Lent Leads Us To Holy Week

Bishop John Noonan of Orlando and Bishop Richard Henning of Providence join with the OLM Pastor, Father Bernard A. Healey, and Associate Pastor, Fr. Daniel Mahoney, following the St. Patrick’s Day Mass, March 17, 2023

We had two great celebrations on St. Patrick's Day and St. Joseph's Day last week. I am grateful to Bishop John Noonan from Orlando for coming to OLM to celebrate the St. Patrick's Day Mass on March 17th. He did a fantastic job, and the Mass was beautiful and joyful. I hope you attended and enjoyed it, as well as the Irish Soda Bread and Coffee with Baileys Irish Cream!

We are grateful to our Coadjutor Bishop Richard G. Henning, who concelebrated the St. Patrick's Day Mass and then came back to celebrate the St. Joseph's Day Mass in Italian. What a great way to welcome our new Bishop with two great celebrations. We thank him for his presence at our parish and look forward to welcoming him to OLM again.

I thank the many people who helped make the celebrations joyful and festive. Our readers, Sinead Campion, who read in Irish on St. Patrick's Day, and Doctors Rocky Ruggerio and Anthony Bruzzese, who read in Italian on St. Joseph's Day. The music at both Masses was beautiful. We thank our OLM Music Director Henri St. Louis and all the musicians who joined him.

These two great celebrations are a mere prelude to the celebrations of Holy Week, which begins next week. Another fantastic event at OLM is our Annual Living Stations of the Cross, performed by our OLM Middle School. It is this Friday, March 31st, at 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm. It is a very powerful dramatic presentation of the Stations of the Cross. It is a beautiful way to prepare for Holy Week prayerfully, so mark your calendars and plan on attending.

St. Teresa of Avila said, "Let us look to the cross and be filled with peace, knowing that Christ has walked this road and walks it now with us and all our brothers and sisters."     

Next weekend we celebrate Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent, the beginning of Holy Week, and commemorates the triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem, days before he was crucified.    Palm Branches are to be blessed at all Masses. There will be a procession before 10:30 am Mass from Mercy Park. We ask all attending the 10:30 am Mass to gather at Mercy Park before the Mass. Holy Week commences with our celebration of Palm Sunday.

Also, our Mass schedule changes next Saturday as the 4:00 pm Saturday Evening Mass moves to a 5:00 pm start time. Confessions on Saturday afternoon move from a 3:00 pm start time to 4:00 pm. Be sure to plan accordingly.

This weekend we had All-Day Confessions on Saturday from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm with dozens of priests helping hear Confessions. We thank them for their priestly service in helping with this important day. We also thank the many volunteers who assisted the hundreds of people coming to OLM for Confession. If you have not yet made a good Confession, plenty of opportunity is left to do so before Easter.

Saint Pope John XXIII taught: "Doing penance for one's sins is a first step towards obtaining forgiveness and winning eternal salvation. That is the clear and explicit teaching of Christ. No one can fail to see how justified and right the Catholic Church has always been in constantly insisting on this. She is the spokesman for her divine Redeemer. No individual Christian can grow in perfection, nor can Christianity gain in vigor, except on penance."

Ecce homo ( Behold the Man) by Antonio Ciseri, c. 1871

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday as we prayerfully proclaim the Passion of our Lord at all the Masses. St. Paul of the Cross said: "The remembrance of the most holy Passion of Jesus Christ is the door through which the soul enters into intimate union with God, interior recollection and most sublime contemplation." As we anticipate the holiest time of the year and the celebration of Holy Week, may we do so with a prayerful recollection and contemplation of our Lord's Passion.

Please return your donations for the CRS Rice Bowl Collection on Palms Sunday.  It’s always helpful if you strike a check or use bills instead of coins! The Holy Week Schedule is in the bulletin. However, Lent does not officially end until the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday evening. So continue praying, fasting, and giving alms. Hope to see you at the Living Stations of the Cross on Friday. Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless! 

Lent's Not Over! Don't Give Up! Pray, Fast & Give Alms!

Dear Parishioners:                       

Saint Pope John Paul II said: "Lent is a time of truth. Christians, called by the Church to prayer, penance, fasting, and self-sacrifice, place themselves before God and recognize themselves, and they rediscover themselves."                                             How is your Lent going as we enter the Fourth Week of Lent? How are the prayer, penance, fasting, and self-sacrifice going? Have you slipped from your Lenten resolution to fast from something or make more time for prayer? Have you made a good Sacramental Confession of your sins? People often ask me what to do if they break their Lenten resolution. Do they have to find some new resolution? Should they give up and try next Lent? First, don't worry. We are supposed to fail in Lent.

