Fr. Connors and Fr. Healey pose with long time OLM Parishioner Mrs. Claire Sharpe. Mrs. Sharpe celebrated her 105th Birthday on Wednesday, April 1, 2015!
May God continue to bless and keep her!
Happy Birthday!
Congratulations to Our Lady of Mercy Parish seminarian Brian Morris who was instituted as a Lector on Sunday, March 22, 2015 at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, MA. Bishop Peter J. Uglietto, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Boston, celebrated the Mass and instituted the second year theologians as lectors. An instituted lector is one officially designated by the Church to proclaim God’s Word in the Sacred Liturgy. It also marks an important step on the path to priestly ordination. After completely the Pre-Theology program at Our Lady of Providence Seminary, Brian was assigned by Bishop Tobin to St. John’s Seminary for theological studies. He is a graduate of Our Lady of Mercy School. He is the son of John and Marybeth Morris who are longtime Our Lady of Mercy Parishioners. Congratulations to Brian on this great occasion!
We congratulate OLM Parishioner, Thomas Desmarais, who received the prestigious St. Timothy Award from Bishop Tobin today at the Cathedral of Saints Peter & Paul!
Thomas is pictured above with Fr. Healey, Fr. Connors, Prout Chaplain Fr. Upton and Bishop Tobin. Thomas is a Senior Altar Server and Religious Education Teacher at Our Lady of Mercy. He is a senior at the Prout School. The St. Timothy Award is a national award given annually by the Diocese of Providence to outstanding juniors and seniors in high school who live as disciples of Christ, setting a positive example for others, witness to their Catholic Faith by exhibiting Catholic morals and integrity, demonstrate Gospel values and exhibit Christian Leadership in parish and school. The award from the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry is the highest honor a diocese can bestow upon a Catholic youth.
Dear Parishioners:
Yes another Sunday and another snowstorm! Enough already! Last Sunday’s storm was messy but didn’t produce too much snow. Lots of slush and puddles with no place for all the water to go! We sprung a few leaks in Church due to the weather but Paul Anderson and our crack maintenance crew were on top of it. I wish to thank them again for their hard work in cleaning up after all these storms. It requires lots of hours of work late at night and early in the morning. They are dedicated to clearing up all the mess from the storms so the path to Church and School is clear and safe. We are grateful for their hard work, dedication and service to the entire parish.
How is your Lent going? Have you kept your fast? Have you persevered in prayer? Don’t give up! If you’ve fallen from the sacred fast of Lent, start all over again. A wise priest once told me the forty days of Lent can be made up lots of mini-Lents for those who forget to fast, abstain from meat or neglect their prayers. Like our Lord we can get up when we fall and begin the Lenten journey anew!
This weekend we kickoff the annual Catholic Charity Appeal at Our Lady of Mercy. Our parish goal this year is $193,864. It is a familiar goal for us as it was the same last year. Of course, last year thanks to
your generous support we surpassed the parish goal raising just over $248,000! The second highest amount raised by any parish in the Diocese of Providence. Only Saint Luke’s Church in Barrington raised more for the CCA.
The funds raised by the Catholic Charity Appeal support a variety of agencies and programs that meet the spiritual, educational and social needs of our sisters and brothers in Rhode Island. The CCA supports numerous ministries and programs of the Diocese of 
Providence which provide social, educational and spiritual support to thousands of Rhode Islanders each year regardless of race, creed or background. The ministries supported by the Fund range from social service ministries providing direct support to the poor, the hungry and homeless, to immigration and refugee services. The Catholic Church is the second largest social service agency in the nation, second only to the government.
In Rhode Island no other Church group offers the vast network of charitable support,
educational support and social service support as does the Diocese of Providence. As Catholics we can take pride that our Church continues to preach the Good News of Christ to the poor, the needy, the imprisoned, the refugee, and the outcast. We do so quite effectively and efficiently but more importantly we do so willingly and lovingly. It is the great untold story of our Church. 
You can help keep this story alive with your generous support of the Catholic Charity Appeal. Any gift you can make is appreciated and truly needed. We are asking each parish family to consider a pledge of $250 payable over 10 months. We also ask those who have been greatly blessed to consider becoming a Bishop’s Partner in Charity with a gift of $1,000 or more. The CCA has remained steady in raising it’s goal but in recent years has seen a steep decline in the number of donors supporting the goal. This is due in part to the number of Catholics no longer participating in the life 
of the Church and supporting the mission of the Church financially as have previous generations. Last year 620 families from OLM donated to the CCA raising $248,000! We are grateful but what of the other 1,900 families at Our Lady of Mercy Parish?
