Where Charity & Love Prevail

Dear Parishioners:                      

We had a grand send-off for Sister Emma last Sunday.  I am grateful to all those who helped with the Farewell Reception.  Our Franciscan Apostolic Sisters are now in Lincoln, Nebraska. They will be there for the next two weeks to attend community meetings and make a retreat.  Please keep them in your prayers that their time together is fruitful and productive. May they return home to OLM, safe and sound, in August.

Fire and Rescue respond to the Texas Flood.

The floods in Texas on the July Fourth Holiday caused significant destruction and devastation in Central Texas' scenic Hill Country. The storms dumped over 10 inches of rain in some areas, causing the Guadalupe River to rise roughly 30 feet within 45 minutes. Sadly, 130 people died and nearly 180 are still missing.

In the wake of such a disaster, there is a great need for help for the many victims. Communities across Texas have begun to rally with donations and volunteer efforts, and Catholic churches from west to east Texas continue to mobilize relief for the flood victims.

These floods, the worst since 1921, have left many in pain and sorrow but also in great need of assistance and help. Catholic Charities Mobile Relief Units are on the ground, providing food, clothing, hygiene kits, and water to those in need. Many Catholics in the region have been stepping up to help, converging on Notre Dame Parish in Kerrville, of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, located in the hardest-hit community along the Guadalupe River. San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller visited Notre Dame on the day of the flooding and met with families who had lost loved ones or whose loved ones were still missing.

San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller comforts victims of the Texas Flood.

Notre Dame Catholic Church was filled with worshippers for Sunday Mass, and many shared stories of their loss with the Archbishop. "One woman told me that her sister and her family, including four children, were missing," he recounted. Another said that while she and her family had survived the flooding, their home had been swept away.

 In times of suffering, we are not distant observers but are called to be in solidarity with those who suffer. The pain of families in Kerr County, whose children vanished into floodwaters at Camp Mystic, is our pain. Solidarity means more than just our prayers and good wishes; it also involves practical charitable support. Texas Game Wardens, Mexican search crews, FEMA officials, Catholic Charities workers, and local volunteers have given us a glimpse of what it looks like to live in solidarity. It is in the sharing of resources and in the act of risking one's own safety for the sake of another.

The Church calls us to care first for the most vulnerable. This flood struck the most vulnerable: children at camp, elderly residents in low-lying neighborhoods, and workers whose homes were built too close to danger because they could afford nothing else.  I urge you to support the efforts of Catholic Charities USA in responding in the aftermath of this disaster.  In the bulletin, you will find how to donate to the Catholic Charities Texas Flood Relief Fund.  You can also make a check payable to OLM Outreach with "Texas Flood" in the memo.  We will forward any donations to OLM Outreach directly to Catholic Charities USA for their flood relief efforts.  Thank you for your support and solidarity.

Let us pray for the dead and the grieving and all those suffering from the devastation and destruction of the flood.  The Archdiocese of San Antonio has written A Special Prayer for Flood Victims: "God of Mercy and Shelter, in this time of devastation and loss, we lift up our hearts to You. Be close to all who suffer from the flooding in our communities. Embrace those who mourn, shelter the displaced, strengthen the weary, and inspire all of us to offer loving assistance to those in need. Through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Anthony of Padua, may our Church be a beacon of hope and solidarity. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

We have surpassed our goal for the Catholic Charity Appeal this year.  We raised a record $276,000 from 449 parishioners!  In the name of the poor and needy who benefit from the Appeal, I thank you for your generosity. Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox!

Where Are You Heading This Summer?

Dear Parishioners:                                

Fr. Brodeur has arrived and is keeping very busy! If you haven't met him or greeted him, be sure to do so.  If you see him around the parish or town, say "Hello"!  We are blessed to have him here at OLM. We are grateful to Bishop Lewandowski for assigning him as our  Associate Pastor.                         

Sister Emma R. Salvador, FAS poses with OLM School students Matthew and Jacob Maligaya.

This weekend, we say thank you and farewell to Sister Emma.  She has been at OLM for over a decade. She has now been reassigned to a new ministry at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Lincoln, Nebraska. We thank her for her years of dedicated service here at OLM!   Join us this Sunday, following the 10:30 am Mass, for a Farewell Reception for Sister Emma.

Next Saturday, July 19, the Sisters depart early in the morning for their long drive to Nebraska for their annual community gathering and retreat. May Our Lady of the Highways guide and protect them. Sister Benigna Mallare, who has been assigned to OLM to replace Sister Emma, will accompany Sister Lourdes and Sister Jane on their return home in early August.

