Celebrations, Changes, Challenges, & Prayers!

     Dear Parishioners:                                

Fr. Daniel Mahoney

As you learned last weekend, Fr. Mahoney has been appointed by Bishop Henning as the Pastor at St. Pius X Church in Westerly, effective July 1. It is  a new and exciting chapter in his priestly life and ministry.  We are grateful for his time at Our Lady of Mercy. I am confident that he will continue the good work he does with the people of St. Pius Parish. While we are saddened by his departure, we are also filled with happiness for him as he embarks upon his first pastorate. 

  Fr. Mahoney will not be replaced as there are insufficient priests in the Diocese and no Associate Pastor to assign to OLM.  Only two priests are being ordained this year, and six are retiring. This means OLM will be a one priest parish for the foreseeable future. It also means that we must examine our schedule of Masses, Devotions, and other offerings as we transition from two priests to only one priest.  We need to pray much more ardently for vocations to the priesthood in the Diocese of Providence.

Fr. Mahoney

Almost every parish had an Associate Pastor when I was ordained twenty-eight years ago.  Now, just three parishes have more than one priest, and OLM isn't one of them!  As the Lord said: "The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest."   Please pray for more priestly vocations.

We are blessed to have Seminarian David Del Bonis from OLM, who is in formation for the priesthood at Our Lady of Providence Seminary and studying philosophy and theology at Providence College. Please pray for him and his vocation  that he might persevere! Pray that more young men from OLM might begin to discern a call to the priesthood.  

Encourage those young men who are your sons, grandsons, nephews, players, students, and neighbors to discern a vocation to the priesthood. Also, pray for Fr. Connors, who begins the important work of helping form our future priests as the new Rector of Our Lady of Providence Seminary on July 1, 2024.

Last Saturday, we celebrated joyfully and faithfully as over 60 of our young parishioners received their First Holy Communion. The Masses and the May Crowning were beautiful, and the children prepared well.  St. Maximilian Kolbe said: "If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion." 

We thank our Faith Formation Directors, Jeremy Long and Julia Anthon, the First Communion Teachers Peggy Simms and Jean Perretta, and all those who helped prepare the children.  We also thank their parents who first brought them to Christ and his Church for baptism and continue to raise them in the faith. 

You will see a special announcement for our Vacation Bible School in the bulletin.  It is for children aged 4 to 12 and is scheduled for the week of June 24.  This year's theme is "Marvelous Mystery: The Mass Comes Alive!"  I encourage you to enroll your children and grandchildren soon for this great opportunity of fun, faith and catechetics.   

The celebration of First Communion highlights the critical importance of the Eucharist in the lives of these children and their families, as well as in the life of our parish and the entire Church. We have been in a Year of Eucharistic Revival in the U.S., culminating with a Eucharistic Congress in July in Indianapolis. The mission of the Revival is to renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Without priests, this is impossible.

Pope St. John Paul II, in Gift and Mystery: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination, reminds us: "There can be no Eucharist without the priesthood, just as there can be no priesthood without the Eucharist." We have been blessed at OLM to have many fine priests who have served as associates over the years. We must now prepare for the changes and challenges of parish life with just one priest.  With your patience, understanding, and, most importantly, your prayers, I am confident we will continue to thrive as a parish. Pray for me and the parish. 

  Be well. Do good. God Bless. Best Wishes, Fr Mahoney!!! A Holy and Blessed Pentecost!  Come, Holy Spirit, Come!

Celebrating First Communion, May Crowning, & Motherhood

Dear Parishioners:                               

It is a weekend full of faith and joy as we celebrate First Holy Communion, the May Crowning, and Mother's Day! On Saturday, over 60 of our parish children received the Eucharistic Lord for the first time. On Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Mass, they will crown our Blessed Mother in the beautiful May Crowning Ceremony. We offer Sunday Masses for all Mothers this Mother's Day. 

Pope Francis offered these words to a First Communion Class: "Dear boys and girls, now you will receive Jesus. Don't think about anything else. Come to the altar with silence in your hearts. Think about how Jesus comes to your heart and how he will do the same again and again. Think of your parents, your catechists, your grandparents, your friends. Stay close to Jesus.” 

