The Good News! Hear it and Spread it!

Dear Parishioners:                    

Last Sunday, I read the New York Times weekly column by Tish Harrison Warren, a priest in the Anglican Church in North America, entitled "Why We Shouldn't Lose Faith in Organized Religion." In it, she interviewed Eboo Patel, an American Muslim and founder and president of Interfaith America, which promotes cooperation across religious differences. I found the column and his comments very uplifting and interesting. He said:

"Particularly in the areas of America where people have higher levels of education...It is considered sophisticated and educated to know only the bad stuff about religion. Of course, that's ironic because to only know the bad stuff is to not actually be educated. So that is discouraging.

    I'll tell you what I find encouraging. Catholic sisters just keep on doing what Catholic sisters do, which is taking care of poor people. Our society relies on religious communities to take care of people, to do addiction counseling, to do job training, to do hunger and homelessness work, to do refugee resettlement. We just don't often tell the story of them doing that work. And I think that that's a big problem. " 

Here's some good news to report at OLM. This weekend we welcome the Superior of the Franciscan Apostolic Sisters, Mother Aida, who is visiting from the Philippines. While here, she will visit the Franciscan Convent at OLM and the FAS Convent at St. Philip Church in Greenville. Mother Aida is also meeting with Bishop Henning this week.   Please pray for her.       

On Wednesday, Mother and the FAS Sisters from Rhode Island depart for Peoria, Illinois, for their Annual Retreat. Please pray for their safe travel as they will be driving to Peoria. And pray their time of retreat is fruitful.   Sister Lourdes and Sister Emma return to OLM during the first week of August. However, they are not returning alone. Mother Aida informed me that Sr. Jane Molitas, FAS, has been assigned to serve at OLM.

Sister Jane comes to us from Nebraska, where she has served at the Seminary of St. Gregory the Great over the last few years. Some of you may remember her from her time at the old Scalabrini Villa Nursing Home several years ago. She joins Sister Lourdes and Sister Emma, living at the Franciscan Convent here at OLM, and working with them at OLM Church and School.

We are very grateful to Mother Aida for this good news and her generosity in assigning Sister Jane to OLM. Sister Jane just celebrated her 25th Anniversary of Religious Profession in June. She is a humble, joyful, and holy sister. Welcome to OLM, Sister Jane! Please pray for more vocations to the consecrated life.

 In the name of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, thank you for your warm welcome to Sister Barbara and Sister Veronica last weekend.  Their witness to the work of the FMM Missions serving the poor and needy across the globe is good news. I also thank you for your generous financial support of the Missions. It, too, is good news!

If you could not donate last week, please forward a check payable to OLM with "Mission Co-op" in the memo line. Please put it in the weekly collection basket, deposit it in the safe in the vestibule, or mail it to the Parish Office. Your donations go directly to supporting the Missions.  Thank you for your support.

More good news! OLM exceeded our Catholic Charity Appeal goal of $190,000, raising over $275,000! Your generous support and great charity made it possible. I offer my deep gratitude on behalf of the poor and needy who benefit from the Appeal. We are grateful to the 480 parishioners who donated so generously.

I  thank Jerry and Kim O'Connell and Mike and Lee Mita, Chairs of the Appeal at OLM, for their help in surpassing our parish goal. Over $7 million was raised in parishes across the Diocese.  This funds the good works and charitable agencies of our local Church across the state. This is good news too!

 That's only some of the good news about our parish and Church. And while we sometimes hear about the good news,  too often, the media and many in our society largely concentrate on the bad news about religion and the Catholic Church. Mr. Patel is right! Let's enjoy the good news and spread it with joy! Do good. Be well. God Bless. Go, Sox!??? 

Summertime! Supporting the Missions, Resting with God

Dear Parishioners:                   

 We had a beautiful celebration last Sunday for Bishop Evans' Golden Jubilee of Priesthood. Bishop Matano's homily was inspirational and uplifting. We thank all those who helped with the Mass and reception. We especially thank our outstanding Altar Servers for their reverent service. Our Choir and musicians, under the direction of Henri St. Louis, for providing such majestic and beautiful music. And we thank Doug Green and his team of volunteers for the reception. And finally, we thank Bishop Evans for his fifty years of priesthood and faithful and loving service to the Church! 

