The Problem of Sin and Evil

Dear Parishioners:        

 We continue to be greatly saddened by the tragic school shooting that took place during a School Mass at Annunciation Catholic Parish in Minneapolis. Our hearts and our prayers go out to their entire school community. We pray for the children who lost their lives, we pray for the wounded still recovering, and we pray for the consolation of every child, every teacher, every parent, and every person who now suffers in the wake of this violence.

We remain vigilant in ensuring the safety of our parish and school community. We are in contact with the East Greenwich Police Department, which continues to be responsive to and supportive of our community's needs. We also maintain communication with the Catholic Schools Office and the Office of Compliance of the Diocese of Providence, who have been able to confirm through their law enforcement contacts that there are currently no credible threats to any Catholic school, parish, or any other entity in the Diocese of Providence.

We want our schools and parishes to be safe and secure, yet also open, inviting, welcoming, and friendly spaces to learn, play, and worship. We cannot build fortress walls to assuage our fears.  Aside from safety concerns, this evil raises many questions about guns, violence, and mental health in our nation. Why is it that so many of our young men turn to evil and violence? 

In testimony before the Minnesota legislature about school safety legislation, the Minnesota Catholic Conference testified: "While it's true that virtuous people need fewer laws, our reality is a permissive society that has become an incubator for alienation, mental illness, spiritual poverty, and other pathologies. It breeds nihilistic killers."

The Fall of Man (1628–1629) by Rubens

As we continue to grapple with these issues of sin and evil, safety and security, violence and guns, isolation and mental illness, we realize there are no simple solutions or easy answers to such complex problems.  No amount of money or new laws can ever fix such evil. For evil is rooted in sin. And sin has been with us since shortly after humanity's dawn and will challenge us until Christ appears again triumphant.

However, we have our faith in our loving Savior. We must recommit to a holiness of life and virtuous living.  Only with greater faith, hope, and charity can we ever truly combat the sin and evil so present in our world.  The best way to engage in spiritual warfare is not to pray against evil directly but to pray for what is positive. The best way to counter all that is ugly, evil, and false is to support all that is beautiful, good, and true.

In Rome this Sunday, Pope Leo will canonize two saints made to be intercessors for our times. The two young men from northern Italy to be canonized together are Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati, known as the Man of the Beatitudes, and Saint Carlo Acutis, the First Millennial Saint.

They lived a century apart. One climbed Alpine peaks while the other coded websites. One served the poor of post-war Turin while the other evangelized from a laptop in Milan. Their lives were separated by time but united in love for the Lord. In canonizing them side by side, Pope Leo highlights the Church's universal call to holiness, that all are called to use their unique gifts to reach the heights of holiness.

Frassati was born in 1901 in Turin, during northern Italy's industrial boom. At 13, as World War I broke out, Frassati witnessed returning soldiers who were wounded, unemployed, and broken. He later became a member of Catholic Action and worked to apply the Church's social doctrine to the modern world.

Nearly a century later, Acutis was born in 1991, the same year as the advent of the World Wide Web. While his computer-coding peers launched start-ups, Carlo used his tech savvy to catalog Eucharistic miracles from his family's Milan apartment. These two new Saints are role models for the youth of  our anxious age.  We must commit ourselves, our children, and our parish and school to Christ with a greater devotion and urgency.  May St. Pier Giorgio Frassati and St. Carlo Acutis inspire us and intercede for us.

I am away at an out-of-state wedding this weekend. Be well.  Do good. God Bless. Go Sox!

Of New Things, Labor Day 2025

Dear Parishioners:                               

OLM students gather on the First Day of School.

The first day of school at OLM School was a joyous mix of emotions, from happy to anxious.  Some of our Pre-Kindergarteners were a little anxious to leave their moms and dads for the very first time. Meanwhile, some of our older students were a little sad that summer vacation was over! 

 However, there was also much joy and great excitement as a new year began with new students, new friends, new teachers, and a new chapter in the lives of these children.   Our 270 students at OLM School have begun to take up our school’s mission: "Our Mission at Our Lady of Mercy School is to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church as we pursue excellence in academics, athletics, and the arts. In the midst of a safe and nurturing environment, we seek to develop a good moral character built upon the teachings of the Catholic Church.  We strive to be Saints and Scholars who serve the evangelical mission of our parish so that Mercy may flourish."