Fifty years ago, I made my First Holy Communion at St. Paul Church in Cranston.  My older brothers served the Mass, and the late Father Raymond Rafferty, then the curate at St. Paul, gave me my First Holy Communion.  Afterward, on that Saturday morning, we went to the IHop to celebrate with a pancake breakfast! 

Although much has changed over the last fifty years, one thing has not changed, and that is the real and abiding presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that "in the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist' the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained."

Let us pray for our First Communion Class to continue to be nourished and strengthened by the Eucharist at Sunday Mass. Join us when they come to the 10:30 am Mass as they crown the Blessed Mother. The crowning symbolizes Mary as Queen of Heaven and our lives. We entrust all our intentions to her, and she takes them to her Son, the King. Our Blessed Mother is our Queen and our intercessor, and we symbolize that with our May crowning of her statue.

Today, we also celebrate Mother's Day. It is a wonderful opportunity to highlight the beautiful vocation of motherhood and the gift of human life. It calls us to cherish the gift of life we receive from our mothers and to pray for all women to whom God has entrusted life in a very special way. As we pray in thanksgiving for the gift of mothers, we remember mothers experiencing challenges, crises, and difficult pregnancies and pray they may find support and encouragement in choosing life for their children.

Just last month, it was reported that birth rates in the United States are at a historical low. This highlights that many women are not choosing to have children and forgo the joys of motherhood. Our nation's record-low fertility rates and global fertility decline are driven by cultural, social, and economic factors. Along with the dramatic decline of religious practice. So, let us pray for all mothers today and that more women might be open to life and choose to be mothers.

The great Hungarian Churchman, Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty, said: "The Most Important Person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body. The angels have not been blessed with such a grace. They cannot share in God's creative miracle to bring new saints to Heaven. Only a human mother can. Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any other creature; God joins forces with mothers in performing this act of creation. .. What on God's good earth is more glorious than this: to be a mother?"

Last Saturday night, we had a fantastic celebration of the OLM Spring Fling. The live and silent auctions were a great success and provided much-needed financial support for our outstanding parish school. I thank all those who worked so hard to make the night such a success, especially the OLM School PTG President Tarah Provençal and the Spring Fling Chair Christina Haas. Also, we thank all those who donated items for the auction and those who bid so generously to win them!

Be well. Do good. God Bless. A Happy Mother's Day! Prayers and congratulations to the OLM First Communion Class. Hope to see you at Devotions on Monday night.

A Fond Farewell to Bishop James Ruggieri

Bishop Ruggieri driving the Food Truck that serves hungry and homeless residents in Providence.

Dear Parishioners:                                

This week, I will joyfully travel north to Maine, for the Ordination of Bishop-Elect James Ruggieri as the 13th Bishop of Portland. The Ordination Mass is on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. It will be celebrated by Séan Patrick Cardinal O'Malley of Boston in the presence of Christophe Cardinal Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio (ambassador of the Holy See) to the United States. 

Many bishops from the area will attend, as will many priests from Providence and Portland. The Bishop’s family, friends, and parishioners from Rhode Island will also make the trek north for the celebration.

Pope Francis named Bishop Ruggieri, then pastor of St. Michael and St. Patrick Parishes in Providence,  as the 13th Bishop of the Diocese of Portland on February 13, 2024. Bishop Ruggieri grew up in Barrington, RI, where he was trained as an altar boy by Bishop Evans, then a young curate at Holy Angels Church. 

Bishop Ruggieri and Father Healey pose with Bishop Gelineau after their priestly ordination on June 24, 1995

The Bishop and I were ordained priests together on June 24, 1995, at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul by Bishop Gelineau. He is a holy and humble priest and will be an outstanding shepherd of his flock in Maine. It is a bittersweet moment as we lose such a fine priest of Providence, but it is a happy day for the Bishop and a time of great joy for Portland. 

Our parish has long supported the many good and charitable works at his parishes in Providence. Over the years, we have had food drives and backpack drives and provided outreach efforts in support of the many poor and needy served by his parishes. 

Bishop Ruggieri regularly drove his Food Truck for the poor and hungry throughout Providence. He established St. Patrick's Academy, a Catholic High School for low-income students. Fluent in Spanish, this "Padre," as he is known, is truly a beloved shepherd of his flock in Providence. 