This weekend we welcome to OLM Sister Barbara Dopierala, FMM. She is speaking at all Masses on behalf of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. They were founded in 1877 in France by Blessed Mary of the Passion and beatified in 2002 by Pope John Paul II.    Before she died in 1904, she established the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary across the globe. During her lifetime, the sisters were established in Marseilles, Carthage, Ceylon, China, England, Belgium, Canada, Mozambique, Burma, Japan, Spain, Madagascar, and Chile. She boldly responded to the Church's or government's calls to have the good sisters assist with education, healthcare, and social work. In 1900, seven FMM Sisters were martyred for the faith in China. In 2000, they were canonized. 

Each year every parish in the Diocese of Providence takes a weekend to promote the work of missionaries through the Missionary Co-op Collection. This provides an opportunity for us to learn more about the work of the Church in the missions as well as to provide some financial assistance to missionaries. Thank you in advance for your generous financial support of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary in this weekend's Second Collection. We welcome Sister Barbara and thank her for her witness on behalf of the FMM Missions doing the good work first begun by Blessed Mary of the Passion. Please pray for missionaries and their work preaching the Gospel in the four corners of the earth.

With the Fourth of July already come and gone, the summer is going too quickly. However, summer is a time for us to stop and rest and refresh ourselves. St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross said: "God is there in these moments of rest and can give us in a single instant exactly what we need." So take some time this summer to rest with God. Of course, reading in these summer months is also a form of rest from the routine. I've already begun my summer reading and hope to finish it all! Along with the teachers at Our Lady of Mercy School, I am reading a short book, "Educating for Eternity.” It provides great insight into Catholic Schools forming saints.

For my own spiritual reading, I've begun a new book written for priests by the Dominican Friar, Fr. Ezra Sullivan, OP, entitled "Alter Christus."  He also wrote the more general spiritual book,  Heroic Habits: Discovering the Soul’s Potential for Greatness, which I recommend you read.

My big summer book to read is "The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and the World on the Brink." Considering all that is happening worldwide, especially with the war in Ukraine, it will be a timely read. It's dense and long, so I'm unsure I'll finish it by September! And for fun on the beach, I usually read a detective novel from Martin Walker's Bruno the Chief series. However, the newest one isn’t released until September.

But I found another set of detective mysteries by American author Rebecca Pawel called The Sergeant Carlos Tejada Investigations. This murder mystery series is set in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. I read the first one, Death of a Nationalist, a few years ago. It was very enjoyable. I hope to read a couple more as they are short and easy reads. What are you reading this summer at the beach or in the backyard?     

The author Henry James once said: "Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me, those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language." I agree and hope you spend a  summer afternoon or two resting with God, recreating with family, reading a good book, and maybe even enjoying a good cigar! Do good. Be well. God Bless. Go Sox!! Enjoy some rest this Summer! 

Faith, Freedom and Fireworks!

Dear Parishioners:                    

Then Bishop William Hickey ordains Robert C. Evans a priest on July 2, 1973 in St. Peter’s Basilica.

We celebrate with Bishop Evans this weekend as he marks his Golden Jubilee of Priestly Ordination. He is celebrating a Mass of Thanksgiving at 10:30 am, and Bishop Matano of Rochester is preaching the homily. A reception follows the Mass in Mercy Park. Bishop Evans was born September 2, 1947, in Moultrie, Georgia, the son of the late Ivey Evans and Lolita Baldisseri.

He was ordained to the priesthood on July 2, 1973, in St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, by then-Bishop James A. Hickey. He grew up on Federal Hill and worshiped at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church. Bishop attended Providence public schools, graduated from the Our Lady of Providence Seminary High School, and received a B.A. in Philosophy from Our Lady of Providence College Seminary. He studied for the priesthood at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, earning degrees from the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.

After his ordination as a priest, Bishop Evans served in several parishes, including St. Pius X Parish in Westerly, Holy Angels Church in Barrington, St. Lawrence Parish in North Providence, and St. Mark's Parish Cranston. He also served as chaplain at Roger Williams College and assistant chaplain at Rhode Island Hospital and Roger Williams Hospital.  

St. Pope John Paul II greets a then Father Robert C. Evans.

Bishop Evans was appointed Priest Secretary to Bishop Gelineau in 1983 and, in 1987, assigned to advanced studies in Canon Law in Rome. In 1989, he was awarded a licentiate in canon law from the Gregorian University. Upon returning from studies, he served as vice-chancellor with residence at St. Margaret's Parish, Rumford. In June 1991, the Bishop was appointed pastor of St. Anthony's Parish in Woonsocket, Chancellor of the Diocese, and director of the Office of Priests' Personnel. In the 1990s, he was a resident at St. Joan of Arc Parish, Cumberland, and later at Our Lady of Mercy Parish, East Greenwich.