As they begin this year, I invite you to join us for the Opening School Mass of the Holy Spirit on Friday at 9:00 am.  We seek the guidance, wisdom, and inspiration of the Holy Spirit for a new academic year.  As the great Irish Poet William Butler Yeats said: "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." We pray the fire of the Holy Spirit enkindle the hearts of our students, faculty, staff, and families!  

No sooner has school begun than we have the Labor Day Holiday.  Some schools continue to schedule the first day of school after Labor Day. It was that way when I was in school as a kid. Whether school began last week or begins this week, it still means the end of summer for students. However, Labor Day is not the official end of summer, but it is widely considered the unofficial end of the summer season in the United States. The official end of summer is marked by the autumnal equinox, which occurs around September 22nd or 23rd.  So we have some time left for the sun, the beach, the boat, and the golf course!  Enjoy it while it lasts. 

Pope Leo XIII

While the Labor Day holiday's origins are rooted in the secular labor union movement, its significance is deeply tied to Catholic social teaching on the dignity of work and the rights of workers. Pope Leo XIII is connected to Labor Day through his 1891 encyclical, Rerum novarum, which is foundational to Catholic Social Teaching and emphasizes the dignity of labor and workers' rights, including the right to fair wages, safe conditions, and forming unions.  His teaching advocates for a balance between the rights of capital and labor, rejecting both socialism and unregulated capitalism.

Pope Leo XIII sought to promote solidarity among all people to ensure workers receive fair treatment and are not treated as mere instruments of production. With his teaching, Pope Leo XIII sought to address the social and economic turmoil caused by the Industrial Revolution and the ensuing rise of capitalism and socialism. Our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, chose his papal name in honor of Leo XIII and Rerum novarum, saying in his first address to the College of Cardinals that "Pope Leo XIII, with the historic Encyclical Rerum novarum, addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution."

Laborers working on the Empire State Building circa 1930.

Pope Leo XIV has also sought to address the "new industrial revolution" of technology, especially Artificial Intelligence.  He has warned that AI poses risks to "human dignity, justice, and labor" and likened its development to the transformative changes of the industrial revolution.

This Labor Day, as Catholic Americans, let us recommit ourselves to building together a society that honors the human dignity of all who labor.  Through the treasure of Catholic social teaching, we have a long history of proclaiming the essential role labor plays in helping people to live out their human dignity. Our Catholic faith calls us to pray, work, and advocate for protections that allow all laborers to thrive.

Monthly Eucharistic Adoration resumes this Friday, September 5. Exposition of the Eucharist is at Noon, Adoration follows all afternoon, and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is at 6 pm on Friday.  Please sign up online. Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox! Happy Labor Day!

Back to School to Seek Knowledge to Serve

Dear Parishioners:                               

At the 10:30 am Sunday Mass, we welcome sixty new OLM School students from our thirty-seven new school families. This year, our enrollment at OLM School is 270 students. We thank these families for choosing a Catholic Education for their children and for enrolling them in our outstanding parish school.

We also welcome some new faculty members to OLM School.   Mrs. Melinda Almonte is our new Pre-K3 Teacher, and Mrs. Kerri Veccio is our new Pre-K3 Assistant. They come to OLM after teaching for many years at Immaculate Conception School in Cranston. And we welcome our new Third Grade Teacher, Mrs. Sara Aldridge, who also joins us from Immaculate Conception School. She is a native of Our Lady of Mercy Parish. 

We also welcome our new Fourth Grade Teacher, Miss Trinity Reilly, a first-time teacher who is from St. Kevin’s Church in Warwick. And we welcome Mrs. Christine Higgins as our new Kindergarten Assistant.  She is the mother of two OLM School alumni, Olivia and Shane.  We look forward to another great year with these outstanding educators as members of our faculty.

On Monday, the faculty will make a Retreat at the Christian Brother Center in Narragansett. Dominican Friar, Father Justin Brophy, OP, is the Retreat Master. We pray that this time of prayer and reflection may be fruitful for our faculty as they prepare to educate our future saints and scholars.