Just a few weeks ago, over 1,000 people gathered at a Farewell Mass for Bishop Ruggieri at the Cathedral in Providence. As a pastor, he has never turned a blind eye to anyone but always sought to help the unborn, the immigrant, the refugee, the addict, the homeless, and the poorest of the poor. He will undoubtedly continue to do so in Maine.

Bishop Ruggieri greeting parishioners at his Farewell Mass.

Although ordained a priest, the bishop-elect will celebrate another degree of the sacrament of holy orders of the Catholic Church. Bishops are ordained to "the fullness of the priesthood." He continues the ministry of charity while taking on the responsibility for governance of the local Church.

At the Ordination Mass, the recitation of the Prayer of Ordination, which dates to the 4th century, officially makes the man over whom it is being prayed a bishop. During the prayer, two deacons hold the open Book of the Gospels over the head of the new bishop to symbolize the principal task of proclaiming and living the Gospel.    The new bishop is then anointed on the head with Sacred Chrism and receives the signs and symbols of his office: The Book of the Gospels and a ring, signifying his union with this local Church and his lifetime commitment as a servant of the Lord. 

He receives a mitre worn by bishops at liturgical functions, a symbol of the wings of the Holy Spirit. He is presented with a crozier (pastoral staff), which looks like a shepherd's crook, symbolizing the bishop as the chief shepherd, protector, and guide of Christ's flock.  All the bishops at the Mass then give the new bishop a Sign of Peace, an embrace that marks the newly ordained bishop's membership in the College of Bishops. The newly ordained and installed bishop then presides for the Liturgy of the Eucharist, his first as bishop of Portland.

Bishop Ruggieri chose "Auspice Maria" as his episcopal motto, "Under the protection of Mary." Pray for Bishop Ruggeri. May our Blessed Mother Mary guide and protect him in his ministry of teaching, governing, and sanctifying the People of God as the Bishop of Portland. Ad multos annos! Gloriosque annos, Vivas! Vivas! Vivas!

Be well. Do good. God Bless. Join us for May Devotions on Monday at 7:00 pm. Saint Francis de Sales said:  "The greatest method of praying is to pray the Rosary."

.

April Showers Bring May Flowers, Mary & the Rosary

Dear Parishioners:                               

It begins this week! Yes, it's the month of May, when all the flowers watered by April showers finally bloom, the grass grows, and we start thinking about planting gardens, having family picnics, going to college graduations, and celebrating First Communions. The Month of May is also dedicated to the Blessed Mother Mary. For centuries, we have dedicated the entire month of May to honor Mary, Mother of God. This is not just a day in May but a month of reverence and devotion

 The tradition of the Month of Mary is not a recent one. It spans centuries and cultures, with its roots going back to the Ancient Greeks. In early Greece, May was dedicated to Artemis, the goddess of fecundity. In Ancient Rome, May was dedicated to Flora, the goddess of blooms. At the end of April, they celebrated ludi florals, or floral games, and asked Flora for the intercession of all that bloomed.

Similar such customs abounded in medieval times, centering around expelling winter, as May First was considered the start of new growth. The medieval tradition of Tricesimum, or "Thirty-Day Devotion to Mary," occurred during this period. It was also sometimes called "Lady Month."

The idea of a month dedicated specifically to Blessed Mother Mary can be traced back to baroque times. Although it wasn't always held during May, Mary Month included thirty daily spiritual exercises and devotions honoring Mary. In this era, Mary's Month and May were combined, making May the Month of Mary with special devotions organized daily. This custom became especially widespread during the nineteenth century and remains in practice until today.

There are numerous ways to honor Mary in May, and these traditions are as diverse as the people who practice them. Here at OLM, we have the great tradition of May Devotions with Eucharistic Adoration and the recitation of the Holy Rosary every Monday in May at 7:00 pm. We also have a morning Rosary Group who pray the Rosary after the daily 7:30 am Mass.

Additionally, we crown the statue of Mary during May – a custom known as May Crowning. The crown, made of beautiful blossoms, represents Mary's beauty and virtue. It serves as a reminder for us to strive to imitate our Blessed Mother's virtue, faith, and humility in our lives. The May Crowning at OLM is always on Mother's Day at the 10:30 am Mass. Our First Communion children come to the Mass in their First Communion attire and crown our Blessed Mother, Queen of the May! This beautiful ceremony is a wonderful way to celebrate Mother's Day and honor Mary.  