In 2001, Bishop served as the Institute for Continuing Theological Education director and faculty member at the North American College in Rome. He then served as Secretary at the Apostolic Nunciature (Vatican Embassy) in Washington, DC. Following these assignments, he was appointed Pastor of St. Philip Church in Greenville and an adjunct faculty member of the Seminary of Our Lady of Providence.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Evans as titular Bishop of Aquae Regiae and Auxiliary Bishop of Providence on October 15, 2009. Two months later, on December 15, 2009, he was consecrated to the episcopacy by Bishop Thomas J. Tobin in the Cathedral of S.S. Peter and Paul, becoming the seventh auxiliary Bishop in the history of the Diocese of Providence.

Upon his 75th birthday this past September, Bishop Evans offered Pope Francis his resignation as Auxiliary Bishop of Providence. In November, his resignation was accepted. He resides in his home behind Our Lady Mercy Church in the joyful bliss of a well-deserved retirement. Of course, the Bishop readily continues to help out at OLM with Masses and Confessions and celebrates Confirmations and Masses across the Diocese. We offer our prayerful best wishes, deep gratitude, and congratulations to Bishop Evans on his fifty years of priesthood! Ad multos annos!       

Next weekend, the Second Collection is the Mission Co-op for the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. Sister Barbara Dopierala, FMM, is speaking at all Masses about their mission work. There is no envelope for this collection, so please make checks payable to OLM with "Mission Co-op" in the memo line. Thank you for your financial support and prayers for the missions.

On the Fourth of July, we celebrate our nation's birth again. We rejoice in the freedom won by our forefathers who overthrew the despotic shackles of English tyranny in the War of Independence. This day gives us time to thank God for the birth of our nation and give thanks for the gift of life and liberty. We also ask God to preserve our nation in unity and rid our country of its evils. 

 I am away this coming week, celebrating the Fourth of July with my sister and her family in Saratoga, NY. Do good. Be well. God Bless. Go Sox!! Happy Independence Day! God Bless America! 

Summer Arrives, A Time to Celebrate & Work!??

Dear Parishioners:                                 

Bishop Austin Vetter, Bishop of Helena, Montana, ordained Patrick Ryan, a seminarian of the Diocese of Providence, and 22 others to the transitional diaconate on Sept. 29., 2022 at Saint Peter Basilica, Rome.

This weekend we rejoice at the ordination of Father Patrick Ryan as a priest of Providence. On Saturday, he was ordained by Bishop Henning at the Cathedral. We offer our prayers and best wishes to him!Ad multos annos gloriosque annos vivas!                              

Next Sunday, July 2, we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood of Bishop Evans. He will celebrate the 10:30 am Mass, and Bishop Salvatore R. Matano of Rochester will serve as the homilist. Bishop Matano is a priest of Providence and a long-time friend of Bishop Evans. Many priests and bishops will attend the Mass, including our Metropolitan Archbishop, the Most Reverend Leonard Blair of Hartford. Please join us for the Mass and the Reception in Mercy Park.

Bishop Evans has been associated with Our Lady of Mercy Parish for nearly three decades. He first arrived here as a resident priest in the 1990s and has continued these many years to be part of our parish family. Pray for him as he celebrates his Golden Jubilee!

In early July, the Peragallo Organ Company will begin repairs on our organ. The organ was installed in 1995 and has 1776 pipes. It was built by the Peragallo Organ Company specifically for Our Lady of Mercy. It is serviced and tuned annually by them. However, at the annual tuning in January, it was discovered that the seven reservoir bellows of the pipe organ were worn and leaking. This problem adversely affects the organ's tuning stability and must be addressed to prevent the motor and blower from overworking.

In the second week of July, the Peragallo Company will arrive to remove the units for repair and bring them to their shop in Patterson, New Jersey. The bellows will be overhauled with new canvas hinging, rubber cloth stripping, leather corners, and gussets. The organ will also be vacuumed and cleaned out during this period. They are providing a replacement organ for our use during the repairs. It should take about five to six weeks to complete the project. The cost of the repair is $53,000!

The organ itself cost over $200,000 when purchased thirty years ago. This repair was somewhat unexpected at this time, but the organ is nearly thirty years old, so the wear and tear on the bellows are normal for the life span of the leather. If we delay the repair, it would only cause more problems that require even more costly repairs.

