Giving God Proper Thanks & Praise

Dear Parishioners:                    

Patriots celebrate Thanksgiving Day

It’s hard to believe, but we celebrate Thanksgiving Day this Thursday. We watch football games on Thanksgiving Day, and the dining room tables are filled with delicious food. However, this can overshadow the real importance and meaning of Thanksgiving. The English Catholic writer G.K. Chesterton said: “The worst moment for an atheist is when he is really thankful and has no one to thank.”

Thanksgiving Day, first and foremost, is a day to thank God for our blessings and bounty. Scripture is filled with praise and Thanksgiving to God for all He has done for His people. The readings for Thanksgiving Day Mass reflect this gratitude to God, particularly the Gospel story of the ten lepers whom Jesus cured and the one Samaritan who returned to thank Him.

While most Americans know the Puritan history of Thanksgiving Day, some historians claim that the first Thanksgiving was actually a Catholic celebration. More than 50 years before the Mayflower’s arrival to these shores, a group of Spanish colonists celebrated Mass and had a feast with native Timucuans in what would become the oldest settlement in the U.S. — St. Augustine, Florida. Some suggest this was the first Thanksgiving. 

Historians also point to a different group of Spaniards led by Don Juan de Oñate, who, in 1598, journeyed through the dangerous Chihuahuan Desert that spans northern Mexico and southern Texas, seeking to colonize the American southwest. After safely reaching the Rio Grande, Franciscan missionaries offered a Mass of Thanksgiving for the colonists, and a great feast with the natives followed.

The Spaniards eventually settled at Santa Fe. The Texas Almanac notes that various historians point to this event and the new settlement as milestones of Spanish influence in America – “one of hundreds of towns the Spanish had already established in the New World” before the arrival of the Puritans at Plymouth.

Thanksgiving at Plymouth, 1925, Brownscombe.

Even if these other “first Thanksgiving” were not celebrated as the original Thanksgiving, the traditionally held Thanksgiving with the Puritans did have a Catholic attendee — Squanto. He was the Native American who taught the Puritan settlers survival techniques in their new land. Years prior, he had been captured by the English and freed by Franciscans who educated and catechized him.

 When those Spanish priests stopped to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving, it was the most Catholic thing to do. It is part of our faith as Catholics to thank God for the many blessings he has bestowed on us. Most importantly, we give thanks for the gift of his son, Jesus Christ, who suffered, died, and rose for us and our salvation. 

As Catholics, we celebrate Thanksgiving every time we come to Mass. The word Eucharist comes from the Greek word for Thanksgiving and is a reminder that, as followers of Christ, we have much to be thankful for. We are thankful for his love and his mercy. We are thankful for the Catholic faith passed on to us by the Communion of Saints. In our gratitude, we find peace and joy.  

  Our experience as Catholics shows the path to a fulfilling and joyful life. To be happy is to be grateful. We are called to share our gratitude, bounty, and blessings with others. That is the lesson of the Thanksgiving feast.    So,  this Thanksgiving, be the face, hands, and feet of Christ to all you encounter. Share the mercy and love God has given us. Act generously and charitably to those in need.

Gather not only around the dinner table with family and friends but, most importantly, gather at the Altar of God, where we celebrate the eucharistic Thanksgiving. Join us in giving God thanks on Thanksgiving Day at 9:00 am Mass. There is no better way to offer God our gratitude than attending Holy Mass. St. Teresa of Avila said: “In all created things discern the providence and wisdom of God, and in all things give Him thanks.”

We wish you a Happy Thanksgiving Day. Be assured of our prayers for your safe travel and blessing for the holiday. I am traveling to my Sister’s home in Saratoga, NY, for Thanksgiving Day Dinner. Do good. Be well. God Bless. I’ve given up on the Pats. Bring on the draft!! Happy Thanksgiving

With Gratitude For Those Who Served

Dear Parishioners:      

First World War British Soldiers Cemetery

November 11 is Veteran’s Day. A day in which we remember and honor the service of those, dead and alive, who bore arms for their country. The armistice ending the First World War was signed on November 11. The origins of this observance began in 1926 and became a civil holiday in 1938, called “Armistice Day.” In the late 1940s, Americans began calling November 11 “Veterans Day,” Congress officially gave it that name in 1954. My late father was a veteran of the Second World War, and so Veteran’s Day has always held special significance.  