During May, give Mary a special spot in your spiritual life. Take up the Rosary and pray it daily! Come to May Devotions on Mondays, and pray for peace in your life and our world. Yes, turn to Mary and pray for her intercession. St. Padre Pio said: "The Rosary is the 'weapon' for these times!"  

It is widely believed that in 1214, St. Dominic had a vision of Blessed Mother Mary. She presented him with the Rosary, both the beads and the prayers to be prayed. St. Dominic had a tremendous devotion to Mary and the Rosary, which he promoted wherever he traveled to preach. He encouraged Catholics to gather in small groups to pray together, which was an early form of the Rosary together.

Mary is our mother, and because she cares for us day in and day out without fail, she intercedes for us in even the tiniest matters. For that, she deserves an entire month in her honor. So take your Rosary beads and put them to prayerful work, meditating on the joyful, sorrowful, glorious, and luminous mysteries.

Pope Francis has urged Catholics to pray the Rosary, especially in May. He said: "I want to encourage everyone to rediscover the beauty of praying the Rosary at home in the month of May. Contemplating the face of Christ with the heart of Mary our Mother will make us even more united as a spiritual family. It will help us overcome this time of trial."     

So add a Rosary to your week and come to Devotions on Mondays too! The Rosary is a mobile prayer. Pray it alone in the car on the way to work or together while taking the kids to a game. Mary, pray for us! Be well. Do good. God Bless. 

Stepping Into the Spring Calendar

Dear Parishioners:                              

It's hard to believe we had the April Spring School Vacation this past week, and it's already the Fourth Week of the Easter Season. Between an early Easter Sunday and all the rainy weather, the spring has gotten off to a slow start. As Mark Twain famously said: "In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours."

Of course, spring brings with it many events on our parish calendar. The School Play debuts with the Little Mermaid Jr., and the School's Annual Spring Fling Fundraiser kicks off on Kentucky Derby Day. First Holy Communion and Mother's Day are also in early May! Lots of great events to celebrate as a parish and school family.

Mark your calendar for next weekend to see performances of The Little Mermaid Jr. Tickets for the shows are available at the door at the Prout School Theater. There are two performances, a 7:00 pm on Saturday, April 27, and a 2:00 pm matinee on Sunday, April 28. Our theatre troupe has been working hard for months on this production. Come see our talented students sing, dance, and entertain. It's closer and more affordable than Broadway and perhaps even more entertaining!

Then, on May 4, the OLM School Spring Fling takes place at 6:00 pm at the Quidnessett Country Club. This is the most important fundraiser of the year for our school, with all the proceeds going directly to support the excellent education and outstanding teaching of our Church and the world's future saints and scholars. The night will include a Kentucky Derby theme, featuring food and drinks to suit the occasion. The Spring Fling is an event for the whole parish and all the alums and friends of OLM School. So please wear your Derby suit or dress, hat, or bonnet, and join us! And remember to bring your checkbook for the auction!

It is a fun-filled evening that provides crucial financial support for our parish school. There are live and silent auctions of great prizes to bid on, ranging from Dinner with the Priests in the Rectory, MasterChef Fr. Mahoney Cooking Lessons for the Perfect Steak on the Grille, Hi-Lo Jack Night at the Regency Cigar Emporium, In-Home Wine Tasting from the Savory Grape, Vacation Get-Aways, Chef's Tables at local restaurants and much more! Tickets and information are available online at olmspringfling.org.

We look forward to our parish celebration of First Holy Communion on Saturday, May 11, and the May Crowning on Mother's Day, May 12. Fr. Mahoney and I will interview our First Communion candidates and their parents this week. They are entering into the final preparation for the big day.

Please pray for them as they continue preparing to receive Jesus Christ truly present in the Eucharist for the first time. May they heed the words of Pope Francis speaking to a First Communion Class: "Remember that this is the sacrament of your First Communion, not your last. Remember that Jesus is always waiting for you!"    

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday. It is the perfect time for us to pray for priests, bishops, and all those who shepherd the Lord's flock. It is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, a day for us to fulfill the Lord's instruction to "Pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest."   While appreciating all vocations, the Church concentrates its attention this day on vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life. So please spend some time in prayer today and during this upcoming week to pray for more vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, especially in the Diocese of Providence. Also, please pray for all the priests, bishops, and seminarians of Providence.