Sister Josephine P. Mata, FAS, is also returning with them.  She is a Superior who makes an annual visitation, representing the Mother General of the Franciscan Apostolic Sisters. Pray for the FAS Sisters during their community meetings and retreat, that it might be a fruitful and productive time. 

In my list of summer books last week, I neglected to list a new book you may wish to purchase, written by our own Father Connors.  Part of the Catholic Handbooks Series published by the Encyclopedia of Catholic Theology, Fr. Connors' Moral Theology: An Introduction is now available. You don't need to be a theologian to read the book.  This introduction to moral theology aims to provide readers with an accessible overview of what moral theology is, its importance, and the Church's teachings on the subject. It is available for online purchase at shop.ect.org. 

I know many people are traveling for vacation during these summer months.   You don't have to skip Mass when you travel.  You can find local Mass Times anywhere in the world at masstimes.org.  It is a great service for Catholics who are traveling.  I encourage you to take the local parish bulletin when you attend Mass out of state.  Please place the bulletin in the collection basket upon your return.  It's always interesting to see where parishioners are traveling and what parishes in other places are doing.

Pope Leo XIV travels to Castel Gandalfo, where he pays a visit to the Borgo Laudato Sì, an area of the papal residence converted by Pope Francis into a space for formation and raising awareness about the care for our common home.

Last week, our Holy Father, Pope Leo, began his summer vacation at the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo. This village is situated on a hilltop in the Alban Hills, offering panoramic views of Lake Albano.  Castel Gandolfo has been a place of rest, prayer, and study for popes for centuries. Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI spent their summers there, prayed the Angelus on Sundays, and mingled with the townspeople.

During his pontificate, Pope Francis chose not to take his vacation there. However, Pope Leo XIV has returned to the tradition of taking a summer respite at the beautiful village located about one hour from Rome. He is spending two weeks there, away from the heat and noise of Rome, as well as the hustle and bustle of the Vatican. The Pope's private audiences are suspended during July, including the Wednesday general audiences, and they resume on July 30. 

While the Holy Father is at the hilltop village, he will celebrate Sunday morning Mass on July 13 in the local parish Church of St. Thomas of Villanova.  It is a notable and beautiful example of Baroque architecture, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini for Pope Alexander VII.  The Augustinian Fathers, the same order to which Pope Leo belongs, administer the parish.  After Mass, the Holy Father will lead the recitation of the Angelus prayer at noon in the town square.

The late Pope Francis said: "During Summertime, let us learn how to take a break, turn off the mobile phone to gaze into the eyes of others, cultivate silence, contemplate nature, and regenerate ourselves in dialogue with God." 

Good advice to heed for everyone. Enjoy the summer like the Holy Father! Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox!

Summertime Welcomes, Goodbyes, & Books

Dear Parishioners:                                

The 1787 Constitutional Convention by Junius Brutus Stearns, 1856.

I hope you had an enjoyable Fourth of July!  It's a great day to be with family and friends and celebrate our nation's freedom from the iron shackles of British imperialism. I was able to celebrate the holiday with my sister and her family in Saratoga, New York, the site of a decisive Colonial victory over the British in 1771. This victory persuaded France to recognize American independence and form a military alliance, providing crucial support for the American cause.

On Independence Day, we celebrate the Declaration of Independence, which officially declared the colonies' freedom and separation from the British Empire.  As we are reminded on the two-hundred and forty-ninth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

This weekend, we welcome Father Brodeur, our new Associate Pastor at Our Lady of Mercy.  He'll be unpacking and settling in over the next few weeks after spending five years studying in Rome. Be sure to give him your usual welcome!

Sister Emma R. Salvador, FAS

Next Sunday, we  will officially say Farewell to Sister Emma.  She has been with us at OLM for over a decade, and she will be greatly missed by many, especially the school children whom she has served so well.   I know she, too, is sad to leave us at OLM but understands that religious life requires moving on at times.  Join us next Sunday after 10:30 a.m. for a Farewell Sister Emma Reception in Mercy Park.

On Saturday, July 19, our good Sisters depart for St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Lincoln, Nebraska, where Sister Emma will begin her new ministry. While there, they gather with all the Franciscan Apostolic Sisters from across the United States for community meetings and a Spiritual Retreat.   Sister Lourdes and Sister Jane will return on August 5 with Sister Benigna, who will begin her ministry here at OLM.  Please pray for the Sisters.