The main ceremonies of Veterans Day take place at Arlington National Cemetery. Traditionally, the president lays wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a sarcophagus under constant watch by an honor guard since its dedication in 1921. Four unidentified American soldiers — from World Wars I and II, Korea, and Vietnam — are buried there.

Vietnam War Veterans Memorial

As we continue to watch the ongoing wars in Israel and Ukraine, we must commit more fervently to praying for our veterans and also for peace. We must also pray for all those serving in the military who put themselves in harm’s way to protect our nation and our freedom. Let us pray for all veterans this weekend.  

The biographers of Padre Pio report that, in 1944, as he and his friars were sitting down to supper after the monastery gates were closed, they heard a crowd of men shouting, “Viva Padre Pio!” (Long live Father Pio!). But there was nobody in the courtyard. Asked about the event, Padre Pio calmly said: “Those men were soldiers who died in battle. They have just been delivered to heaven.” They wanted to thank him for his prayers.

So, in this month of the All Souls, one of the best ways we can honor Veterans this Veterans Day is to go to Mass and pray for them. This simple deed may be of greater practical help for veterans than all our speeches, parades, ceremonies, and flowers. For our living veterans, it should be a day of charity on which we thank a veteran for their service. 

Veterans Day is more than a day off or a long weekend. Let’s help our veterans, especially those who gave their lives, by praying for the repose of their noble souls. Here is a prayer you can offer for deceased Veterans during this All Souls Month.

“O God, by whose mercy the faithful departed find rest, look kindly on your departed veterans who gave their lives in the service of their country. Grant that through the passion, death, and resurrection of your Son, they may share in the joy of your heavenly kingdom and rejoice in you with your saints forever. We ask this through Christ our Lord.”

Newly installed front door

We are getting nearer to completing our Church Door Project. After delays due to supply chain issues, the major delay has been the stained glass. The stained glass artist has to craft each window of every door, which has taken an unusually long time. I hope that all the glass is now ready to be installed so that the remaining doors by the Parish Office and Candle Room can be installed.

Once all the doors are installed, the thresholds in the doorways will be finished. They will also be weather-stripped and adjusted so they open and close smoothly. The Candle Room Door and one of the front doors feature electronic openers for disabled people. This will also be installed in the coming weeks. It has been a long process getting the doors and then having them installed. But it is now nearing completion!

The doors are beautiful and add to the beauty of our Church. St. Thomas Aquinas defined beauty as “that which, upon being seen, pleases.” Certainly, beauty is something good, something to be admired. The beauty of our new doors gives glory to God. Our Church is not simply a gathering space or a meeting room. Through these doors, we enter the House of God. Its beauty should lift our minds and hearts up in worship and praise of the Almighty, who is beauty itself. Bishop Robert Barron has said: “Begin with the beautiful, which leads you to the good, which leads you to the truth.” 

Fr. Mahoney is making his Annual Retreat this week with the Benedictine Monks at St. Anselm’s in New Hampshire. Please pray that his retreat time is prayerful, restful, and fruitful. Do good. Be well. God Bless. Go Pats, but perhaps it’s too late!!

Faith, Hope, & Charity During All Souls Month

Dear Parishioners:                  

Last Sunday night's Confirmation Mass was a joyful celebration of faith and hope. We thank God for this great occasion in the life of our parish family. We are also grateful to Bishop Henning for celebrating the Mass and offering a powerful homily to our Confirmation Class.                                                                 

We thank the OLM Faith Formation Directors, past and present, Doug Green, Mickey St. Jean, and Jeremy Long, for their hard work and dedication in preparing our students. The music for the Confirmation was majestic, and we thank our OLM Music Director, Henri St. Louis, the OLM Choir, and our guest musicians for providing such beautiful music for our worship. The OLM Altar Servers did a superb job serving the Mass reverently, and we thank them.

Our good Franciscan Sisters worked tirelessly preparing the Church, the vestments, and all the sacred vessels for the Mass, and we are truly grateful for their service. I thank our OLM Ushers for their good work in welcoming our guests and ensuring Mass went smoothly from start to finish.

