Arrivals & Departures! A New Pope, A New Bishop & OLM School Graduating

   Dear Parishioners:                               

It's Memorial Day Weekend already!  May has been a busy month.  We have a new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, and a new Bishop too! Pope Leo officially began his Pontificate last Sunday at the Mass of Inauguration for his Petrine Ministry in St. Peter's Square.                       

The Vatican announced that Pope Leo would retain his motto and coat of arms as bishop of Chiclayo, Peru. The motto is "In Illo uno unum." ("In the One, we are one.”) Pope Leo was a member of the Order of St. Augustine.  His motto is derived from  a sermon by St. Augustine in which he said: "Although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one."

On Tuesday, Bishop Lewandowski was officially installed as the Tenth Bishop of Providence. The  Mass was truly joyful and hopeful. His episcopal motto is: "Because by Your Holy Cross." It is a quote from St. Francis of Assisi adopted by St. Alphonsus Liguori in his well-known devotional work, "The Way of the Cross."     St. Alphonsus founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, known as the Redemptorists, in 1732. Bishop Lewandowski is a Redemptorist priest.

Please continue to pray for Pope Leo XIV and Bishop Lewandowski.  We pray: "O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful, look favorably on your servant Leo and our Bishop, Bruce. Grant, we pray, that by word and example they may be of service to those over whom they shepherd so that, together with the flock entrusted to their care, they may come to everlasting life. Amen."

On this Memorial Day, we remember in prayer and recall with gratitude the heroic sacrifice of those who died in service to our nation. Since the days just following the end of the Civil War, Americans have gathered in late May to honor those who died in military service to their country.

Memorial Day is a day to visit cemeteries and pray for those who so nobly died to protect our freedom. Attending the Mass and Memorial Day Parade is also a great way to honor them.  At Town Hall on Memorial Day, OLM 8th Grader Callie Smith will recite President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

As we remember the fallen, recall the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Poem Decoration Day: "All is repose and peace, untrampled lies the sod; The shouts of battle cease, It is the Truce of God! Rest, comrades, rest and sleep!   The thoughts of men shall be as sentinels to keep your rest from danger free. Your silent tents of green we deck with fragrant flowers; Yours has the suffering been, the memory shall be ours."

Last week, I was with our OLM School 8th Grade on their "Soul of America" Graduation Trip to New York,  Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. They visited the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. They visited the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, and the National Mall in Washington, DC.  We celebrated Mass at the magnificent Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and had a guided tour.

They also got a chance to see the beautiful Catholic University of America campus, my alma mater! Then it was off for a great guided tour of the U.S. Capitol.  They visited Arlington National Cemetery and the U. S. Marine Corps War Memorial, which has the iconic statue of the flag raising on Iwo Jima.

On their way home, they stopped in New York City and visited Liberty State Park, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island. A great educational and fun experience for these young men and women as they prepare to graduate from OLM School.  I'm certain the trip gave them a deeper appreciation of the real meaning of Memorial Day.

Next Sunday at 10:30 am Mass, we pray for the 8th Grade as we present each Graduate with an Our Lady of Mercy Medal. Then we acknowledge their academic achievements at a luncheon.  The Graduation Ceremony for the Class of 2025 is Friday, June 6. Please pray for these graduates as they prepare to enter high school. 

On Memorial Day, we celebrate the Final Monday night of May  Devotions at 7:00 pm with the Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration, and Benediction. We offer our Rosary for the noble souls of all those who sacrificed their lives for our nation and our freedoms.

Be well. Do Good. God Bless. Go Sox! Happy Memorial Day! God Bless America!                  

L

Habeumus Papam & Welcome Bishop Lewandowski

Dear Parishioners:                              

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV

  It took just 24 hours of conclave for the 133 cardinal electors to choose a successor to Pope Francis. From the Loggia of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome last Thursday, the French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, who is the Cardinal Protodeacon (the most senior Cardinal Deacon in the College of Cardinals), announced "Habemus Papam!"   

The American  Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost was elected the 267th Pope in history, taking the name Leo XIV. He is the first American Pope!  A historic day for our Church and a proud day for our nation.  

Marked by his experience as a missionary, pastor, teacher, and Bishop in Latin America. A member of the Order of Saint Augustine, he served as the Prior General of the order.  In 2023, he was appointed to the Vatican Curia.