During his 40-day fast,  Jesus had many temptations and travails, which he overcame. But we are made of lesser stuff. We are weaker and often fail.  We lose heart. We fall. We eat what we told ourselves we would give up. We lose our patience. We are supposed to fail in Lent.

 St. Francis of Assisi once went to an island for a 40-day Lenten fast, leaving Ash Wednesday morning and returning Holy Thursday morning. He intended to not eat or drink for forty days in imitation of Christ. But the saintly Francis only made it 39 days! He stopped one day short out of reverence for Christ. This great saint shows us that the point of the 40 days is not to make it but to fail.

Lent shows us that we are weak. It reminds us how human and accustomed we are to our comforts. Therefore, by breaking our resolutions, we prove this. Thus, we go to Jesus because he alone has the divine power and strength to save and forgive us for our weaknesses and failures.

Through our Lenten good works and resolutions, we greatly appreciate what Jesus has done for us. We begin to understand what he continues to do to enlighten, strengthen, and free us from the darkness of sin and ignorance. There are two more weeks of Lent, so don’t give up. Don't feel like you're an epic failure if you don't make it through Lent with your promises and resolutions. Take them back up when you break them. Don't quit! Persevere! Because if you fail, you've achieved Lent's ultimate purpose: realizing that we are weak and need Jesus Christ all the more in our lives!

We can only persevere in our Lenten resolutions if Christ is in our lives. I have met people who boast of their Lenten resolutions yet have not attended Sunday Mass in years. This makes no sense and defeats the purpose of Lent. If we don't seek Christ at Mass, where he feeds, nourishes, and strengthens us, then what good is  a Lenten resolution like not drinking alcohol or not eating sweets. It’s an act of pride rather than a true Lenten penance.

Lenten resolutions are empty if they don’t strengthen our relationship with Jesus. There is no more intimate encounter with Jesus Christ than worthily receiving Him in Holy Communion at Mass.  Our encounter with Christ is also strengthened when we humbly confess our sins in the Sacrament of Confession. He knows our sins already. He is watching and waiting for us to be humble and contrite and go to Him in Confession.

Next Saturday, here at OLM, we have All-Day Confessions from 9:00 am until 300pm with four priest confessors available all day. A great opportunity for every sinner to repent and be forgiven by God's mercy in the Sacrament of Confession.

This Sunday is March 19th, but it is the Fourth Sunday of Lent. So this year, the Solemnity of St. Joseph is transferred to Monday, March 20th.  Our St. Joseph Day Mass celebration is at 12:05 pm Mass on Monday. Mass is celebrated in Italian, and a reception follows with Italian Coffee and delicious Zeppoles!

We welcome Bishop Henning as the celebrant and homilist of the St. Joseph Day Mass. While he is not of Italian heritage, he does speak Italian fluently. In Italy, St. Joseph's Day is celebrated as Father's Day, and Bishop Henning is our Spiritual Father, so it's a Feast Day for him! I hope you join us as we celebrate St. Joseph,  our Italian heritage, and welcome Bishop Henning to our parish.   

It’s still Lent, don’t give up!  Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless! Welcome to OLM,  Bishop Henning! Buona Festa di San Giuseppe! 

Celebrating Our Catholic Faith on St. Patrick's Day!

Dear Parishioners:                                    

I hope you made it to the Parish Mission this past week. Dominican Friar Father Justin Brophy, our Mission Preacher, did an outstanding job preaching. In your name, I thank him for taking time from his busy schedule and giving up his Spring Break to be here at OLM. His words provided much food for thought as we continue to renew our relationship with Jesus in this Lenten Season.

We celebrate the Feast of Saint Patrick the Apostle of Ireland this Friday. Bishop John Noonan, the Bishop of Orlando, Florida, will celebrate the St. Patrick's Day Mass at 12:05 pm. The Mass features Irish hymns and readings in Irish. A reception will follow the Mass with Irish Coffee and Irish Soda Bread. 

Bishop John Noonan of Orlando

Bishop Noonan is a native of Limerick, Ireland. He immigrated to New York at the age of 18. He later relocated to Miami, where his calling to the priesthood led him to St. John Vianney College.   He was ordained a priest in 1983 and Auxiliary Bishop of Miami in 2005. In 2010 he was named Bishop of Orlando.