We thank the newly Confirmed and their families. We thank their parents who first brought them to Christ and the Church at baptism and have these many years helped them grow in the faith. We thank their sponsors for their witness of faith and for continuing to spiritually guide these young adults.

And finally, we thank the newly Confirmed for choosing to publicly and sacramentally confirm their Catholic faith. Please pray for them. May they continue to grow in faith, hope, and charity and remain close to Christ and His Church.  We will be calling upon them in the coming weeks to take up a ministry and help serve God and their parish. As St. Catherine of Siena said: "Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire."

As we begin this All Souls Month of November, we take up the Spiritual Work of Mercy as we pray for the dead. During this month we remember in our prayers our own beloved dead, the dead who have no one to pray for them, and the souls in Purgatory. The All Souls envelopes with the names of your beloved dead have been placed by the altar so we might remember them in our prayers at Mass.

Pope Francis teaches: "Church tradition has always urged prayer for the dead, in particular by offering the celebration of the Eucharist for them: it is the best spiritual help we can give to their souls, particularly to the most abandoned ones.     The foundation of prayers of remembrance is found in the communion of the Mystical Body. Remembering the dead, caring for their tombs, and prayers of suffrage are testimony to confident hope, rooted in the certainty that death does not have the last word on human destiny, as humanity is destined for a life without end, that has its root and its fulfillment in God.”

During this month visit a cemetery where your loved ones lie in rest. These sacred grounds are an extension of our Church and a place not only for burying the dead but also a place of prayer. Indeed, the cemetery is a place where we reflect on the lives of the dead who are buried there and pray for their souls.

At the 10:30am Mass today, we  remember forty-five OLM parishioners who have died over the last year. Their families  join us as we offer our prayers for their consolation and for the repose of the souls of their beloved family members. In your charity, please pray for them all today and throughout the month of November. This week beginning on Monday night until Wednesday afternoon, Fr. Mahoney and I, along with most of the priests of the Diocese of Providence, will be at the priests’ convocation in Newport.

It is an opportunity to gather with our new bishop in prayer, discussion, discernment, and fraternity. Bishop Henning is our scheduled speaker and will share with us his vision as our new shepherd and spiritual father. He recently wrote in his weekly column about the convocation. He wrote: "These good men accompany me as the diocesan bishop, and I rely upon them. I need this opportunity to consult with them, to hear them, to learn from them, and to encourage them."

I thank the priests covering  Masses in our absence this week. Pray for Bishop Henning and the priests that our time together is fruitful and productive. Do good. Be well. God Bless. Go Pats? Where????

For All the Saints & All Souls

Dear Parishioners:                                

Bishop William J. Byrne of Springfield celebrates Confirmation Mass at OLM in October 2022

On Sunday evening, we celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation for fifty OLM young adults. It is a great occasion of joy and hope for OLM Parish and the Church. It is an important faith milestone for these young people and their families. Preaching a Confirmation Mass, Pope Francis said: "Think how important this is: by means of the Holy Spirit, Christ himself comes to do all this among us and for us. That is why it is important that children and young people receive the sacrament of confirmation!"  

We offer prayerful congratulations to the OLM 2023 Confirmation Class and our gratitude to their parents, sponsors, and families for leading them to this important day. We also thank their many teachers who helped to prepare them for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Please pray for the newly Confirmed. May the Holy Spirit guide and protect them!

This week, we celebrate two important dates on the Church Calendar: All Saints Day and All Souls Day. All Saints Day is a holy day of obligation for Catholics. Four Masses are scheduled: Mass of Anticipation on Tuesday, October 31, at 5:00 p.m. and Masses on Wednesday, November 1, at 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m. School Mass, and 7:00 p.m.

All Saints' Day is a solemn holy day dedicated to the saints of the Church, that is, all those who have attained heaven. The holy day was eventually established on November 1 by Pope Gregory III in the mid-eighth century as a day dedicated to the saints. Saints are those "persons in heaven (officially canonized or not), who lived heroically virtuous lives, offered their life for others, or were martyred for the faith, and who are worthy of imitation." When we pray the Apostles' Creed, we say, "I believe in…the communion of saints."

The communion of saints is made up of men and women who have placed their hope in Jesus Christ and, through Baptism, are his adopted sons and daughters. In a very special way, on the Solemnity of All Saints, we pray to our favorite saints and call upon our departed brothers and sisters whom we believe are already with God.