Born in Chicago on September 14, 1955, Pope Leo XIV comes from a family of French, Italian, and Spanish descent. After studying mathematics and philosophy at Villanova University in Philadelphia, he entered the Augustinian novitiate in 1977, where he took his final vows four years later.

He was ordained a priest in 1982 in Rome, where he earned a doctorate in canon law from Angelicum University, operated by the Dominican Friars. While preparing his thesis, he also had his first missionary experience in Peru as chancellor of the diocese of Chulucanas and associate pastor of the cathedral.  

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV

In 2014, he was appointed a bishop by Pope Francis and returned to Peru. Initially, serving as the apostolic administrator of the diocese of Chiclayo, he became a diocesan Bishop in his own right in September 2015.

This diocese in northern Peru has 90  priests for a total population of 1.3 million, 83% of whom are Catholic. Pope Leo also served as apostolic administrator of the diocese of Callao, the large port on the Pacific coast, from 2020 to 2021.

Pope Francis made a Pastoral Visit to Peru in  2018. where he first met and got to know the then Bishop Prevost. In 2023, he was named prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops by Pope Francis.  This dicastery is responsible for selecting the world's bishops. He was created a cardinal that year.

Today, Sunday, May 18, Pope Leo XIV celebrates the Papal Inaugural Mass at St. Peter's Square. This Mass marks the Beginning of his Pontificate. It is celebrated before a large crowd, including many political and religious leaders from around the world.  May 18 also marks the 105th anniversary of the birth of St. Pope John Paul II.

Pope Leo XIV's first words to the world and the Church were: "Peace be with all of you! Dearest brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave his life for God's flock. I, too, would like this greeting of Peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families, and all people, wherever they are, all of the people, all over the earth. Peace be with you!"

We rejoice for the Church at this historic event and unite our prayers for our Holy Father. We pledge our loyalty to the Vicar of Christ on Earth.  An essential element of unity in and with the Church is unity with her head, the Roman Pontiff. St. Ambrose said: "Ubi Petrus, ibi Ecclesia. (Where Peter is, there is the Church.)"

The Most Reverend Bruce A. Lewandowski, C. Ss.R., who is to be installed as the 10th Bishop of Providence on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.

We also rejoice for the Diocese of Providence as our new Bishop, the Most Reverend Bruce A. Lewandowski, C.Ss.R., is installed as our tenth Bishop this week. His installation Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. It is open to the public and live-streamed on the Diocese of Providence website. 

We are also called to unity with Bishop Lewandowski, who is our chief shepherd and a successor of the apostles. As the visible head of our local Church, the Bishop is our chief teacher, sanctifier, and governor. On becoming a Bishop, Saint Augustine said, "For you I am a bishop; but with you I am a Christian. The former is a duty; the latter a grace."

Please pray for our new Holy Father and our new Bishop. We welcome Bishop Lewandowski to Providence and say, "Ad multos annos." May God bless Pope Leo XIV's pontificate. Viva il Papa!

Be well. Do Good. God Bless. Go Sox! See you at Devotions on Monday night as we offer our Rosary for our new Bishop on the eve of his installation.

Celebrating First Communion & Motherhood

Dear Parishioners:                  

The late Pope Francis said: "A society without mothers would be a dehumanized society, for mothers are always, even in the worst moments, witnesses of tenderness, dedication, and moral strength. Dearest mothers, thank you for what you are in your family and for what you give to the Church and the world." A Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers!       

In the United States, the first Mother's Day was celebrated by Anna Jarvis in honor of her late Mother over 100 years ago. While Mother's Day in the United States is a secular holiday, the Catholic Church has been celebrating the original "Mothering Sunday" since the earliest years of the Church.

The original Mother's Day, "Mothering Sunday," is a pious Catholic tradition on Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday in Lent. Laetare Sunday is more celebratory in the austere and penitential Lenten season. On this day, people would pay a visit and return to their Mother Church, where they were baptized, or to their local parish church or the nearest cathedral (the Mother Church to all churches in the diocese). Those who returned to their Mother Church on Mothering Sunday were said to have gone "a-mothering."

The old 1962 Roman Missal marks the day with a sense of maternal love, a love for the Holy Mother Church and Mary as the Mother of God and all Catholics. May has been Mother Mary's month since medieval times, when it was considered the end of winter and the beginning of a new season of growth and new life. It's a time for new beginnings and the chance to begin with gratitude and devotion. 