In his message for Lent, Pope Francis spoke of making our hearts more like the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He says: “In this way we will receive a heart which is firm and merciful, attentive and generous, a heart which is not closed, indifferent.” We must remember that as committed Catholics we can never remain indifferent to the plight of the poor. I urge you to please support the CCA. It not only can make a difference, it does and it will make a difference. Thank you! It’s Lent so Fridays are for fish and Stations of the Cross! God Bless.
Confessions at Our Lady of Mercy During Lent
Monday thru Friday from 11:45AM until 12Noon Mondays from 6:00PM until 6:45PM with two priests (one guest priest) Saturdays from 3:00PM until 3:45PM
Confessions During Parish Mission Monday, March 23 from 6:00PM until 6:45PM with four priests (two guest priests)
Tuesday, March 24 from 6:00PM until 6:45PM with four priests (two guest priests)
Wednesday, March 25 from 6:00PM until 6:45PM with four priests (two guest priests)
“Don’t be afraid of confession. When someone is in line for confession he feels all these things - even shame - but then, when he finishes confessing, he leaves (feeling) free, great, beautiful, forgiven, clean, happy. The sacrament of reconciliation is a sacrament of healing,” -Pope Francis
Every year Catholics try to answer the age old question: What should I do for Lent? Well, who better to pick for as your Lenten spiritual director than Pope Francis? He has some great ideas for you! Here we selected 10 of his best tips:
1.Get rid of the lazy addiction to evil
“[Lent] is a ‘powerful’ season, a turning point that can foster change and conversion in each of us. We all need to improve, to change for the better. Lent helps us and thus we leave behind old habits and the lazy addiction to the evil that deceives and ensnares us.” – General Audience, March 5, 2014
2. Do something that hurts
“Lent is a fitting time for self-denial; we would do well to ask ourselves what we can give up in order to help and enrich others by our own poverty. Let us not forget that real poverty hurts: no self-denial is real without this dimension of penance. I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt.” – Lenten Message, 2014
3. Don’t remain indifferent “Indifference to our neighbor and to God also represents a real temptation for us Christians. Each year during Lent we need to hear once more the voice of the prophets who cry out and trouble our conscience. God is not indifferent to our world; he so loves it that he gave his Son for our salvation.” –Lenten Message, 2015
4. Pray: Make our hearts like yours!
“During this Lent, then, brothers and sisters, let us all ask the Lord: ‘Fac cor nostrum secundum cor tuum’: Make our hearts like yours (Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus). In this way we will receive a heart which is firm and merciful, attentive and generous, a heart which is not closed, indifferent or prey to the globalization of indifference.” – Lenten Message, 2015
5. Take part in the sacraments
“Lent is a favorable time for letting Christ serve us so that we in turn may become more like him. This happens whenever we hear the word of God and receive the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. There we become what we receive: the Body of Christ.” – Lenten Message, 2015
6. Prayer
“In the face of so many wounds that hurt us and could harden our hearts, we are called to dive into the sea of prayer, which is the sea of God’s boundless love, to taste his tenderness. Lent is a time of prayer, of more intense prayer, more prolonged, more assiduous, more able to take on the needs of the brethren; intercessory prayer, to intercede before God for the many situations of poverty and suffering.” – Homily, March 5, 2014
7. Fasting
“We must be careful not to practice a formal fast, or one which in truth ‘satisfies’ us because it makes us feel good about
ourselves. Fasting makes sense if it questions our security, and if it also leads to some benefit for others, if it helps us to cultivate the style of the Good Samaritan, who bends down to his brother in need and takes care of him.” – Homily, March 5, 2014
8. Almsgiving
“Today gratuitousness is often not part of daily life where everything is bought and sold. Everything is calculated and measured. Almsgiving helps us to experience giving freely, which leads to freedom from the obsession of possessing, from the fear of losing what we have, from the sadness of one who does not wish to share his wealth with others.” – Homily, March 5, 2014
9. Help the Poor
“In the poor and outcast we see Christ’s face; by loving and helping the poor, we love and serve Christ. Our efforts are also directed to ending violations of human dignity, discrimination and abuse in the world, for 
these are so often the cause of destitution. When power, luxury and money become idols, they take priority over the need for a fair distribution of wealth. Our consciences thus need to be converted to justice, equality, simplicity and sharing.” – Lenten Message, 2014
10. Evangelize
“The Lord asks us to be joyous heralds of this message of mercy and hope! It is thrilling to experience the joy of spreading this good news, sharing the treasure entrusted to us, consoling broken hearts and offering hope to our brothers and sisters experiencing darkness.” – Lenten Message, 2014
Courtesy of Fellowship of Catholic University Students Blog
On Sunday the children of our OLM Religious Ed Program anticipated Christmas with a celebration of crafts, candy and carols!
