Dear Parishioners:     Christmas music now begins after Halloween! I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving celebration.  Mine was excellent as I visited my sister and her family in Saratoga,  New York.  The meal was outstanding, the company terrific, and the football fantastic.  Thanks be to God for the blessing and bounty we enjoy.   On the drive home to Rhode Island, the radio played nothing but Christmas music.  I like Christmas music as much as anybody, but we are just starting Advent!  It calls us to wait for Christmas and consider how w ..read more

Freedom From Want by Norman Rockwell Dear Parishioners:    St. Ambrose, the great Bishop and Doctor of the Church of the 4th Century, said: “No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.”  And that’s what we do this Thursday on Thanksgiving Day.  We gather with our family and friends and as a people of faith to thank God for our many blessings and great bounty.                  Thanksgiving is one of the most American national holidays that we celebrate. When Abraham Lincoln instit ..read more

Dear Parishioners:      Autumn has arrived. The leaves are falling, and the temperature is dropping; the Church Year is ending, and our readings are focused on the Four Last Things. The Church encourages us to meditate upon these Things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. The doctrine of the last things is called eschatology, from a Greek word that means outcomes or ends. Death is inevitable for all of us; nobody gets out of this world alive. Our challenge throughout our lives is to be ready for what comes next. Death is the end of the first phase of human life. And t ..read more

Dear Parishioners:     As I sit at my desk to write this column on Monday morning, after the Patriots' disappointing loss, all the news seems to be about the election. Polls and predictions are plentiful, and every expert has an opinion about the likely outcome.  The loud talking heads dominate the airwaves as partisan apparatchiks try to advance their candidates.  Add to that the plethora of political advertisements, and it's hard to escape the election.  I've decided to tune it out until I vote on Tuesday morning. Instead, I plan to pray for our country an ..read more

Dear Parishioners:     This Tuesday, November 5, is a significant day for our nation, Election Day.  Voting is not just a right but a civic duty for all Americans. As Pope Francis has reminded us, each of us has a 'vocation as a citizen,' and for Catholics, this means voting also carries a moral dimension. Every vote counts, and our Catholic Faith teaches us that  'responsible citizenship is a virtue and participation in political life is a moral obligation.' So, let's exercise our civic duty and moral responsibility by voting on Election Day. Some may have voted ..read more

Dear Parishioners:                                  The  Confirmation Mass last Sunday was beautiful and joyful.   We thank Bishop Evans for confirming fifty-six of our young parishioners.  We also thank our candidates and their families for choosing to come forward and confirm their Catholic Faith.  Let us pray for them. Their names are listed in the bulletin.          &n ..read more

Dear Parishioners: Archbishop Henning anoints Cameron Martish with the Chrism Oil at Confirmation Mass, October 2023 Sunday at 5:00 p.m. Mass, we celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation for fifty-six of our young adults.  Our neighbor, Bishop Evans, will celebrate the Mass and confirm these young men and women in the Catholic Faith. We offer them our best wishes and promise of prayer.   Many young people and sometimes even their parents consider the Sacrament of Confirmation a graduation ceremony. The reality is, Confirmation is not the end; it is only the beginning of a life commit ..read more

Dear Parishioners: Fr. Healey, Fr. Connors, and the seminarians from Our Lady of Providence Seminary. Last Sunday, Fr. Connors, Rector of Our Lady of Providence Seminary, celebrated the 10:30 am.  He brought the eighteen seminarians in formation for the priesthood at the seminary.  They are an impressive group of young men answering the Lord's call to follow him as a priest.  They are not all from the Diocese of Providence.  Some of these men prepare to serve as priests for other Dioceses, including Boston,   Worcester, Manchester, New Hampshire, Brooklyn, Roches ..read more

Dear Parishioners:                     Officially, summer ends on September 22, when the fall season begins. But school has begun, and Labor Day is here! Thus, the summer is over for students, teachers, and almost everyone else. On Friday, we celebrate the Opening Mass of the Holy Spirit for the new school year. Please join us.                                &nb ..read more

Dear Parishioners:                    Monday, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. St. Pius V established the feast of Our Lady of Victory to thank God for the Christian defeat of the Turks at Lepanto—a victory attributed to praying the Rosary. Pope Gregory XIII changed the name to Feast of the Holy Rosary–originally celebrated on the first Sunday in October–in 1573. Pope Clement XI extended the feast to the universal Church in 1716. Moreover, in 1913, St. Pius X set a date for the feas ..read more