Sister Flora

Next week, we will welcome a new Franciscan Apostolic Sister to OLM.  Due to an unforeseen circumstance, Sister Benigna Mallare, FAS, who was originally assigned to OLM, had to take another assignment.  Thankfully, Mother Zenaida, the FAS Superior General, assigned Sister Flora Tanarte, FAS, to join us at OLM.

Sister Flora will serve both at our parish and school. She is a familiar face, having previously served at the Scalabrini Villa, Zambarano Hospital, and St. Phillip Church in Greenville. She was a frequent visitor to OLM.  There is more about her in the bulletin this week.

We look forward to her safe arrival from Peoria.   Summer ends this week for students in East Greenwich, Warwick, and also for our OLM School students!  Yes, Thursday, August 28, is the first day of school at OLM! It seems like summer vacation just started! This Thursday, the bells ring again in the school, the parking lot is busy again with drop-offs and pick-ups, and the joyful sound of our students playing at recess echoes across the neighborhood.  

OLM students attend Mass

Please pray for our OLM school faculty, students, and their families as they begin a new school year.  May they grow in faith and wisdom, the knowledge and love of God, and may mercy flourish this new school year.  At OLM, our students pray together daily and attend Mass weekly.  Let us pray that they strive to be saints and scholars.

As Pope Benedict XVI said, “A good school provides a rounded education for the whole person. And a good Catholic school, over and above this, should help all its students to become saints.”       

We thank Paul Anderson and our outstanding maintenance staff, who worked so hard the last few weeks preparing for the new school year.  The corridors and classrooms are clean, buffed,  and newly painted.  Our library has been renovated and looks great. And our new Pre-K 3 Classroom is ready for our new three-year-old saints and scholars.  

The school parking lot is newly seal-coated and has newly painted lines.  The back of the school has a new roof, too!  All this was done in just the last couple of weeks.  We are grateful to Future Sealcoating Company and Ferschke Roofing Company for their excellent, quick work and a job well done.

First Day of School!!

Last Wednesday was the Feast of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, my patronal feast day. St. Bernard is a Doctor of the Church, and his wisdom is quite appropriate for a new school year.  St Bernard said, “There are those who seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge; that is Curiosity. There are those who seek knowledge to be known by others; that is Vanity. There are those who seek knowledge in order to serve; that is Love.”

May students, especially at OLM School,  always strive to seek knowledge to serve, for that truly is Love. Welcome back, OLM students! Let the learning begin! Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox!

If it could only be like this always!

Dear Parishioners:                    

Summer is quickly passing in these August days! As the great English Catholic novelist Evelyn Waugh said:  "If it could only be like this always! Always summer!" Alas, it cannot be, and so we must prepare for the arrival of the fall.                  

Our OLM Faith Formation Program is preparing for another year. Registration for the First Communion and Confirmation Programs is now available online at the parish website.  Ms. Julia Anthon, who served as the Directress of Faith Formation for Communion and Adults, has moved on from OLM for new endeavors out of state.  We wish her well and thank her for her service to OLM.  

We are truly grateful to Mr. Jeremy Long, our OLM Middle School Theology Teacher, for his willingness to direct both programs.  He has directed the Confirmation Faith Formation Program for a few years.  He is a tremendous Catholic gentleman and an outstanding, talented teacher who holds advanced degrees in theology and philosophy.    

Our First Communion Faith Formation Program begins in the first grade for those students not enrolled at OLM School.  It continues in the second grade for both public and private schools, as well as the OLM School second-grade students.     The Sacrament of First  Communion is celebrated annually on the Saturday before Mother's Day, followed by the beautiful May Crowning Ceremony on Mother's Day.

All students in the program must be registered at OLM Parish or receive permission from the pastor at the parish where they are presently registered.      Classes meet once a month on Sundays following the 9:00 am Mass and begin in October.  We are grateful to our volunteer teachers who assist with the first and second grade classes.  We have some returning veteran teachers and a few new teachers this year.  It promises to be a great year of faith formation for these children as they prepare to receive the forgiveness of the Lord in the Sacrament of Confession and also to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist for the very first time.     

The Confirmation Faith Formation Program is for all eighth-grade students in public, private, and OLM School.   Mr. Long teaches the classes, which are held monthly on Sunday evenings following the 5:00 pm Mass. The program also includes service projects and a Confirmation Retreat. The eighth-grade students receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in the fall of their ninth grade as they begin high school, a time when they truly need the grace of the sacrament.       

Before the reception of the sacraments, all the students in the First Communion and Confirmation Program are interviewed by Fr. Brodeur and me.  These interviews help ensure the students truly understand what the sacraments are and how important they are in their faith lives as Catholic disciples.    

The success of our program depends solely upon the cooperation of the students' parents, as they are the primary teachers of the faith for the children. It is the promise they publicly proclaimed to God and the Church on the day of their child's baptism into the faith.   We hope and pray that parents zealously ensure their children attend classes and attend Mass faithfully. We also include a few classes for parents so that they better understand their role as the primary teachers of the faith in the home. 

My experience has taught me that without faithful attendance at both formation classes and Sunday Mass, our program is undermined and the students' faith formation lacks a solid foundation.   Please pray for all our families in the Faith Formation Program that they truly strive to be faithful to the program and to attending Sunday Mass together as a family.  

Fr. Brodeur is working on organizing the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) Program.  This  Faith Formation Program is for non-Catholic adults who seek to join the Catholic Church and also baptized adult Catholics who have not yet received the Sacraments of Communion and/or Confirmation.  If you or someone you know is interested in being fully initiated into the Catholic Church, contact Fr. Brodeur at 884-4968 or by email at assocpastor@olmparish.org

Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox! Enjoy these summer days while they last!!

Summer Preparation for Fall

Dear Parishioners:                       

Downtown Nashville

My summer meeting with the National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors in Nashville, which I attended last week, was a productive and enjoyable time. Our meetings included meaningful updates and conversations about the leading public policy questions facing states and the nation. Housing issues, poverty issues and concerns, sanctity of life issues like physician-assisted suicide, educational and school choice initiatives, international aid, and immigration issues.  

Nashville is a hot and humid place in the summer, but I enjoyed plenty of good music at the local hot spots downtown. We also toured the Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, and Country Music Hall of Fame museums. They were very well done and interesting. I was able to spend time with my friend and classmate, Bishop Spalding of Nashville.

Nashville Dominican Sisters

Just 4%  the people in the state of Tennessee are Catholic. However, the Nashville Diocese is growing with transplants from the Northeast and Midwest, as well as a large Hispanic immigrant population.  The Catholic Church is building new churches and schools to accommodate the rapid growth. Priestly vocations are abundant, as are vocations to the consecrated life, especially at the Nashville Dominican Sisters, whose average age is 38. 

Now that it's August, it seems the summer is quickly passing. Our excellent maintenance crew has been busy getting ready for the new school year. They remodeled a classroom for our new Pre-K 3 class and are now renovating our school library.  They are repainting the hallways and classrooms and buffing all the floors.   Additionally, we will have to replace the roof of the school library in the coming weeks and also sealcoat the large school parking lot.   Thankfully, the cost of those two projects is funded by the capital campaign. Grateful for God's Providence. The roof is estimated to cost just over $20,000, and the sealcoating project is estimated to cost about $15,000. The Town of East Greenwich put in the new sidewalks in front of the school at no cost to us!

Our Lady of Mercy School

We had to replace the central air conditioning of the rectory. The system was installed almost thirty years ago, and thanks to Paul Anderson, it kept chugging along all these years. Finally, it gave up a few weeks ago amid a hot and humid week of weather! The new air conditioning units installation was completed last week. It is more efficient and much quieter than the older unit. We expect the final cost of this to be about $25,000.  

In the fall, we hope to repave the road at St. Patrick Cemetery as it is badly in need of repair.  This project is also funded by the Grateful for God's Providence Capital Campaign.  It is estimated to cost about $40,000, but we are still obtaining bids from local contractors.  We hope to renovate the Franciscan Apostolic Sisters' Convent Chapel. And we have to paint the interior of the Church as well. These projects are just in the planning phase, and they too will be funded by the Grateful for God's Providence Capital Campaign.

As you can see, OLM is a busy place in both the spiritual and physical realms!  We are grateful to God for the blessings of our parish and our parishioners' generous support that make it all possible. I, too, am grateful for your continued support of our parish, especially the Monthly Building and Grounds collection that funds the upkeep of our beautiful physical plant.   

We look forward to a new school year beginning on August 28, with the school building bright and clean and ready for our 270 students. We will also welcome three new faculty members this year.  Please pray for our school administration, faculty, and students during these remaining weeks of summer vacation. May they return tan, rested, and ready for another great year in our outstanding parish school!  

VJ Day. Gen. Yoshijiro Umezu signs instrument of surrender on Sept. 2, 1945.

    Monday is VJ Day, now called Victory Day, a state holiday only in Rhode Island. Our Parish Office is closed for the holiday, but please join us for Mass on Monday at 8:30 am as we pray for peace among all nations. Nashville was a great place to visit, and my meeting was very productive, but I am happy to be home at OLM again!

Happy VJ-Victory Day! Be well. Do good. God Bless. God Bless America. See you at the Holy Day Mass this week. Go Sox!

Praying for Priests with the Curé d’Ars

Dear Parishioners:                       

On Monday, we celebrate the Feast Day of Saint John Marie Baptist Vianney, commonly known as the Curé d’Ars. He was born May 8, 1786, in France. St. John Vianney was the fourth of six children.   Growing up during the era of the French Revolution, it was difficult and challenging to openly profess one’s faith because of the persecution of the Catholic Church.

During this dire time in history, priests endured the horrors of execution by the guillotine. To avoid this punishment, priests would disguise themselves as peddlers and farmers. Since churches were closed, priests were obliged to say Mass in secrecy, often in places such as farmhouses. Vianney and his family had to walk approximately a mile at night to attend Mass. Vianney proved to be a pious boy from a young age and was destined for the priesthood. St. John Vianney placed his entire trust in the Blessed Virgin.

By the age of seventeen, St. John Vianney had matured significantly. He was deeply passionate about his vocation to win souls for the Lord as a priest. His mother supported the idea, but it took his father a few years to come around to it.     Although St. John Vianney was then quickly enrolled in classes for his priestly vocation, he was significantly older than the other boys and struggled with learning the Latin language.

In 1809, though still a student, St. John Vianney was drafted into the military. However, because he failed to join his detachment, he was considered a deserter. Finding refuge in a small village known as Les Robins, St. John Vianney settled there for a couple of years. The police discovered him and he began to pray, promising the Lord he would never complain about anything again. The gendarmes left without taking him away. St. John Vianney felt deep gratitude for the Lord, and even in later years, he never once broke that promise.

After the many delays, trials, and suffering, St. John Vianney was ordained in 1815 and three years afterward was sent to the small, remote village known as Ars. Many of the villagers led lives of immoral behavior, drunkenness, and debauchery. Many suffered from ignorance of the faith.    St. John Vianney endured severe penances and great fasting for the souls of Ars.

Preaching excellent sermons in the pulpit, with pastoral zeal, St. John Vianney would castigate these men and women for their vile behavior as well as exclaim the greatness and beauty of surrendering ourselves every day to the will of Our Father.   Truly only wanting the conversion of his parish, in the pulpit, he would touch the weak spots of these men and women.
He was constantly tormented by the Devil, opened a free school for orphan girls, utilized his gift to read the souls of men, and spent hours in the confessional, all while undergoing harsh penances. St. John Vianney died on August 4, 1859.   He was canonized by Pope Pius XI and recognized as the patron saint of parish priests by Saint Pope John Paul II.
The Curé d’Ars is renowned for his profound devotion to the Church and his unwavering dedication to the sacrament of confession. His life inspires all priests, as he exemplified a genuinely holy priest through his humility, selflessness, and unwavering faith.   His work as a confessor is St. John Vianney’s most remarkable accomplishment. He was to spend 11 to 12 hours daily reconciling people with God in the winter months. In the summer months, this time was increased to 16 hours.

He is known as the patron saint of confessors and serves as a role model for all priests in their duty to shepherd their flock and lead them toward God’s mercy. One of his spiritual gifts was his ability to read souls. Many people who came to confession reported feeling as though he could see into their hearts and understand their deepest thoughts and struggles. He famously said, "God's mercy is like an overflowing river. It carries souls along with it in its current." This encapsulates his belief in the boundless mercy of God available through the Sacrament of Confession.

I humbly ask for your prayers for me, Fr. Brodeur, and all priests on Monday.  May the Curé d’Ars, St. John Vianney, intercede for us! Be well. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox!