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. 

Come Holy Spirit, Renew the Face of the Earth!

Dear Parishioners:                                  

This weekend, we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, one of the most important feast days of the year. This feast concludes the Easter season and marks the beginning of the Church. Pentecost Sunday always occurs 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus on Easter and 10 days after his Ascension into heaven.      

The timing of these feasts is also where we derive the concept of the novena, which consists of nine days of prayer. In the Acts of the Apostles, Mary and the Apostles prayed together "continuously" for nine days after the Ascension, leading up to Pentecost. The Church prays the novena to the Holy Spirit in the days before Pentecost. The name of the day itself is derived from the Greek word "pentecoste," meaning 50th.

Pentecost celebrates the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy  Spirit, descending upon the Apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Jesus, who were gathered together in the Upper Room.  A "strong, driving" wind filled the room where they were gathered, and tongues of fire came to rest on their heads, allowing them to speak in different languages so that they could understand each other. It was such a strange phenomenon that some people thought the Christians were just drunk, but Saint Peter pointed out that it was only the morning and said the Holy Spirit caused the phenomenon.

The Holy Spirit also gave the apostles the other gifts and fruits necessary to fulfill the great commission — to go out and preach the Gospel to all nations. It fulfills the New Testament promise from Christ that the Apostles would be "clothed with power" before they would be sent out to spread the Gospel. It was right after Pentecost that Saint Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, preached his first homily to Jews and other non-believers.

St Peter Preaching in the Presence of St Mark, Fra Angelico (circa 1395–1455

He opened the scriptures of the Old Testament, showing how the prophet Joel prophesied events and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Saint Peter also told the people that the Jesus they crucified is the Lord and was raised from the dead, which "cut them to the heart." When they asked what they should do,

Saint Peter exhorted them to repent of their sins and to be baptized. According to the account in Acts, about 3,000 people were baptized following Peter's sermon.   For this reason, Pentecost is considered the birthday of the Church — Saint Peter, the first Pope, preaches for the first time and converts thousands of new believers. The apostles and believers were united for the first time by a common language and a shared zeal and purpose to preach the Gospel.

As we celebrate this great Feast of Faith, we also celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation for some adult parishioners at the 10:30 a.m. Mass. Pray for them as they receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and confirm their Catholic Faith.  Let us also pray that the Holy Spirit may renew the Church, our parish, and our own faith lives.  We pray: "Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth."

Next weekend, we will have the Annual Mission Cooperative Appeal at all Masses. Each year, we are asked to help support the good works of missionaries across the world in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. This year, we welcome Sister Angelina Giramma, M.P.F., a member of the Religious Teachers Filippini. Sister Angelina will be speaking at all Masses next week about the missionary work of the Sisters.

The Second Collection next weekend is in direct support of the Filippini Missions. There is no budget envelope for this collection. Please make checks payable to Our Lady of Mercy Church and indicate 'Mission Coop' on the memo line. I know you will give Sister your usual warm welcome to OLM. And I thank you in advance for your prayers and generosity in supporting the good works of the Filippini Missions. 

Last Friday night, the OLM School Class of 2025 held its graduation ceremony.  Now they're off to high school in the fall. They are well-prepared thanks to our excellent school and outstanding faculty. We offer them congratulations and the promise of prayers. Be well. Do Good. God Bless. Go Sox????!!

Welcome Bishop Bruce! Farewell 8th Grade & Sister Emma

Dear Parishioners:                               

At the Mass of Installation, Bishop Lewandowski knocks three times on the Cathedral Door. The knocking is a symbolic act of humility, highlighting the bishop's role as a servant of God and the People of God.. The knocking is a way to formally announce the bishop's arrival at his new Diocese and request permission to enter and begin their ministry of teaching, sanctification, and governance.

Last week, our new Bishop was installed at a beautiful Mass at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. Bishop Lewandowski is now the Tenth Bishop of Providence. Fifty bishops, hundreds of priests and religious, and over 1,000 people were in attendance. It is a great sign of hope as our new shepherd begins his ministry here. Please continue to pray for Bishop Lewandowski.

As the new Bishop begins his ministry in Providence, we say farewell to the OLM School 8th Grade, who graduate this week. Today at 10:30 a.m. Mass, they receive their Our Lady of Mercy Medal, and we, as their parish family, pray for them. Following the Mass, there is an Academic Awards Lunch, where these young budding saints and scholars are recognized for their achievements.    

The OLM 8th Grade, Class of 2025

On Monday, the 8th Grade is on Retreat at the Seminary of Our Lady of Providence for the day.  Father Mahoney is leading them on this Retreat, and we thank him for his generosity.  Please pray for our Class of 2025. The soon-to-be graduates go to Holiday Hills for a day of fun in the sun on Tuesday.  Then on Thursday, they have their final “Walk-Out” as students of OLM School at school dismissal time. And their Graduation Week ends on Friday as they attend their Final First Friday School Mass. The Graduation Ceremony is on Friday evening at 6:00 pm.  Congratulations to the OLM School Class of 2025!  We wish them much success in high school and beyond!   

Sister Emma and Sister Lourdes enjoying the Oktoberfest!

As we say farewell to these students, I’ve learned that we will soon say “Farewell” to Sister Emma.  The Franciscan Mother Superior wrote me about a month ago to inform me that Sister Emma, who has served at OLM for 11 years, will be transferred this summer. She is heading to the Seminary of St. Gregory the Great in Nebraska to begin a new ministry among the seminarians and priests at the seminary.    Sister Emma has been a wonderful part of our OLM Family for many years, and we will miss her very much.  She will leave for the Annual Retreat and Assembly of the Franciscan Apostolic Sisters in Nebraska in late July. 

After the Retreat, Sister will stay in Nebraska to begin her new assignment.   We thank her for her years of faithful, dedicated, humble, and holy service to Our Lady of Mercy Church and School.    When Sister Lourdes and Sister Jane return from their Retreat in Nebraska in August, they will return with Sister Benigna Mallare, newly assigned to Our Lady of Mercy.  We look forward to welcoming Sister Benigna as she begins her ministry here at OLM.  We thank Mother Zenaida, the FAS Superior, for assigning her to OLM.  Please pray for our good Sisters in this time of transition in their lives and ministry. 

 As Bishop Lewandowski begins his ministry here in Providence, please pray for him.  We hope and pray that he might assign a new Associate Pastor to OLM.   But if it is impossible, we must reexamine our schedule to make it more manageable for one priest.   While we are grateful to Bishop Evans, Monsignor Montecalvo, and the Dominican Friars for their assistance this past year, we may have to adjust our Mass schedule. So pray for a new Associate  Pastor and for more vocations to the priesthood!

The arrival of June also means that our OLM Office hours change for the summer months. During June, July, and August, the office will be closed on Fridays. It is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. 

I offer my thanks to the 405 parishioners who generously donated this year to the Catholic Charity Appeal. We have raised over $240,000.  However, we are still short of 465 donors who helped us raise over $260,000 last year! If you are among the parishioners who have not yet donated this year, please do so by the end of June.  We want to exceed last year’s total number of donors and total amount raised.  It would be a good sign of our dedication to the poor for Bishop Lewandowski!!  

Next week, we look forward to the celebration of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church.  As we prepare for that great Solemnity, please pray for two adult parishioners who will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation at the 10:30 am Mass. May the Holy Spirit come and renew our parish!   Be well. Do Good. God Bless. Go Sox!

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.