Of course, everyone, including me, is also wondering about our new church doors! The delays first began with the pandemic and have only continued. We have been waiting several weeks for the stained glass to be prepared, and I am told it is nearing completion. This delay resulted from a supply chain issue as a needed chemical for the stained glass was unavailable. Our contractor and architect of the door project assure me that once the doors are ready for installation, it will be done with dispatch. I hope and pray it is so!

Also, we plan to resod the OLM School field during the summer. Over the years, the grass has been disappearing on the field, which is more dirt than grass. Our students frequently use the field for gym classes, recess, and after-school care throughout the school day. After researching the options for the field, including sod, hydroseeding, or artificial turf, it was decided that sod was the best option. Paul Anderson is overseeing this project. We hope that by September, the students have a field of thick green grass on which to run and play.

We also plan to upgrade some of our security features at the school and parish during the summer. These are just a few of the projects happening at OLM this summer! Summer vacation also allows for the cleaning and painting of the school rooms.

Summer officially began last week, but our work is never done! In his Rule of Life for the monks, St Benedict of Nursia wrote: "Idleness is the enemy of the soul; and therefore the brethren ought to be employed in manual labor at certain times, at others, in devout reading."  With all our maintenance projects, we are hardly idle. However, many good books are also available to keep us busy with summer reading. What are you reading at the beach this summer?

 We offer our prayerful congratulations and best wishes to the new Father Patrick Ryan and Bishop Evans!  Be well. Do good. God Bless. ! Go Sox! 

A Time to Celebrate Fatherhood

Dear Parishioners:                                

Fathers' Day began around 1910 in the United States to complement Mother's Day. It is a day to celebrate fathers and Fatherhood. As the great poet William Wordsworth once said: "Father, to God himself, we cannot give a holier name."      

On Fathers' Day, we honor our Fathers and pay tribute to their hard work, sacrifice, and love. Of course, this means giving gifts as a sign of our love. But I think the best gift to give any Father, living or deceased, is the gift of prayer. Therefore, we are offering all our Masses this Sunday for all Fathers.

Fathers' Day is also a day for us, especially men, to reflect on what it means to be a Father and how we are called to live Fatherhood. Father's Day is celebrated on March 19 in many Catholic countries on the Solemnity of St Joseph, the model for all Fathers. In his Apostolic Letter, Patris Cordes "With a Father's Heart," marking the Year of St. Joseph, Pope Francis wrote:

"Fathers are not born, but made. A man does not become a father simply by bringing a child into the world but by taking up the responsibility to care for that child. Whenever a man accepts responsibility for the life of another, in some way, he becomes a father to that person."

Fathers must provide for the spiritual needs of their children. A Father teaches and helps his children to pray. He brings his children to Mass faithfully and joyfully, teaching them to practice the faith. With a good Father as a model, children learn to love God, become faithful to attending Mass, and develop devotion to our Catholic faith. The English Poet George Herbert said: "One Father is more than a hundred schoolmasters." 

There is a great need for good, faithful, and loving Fathers today. In our nation, millions of children live without a Father in the home. Strong, courageous, and caring Fathers are essential for family life. All children need a Father whose love is strong and sacrificial and who provides care, concern, correction, courage, and encouragement.

Patrick Ryan at Our Lady of Mercy.

As we celebrate Fatherhood on this Fathers' Day, we look forward to celebrating Patrick Ryan's ordination as a priest next Saturday, June 24. Patrick served a summer here at OLM and has been studying for the priesthood in Rome. Next Saturday at 10:00 am, at the Cathedral, Bishop Henning is to ordain him a priest of the Diocese of Providence. The new Father Ryan, will serve at St. Theresa's in Pawtucket with Fr. Barrow for the summer and return to Rome for further studies in the fall. Please pray for him.

The Ordination Mass is always a joyful celebration; everyone can attend. The new Fr. Patrick Ryan is celebrating his First Mass of Thanksgiving next Sunday at his home parish, Saints John and Paul, in Coventry at 2:00 pm. Father Connors is preaching at this Mass, and a reception follows. Everyone is most welcome to attend.

I hope to have the new Father Ryan back to OLM before he returns to Rome to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving with us. We can celebrate the great gift of his priesthood and spiritual Fatherhood with him as we offer him our best wishes and congratulations in person.

Bishop Evans is ordained a priest on July 2, 1973 at St. Peter’s Basilica by then Bishop William Hickey.

June is traditionally the month for priestly ordinations in Providence. In fact, like Patrick Ryan twenty-eight years ago, I was also ordained a priest on June 24. Fr. Mahoney celebrated his 2nd Anniversary of Ordination on June 2. And Father Connors celebrates his 11th Anniversary of Ordination this Friday, June 23.