On Monday the children of OLM School gathered in Mercy Park to celebrate the blessing of the new parish outdoor creche!
OLM WALKATHON RAISES NEARLY $13,000 FOR VARIOUSENRICHMENT PROGRAMS
East Greenwich, RI -- The OLM School Walkathon, which was held on Thursday, October 2, raised
over $12,900, which will benefit a variety of enrichment programs during the school year. The event, which was originally scheduled for Oct. 1 but was postponed due to rain, is an annual favorite among students, faculty and parents. While the rain threatened the skies and the routes were a bit shortened, per order of the EG Police for safety reasons, spirits were high and the event was a huge success. Students collected pledges from family and friends, with prizes being awarded to the top pledgeearners in each grade. Those winners included: Sam Floody and Max Meletis, (PK), Harrison Kairnes (K), Sawyer VonFlatern (1), Emily Loiselle and Dylan Lynch (2), Michael Mita (3), Austin Kairnes (4), 
Ryan Youngs (5), Alise Knudson, Allison Lombardi and Allison Paliotta (6), John Curran (7) and Austin Marinosci (8). Mrs. Maguire’s Kindergarten Class, Mrs. Hackett’s Third Grade Class and Miss Noll’s Sixth Grade Class were the lucky recipients of a pizza party for the classrooms raising the most money in pledges. URI’s Ram Mascot was on hand to give the students high fives before they set off on their walk. Upon returning to school, students were treated to an awards assembly where winners were announced. A grand prize raffle drawing was held with two lucky winners: William Nerone, Grade 6, won a Movie Theater Family Pack with additional gift cards from Piezoni’s and Orange Leaf while Seventh Grader Bradley Lombardi was the Grand Prize winner. Brad will have honor of being “Assistant P.E. Teacher of the Day” with Mr. Stefanik, as well as winning a $125 gift card to Sports Authority. Funds raised each year by the OLM PTG-sponsored events like the Walkathon and the annual Spring Fling Auction, are used for various enrichment opportunities like the Art Masters Program, Science Olympiad, robotics, CAL sports and more.
Over 100 backpacks filled with school supplies and boxes of additional supplies were delivered
to St. Patrick's Parish in the Smith Hill Section of Providence. Thanks to the generous support of many OLM parishioners who answered the call to aid the students of St. Patrick's Parish, the OLM Outreach Office along with OLM parish volunteers were able to fill over 100 backpacks with back-to-school supplies.
Thirty-one young men and women graduate from Our Lady of Mercy School on Wednesday, June 11th at 6:00PM. We wish them congratulations and best wishes. Please pray for them!