It's summertime! A time for traveling, beaches, cookouts, pool parties, and fun in the sun. A time to relax from the routine and time off from the work schedule.  It is also a time to do more reading.  The Abolitionist Leader Henry Ward Beecher said: "There is a temperate zone in the mind, between luxurious indolence and exacting work; and it is to this region, just between laziness and labor, that summer reading belongs." What's on your summer reading list this year? 

I've got a few books I'm looking forward to reading.  A new book I've started reading is "The Postmodern Predicament: And a Roadmap for Recovery and Restoration" by Bobby Angel, a Catholic Philosopher. It offers a guide on how to build a firm foundation in the tumultuous times we live. Another book, entitled Artificial Humanity, was published a few years ago by Father Philip Larrey, who teaches Philosophy at Boston College. The book presents a philosophical examination of the challenges associated with Artificial Intelligence.

It is a timely read, as Pope Leo XIV has said: "Today, the church offers its trove of social teaching to respond to another industrial revolution and to innovations in the field of artificial intelligence that pose challenges to human dignity, justice, and labor."

The Abolitionist Leader Henry Ward Beecher said: "There is a temperate zone in the mind, between luxurious indolence and exacting work; and it is to this region, just between laziness and labor, that summer reading belongs."

I am also reading Sam Tanenhaus's new biography of William F. Buckley, Jr. entitled Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America.  The author wrote an outstanding biography on Whittaker Chambers which I read in the late 1990s.  I look forward to reading this new biography.  I recall watching Firing Line on Sunday afternoons with my late Father and enjoying the always erudite and witty William F. Buckley, Jr.'s debate on the topics of the day with many notables. 

And thankfully, the latest edition of the Bruno the Detective series arrived this past week! An Enemy in the Village was recently published by British expatriate author Martin Walker, who lives in France. This book is the eighteenth edition of my favorite detective series. They are a great read with a cigar on the beach! Welcome to OLM, Fr. Brodeur!

Be Good. Do Well. God Bless! Go Sox!!

Saints Peter & Paul, Pray for Us!

Dear Parishioners:

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.  They are the Patron Saints of the Diocese of Providence, so it is a special day for Catholics in Providence.  We pray for our Bishop, priests, religious, and faithful, asking Saints Peter and Paul to intercede for us and our Diocese. Happy Feast Day!                 

On this Feast Day in Rome, newly installed Metropolitan Archbishops receive the pallium from the Holy Father.  A pallium is made from the wool of lambs, which are blessed each year on the Feast of St. Agnes (January 21), and is a yoke-shaped vestment that covers the shoulders. The pallium symbolizes the authority and pastoral duty of the Metropolitan Archbishop over their flock, as well as caring for their flock. It serves as a reminder that we are all spiritually connected to our Mother the Church, our Holy Father, and the Church's magisterium.

A pallium

With the laying of the pallium on the shoulders of the archbishop by the Holy Father, the Metropolitan Archbishops are then sent back to their own archdiocese to extend the pastoral ministry of our Holy Father. We pray for the Archbishops, especially for  Archbishop Henning, our former Bishop, who receives his pallium today from Pope Leo XIV.

Today is also the First Anniversary of the Ordination to the Priesthood of our new Associate Pastor, Father Brodeur.  Last June 29, he was ordained a priest by Archbishop Henning at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Providence.  He arrives from Rome this week on July 1 to begin his assignment.  Pray for him as he begins his priestly ministry at Our Lady of Mercy. Ad multos annos, Father!  

Sadly, there will be no one ordained to the priesthood this year for the Diocese of Providence.   Next year, we anticipate ordaining three new priests. However, many of our priests are approaching or have already reached the retirement age of 75.  Don't worry. I turn sixty in July, which means I have fifteen years before I think about retiring! However,  please pray fervently for more vocations to the priesthood for the Diocese.  

This week, we celebrate Independence Day. I love the Fourth of July.  It's summertime, school's out, and families and individuals take vacations. There are fireworks and cookouts with family and friends. I remember the great Bicentennial celebrations of 1976 when I was 11 years old.  My Father took us to watch the Tall Ships sail into Newport Harbor. Next year, we celebrate our nation's Semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026! I am looking forward to it! As we celebrate July 4, recall the opening prayer for Mass on Independence Day:

  "Father of all nations and ages, we recall the day when our country claimed its place among the family of nations; for what has been achieved, we give you thanks, for the work that still remains we ask your help, and as you have called us from many peoples to be one nation, grant that, under your providence, our country may share your blessings with all the peoples of the earth."

Our Lady of Mercy School students Caroline Colligan, First Place Winner, Aileen Block, Second Place Winner, at the State Civics Bee with Mr. P.J. O’Neil , OLM Middle School History Teacher.

On the Fourth of July, we celebrate the founding of our nation. In light of that, I offer my congratulations to our now-rising OLM School eighth-grade students, Aileen Block and Caroline Colligan, who took home the top two places in the Rhode Island State Civics Bee last Tuesday evening!

The State Civics Bee, which is part of a national competition, was hosted by the East Greenwich Chamber of Commerce. Students from across Rhode Island qualified for Tuesday's final by submitting an essay explaining how they would address a problem in their local community using civic virtues and the principles of our country's founding. Aileen and Caroline were two of only twenty state-wide finalists, and out of those twenty, they prevailed as the top two scorers on Tuesday! 

Aileen took home second place, and Caroline was the overall state champion, which qualifies her to represent Rhode Island in the national finals this fall! We are very proud of their outstanding work. We also want to thank our OLM middle school history teacher, Mr. O'Neill, who supported their participation and whose class helped prepare the girls for the competition.  Well done!!

Happy Fourth of July! Get ready to welcome Father Brodeur to OLM next weekend! Be well. Do Good. God Bless. God Bless America!!

Celebrating the Holy Eucharist & the Sacred Priesthood on Corpus Christi

Dear Parishioners:                               

We celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi this weekend.  It is also known as the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. It is a feast that honors Jesus Christ, really, truly, and substantially present in the Eucharist under the appearances of bread and wine.                     

From the earliest days of the Church, Christians have believed that Christ was present in the Eucharist. This ancient feast dates back to the 13th century, an era in the history of the Church marked by widespread disbelief or misperception about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

Pope Urban IV verifies the Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena

It was the experience of a priest, Peter of Prague, that would make this a universal feast for the Church. In 1263, Fr. Peter was on a pilgrimage to Rome. He was a good, pious priest who strived for holiness but struggled with doubts about the Holy Eucharist. He agonized over whether, at the words of consecration, the bread and wine truly became the Body and Blood of Jesus.

During this time, he was celebrating Mass at the tomb of St. Christina, and as soon as he said the words of consecration – “This is my Body” – the host in his hands began to bleed down his arms and onto the altar cloth below. He was awestruck and began to cry. Pope Urban IV was in the nearby town of Orvieto, and he went to him. After investigating, the Pope declared a miracle and had the corporal brought to the cathedral in Orvieto. You can still go and see that blood-stained corporal in Orvieto’s Cathedral – almost 800 years later. One year after this miracle, the Pope extended the Solemnity to the Universal Church.

The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist happens through the change which the Church calls transubstantiation (“change of substance”) when at the Consecration of the Mass, the priest says the words which Christ Himself pronounced over bread and wine, “This is My Body,” “This is the chalice of My Blood,” “Do this in remembrance of Me.”

His Presence is real because it has a “real being.” This philosophical term conveys that it has actual existence and not just mental existence.  His Presence is true.  The Blessed Sacrament is called Christ because it is Christ. It is not simply a symbol, as a flag is the symbol of a nation, or as a photograph is a representation of the individual shown.

Finally, His Presence is substantial. Even though our senses detect the appearances or properties of bread and wine, the substance is Christ, who is wholly present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, under each element and any parts of them. In the Eucharist, Jesus Himself re-presents for our benefit His Sacrifice on Calvary, gives Himself to us in Holy Communion, and remains among us until the end of the age. He comes to us in this humble form, making Himself vulnerable out of love for each one of us. Yet, as God Himself, the Body and Blood of Christ deserve our utmost respect and love, as well as our adoration.

And so today, we celebrate the great gift of the Holy Eucharist with First Communions at the 10:30am Mass.  Also, a Eucharistic Procession to Mercy Park with Benediction will follow the 10:30am Mass.  In addition, the 10:30am Mass is offered as a Mass of Thanksgiving for the Thirtieth Anniversary of my Ordination as a Priest on June 24, 2025. As I mark this anniversary, I do so with a profound spirit of thanksgiving and as a genuinely happy and grateful priest.   

 I am indeed grateful for God’s gift of love, which called me to this beautiful life as a priest of  Jesus Christ. I am thankful to my late parents, all my family, and many friends. I wish to thank my brother priests who served alongside me, as well as the bishops under whom I have served over the past thirty years.  And for the many people I have served as a parish priest, I am profoundly grateful for their witness to the faith.

On Corpus Christi, as we celebrate the Most Holy Eucharist, I am reminded of the words of St. Pope John Paul II: “There can be no Eucharist without the priesthood, just as there can be no priesthood without the Eucharist.’ So today we celebrate both the great gifts of the Holy Eucharist and the Sacred Priesthood with great joy and thanksgiving. Pray for me and my priestly ministry as I pledge my continued prayers for you. Be well. Do Good. God Bless. 

Praise the Holy Trinity!

Dear Parishioners:                                 

Father Joseph M. Brodeur at this Ordination Mass on June 29, 2024 at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Providence.

As announced last weekend, we are grateful to Bishop Lewandowski for assigning Father Joseph M. Brodeur as our new Associate Pastor.  Father begins his priestly ministry at OLM on July 1 after his return from Rome, where he is presently finishing up his theological studies.   Born and raised in Westerly, he is the youngest of four children. He is a native son of Saint Pius X Church, where Father Mahoney currently serves as Pastor. Fr. Brodeur attended the parish school from kindergarten to eighth grade before graduating from Westerly High School in 2016. 

He then entered the Our Lady of Providence Seminary for his priestly formation during his college years. He is an alumnus of Providence College, where he earned his B.A. in Philosophy and Classics in 2020. Following college, Father undertook his priestly formation at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where he earned a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas ('Angelicum'). He was ordained a priest on June 29, 2024, by then Bishop Henning.

Last summer, he served as Associate Pastor at Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Saint Mary Parishes in Bristol before returning to Rome to complete a Licentiate in Liturgical Theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross ('Santa Croce'). He has been living at the Casa Santa Maria, the American priest graduate house in Rome. We certainly look forward to his arrival and having Father Brodeur with us at OLM.  I know you will give him your usual warm welcome when he arrives in July.  Keep him in your prayers.

This weekend, we welcome Sister Angelina Giramma, M.P.F., to OLM for the Missionary Cooperative.  She is speaking at all Masses on the good work of the Filippini Sisters in the Missions. The Institute of the Religious Teachers Filippini was founded by Saint Lucy Filippini and Marcantonio Cardinal Barbarigo in Italy in 1692.  The Filippini Sisters serve in parishes, schools, universities, and social work with those in need in the U.S., South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.   Pope Leo recently said that we need to "recognize the fundamental importance of the missions and supporting our brothers and sisters in those areas of our world where the Church is young and growing."

The Second Collection this weekend is for the Filippini Missions, and it is a way for us to recognize and financially support the important work of missionaries. I thank Sister Angelina for speaking to us this weekend, and I also thank you in advance for your generous support and prayers for the Filippini Sisters.   Next Sunday, we will celebrate the  Solemnity of Corpus Christi.

Although we celebrate the institution of the Holy Eucharist on Holy Thursday, the Church emphasizes its importance with a special feast. It was Pope Urban IV who first extended the feast to the Universal Church in 1254. Corpus Christi is one of the few feasts in which we observe a procession and a sung "Sequence." We will have a Eucharistic Procession following the 10:30 am Mass next Sunday. Corpus Christi is a threefold feast: the Feast of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, the Feast of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and the Feast of the Real Presence of Jesus in this Sacrament.

Father Healey carries the Eucharist in the Corpus Christi Procession in May 2024.

It is a doctrinal feast established to give God collective thanks and gratitude for Christ's abiding presence with us in the Eucharist and to honor Him there.  It is meant to instruct us in the Mystery, Faith, and devotion surrounding the Eucharist. And to teach us to appreciate and make use of the great gift of the Holy Eucharist, both as a Sacrament and as a sacrifice.

Within the three-year cycle of the Sunday liturgy, a different theme is featured each year for the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.  In Cycle A, the theme is the Eucharist as our food and drink; in Cycle B, the emphasis is on the Eucharist as the sign of the covenant; and in Cycle C, the theme focuses on the priesthood of Jesus.

Also, next Sunday, at 10:30 am Mass, I  mark my 30th anniversary of priestly ordination. They have been joyful and happy years of service to the Church.  I humbly ask for your continued prayers for me and my priestly ministry. Be well. Do Good. God Bless.