Make the Parish Mission & Make Your Lent This Year!

Dear Parishioners:    

It's Lent! St. Francis de Sales reminds us: "Lent is the autumn of the spiritual life, during which we gather fruit to keep us going for the rest of the year. Enrich yourselves with these treasures, which nobody can take from you and which cannot be destroyed. I am accustomed to say that we will not make Lent well unless we are determined to make the most of it. Let us, therefore, spend this Lent as if it were our last, and we will make it well."   These are wise words for us to live by as we begin the forty days of Lent.

Fr. Henry Stephan, OP

Making the Parish Mission this week is one way to make the most of Lent.  Fr. Henry Stephan, OP, is our Mission Preacher.  Fr. Henry is a Dominican friar ordained a priest in 2018 for the Order of Preachers, St. Joseph Province. He is a native Californian who grew up in San Jose. Father received his A.B. in Politics from  Princeton University and an S.T.L. from the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies.  He later served as a parish priest in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Notre Dame. Please give him your usual warm welcome to OLM!

Father Henry is preaching all the weekend Masses this weekend. He will give a Mission Talk this week at 7:00 PM on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights.  Four priests will be available for Confession at 6 pm each night before the Mission talk.  This year's Mission Theme is "Supernaturalization: Becoming a Citizen of Heaven."

“ Lent is a time of grace, a time for conversion, a time to come home to God.”

— St. Maximillian Kolbe

It is customary for every parish and a long tradition at OLM to invite a missionary priest to preach a Mission at Lent. The goal of the Mission is to help lukewarm Catholics renew their faith, convert tepid souls to greater fervor, and encourage pious souls in their good resolutions to serve God. Just as Jesus and His Apostles went from town to town preaching the Kingdom of God, so the missionary comes to our parish to encourage us to repent and renew our Catholic faith. 

Father Henry is a fine priest and an outstanding preacher, so I encourage you to make the Mission.  Try to make the entire Mission, but please join us any night for Mission Talks.  Pray for Father Henry and our parish family that our time of Mission will be fruitful. 

Lent is also a time to go to Confession. There are ample opportunities for Confession at OLM.  Each night of the Mission this week, every Monday at 6:00 pm during Lent with two priests available, and on Saturdays at 3:00 pm. We go to Confession during Lent because it's a penitential season. It is a time to focus on repentance of our sins and renewal of our faith. Making a good Confession is the best way to cleanse ourselves from sin and start fresh with a renewed focus on Christ before celebrating Easter.  As we were reminded on Ash Wednesday, "Repent and believe in the Gospel."  

Pope Francis said: "When one is in line to go to Confession, one feels all these things, even shame and guilt, but then when one finishes Confession, one leaves free, full of grace, beautiful, forgiven, and happy."

Our  First Communion Class are making their First Confessions this Saturday and next.  It is a wonderful way to prepare for their First Holy Communion by experiencing Jesus' love, mercy, and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance. Pray for them as they prepare to receive the Lord truly present in the Eucharist.

We also pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, during his continued illness and hospitalization.  We pray Christ the Good Shepherd may accompany our shepherd, Pope Francis, in his illness. May God grant him strength and peace as he endures pain and discomfort. May his faithful and humble service as our Holy Father continue to be a beacon of hope for each of us who continue to serve the Kingdom of God.  

Our  Lenten Mission is a time of retreat from our regular schedule as we seek to deepen our relationship with the Lord, convert our hearts more fully to Christ, and cleanse our souls of sin. Make the Mission!  St. Maximillian Kolbe said: "Lent is a time of grace, a time for conversion, a time to come home to God." Be well. Do good. God Bless. "Come home to God" this week! See you at the Mission!

Repent and believe in the Gospel!

Dear Parishioners:    

We are on the threshold of the Holy Season of Lent.  This week, the Catholic Church begins the season of Lent with Ash Wednesday, a day of fasting and abstinence. There are four Masses on Ash Wednesday at 7:30 am, 9:00 am School Mass, 12:05 pm, and 7:00 pm.  Ashes will be imposed at all Masses. And Confession with two priests at 11:00 am and 6:00 pm.

Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting. The practice includes the wearing of ashes on the head. The ashes symbolize the dust from which God made us. As the priest applies the ashes to a person's forehead, he speaks: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."         We are invited to accept the ashes as a visible symbol of penance. The ashes are made from blessed palm branches.  It is important to remember that Ash Wednesday is a day of penitential prayer, abstinence, and fasting.