“May you have wisdom in heart and mind, success in every challenge you find, courage to seek God’s purpose for you, belief in yourself to make it come true, strength to do your best and endure in trial, and the guiding light of faith to ensure that wherever you go, whatever you do, God’s love will always see you through the years ahead. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Father Bernard A. Healey, pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Parish, has appointed Mr. Scott W. Fuller, an educator with nearly 30 years of classroom and administrative experience, as principal of Our Lady of Mercy Regional School. “I am committed to the Catholic educational philosophy that embraces training the ‘whole child’, including, first and foremost, a child’s spiritual formation,” said Fuller. “I now look forward to bringing my experience to Our Lady of Mercy Regional School and significantly contributing to the spiritual and educational growth of the school community.” Fuller holds a B.A. in Psychology from the California State University at Long Beach and a M.A. in Secondary Administration from Providence College. With experience in curriculum development, strategic school planning, budget formulation, teaching mentoring, coaching and many other school initiatives. Since 1990, he has served in the Cumberland School District in several capacities including Assistant Principal of Cumberland High School and teacher of mathematics. Previous to working in the
Cumberland School District, Principal Fuller taught mathematics and science at Saint Raphael Academy in Pawtucket, RI and spent a decade working in the corporate banking field. He currently serves as a member of the Barrington School Committee. Principal Fuller and his wife, Pamela, are parishioners of St. Luke’s Church in Barrington, RI where he serves as a Lector and member of the Bishop Hickey Council of the Knights of Columbus. They are the parents of three sons, Chase, Travis and Mitchell. Our Lady of Mercy Regional School opened in 1950 under the direction of the Religious Sisters of Mercy with just one hundred thirty-eight pupils. The faculty consisted of three Sisters of Mercy with one sister also serving as the principal. Today, the school offers Pre-K through 8th grade instruction to approximately 375 students with a faculty of over 30. Our Lady of Mercy Pastor, Father Healey, stated: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Mr. Scott W. Fuller as Principal of our parish school. He brings a wealth of educational experience, an abundance of energy and talent and most importantly a strong commitment to his Catholic Faith. We welcome him to our parish family and look forward to Scott’s skillful and faith-filled leadership of Our Lady of Mercy School.”
Confessions at Our Lady of Mercy are heard every Monday at 6:00PM until 6:45PM and every Saturday at 4:00PM until 4:45PM.
2014 New England CYO Basketball Tournament
OLM Boys vs. Christ the King of Burlington, VT Saturday, March 29 at 9:00AM St. Anthony, North Providence
OLM Girls vs. Sacred Heart of Norwich, CT Friday, March 28 at 6:30PM St. Mary's Bay View Academy, East Providence
Congratulations to OLM CAL Basketball Teams!
The regular season has ended and we congratulation all our Catholic Athletic League (CAL) teams and coaches on a great season. Last weekend several teams played in CAL Championship Tournament. Our OLM sixth grade boys and girls basketball teams were crowned RI CAL State Champs! Coagulations!!!
Both the boys and girls teams took home Division I titles; the girls finished a perfect 13-0 season with the D1 school girls midget state title and the boys ended their 12-2 campaign with the Division I boys Parish midget title. We wish them all the best for the New England Catholic Youth Organization tournament in Providence coming up March 28 to 30. 
The Stations of the Cross7:00PM on the Fridays of Lent
As early as the 4th c., Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land would walk the route that Our Lord walked as He made His way to Golgotha for our salvation. When Muslims captured Jerusalem and it became too dangerous to make this pilgrimage, Christians replicated the sites back home in Europe, and there developed the "Stations of the Cross" devotion (also known as "Way of the Cross," "Via Dolorosa," or "Via Crucis"). The devotion consists of meditating on 14 events -- that number being fixed in 1731 by Pope Clement XII -- which took place during Christ's Passion, from His being condemned to His burial. Franciscans popularized the devotion, which was originally made outside, often along roads to shrines or churches. The Way of the Cross can still be made outside but is usually made inside nowadays, especially during the Season of Lent and most especially on Good Friday.
If you enter a Catholic Church and look along the walls of the nave (where the parishioners sit), you should see 14 representations on the walls which depict 14 events of Christ's Passion that have been singled out for contemplation. It is at these blessed artistic representations, these "stations" -- which can be painted, carved, engraved, of wood, metal, paint on canvas, etc., topped with a wooden Cross -- that the Way of the Cross is made during public liturgy. The Way of the Cross can also be made privately, even at home, with or without "visual aids."
Dear Parishioners:Happy Advent! We re one week into the solemn season of joyful anticipation of Christ’s coming. How is Advent going for you? Have you taken a little time away from the “mad rush” to Christmas? A little more time for prayer, a little more time for God and a little more time in prayerful preparation is not a bad way to truly prepare for the celebration of Christmas.
In his homily on the first Monday of Advent, Pope Francis recalled that as we proceed
towards Christmas, we embark on a journey of faith and prayer in preparation for our encounter with the Lord. “Because Christmas,” he said, “isn’t just a temporal celebration or the memory of a beautiful event. Christmas is something more, Christmas is an encounter with the Lord. And as we make our way towards Him, we must go with open heart and faith, even though this is not always easy in our times.” Pope Francis noted that the Lord does not always say to us what we want to hear, but: “He will tell me what is meant for me, because the Lord does not look at us all together, en masse. He looks each one of us in the face , in the eyes. His is not an abstract love; it is concrete," the Pope said. And "letting ourselves be encountered by God means just this: letting ourselves be loved by God!”