Pope Francis reminds us: "Vocations aren't the result of planning, but an encounter with God that changes your life." If you know a young man who would make a good priest or a young woman who would be a good religious sister, invite them to consider it and pray for them. Help them encounter God, change their lives, and pursue a vocation to the priesthood or consecrated life.

At OLM, we are truly blessed to have two priests, four religious sisters, a seminarian, and even a retired Auxiliary Bishop living next door. Pray that every parish in our Diocese may be so blessed with vocations! Be

Eastertide! New Life & Growth in the Church

Dear Parishioners:                              

The English Catholic convert and author G. K. Chesterton once commented: "Christendom has had a series of revolutions, and in each one of them, Christianity has died. Christianity has died many times and risen again, for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave."  His words came to mind as I reflected upon Easter, a season of baptism and new life.

Baptism on Easter Sunday

We had the joy of witnessing four baptisms at the Easter Vigil, and even more blessings followed as we baptized a baby on Easter Sunday, with five more babies to be baptized this Sunday!

Even in its simplest form, the sacrament of baptism is a celebration filled with Easter symbolism. Celebrating baptism at the Easter Vigil is a tradition, and this is no mere 'coincidence.' The Church intentionally connects baptism to the events of the Paschal mystery during the Easter season. Much of the symbolism is in the Jerusalem Catecheses, a series of catechetical lectures attributed to St. Cyril of Jerusalem, bishop during the 4th century. Addressing those baptized at the Easter Vigil, Cyril writes:

"You were led down to the font of holy baptism just as Christ was taken down from the cross and placed in the tomb before your eyes. Each of you was asked, 'Do you believe in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit?' You made the profession of faith that brings salvation; you were plunged into the water, and three times, you rose again. This symbolized the three days Christ spent in the tomb."

The white garment of baptism symbolizes that the person baptized has "put on Christ," risen with Christ. The candle, lit from the Easter candle, signifies that Christ has enlightened the neophyte. In him, the baptized are "the light of the world." Yes, baptism is a truly beautiful sacrament. When celebrated during Easter, all of its symbolism comes to life.

Adult Baptism at Easter Vigil

Thousands of adults across the United States were baptized into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil this year. So please pray for all our newly baptized. Meanwhile, in secular France, over 12,000 people, both adults and adolescents, were baptized on Easter; this is a record number in the country that has become "de-Christianized."

According to reports from France, 7,135 adults were to receive the sacrament of baptism during the Easter Vigil. In addition, over 5,000 teenagers aged 11 to 17 were baptized this Easter. While this is good news, it is insufficient to compensate for the dramatic decline of infant baptism in France.

Islam is growing and may become the primary religion in historically Catholic countries such as France, the so-called eldest daughter of the Church. Yet, there was a dramatic increase in adults converting from Islam and being baptized at Easter in France. It, too, is a sign of faith and hope growing in Western Europe. In Rome, Pope Francis baptized eight adults: four from Italy, two from South Korea, a man from Japan, and a woman from Albania. He also confirmed them and gave them their first Communion.

Newly baptized at the Easter Vigil

On Easter Sunday, Catholics across the globe renewed their baptismal promises. They were sprinkled with the newly blessed Easter Holy Water. As they joyfully and faithfully recalled their own baptisms. They denounced sin and Satan and declared their belief in Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord, and his Church.

Eastertide is indeed a time of new life and growth in the Church. It is a time for us to live joyfully in faith, hope, and love. Christ is risen and alive. Sin and death have been defeated! The Church is alive and growing! This is good news that should bring us great joy!

I think Monsignor Ronald Knox, the English Catholic Priest, author, and theologian of the early twentieth century, said it best when he said: "The Church was buried in the catacombs; She rose again with Constantine. She died in the Dark Ages; She rose again with Charlemagne. She died with the Renaissance; She rose again with the saints of the Counter-Reformation. You cannot kill the Catholic Church."

We congratulate all the newly baptized and promise our prayers. A Blessed Easter Season!  Let us echo the words of St. John Paul II, "We are an Easter people, and Alleluia is our song!" Be well. Do good. God Bless.