Every Ash Wednesday, someone tells me I only remembered to abstain from eating meat "after I finished the last piece of chicken on my plate!"  Some complain about how difficult it is to skip the meat and fast. There are always questions about what constitutes a small meal. But our fasts, abstinences, extra devotions, and  self-denial are about more than just "following rules."

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are the bookends to the journey of Lent, and they rightly ask each of us to make meaningful sacrifices. While we focus on the particulars, our desire for an interior life of peace should be the fuel that helps us burn through the uncomfortable days of fasting and abstinence and the forty days of doing something more.

To have a holy Lent, we need to rely upon the pillars of the season: Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. Oftentimes, the most overlooked pillar of Lent is prayer. There are so many wonderful ways to pray more during Lent.   More time given to prayer during Lent should draw us closer to the Lord. OLM has ample spiritual opportunities, such as Stations of the Cross, the Mission, Confession, Adoration, and Daily Mass. Also, there are Lenten Spiritual Books and materials available to assist your prayer. All these assist us in taking up more prayer over the 40 days of Lent.

"Fasting of the body is food for the soul," said St. John Chrysostom. We fast during Lent, recalling Jesus fasting forty days in the desert.  Fasting from food, especially sweets, candy, dessert, or other things we enjoy, like coffee, cigars, or alcohol, is a sacrifice and penitential act of self-denial we offer during this season. There are many reasons for fasting during the season of Lent—an effort to join in Christ's suffering, detaching ourselves from worldly things, making more room for God in our lives, and practicing holy habits that will help us grow in virtue.

During Lent, we are asked to focus more intently on almsgiving, sacrificially giving to the poor, and performing other acts of charity. Saint Leo the Great said: "There is no more profitable practice as a companion to holy and spiritual fasting than that of almsgiving."  There are practical ways to give alms this Lent.  We begin the Catholic Charity Appeal this weekend, a most worthy charity.  Also, take home a Catholic Relief Services' Rice Bowl and fill it with money for food for the hungry over the forty days of Lent. Locally assisting OLM Outreach is another way to give alms.  

The French Catholic Philosopher René Girard once said: "Few people want to be saints nowadays, but everybody is trying to lose weight."  Lent is our time to strive to be saints! The forty days of Lent are not a time to lose weight by giving up sweets. Rather, it is a time to renew and strengthen our spiritual health through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  We pray more, fast more, and give more alms to become the saints Christ calls us to be!

Next weekend, Fr.  Henry Stephan, OP, a Dominican Friar, will lead us on our Annual OLM Parish Mission.  The complete Mission schedule and Father's biography are in the bulletin.  Fr. Henry is a fine priest and outstanding preacher, and I know you will enjoy the Mission.

In the name of the needy and poor,  I thank you for supporting the Catholic Charity Appeal. Be well. Do good. God Bless. Lent is coming: "Repent and believe in the Gospel!"

Trusting in Providence

Dear Parishioners:   

 It's back to school this week! I hope our students and teachers had a restful week on Winter Break.  There was certainly no break in the cold weather this week or the snow these last two Sundays! Let's hope we've seen the last of Sunday snow and snowstorms!   

The  Catholic Charity Appeal will be held next weekend at all Masses. This year's theme, "Trust in Providence," is a powerful reminder of God's grace and trust in us to serve others. Our parish goal of $190,000 remains the same as last year, with an overall diocesan goal of $7.5 million. The CCA supports numerous ministries and programs of the Diocese of Providence, including St. Martin de Porres Senior Center, Project Hope, St. Gabriel's Call for Mothers in Need, Emergency Services Network, Promotion of Vocations for the Priesthood, St. Clare Nursing Home, Care Breaks -Respite Care for family caregivers, and the Emmanuel House Homeless Shelter for men and women.

I thank Mr. and Mrs. Jerry O'Connell, who once again serve as our General Chairs of the CCA at OLM, and Mr. and Mrs. Mike Mita, who serve as the Chairs of the Bishop's Partnership in Charity for those who make a gift of $1,000 or more. 

While the Diocese of Providence does not have a bishop, we have Monsignor Albert A. Kenney, our Diocesan Administrator, who leads the CCA. As we celebrate the appeal's 100th anniversary, we recall a century of hope, compassion, charity, and support provided to all those in need throughout our state by the Catholic Church. We are asking every OLM parish family to prayerfully consider a sacrificial gift of $300. Last year, 465 families generously made gifts to the CCA, raising $263,000. Thank you for your support if you have already made your gift to the CCA this year. We hope to count upon the generous support of all 2,200 families registered at OLM. St. Peter Chrysologus said: "Give to the poor, and you give to yourself."

This week is the final week of February.  It's time to begin getting ready for Lent, as Ash Wednesday is March 5!  Lent is the 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. Over the 40 days, we prepare to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection at Easter.   

Lent calls us to a deeper conversion to Christ. We are challenged to renew our spiritual lives through more prayer and reading Scripture and spiritual books. Two Masses are available daily at OLM during Lent at 7:30 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. Consider coming to Stations of the Cross on Fridays at 7:00 p.m. Also, two priests are available for Confession on Monday nights during Lent. Saint Pope John Paul II  said:  "Confession is an act of honesty and courage – an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God."  Making a good Confession is great preparation for Lent!      

We are also asked to give more alms to the poor during Lent. The Catholic Charity Appeal, which aids the needy in Rhode Island; Operation Rice Bowl for Catholic Relief Services, which provides food for the hungry across the globe; and OLM Outreach, which helps those in need in our local community, are worthy charities to support with your almsgiving, during Lent.  

Lent also calls us to practice penance, discipline, and self-control through fasting. We are called not only to abstain from luxuries, pleasures, and comforts during Lent but to make a true inner conversion of heart as we seek to follow Christ more faithfully.

Prepare for the holy season by considering what spiritual exercises you might take up and what things you might give up over the 40 Days of Lent. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are the keys to a good Lent! Deciding on one practice for each of those pillars is helpful for a fruitful Lent.

I am away this week on vacation and I thank Bishop Evans, Fr. Connors, Monsignor Montecalvo, and the Dominican Friars from PC, Fr. Brophy and Fr. Kilanowski, for assisting in covering Masses in my absence.  Next week, we kick off the 2025 Catholic Charity Appeal at OLM. Thank you in advance for your support.  Be well. Do good. God Bless.  

Pilgrims of Hope in the Jubilee Year

Dear Parishioners:    

Pope Francis opens the Holy Door at the Basilica of Saint Peter for the Jubilee Year.

Pope Francis officially declared 2025 a Year of Jubilee with a papal bull titled "Spes Non Confudit," meaning "Hope Does Not Disappoint." The Jubilee Year began with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve, 2024.   Pope Francis stated:

"Hope is also the central message of the coming Jubilee that, in accordance with an ancient tradition, the Pope proclaims every twenty-five years. My thoughts turn to all those 'pilgrims of hope' who will travel to Rome to experience the Holy Year and to all those others who, though unable to visit the City of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, will celebrate it in their local Churches."

Jubilee years have a historical and Biblical precedent, which can be found in the Book of Leviticus. In the Old Testament, part of the celebration included the freeing of slaves and prisoners and the forgiveness of debts as manifestations of God's mercy.   Pope Boniface VIII reestablished the jubilee tradition in 1300. Instead of focusing on freeing slaves, the Christian version offered liberation from sins and from the punishment due to sin that must be faced in Purgatory.

The Jubilee Year of Hope commenced with the opening of the Holy Door. The Holy Door is deemed 'Holy' since it calls all those who enter through it to walk in holiness of life. In the footsteps of the Pope, during the singing of the Jubilee hymn, representatives of the Universal Church crossed its threshold as a prelude to the countless pilgrims of Hope from every country and language who will visit St. Peter's Basilica and celebrate the mysteries of salvation during the Holy Year.

Pilgrims pass through the Holy Door.

The origin of the custom of a Holy door dates back to Pope Martin V, who opened a holy door to enter the Lateran Basilica for the Extraordinary Jubilee of 1423. It was first used in St. Peter's for the Jubilee of 1450. Its location, the rear wall of the chapel dedicated by Pope John VII to the Mother of God, corresponds to where it is found today. Pope Alexander VI,

In 1500, this symbol of the opening of the Jubilee was endowed with a ritual that remained virtually unchanged over the centuries until the turn of the millennium, when in the year 2000, the removal of the former brick wall was replaced by the ceremonial opening of the bronze Door.   The last opening of the Holy Door for an Ordinary Jubilee was when Pope St. John Paul II had done so in the Year 2000. Pope Francis opened the Holy Door in 2015 for his 2016 Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.

The Jubilee Year will officially end with the closing of the Holy Door in St. Peter's Basilica on January 6, 2026, the solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. More information about the Jubilee Year is in this week's bulletin. The insert includes information about the Jubilee Year event at the official site of the Jubilee, the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Providence. One event for the Jubilee is a Symposium sponsored by the Portsmouth Institute for Faith and Culture entitled "Pilgrims of Hope."  Fr. Connors is one of the speakers, so you know it will be good!  Francis X. Maier of the Ethics and Public Policy Center is also an outstanding speaker.   The event will be held on Thursday, March 6. More information can be found in this week's bulletin. 

With March coming soon, there are important events at OLM that you should get on your calendar. The Holy Season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 5, and Friday Lenten Stations of the Cross begin on March 7.   Our Annual Lenten Mission begins on March 8 with Dominican Friar Father Henry Stephan, OP, serving as our Mission Preacher. This year's Lenten Mission theme is "Supernaturalization: Becoming a Citizen of Heaven." Of course, the Annual Celebrations of St. Patrick and St. Joseph will also occur. Our preacher for St. Patrick’s Day is Fr. Justin Brophy, OP, and for St. Joseph's Day, Fr. Nathan Ricci! So mark your calendars!

This week, schools are off for Winter Break. Please keep the vacationing students and faculty in your prayers. I hope they have a safe and fun break and return tan, rested, and ready to teach and learn again with vigor! Be well. Do good. God Bless. Have a Happy Presidents' Day! God Bless America.

Praying to Our Lady for the Sick & Suffering

Dear Parishioners:    

Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog Day February 2, 2025

Last Sunday, the world awaited the arrival of the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil. He predicted six more weeks of winter after waking up to see his shadow! So, last week's blessing of throats and prayers for the intercession of St. Blaise is very timely. Hopefully, the head colds, flu, and ailments of the throat so common in the winter season will subside as we await the arrival of spring. 

We celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes on February 11. It is also the World Day of the Sick, an observation introduced by Saint Pope John Paul II as a way for the faithful to offer prayers for those suffering from illnesses. In his Message for the World Day of the Sick, Pope Francis said:

Anointing of the Sick

"We are celebrating the 33rd World Day of the Sick in the Jubilee Year 2025, in which the Church invites us to become 'pilgrims of hope.' The word of God accompanies us and offers us, in the words of Saint Paul, an encouraging message: 'Hope does not   disappoint' (Rom 5:5); indeed, it strengthens us in times of trial."

So on this Tuesday, we are asked to pray for those who are ill, infirm, and their caregivers, to promote kindness and concern for those who are suffering, and to remember the importance of providing physical, emotional, and spiritual support to the sick, and to reflect on caring for those who are sick, and those who provide them care.

Saint Pope John Paul II established this Day of Prayer on May 13, 1992, one year following his diagnosis of Parkinson's. It is celebrated on February 11 with the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, a feast associated with faith, healing, and miracles.

  On February 11, 1858, a young lady appeared to a young French girl named Bernadette Soubirous, beginning a series of visions. During the apparition on March 25, the lady identified herself with the words, "I am the Immaculate Conception."

St. Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes.

Bernadette was a sickly child whose family was very poor. Their practice of the Catholic faith was scarcely more than lukewarm. When she was interrogated by authorities about the apparition,

Bernadette gave an account of what she saw. It was "something white in the shape of a girl."  It was "a pretty young girl with a rosary over her arm." A blue girdle encircled her white robe. She wore a white veil. There was a yellow rose on each foot. A rosary was in her hand.

The child, Bernadette, was impressed that the lady did not use the informal form of address (tu) but the polite form (vous). The humble virgin appeared to this simple, humble girl and treated her with dignity. In 1862, Church authorities confirmed the authenticity of the apparitions.

St. Bernadette Soubirous became a Sister of Charity and Christian Instruction in 1866. She spent the rest of her life at the Saint Gildard Convent in Nevers, France, as an infirmary assistant and sacristan.