As a priest of Miami, he served as the Rector of St. John Vianney College Seminary, where I first met him over twenty years ago. He's been to OLM to celebrate Confirmation in years past, and I know you will warmly welcome him back.

St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated since around the ninth century. The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland but in America. Records show that a St. Patrick's Day parade was held on March 17, 1601, in a Spanish colony in St. Augustine, Florida. The Spanish Colony's Irish vicar Ricardo Artur organized the St. Patrick's Day parade.

More than a century later, homesick Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched into New York City on March 17, 1772, to honor the Irish patron saint. Enthusiasm for the St. Patrick's Day parades in New York City, Boston, Newport, and other early American cities grew. Sadly for some people, the celebration of St. Patrick's Day is nothing more than a secular occasion for silly Irish hats, green beer, and drunken debauchery.

Yet St. Patrick's Day is traditionally a spiritual and religious occasion in Ireland. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17. While on St. Patrick's Day, we celebrate the Irish heritage of many Americans and their contribution to the Church and Country over the centuries. It is a day to celebrate our Catholic Faith. Glorious St. Patrick brought the Catholic Faith to Ireland, so we celebrate by attending Mass. See you on Friday! Happy St. Patrick's Day!  

Saint Joseph

March 19 falls on the Fourth Sunday of Lent, so the Solemnity of St. Joseph is moved to Monday, March 20. We will celebrate St Joseph's Day with a Mass with prayers, readings, and hymns in Italian. A reception of Italian Coffee and Zeppoles will follow the Mass. We are honored to welcome our new Coadjutor Bishop, Richard Henning, to OLM as the celebrant and homilist of the Mass. St. Joseph is the Patron of the Universal Church.    

Still, in Rhode Island, he is the unofficial Patron of Italo-Americans. Therefore, we celebrate the heritage of Italian Americans and their many contributions to the Church and Country. Please attend the St. Joseph Day Mass on Monday, March 20, at 12:05 pm.  Buona Festa di San Giuseppe!    

As we continue to celebrate this Sacred Season of Lent, if you still need to go to the Sacrament of Confession, I encourage you to do so. There is Confession every Saturday at 3:00 pm. On Mondays, two priests are available for Confessions at 6:00 pm. All Day Confessions are on Saturday, March 25, from 9:00am until 3:00pm, with four priests available all day. Also, on the Wednesday of Holy Week, there will be two hours of Confessions with four priests. Make a good Confession before Easter. You won't regret it!

St. Thomas Aquinas said: "In the life of the body, a man is sometimes sick, and unless he takes medicine, he will die. Even so, in the spiritual life, a man is sick because of sin. For that reason, he needs medicine so that he may be restored to health; and this grace is bestowed in the Sacrament of Penance. "

I thank those who have pledged to the Catholic Charity Appeal. We are getting closer to our goal of $190,000. Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Make the Parish Mission! It Will Make Your Lent!!

Dear Parishioners:                        

 In St. Mark's Gospel, we learn that the apostles gathered with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught to the people. Jesus responds to this report of all this activity with this invitation: "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."       The Lord wasn't inviting them on vacation at the Dead Sea or to go to Florida! Jesus called his followers to take time from their busy lives to recollect themselves with prayer and reflection.

This week, the Lord calls us to do the same at our Annual Parish Lenten Mission. It is a venerable tradition of the Catholic Church to have Parish Missions during Lent. It is a way for the parish to come together and listen to the Mission Preacher. A Mission is an occasion of grace as we take time away from our busy schedules and make our relationship with Jesus a priority. 

 Just as Jesus and His Apostles went from town to town preaching the Kingdom of God, a Mission Preacher also comes to our parish. He preaches to strengthen our relationship with Jesus, bolster our Catholic Faith, and refocus our spiritual vision on our Savior. I welcome Father Justin Brophy, OP, in your name, to OLM as our Mission Preacher. I have known him for several years, and he is an outstanding priest and a dynamic preacher.

Father Justin Brophy, OP

A member of the Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominican Friars, he is a Professor of Political Science at Providence College. Fr. Brophy is preaching at all the Masses this weekend and preaching a Mission Talk at 7:00 pm on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights. His theme is "Our Relationship with Jesus: the Pearl of Great Price." Before the Mission Talks each night at 6:00 pm, four priests will be available to hear Confessions.