Mary is considered the "Queen of Heaven" as she was a perfect follower of Christ and is considered the crown of creation. She is also the Mother of the Son of God, Jesus, the King of Israel and the universe. And, of course, Mary is the most important woman of our faith and our spiritual Mother. 

On Mother's Day, we will crown our Blessed Mother Mary. The May Crowning is a ritual celebrated annually in May, where a statue of Mary is crowned with a beautiful wreath of flowers and is honored as the Queen of Heaven and the Mother of God. This simple ceremony carries deep meaning. While Mary, the Mother of God, is revered and celebrated all year long, the month of May is a special time to celebrate the "Queen of Heaven." 

At 10:30 am Mass, our First Communion Class will crown Mary, our patroness, Queen of Heaven, and the Mother of God.  Please join us as we turn to our Blessed Mother Mary and ask her to intercede for us and our intentions.  On Mother's Day, Masses are offered for all Mothers, living and deceased.

On Saturday, sixty-one parish children received their First Holy Communion.  It is always a joyful and faith-filled celebration.  We pray that these children continue to be nourished by the Eucharistic Lord and fed on the Bread of Life.  At a First Communion Mass he celebrated a few years ago, the late Pope Francis said:

Blessed Carlo Acutis

"Dear boys and girls, I am happy to share this great moment with you and help you meet Jesus. For you, this is a day to be celebrated in a spirit of friendship, a spirit of joy, and fraternity. In a spirit also of communion among yourselves and with the whole Church, which, especially in the Eucharist, expresses the communion that makes all of us brothers and sisters. This is our identity card: God is our Father, Jesus is our brother, and the Church is our family. All of us are brothers and sisters, and our law is love."

Pope Francis was to canonize Blessed Carlo Acutis on April 27. However, the canonization was postponed because of the Holy Father's death. Blessed Carlo was a fifteen-year-old boy in love with the Eucharist. He was wise and devout beyond his years. He once said, "When we face the sun, we get a tan, but when we stand before Jesus in the Eucharist, we become saints."  

The Conclave to elect the Pope began on Wednesday. Please pray for the Sacred College of Cardinals.  May the Holy Spirit inspire them to elect a worthy successor of St. Peter.     

Do Good. Be Well. God Bless. Go Sox! Happy Mother’s Day! See you at Marian Devotions on Monday at 7:00 pm! Keep a lookout for the white smoke!

A Prayerful Farewell for Pope Francis

Dear Parishioners:                  

We continue to mourn and pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis.  Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals,  was the principal celebrant of the Funeral Mass last Saturday.  In his homily, he said:                 

  "Rich in human warmth and deeply sensitive to today's challenges, Pope Francis truly shared the anxieties, sufferings, and hopes of this time of globalization. He gave of himself by comforting and encouraging us with a message capable of reaching people's hearts in a direct and immediate way. Mercy and the joy of the Gospel are two key words for Pope Francis.  In contrast to what he called ‘the culture of waste,’ he spoke of the culture of encounter and solidarity. The theme of fraternity ran through his entire pontificate with vibrant tones. In his Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti, he wanted to revive a worldwide aspiration to fraternity, because we are all children of the same Father who is in heaven. He often forcefully reminded us that we all belong to the same human family. Pope Francis used to conclude his speeches and meetings by saying, 'Do not forget to pray for me.'

Dear Pope Francis, we now ask you to pray for us. May you bless the Church, bless Rome, and bless the whole world from heaven as you did last Sunday from the balcony of this basilica in a final embrace with all the people of God, but also embrace humanity that seeks the truth with a sincere heart and holds high the torch of hope."

Over 400,000 people attended the Funeral Mass last week.  Among them were the President, other Heads of State, and several Monarchs.  I had several priest friends, and some parishioners from Our Lady of Mercy (OLM) were even in attendance. What a special blessing for our parish to be represented at the Holy Father's Funeral Mass. As I said at Mass last weekend, we are in an unusual situation here in the Diocese of Providence, as we now have neither a Bishop nor a Pope.  Bishop Lewandowski was among the last appointments made by the late Pope Francis, and he will be officially installed as Bishop of Providence on May 20.  Please continue to pray for him as he prepares to be our new shepherd. Meanwhile, the Sacred College of Cardinals has gathered in Rome for the Conclave to elect the new Pope. It begins this Wednesday.  Pray for them.  There is a prayer in the bulletin for the Conclave. I ask that you please pray it daily until a new Pontiff is elected.  

