zajac, OP, from Providence College, is hearing Confessions at 6:00 pm and leading our October Devotions at 7:00 pm. on Columbus Day. Father Zajac will offer a reflection entitled: "The 'Jorrowful' Mysteries: Our Lady's Life of Joys and Sorrows."   

Hurricane Ian left a path of destruction, especially in southwest Florida, trapping people in homes, flooding streets and buildings, and knocking out power across the region. The storm is one of the strongest hurricanes ever to hit the United States.

  As Bishop Tobin requested, our parish will take up a special collection for Hurricane Ian Disaster Relief next weekend, October 16. It is a Special Second Collection, and there is no envelope. Donations may  be mailed or dropped off at the parish office. Make checks payable to OLM with "Hurricane Ian Relief" in the memo line. 

The damage from Hurricane Ian in Florida.

Your generous support directly aids the response efforts of Catholic Charities agencies on the ground providing emergency aid, including water, food, shelter, medical care, and long-term recovery and humanitarian needs. Catholic Charities USA will direct 100 percent of the funds raised through this effort to its agencies working with residents impacted by Hurricane Ian. I thank you in advance for your support of this special collection. Please pray for the victims of Hurricane Ian.

  We also thank the many parishioners who generously donated to the Annual Collection. If you have not yet made your gift, please drop it in the collection basket or the mail. We are grateful for your support of this important collection.

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

It's October, A Time to Pray the Rosary

Dear Parishioners:

I offer my thanks and gratitude to all who made our Parish Feast Week of Mercy a grand success. Our parish staff and many volunteers were great help with all the events. We began with a beautiful Solemn Feast Day Mass and ended up with a great celebration of Oktoberfest!                                                       

During the week, we gathered in prayer to Our Lady of Mercy and heard a great reflection on mercy from Dominican Fr. James Mary Sullivan, OP. They are called the Order of Preachers for a reason! And we also filled 150 backpacks for the homeless with our parish work of mercy! As we reflect upon Mercy Week, let us continue to turn to our patroness, Our Lady of Mercy. Let us now echo the lyrics to the Hymn of Our Lady of Mercy as our prayer: "O Dearest Mother of Mercy, gentle and serene, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. Most Gracious Queen, O Dearest Mother of Mercy, let Angels and Men sing thy praise, and we thy loving children will sing to thee our sweetest songs."

We continue to turn to our Blessed Mother in October, a month dedicated to her and the Holy Rosary. The Feast of the Holy Rosary is on October 7 because, on October 7, 1571, the Catholic naval fleet at Lepanto won a great victory over the mighty Turkish fleet. It was the last battle at sea between "oared" ships, with the most powerful navy in the world, a Muslim force with some 15,000 enslaved Christians as rowers.

Battle of Lepanto Painted by Tony Stafki http://tonystafki.imagekind.com/

Knowing that the Christian forces were at a great disadvantage, St. Pope Pius V called for all of Europe to pray the Rosary for victory. The victory was significant as it prevented the Islamic invasion of Europe and evidenced the Hand of God working through Our Lady. At the hour of victory, St. Pope Pius V, who was hundreds of miles away at the Vatican, is said to have gotten up from a meeting, went over to a window, and exclaimed with supernatural radiance: "The Christian fleet is victorious!" 

So every October, we take up the Rosary. As St Pope John Paul II teaches: "With the Rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love. Through the Rosary, the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer."

Join us every Monday at 7:00 pm for October Devotion as we gather for adoration, pray the Rosary, and receive Benediction. It is a wonderful way to mark this special month dedicated to our Blessed Mother. Won't you join us for a half hour of prayer and reflection?

October is also Respect Life Month. As Catholics, we are called to cherish, defend, and protect those most vulnerable, from the beginning of life to its end and at every point in between. During October, the Church asks us to reflect more deeply on the dignity of every human life.

This year, Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, invites Catholics to "practice radical solidarity and unconditional love" for pregnant and parenting mothers.

  The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health this past June returned the responsibility of limiting abortion from the judiciary to the legislature. For those of us who have prayed for this moment to arrive, says Archbishop Lori, "it is the time for a renewal and rededication of our efforts to build a culture of life and civilization of love." He explains that "justice requires that the basic protections of the law against violence be extended to the preborn child" while explaining that building "a world in which all are welcome requires not only justice, but compassion, healing, and above all, unconditional love."