Our Lady of Lourdes said to St. Bernadette Soubirous: “I do not promise to make you happy in this world, but in the next.”   Thus,  St. Bernadette lived always for the happiness of heaven. She died on April 16, 1879, in agony, willingly accepting her great sufferings in faithful fulfillment of her "Lady's" request for penance. She was canonized as a saint by Pope Pius XI on December 8, 1933. Her incorruptible body is kept in the Chapel of Saint Bernadette at the motherhouse in Nevers, France.

Through this humble child, Mother Mary revitalized and continues to revitalize the faith of millions of people. People began to flock to Lourdes from other parts of France and from all over the world. The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes became a universal feast in 1907. And Lourdes continues to be a place of pilgrimage and healing but even more of faith. Church authorities have recognized over 60 miraculous cures, although there have probably been many more.

Some people doubt the apparitions of Lourdes. Perhaps the best that can be said to them are the words that introduce the film The Song of Bernadette: "For those who believe in God, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is possible." Pray for the sick, suffering, and those who care for them, asking Our Lady of Lourdes for her powerful intercession. Be well. Do good. God Bless.

Pilgrims at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, France

The Presentation, A Feast of Faith and Family

Dear Parishioners:    

We had a great celebration of Catholic Schools Week. Our student speakers delivered terrific talks about OLM School at Masses last weekend. They are an example of the outstanding education OLM School provides. We thank them for a great job!                            

The school boiler project is completed. Two new boilers are fully operational and keeping our students and faculty warm! We thank Paul Anderson for overseeing the project and Bob Bolten and Arden Engineering for installing it. The final cost of the project was $180,000. Thankfully, the Grateful for God's Providence Capital Campaign funds covered the cost.

 We also recently had to install new sewer pumps at the school. After a couple of decades of wear and tear, they gave out, causing us to temporarily close one bathroom. But again, Arden Engineering came to our aid, and we now have new sewer pumps working properly! The cost was about $10,000. Thank you for your donations to the Building and Grounds Collection, which help defray the costs of such unforeseen projects. 

Another project we are commencing at OLM School is a more spiritual program. The late Holy Cross Father Patrick Peyton, who was known as the Rosary Priest, famously said: "The family that prays together stays together. A world at prayer is a world at peace."

We ask our school families to make "A Pledge to Our Lady."  This pledge commits them to attending Sunday Mass weekly, offering Grace before meals, and praying together once a day.  Those whose families make the pledge spiritually commit to developing their faith lives with these three actions under the guidance of Our Lady of Mercy. As Father Peyton also said: "If families give Our Lady fifteen minutes a day by reciting the Rosary, I assure them that their homes will become, by God's grace, peaceful places."

Those families who make the "pledge" will fill out a pledge card, which will be placed in the sanctuary of our Church, where they will be remembered at Masses. This is a great spiritual and prayerful support for these young families by our entire parish.  As many of our older parishioners know from their experience raising a family, prayer and the Sacraments are central to family life.  And as the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us:

"Sunday, the 'Lord's Day,' is the principal day for the celebration of the Eucharist. It is the pre-eminent day of the liturgical assembly, the day of the Christian family, and the day of joy and rest from work."

Today, February 2, in the secular world, is Groundhog Day. The fate of Spring hangs in the balance as a burrowing rodent looks for its shadow. However, today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, which occurs forty days after the birth of Jesus. It is also known as Candlemas Day since the blessing and procession of candles is included in today's liturgy. The Presentation of the Lord supersedes the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Feasts of the Lord that fall on a Sunday in Ordinary Time and in the Christmas season replace the Sunday liturgy.

Founded by Pope St. John Paul II in 1997, today is also the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life. He attached it to "Candlemas Day" because the consecrated men and women are to be the light in the world, imitating Jesus, the Light of the World. So please pray for our good sisters at OLM, Sister Lourdes, Sister Emma, Sister Jane, and Sister Jeanne.

Monday, February 3, is the Feast of St. Blaise, the bishop and martyr of the 4th century.  He is the patron of candle makers and ailments of the throat, as he once saved a young child from choking on a fish bone. We invoke his intercession for throat ailments like the colds and flu making the rounds this winter. In anticipation of this feast, we bless throats at weekend Masses. They are blessed with two candles tied together with a red ribbon to form a cross as we invoke the intercession of St. Blaise. Let us also pray for all those suffering ailments of the throat. 

At OLM, we have much to be grateful for and much to pray for. Let us be grateful and prayerful! Be well. Do good. God Bless. St Blaise, pray for us!