We are all called to be saints ourselves so we may attain heaven. Pope Benedict XVI said of All Saints Day: "This, then, is the meaning of today's Solemnity: looking at the shining example of the Saints to reawaken within us the great longing to be like them; happy to live near God, in his light, in the great family of God's friends. Being a Saint means living close to God, to live in his family."

All Saints and All Souls comprise the two-day celebration of the Communion of Saints – those who are with God in heaven and those on their way to heaven. On the Solemnity of All Saints, November 1, the Church celebrates those Christians who achieved spiritual maturity and attained heaven.

The next day is the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls' Day) as the Church remembers and prays for the faithful departed. We remember all our brothers and sisters who have died marked with the sign of faith. Particularly, we pray for all the souls in purgatory and those without someone to pray for them. There are three Masses on All Souls Day, Thursday, November 2. Join us in praying for All Souls at Masses at 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., and 12:00 p.m. Following our 9:00 am Mass, our OLM School Middle School Students process to St. Patrick Cemetery to pray for all the souls resting in that sacred ground, especially those with no one to pray for them.

As we begin November, a month dedicated to praying for the dead, we also celebrate a Mass for our fellow parishioners who have died over the last year. Next Sunday at 10:30 am Mass, we pray for the repose of their souls and the consolation of their grieving families. Their families have been invited to join us, so please pray with and for them.

Before her death, St. Monica told her son, St. Augustine, "Bury my body wherever you will; let not care of it cause you any concern. One thing only I ask you, that you remember me at the altar of the Lord wherever you may be." Let us remember our beloved dead, the souls in purgatory, and those with no one to pray for them at the altar of the Lord. With joy, we offer our congratulations and best wishes to the OLM Confirmation Class! Pray for them that they remain with Christ and His Church. Do good. Be well. God Bless. 

Sympathy, Support & Solidarity with Our Jewish Neighbors

Dear Parishioners:                                 

As I write this column, I am preparing to leave for Rome to attend the Annual Meeting of the National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors. We usually meet in the United States, but every ten years, we make a pilgrimage to Rome.   During our time in Rome, we will meet with various Vatican Officials to discuss the public policy concerns of the U.S. Church and learn more about the Vatican's positions on important moral issues. We will meet with Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican Secretary of State. We will learn more about the wars in Israel and Ukraine. Also, we will meet with officials of the Dicasteries for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Doctrine of the Faith.

While in Assisi, I will celebrate Masses at the Basilica of St. Mary the Angels in Assisi and the Tomb of St. Francis. In Rome, I will celebrate Masses at St. Peter's Basilica, including a Mass at the tomb of St. Pope John Paul II. I will remember you and your intentions as I offer Holy Mass on pilgrimage. I ask your prayers for our safe travel and return from the pilgrimage.

The war in Israel overshadows the pilgrimage. The horror unleashed upon the Jewish People of Israel by the evil attacks of Hamas terrorists continues to shock and sadden the civilized world. The brutal massacre of innocent men, women, and children, the beheading of babies, the rape of women, and the kidnapping of the elderly and young children are pure evil acts. They must be condemned in no uncertain terms. They result from hatred and anti-Semitism, as Hamas stated purpose is to exterminate the Jewish People. The attack's purpose and its barbaric methods are devoid of moral or legal justification. There is no room for moral ambiguity on this issue.

Resisting such violent terrorism and anti-Semitism is a moral duty of every human person and of the leaders of every government. The United States is home to the largest Jewish community outside of Israel, with many members living in East Greenwich. I offer my sympathy, solidarity, and support to my Jewish brothers and sisters amid their suffering and sorrow.  

  I spoke with my friend, Rabbi Peretz Scheinerman, at the Hebrew Day School in Providence this week to offer sympathy and prayerful support. We have worked together on various issues at the statehouse over the years. His community is sad and suffering, and the students at his school are scared. He told me that if this can happen again to the Jewish people, it can happen to anyone. 

   The German Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemöller wrote First They Came during the Nazi regime in Germany. It is as timely for us today as it was then. It reads:

"First, they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.   Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me." We must speak out in solidarity with our Jewish brothers and sisters. We must reject and condemn anti-Semitism. Albert Einstein once said: "If I were to remain silent, I would be guilty of complicity."