October is the time to turn with a renewed dedication to praying the Rosary and seeking Our Lady’s intercession for the protection of human life and an increased respect for human dignity. We must continue to pray for a culture of life in our state, nation, and world. We must also pray for all expectant mothers, especially those in crisis pregnancies. Let us turn to Our Lady of Mercy to hear and help us. Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats beat Fr. Mahoney’s Packers???!

The OLM Feast Week, A Time of Faith, Fun & Fellowship

Dear Parishioners:                    

Saint Peter Nolasco

We celebrate our Patronal Feast of Our Lady of Mercy this weekend. The devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title "Our Lady of Mercy" originates from the Order of Our Lady of Mercy. The Order was founded in 1218 for the ministry of ransoming captive slaves, a work of great mercy, and has always been attributed to Mary, the Mother of Mercy. For this reason, Saint Peter Nolasco, the founder, dedicated the first church in her honor in 1249.

  Devotion to Our Lady of Mercy in the Americas finds its roots in the second voyage of Christopher Columbus, who Mercedarian Father John Solorzano accompanied. Thus began a strong missionary apostolate for the Order, which sought to proclaim God's mercy and love under the patronage of Our Lady.

  Mary is the prototype of the mercy and love found in her Son’s sacrificial act of salvation. By looking upon Mary as the true follower of her son, we understand more fully the words: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord."   And in the words of the Magnificat, we recognize the liberating mission of Jesus, reflected in the prayerful song of His Mother: "His mercy is from age to age…He has lifted up the lowly, the hungry He has filled with good things."

  Thus Mary stands at the foot of His cross, hearing the words Jesus addresses to Saint John and ourselves; "Behold your Mother." We revere her and invoke her maternal assistance with the words of the Salve Regina: "To you do we cry, poor banished children…in your mercy hear and answer us."

Maria de Mercede, fresco by Domenico Ghirlandaio (c. 1472).

“Mary, then, is the one who has the deepest knowledge of the mystery of God’s mercy. She knows its price; she knows how great it is. In this sense, we call her Our Lady of Mercy.”

— Saint Pope John Paul the Great

  We begin the Mercy Feast Week with the Solemn Patronal Feast Mass on Saturday. On Monday, it’s time for our Saints and Scholars Open Golf Tournament. Please pray for good weather for our 134 golfers! Perhaps one of the foursomes can beat Fr. Mahoney’s Team!! On Wednesday at 7:00 pm, we gather in adoration, prayer, and devotion for a Holy Hour of Mercy. Dominican Fr. James Sullivan, OP,  leads us in prayer and reflection. It is a great opportunity to gather before the Eucharistic Lord, pray the Rosary, listen to meditative music and receive Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Father Sullivan is an outstanding preacher, so please join us.

Act of Mercy 2021

On Thursday at 6:00 pm, we gather at OLM Field for an Act of Mercy as we pack backpacks for the homeless. All our parish and school families are invited to join us in this Act of Mercy. All you need to do is bring the items listed in the bulletin and pack up a backpack. We have 150 backpacks to fill up, so please help us in this Work of Mercy.

Finally, on Friday, we end our Mercy Feast Week with Oktoberfest. Join us on OLM Field for a festive time with German food, beer, and music. Oktoberfest began as a wedding celebration 200 years ago when Bavaria's Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The wedding was celebrated with multiple days of feasting and horse races. It was such a success that this celebration grew to become an annual festival.

As the festival began to last longer, its starting date was moved to September because the days were longer and the weather was warmer. Visitors could stay out later to enjoy the beer gardens and the famous fields that make up the festival grounds. Today Oktoberfest in Munich is a two-week-long international celebration that always starts the last week of September and ends on the first Sunday in October. This year, it began on Saturday, September 17, and ends on Monday, October 3, 2022.

Bishop Evans and Father Healey enjoy Oktoberfest 2021!

Our OLM Oktoberfest doesn’t last quite as long but is no less festive as it begins on Friday at 6:00 pm ending at 9:00 pm the same night! The See You In September Raffle drawing also takes place at Oktoberfest! Join us for great food and fun.

It is a week to celebrate our faith with fun and fellowship for our parish family. I hope you join us for all our events or even just one event as we celebrate Our Lady of Mercy and welcome in the month of October dedicated to Mother Mary. Thank you for your continued generous support of the Annual Parish Collection this weekend. 

Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Happy  Patronal Feast Day! Happy Oktoberfest! Our Lady of Mercy, pray for us. Go Pats!

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!