The Parish Mission is a great opportunity to reflect, pray, and regain zeal if our Faith has grown tepid. It helps to support us in our good resolutions to serve God and our neighbor. So put the Mission on your schedule. I know you will warmly welcome Fr. Brophy this weekend and certainly find his Mission fruitful. 

 Invite your spouse, children, grandchildren, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and fellow parishioners to join you in coming to the Mission. You might even invite a fallen-away Catholic or someone who hasn't returned to Mass since Covid to join you at the Mission. It's a great way to get them to return to the practice of the Faith. Make the Mission this week, and you will benefit greatly!

We are celebrating First Confessions for our First Communion Class this Saturday and next. It is an occasion of grace as these children receive God's mercy and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Confession. Please pray for them as they prepare to receive our Lord in Holy Communion in May.

This Lent, we will hear some slightly different words from the priest in the confessional. The Order of Penance has been updated, and a new English translation has been issued. The change in the priest's prayer was allowed to begin on Ash Wednesday but must be used after Divine Mercy Sunday in April. The translation of the prayer of absolution, said by the priest, has changed slightly. Only the words in bold are new: "God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son, has reconciled the world to himself and poured out the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church, may God grant you pardon and peace. And I absolve you from your sins in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." 

Even if a priest says the old version of the prayer of absolution, it is still valid, and your sins are forgiven. This new translation is a more precise translation of the original Latin text. In reality, most people won't notice the change in the words of absolution, but most priests need time to memorize the new words. St. Pope John Paul II said: "Confession is an act of honesty and courage - an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God." 

This week at the Mission and all during Lent at OLM, there are ample opportunities to make a good Confession before Easter.  I hope and pray you will do so!  Pray for Fr. Brophy and the success of our Parish Mission. Then make the Mission and go to Confession. Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless! Pray, Fast, and Give Alms

Lent Has Begun! Take up Your Cross!

Dear Parishioners:                        

Jesus in the desert for forty days.

 Our solemn fast of forty days has begun! The ashes from Ash Wednesday have been washed away. However, the appeal to "Repent and Believe the Gospel!" remains before us. And so we commit ourselves to more prayer, penitential self-denial, and generous almsgiving.   

Lent has its origin in the early days of the Church. Converts seeking to become Christians, mostly adults at that time, spent several years studying and preparing. Under the threat of Roman persecution, becoming a Christian was serious business, so their preparation process was intensive! They went through a final period of "purification and enlightenment" for the 40 days before their baptism at Easter. The rest of the Church began to observe the season of Lent in solidarity with these newest Christians. It became an opportunity for all Christians to recall and renew their commitment to their baptismal promises.

Lent calls us to conversion as we acknowledge how we have turned away from God in our lives. We focus on turning our hearts and minds back toward God through the three pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These observances help us turn away from whatever has distracted or derailed us and to turn back to God. Giving up something for Lent is ultimately a form of fasting. We can deprive ourselves of some small pleasure or indulgence and offer that sacrifice to God. Or we might "give up" a bad habit, such as swearing, to positively turn our life back toward what God wants for us.

Satan tempting Jesus.

Lent is a time to accompany Jesus into the desert, imitating his example of prayer and fasting. Jesus' regimen was rigorous in the wilderness. St. Luke explains how he "was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, he was hungry."

Giving up something for Lent is a powerful way to imitate the sacrifices of Jesus in the desert and unite our hearts with his heart in prayer. While Catholics are technically not obliged to make such a sacrifice, the Church has always encouraged the faithful to do something to enter into the penitential Spirit of Lent more deeply. By making such sacrifices, we remind ourselves that we are not made for life on this earth but are called to something greater. It is up to us to make good use of our time and to find ways to refocus our attention on God, choosing the narrow road that leads to eternal life.

One of our high school altar servers told me that last Lent, he gave up "Tik Tok," the Chinese-owned social video-sharing app, and has never returned to using it! Good for him! His Lenten fast from social media produced good fruit! What are you giving up? Let's pray it produces good spiritual fruit for you!

Pope Francis said: "Lent is a fitting time for self-denial; we would do well to ask ourselves what we can give up to help and enrich others by our own poverty. Let us not forget that real poverty hurts: no self-denial is real without this dimension of penance. I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt."