Too many of our leaders have remained silently complicit or worse.  I was sickened to see rallies at the most prestigious universities in our nation where young students glorified and justified the killing of innocents and the kidnapping of civilians. Something is terribly wrong when the supposed enlightened elite of our nation lauds such evil and hatred. 

In the Vatican Declaration entitled Nostra Aetate, St Pope Paul VI said: “The Church, mindful of the patrimony she shares with the Jewish people and moved not by political reasons but by the Gospel’s spiritual love, decries hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone.” 

While we must condemn anti-Semitism and violence, my first duty as a priest is prayer. I pray for those suffering from grief, injustice, violence, and war.  During my pilgrimage, I will pray fervently for peace and justice, especially in Israel. L’shalom (towards peace)!

Pray for Peace with Fervor & Frequency

Dear Parishioners:                                

Last Saturday, on October 7, the Feast of the Most Holy Rosary, the world watched in shock and horror the Hamas terrorist attack launched from Gaza upon the State of Israel and her people. The murder of men, women, and children and the kidnapping of innocent civilians are rightly condemned as evil and vile.   

Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on International Justice and Peace, called for the release of hostages, respect for the lives of innocent civilians, and prayers for peace in the Holy Land. He said: “As we pray urgently for peace, we recall especially all the families and individuals suffering from these events. Almost 50 years to the day of the launch of the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, once again war is spilling out in the Holy Land. With it brings the mounting casualties and hostilities unfolding on all sides, and increased threats to the Status Quo of the Holy Places among Jews, Muslims, and Christians further dimming any hope for peace.”

As custodians of the Christian faith in the Holy Land, the Patriarchs and Head of the Churches in Jerusalem issued a statement calling for prayers for peace. They said: “We stand in solidarity with the people of this region, who are enduring the devastating consequences of continued strife. We unequivocally condemn any acts that target civilians, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, or faith.“   

Pope Francis, at his weekly Angelus Address in St. Peter’s Square, offered his prayerful condolences, saying: “Let the attacks and weapons cease, please, because it must be understood that terrorism and war bring no solutions, but only the death and suffering of many innocent lives. War is a defeat. Every war is a defeat. Let us pray for peace in Israel and Palestine.”

In light of this horrific attack and the ongoing wars, let us pray more frequently and fervently during this month dedicated to the Holy Rosary.  Pray a Rosary for the consolation of those who grieve, the healing of the injured and wounded, and the many victims, but especially for peace. St. Padre Pio said: “The rosary is the weapon for these times.”  Indeed, it must be our spiritual weapon against evil and injustice.

The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary recalls the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. An outnumbered Christian force prevented a Muslim Invasion force of some 120,000 aboard 275 ships. Catholics attributed their victory to the fervent praying of the Rosary, at the urging of Pope Pius V, for their success against the jihad aimed at Western Europe.   

 Prayer is all that many of us have to offer at these tragic moments. Some cynics might wonder the point of praying when forces are in the field and minds are made up. Yet prayer is its own form of disruption. It’s an unwelcome invasion into the logic of power, a counter-offensive to evil, violence, and horror. It occupies a place – in minds and hearts – that those who call for violence and wage war can never occupy. In Catholic terms, prayer is a reminder that our place, our time, is not just now but infinite. That the efforts of those who bring violence into the world are, in the scope of this infinite picture, inevitably futile.

 Given the horrific events of last week’s attacks and continued violence in the Holy Land, it may be hard to believe in this. Yet prayer is about hope as we take refuge in God and place our concerns before the One who has the power to make a difference where all other efforts have failed.

In your daily prayers, include this Prayer for Peace composed by St. Pope John Paul II:

“Lord Jesus Christ, who is called the Prince of Peace, who are Yourself our peace and reconciliation, who so often said, ‘Peace to you’– please grant us peace.

  Make all men and women witnesses of truth, justice, and brotherly love. Banish from their hearts whatever might endanger peace. Enlighten our rulers so that they may guarantee and defend the great gift of peace.

  May all peoples on the earth become brothers and sisters. May longed-for peace blossom forth and reign always over us all. Amen.”

Pray a Rosary for peace! Join us for Devotions on Monday as we turn Mother Mary, the Queen of Peace. Do good. Be well. God Bless.