Fifty years ago, Bishop Evans was ordained a priest on July 2, 1973, in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. He will celebrate his 50th Anniversary with us on Sunday, July 2, at the 10:30 am Mass. All are invited to this Mass for his Golden Jubilee. A reception follows in Mercy Park. So please join us for this special celebration.  

We wish all Fathers a Happy Fathers' Day and thank them for all they do. Gentlemen, enjoy your special day! We also offer our prayers and congratulations to Patrick Ryan on his ordination as a new Father next Saturday. Ad multos annos.

Summer officially begins this Wednesday, June 21. Summer typically means family vacations, beach days, golf outings, cookouts, and picnics. Enjoy the summer sun and warm weather, but please remember not to take a vacation from attending Sunday Mass! Be well. Do good. God Bless.  Have a great summer! Go Sox! 

Eucharistic Love in the Face of Hatred

Dear Parishioners:                                     

Members of the OLM School Class of 2023 celebrate their graduation in Mercy Park.

We congratulate all our OLM parishioners graduating this spring. Many are graduating college and high school, and our OLM School 8th Grade graduated this past Monday. We wish them well and pledge our continued prayers for them as they enter the next chapter of their lives.                                   

It's hard to believe that school ends this Friday! On Thursday, the OLM School Pre-K and Kindergarten celebrate their "graduations." It is always a joyful ceremony for our youngest students. And then, on Friday, the summer break begins for all our students and faculty. We pray they have a healthy and happy summer break and return tan, rested, and ready for school on August 30!

Next Sunday, we will recognize several Senior Altar Servers at the 10:30 am Mass. These graduating seniors have faithfully served God's Altar since the 4th Grade. Now as they prepare for college in the fall, we acknowledge with thanksgiving their service to our parish. We are grateful for their dutiful and dedicated service and wish them well.

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, commonly called by its Latin name, Corpus Christi. We celebrate the real presence of Christ, body, soul, and divinity in the Holy Eucharist.

The graces received from the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus provide sustenance for our pilgrim journey here on Earth. Receiving the Body of Christ transforms us. The grace we receive in the sacrament is more powerful than any natural force on Earth.

While we celebrate our Catholic Faith, I am sure you have heard about the recent controversy with the Los Angeles Dodgers. They invited, disinvited, and reinvited the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" to award them and allow them to perform this Corpus Christi weekend. 

I am a Red Sox fan, but  I remember rooting for the LA Dodgers in the 1970s because Davey Lopes, a native son of Providence, RI, was their Second Baseman. Today, we are far from the old Dodgers with their Catholic manager Tommy Lasorda, legendary Catholic announcer Vin Scully, and the late Catholic Dodger, the great Gil Hodges.

In their lurid and vulgar performances, "The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" mock Catholic beliefs and especially ridicule religious sisters and nuns. Of course, mocking the Catholic Faith is quite popular and even a source of pride for many in our nation. It is "the last acceptable prejudice." Those who revel in their anti-Catholic bigotry are not canceled but extolled in our culture.

Sister Emma, FAS serves the children at OLM School.

Thousands of Catholic nuns and religious sisters make vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and dedicate their entire lives to Christ and service to his Church. These brides of Christ serve as educators, nurses, counselors, and teachers. They serve the young, the old, the poor, the sick, the dying, the imprisoned, the immigrant.

They serve in schools, hospitals, prisons, and soup kitchens and bear daily witness to Christ as they perform heroic works of charity worldwide. They deserve admiration and respect, not ridicule and mockery. Shame on the Dodgers for their decision to honor such bigotry and mockery.  

Bishop Robert Barron describes the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" as an "anti-Catholic hate group." Their performances consist of many sacrilegious, lewd acts, none appropriate to describe in the bulletin. In response to this outrageous and shameful display allowed by the Dodgers, the Bishop suggests all Catholics do the following: 

First,  we must pray for the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" to find Christ and the Catholic faith and embrace it from their hearts. Pray they grow to respect all people of faith and find other means of expression that are not anti-religious. Pray for more vocations to religious and consecrated life. Pray for all the dedicated religious sisters and nuns we know, especially our own sisters, Sr. Jeanne, Sr.  Emma, and Sr.  Lourdes.   Write a respectful letter to the Dodgers asking them not to host hate groups that blaspheme and mock any religion. Send it to LA Dodgers, 1000 Vin Scully Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

On Corpus Christi, let us be united in our love of the Eucharistic Lord and, with charity, pray for those who hate us and mock us for our faith and beliefs. Be well. Do good. God Bless.