As we continue this season of Advent, we must continue to prepare spiritually for the coming of Christ. Regular Mass attendance, making a good confession, and making time for daily prayer, can help us prepare the way. Aso in the midst of this very busy and noisy world we can truly “encounter” our loving God with such practices. So this Advent let us watch in hope and wait in faith for the coming of Christ.
Many parishioners have commented on the new landscaping in front of the Church. However, this project is quite complete as we are awaiting the placement of two granite benches on either side of the front doors. Also we hope to soon light up the statue of the Sacred Heart. The benches are available to be memorialized in memory of a loved one. If you are interested, please contact me.
We offer our thanks to the Reynolds Family at the Watson Mulch Company who generously donated the mulch and beautiful cobblestones for this project. They are always very generous in supporting the landscaping projects around the OLM physical plant, in your name I offer my gratitude for their generosity.
A few parishioners have also asked where the large Sacred Heart statue in the vestibule has gone. Well, the statue has been taken out for repair. We are fixing the broken fingers on the statue as well as totally restoring and repainting it to its original
condition. The restoration takes a few weeks and I hope to get it back in the new year. Once it is fully restored and the project completed we hope to find a prominent location for this statue inside the Church.
I hope you enjoyed Dominican Father Michael O’Connor’s talk at Advent Devotions this past Monday. We invite you join us again this Monday as our own, Father Connors is to offer a talk on the Christmas Scriptures at Advent Devotions. These Devotions are a wonderful opportunity for us to gather before the Eucharistic Lord in adoration and reflect prayerfully on his Sacred Word.
Part of preparing in Advent is marking our calendars for upcoming events. I ask you to add the OLM School Pageant to your calendar. It takes place this coming Friday night at 7:00PM in the Church. It is always a festive season celebration of song and music. Our OLM students and band have been diligently practicing and preparing for this big night so I hope you can join us. I know you will truly enjoy it!
This year the Second Sunday of Advent falls on December 8th and as a result the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception has been moved to Monday, December 9th.
Therefore, the Immaculate Conception is not a Holy Day of Obligation this year. There is a Mass at 7:30AM only for the Immaculate Conception. Have a great week. Enjoy this Advent time of prayer and preparation. Hope to see you at Advent Devotions. God Bless.
Our Lady of Mercy Parish was visited by a some Pilgrims and Indians at the Thanksgiving Day Mass! Thanks to our OLM School and RE children!!
Yesterday's strong winds blew down the Our Lady of Mercy Church sign!!
The OLM School Walkathon, which was held on Thursday, October 10, raised over $11,700, which will 
benefit a variety of enrichment programs during the school year. Students in Grades Pre-K through 2 walked just under a mile around the immediate church/school property while the older students did a two mile walk down Post Road, to Cedar and Kenyon Roads and then back to OLM via First Avenue. Students collected pledges from family and friends, with prizes being awarded to the top pledge-earners in each grade. Those winners included: Harrison Kairnes (PK), Sawyer VanFlatern (K), Jack Colgan (1), Michael Mita (2), Austin Kairnes (3), Madison Abood (4), Allison Lombardi (5), Bradley Lombardi (6), Anna Molnar (7) and Grace Lombardi (8). Mrs. Ryan’s Second Grade Class and Mrs. 
Impagliazzo’s Seventh Grade were the lucky recipients of a pizza party for the classrooms raising the most money in pledges. Providence College’s Friar Mascot was on hand to give the students high fives before they set off on their walk. Upon returning to school, students were treated to an outdoor awards assembly with music and even some impromptu juggling by Associate Pastor Father Ryan Connors. A grand prize raffle drawing was held with two lucky winners: Bradley Lombardi (7th grade) won a Movie Theater Family Pack while Kindergartener Livia Passananti won a brand new Kindle by Amazon. Funds raised each year by the OLM PTG-sponsored events like the Walkathon and the annual Spring Fling Auction, are used for various enrichment opportunities like the Art Masters Program, robotics, CAL sports and more. This past summer, each OLM teacher received laptops for use in the 
classroom, thanks to PTG funds. In addition, teachers in Grades K-5 are now incorporating innovative, hands-on science kits into their curriculums, again, thanks to funds raised by the OLM Parent Teacher Group.