Of course, the secular media love to speculate about who the next Pope will be and what happens inside the Sistine Chapel during the Conclave. However, only the Holy Spirit and the Cardinals know what happens. They divulge any information.  They are locked in the Sistine Chapel, without phones or computers, until they elect the Pope.  So ignore the media prognosticators and instead pray for the Sacred College of Cardinals. Hollywood recently made a movie called Conclave, which, sadly, but not surprisingly, was nominated for an Academy Award. It is now attracting a new audience in light of the current Conclave in Rome. I urge you to skip watching it! In his review of the film, Bishop Robert Barron said:

"Conclave is more a piece of anti-Catholic propaganda than a work of art. It might have stunning cinematic sequences and a star-studded cast, but those things do not redeem the underlying ugliness of the project. Namely, it aims to paint the Catholic Church in the most negative light possible."

While the Church in Rome is busy, we are busy here at OLM as well.  We aren't having a Conclave, but we have several important events coming up.  We have the OLM School Spring Fling this Saturday night at the Quidnessett Country Club.  This live and silent auction event is the primary fundraiser for our outstanding parish school.  So please pray for its success!! And next Saturday, we celebrate First Holy Communion for sixty-one of our parish children.  Please pray for them as they prepare and practice this week for this special event in their lives.  They join us on Mother's Day next Sunday at the 10:30 am Mass for the May Crowning! 

It's May, the Month of Mary! Please pick up your Rosary and join us for Marian Devotions every Monday at 7:00 pm.  Be well. Do Good. God Bless. Go Sox!

Pope Francis, Rest in Peace

Dear Parishioners:                    

Our joyful celebration of Easter was dampened on Monday morning as we learned of the death of our beloved Holy Father, Pope Francis. His final message was delivered at the Urbi et Orbi address on Easter Sunday:                                               

"Christ is risen, alleluia! Dear brothers and sisters, Happy Easter! Today at last, the singing of the "alleluia" is heard once more in the Church, passing from mouth to mouth, from heart to heart, and this makes the people of God throughout the world shed tears of joy.  From the empty tomb in Jerusalem, we hear unexpected good news: Jesus, who was crucified, "is not here, he has risen" (Lk 24:5). Jesus is not in the tomb, he is alive!

Love has triumphed over hatred, light over darkness, and truth over falsehood. Forgiveness has triumphed over revenge. Evil has not disappeared from history; it will remain until the end, but it no longer has the upper hand; it no longer has power over those who accept the grace of this day.

Sisters and brothers, especially those of you experiencing pain and sorrow, your silent cry has been heard, and your tears have been counted; not one of them has been lost! In the passion and death of Jesus, God has taken upon himself all the evil in this world and in his infinite mercy has defeated it. He has uprooted the diabolical pride that poisons the human heart and wreaks violence and corruption on every side. The Lamb of God is victorious! That is why, today, we can joyfully cry out: "Christ, my hope, has risen!" (Easter Sequence).

The resurrection of Jesus is indeed the basis of our hope. For in the light of this event, hope is no longer an illusion. Thanks to Christ — crucified and risen from the dead — hope does not disappoint! Spes non confundit! (cf. Rom 5:5). That hope is not an evasion, but a challenge; it does not delude, but empowers us.

All those who put their hope in God place their feeble hands in his strong and mighty hand; they let themselves be raised up and set out on a journey. Together with the risen Jesus, they become pilgrims of hope, witnesses of the victory of love and of the disarmed power of Life.

Christ is risen! These words capture the whole meaning of our existence, for we were not made for death but for life. Easter is the celebration of life! God created us for life and wants the human family to rise again! In his eyes, every life is precious! The life of a child in the mother's womb, as well as the lives of the elderly and the sick, who in more and more countries are looked upon as people to be discarded.

In the Lord's Paschal Mystery, death and life contended in a stupendous struggle, but the Lord now lives forever (cf. Easter Sequence). He fills us with the certainty that we too are called to share in the life that knows no end, when the clash of arms and the rumble of death will be heard no more. Let us entrust ourselves to him, for he alone can make all things new (cf. Rev. 21:5)! Happy Easter to everyone!"

Upon his death, an official period of mourning for nine days began on Monday. The Church now enters a period known as "sede vacante" — a Latin phrase that translates to "empty seat" or "vacant seat" — when the Throne of Saint Peter is unoccupied.

The College of Cardinals will temporarily take over and assume limited powers led by the camerlengo or chamberlain. The American-Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Church's current camerlengo, runs the Holy See's administration and finances, otherwise known as the Catholic Church's government. Under the Vatican's procedures, a "conclave," a meeting where cardinals vote on the next pontiff, must start 15 to 20 days after Pope Francis' death.

Let us pray for Pope Francis: "Lord, we give thanks for the life and ministry of Pope Francis, your faithful servant who guided your Church with wisdom, love, and compassion. We ask for your mercy upon his soul, that he may rest in eternal peace with the saints. As we mourn his passing, we pray for the Church, your Bride, that she may be strengthened and sustained in his absence. Grant us wisdom, unity, and love so that we may continue to build your Kingdom together as one body in Christ."

Alleluia, He has Risen! He has Risen Indeed!

Dear Parishioners:                   

Happy Easter! "Alleluia, He has risen! He has risen indeed, Alleluia!" Today, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who conquered death and rose from the dead, offering eternal life to those who believe.  As we read in St. Matthew's Gospel: "The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay."

It must have been a mind-bending experience for the disciples to discover that the tomb was empty and that Jesus had risen from the dead. Nothing could have prepared them for this moment. From the pits of despair they had been in since Good Friday, they faced this awesome event: Jesus was no longer dead but had risen as he had said. And so, as the Gospel tells us, they ran, raced even, to get to the tomb and see for themselves, experience for themselves what Mary had herself experienced. It must have been something awesome.

"O death, where is your victory, O death, where is your sting?" St. Paul writes to the Corinthians. Jesus Christ has conquered death and has been vindicated by God. But so were his disciples vindicated in their fidelity to Jesus, despite the many odds they had faced. The empty tomb eventuality molds out of the early disciples, a community of faith that weathers every storm, persecution, and trial. It does so to bring the Good News of Jesus to others so that they, too, may come to believe and find themselves vindicated as Jesus had been. The rising of the Son of God from the dead is the ultimate proof of the truthfulness of his message.

Easter Sunday is the central point around which the entire Christian faith revolves. It represents, for all of us, the final word spoken by God through his Son, Jesus Christ. And it is a word of promise to all those who follow in the path of Christ, the path of humility and suffering and even death, but a path that ends not in death, but in life eternal. The empty tomb is the real end of the story of Jesus. It is also the point of the story of our own lives; the glory of the resurrection is the promise that awaits us all. On that glorious Easter morning, when the women rush to anoint Jesus' body in the tomb, they discover not a dead Jesus but an angel who tells them that he is no longer there, for he has been raised from the dead. The joy of Easter is what awaits all who remain faithful to God's promise.

As Pope Saint John Paul II teaches: "Christ's resurrection is the strength, the secret of Christianity. It is not a question of mythology or of mere symbolism, but of a concrete event. It is confirmed by sure and convincing proofs. The acceptance of this truth, although the fruit of the Holy Spirit's grace, rests at the same time on a solid historical base. The new effort of evangelization can begin only from a renewed experience of this Mystery, accepted in faith and witnessed to in life."

On this Easter Sunday, as we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, we also celebrate with the ten new Catholics from our parish who were baptized, received communion, confirmed, and received into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil.  St. Maximilian Kolbe said, "The soul is regenerated in the sacred waters of baptism and thus becomes God's child." We are overjoyed for these witnesses of faith as they become children of God who now share in our Catholic faith and live within the family of our Catholic Church.  We pray for them that they may continue to grow in faith, hope, and charity. May the blessings of the Risen Christ be theirs this day and always!

As we bask in the glow of the Light of Christ, renewed in the new waters of Easter, and rejoice in our salvation won for us through the death and resurrection of Christ, let us reflect on this ancient Easter Sermon by St. John Damascene:

"Tis the spring of souls today: Christ has burst His prison; And from three days' sleep in death as a Sun has risen. All the winter of our sins, long and dark, is flying from His light, to whom we give undying laud and praise.  Now the queen of seasons, bright with the day of splendor, with the royal feast of feasts comes its joy to render!"

I wish you a very Happy and Holy Easter!