Since Lent is a time to renew and reinvigorate our relationship with Jesus Christ, I encourage you to make the Parish Lenten Mission. It begins next weekend with Dominican Friar Father Justin Brophy, OP, preaching on "Our Relationship with Jesus: the Pearl of Great Price." Fr. Brophy is preaching at the Masses next weekend and offering a Mission Talk each night on Monday through Wednesday, March 6-8. Also, four priests will be available each night of the Mission for Confession beginning at 6:00 pm. Be sure to put the Parish Lenten Mission on your calendar!

I again wish to thank the 161 parish families who have made their pledge to the Catholic Charity Appeal. We need every parish family to support the CCA if we are to reach our goal of $190,000 this year! If you still need to pledge, please consider pledging $350 over ten months at $35 monthly. The CCA funds the Diocese of Providence's many charitable good works in serving the poor and needy of our state. In the name of the poor and needy, I thank you for your support.           

Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless! Lent has begun, take up your cross. Pray, Fast, and Give Alms!! 

Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving! Lent is Coming!

Dear Parishioners:                       

 In Her wisdom Holy Mother the Church each year gives us the Holy Season of Lent. And so we "begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint."

Lent calls us to be vigilant against "spiritual evils," especially those we struggle with daily. Namely, sin, pride, selfishness, spiritual apathy, indifference, sloth, and laziness. We must be armed with prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, which are our "weapons of self-restraint."

We must be more vigilant in faithfully attending Holy Mass on Sundays as God has commanded us. We must be more vigilant in seeking God's mercy and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Confession. We must be more vigilant in making sacrifices, being more generous and charitable to the poor, and practicing self-denial as we take up the cross and follow Christ. 

Our spiritual campaign of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, with three Masses, 7:30 am, 12:05 pm, and 7:00 pm. Ashes will be imposed at all three. As our foreheads are smeared with ashes, we take up the clarion call of Lent: "Repent and believe in the Gospel."

Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and abstinence. So we are expected to eat only one large meal and two small, modest meals and avoid eating between meals. We also are expected to abstain from eating any meat. Fridays of Lent are days of penance and prayer as we loyally keep the sacrificial fast and abstain from meat in honor of our Lord's sacrifice on the cross.

We have Lenten Masses at 7:30 am and 12:05 pm Monday through Friday. Put Daily Mass on your schedule this Lent! Confession in Lent is daily, Monday through Friday, at 11:45 am, just before the Lenten 12:05 Mass. On Monday nights at 6:00 pm during Lent, an extra guest Confessor joins us weekly. All Day Confessions are scheduled for Saturday, March 25!

Dominican Friar Father Justin Brophy, OP, leads the Lenten Mission this year. He is preaching: "Our Relationship with Jesus: the Pearl of Great Price!" Fr. Brophy is a Professor of Political Theory at Providence College. He is a brilliant young priest and an outstanding and dynamic preacher. The Lenten Mission is scheduled to begin on Saturday, March 4. Save the date and make the Mission!

  Lent is a time for more sacrifice, prayer, and reflection in our daily lives. Many Lenten books, booklets, and pamphlets are available in the vestibule and the bookrack to help strengthen your spiritual life. Take a break from your daily routine for spiritual reading, prayer, Mass, and reflection during Lent. Our Lenten fast from certain foods, drinks, and other comforts and pleasures helps us conform to God's will.

For forty days, we take up fasting by giving up some selfish pleasure or creature comforts like chocolates, ice cream or sweets, perhaps beer or Bourbon, or even smoking cigars! We should moderate our use of technology like cell phones, the internet, and social media. Such sacrificial fasting and self-denial are done during Lent in imitation of our Savior's forty days in the desert.

The late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen said: "Lenten practices of giving up pleasures are good reminders that the purpose of life is not pleasure. The purpose of life is to attain to perfect life, all truth, and undying ecstatic love, which is the definition of God. In pursuing that goal, we find happiness."  

 On Fridays during Lent, we pray the Stations of the Cross at 7:00 pm. This venerable devotion draws us closer to the Crucified Christ. Join us as we prayerfully follow his footsteps to Cavalry. We give more alms to the poor during Lent. We can do this through Operation Rice Bowl, OLM Outreach, and the Catholic Charity Appeal. Please take a rice bowl home today. The monies collected buy food for the hungry of the world.  

Pope Francis states: "Lent reminds us that we can always start again, with the help of God's mercy, we can always get up and resume following the Master." If we've fallen away, let us resume following the Master this Lent with prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. In the name of the poor, I thank those who generously pledged their gift to the CCA. Please pray for the health and happiness of all students and teachers on vacation this week. Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless!