Dear Parishioners, We had a busy week here in the diocese of Providence. On Thursday, the Most Reverend Richard G. Henning was officially received as the Coadjutor Bishop of Providence at a Mass at the Cathedral. The Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Christophe Pierre was present, as well as Bishop Tobin, Evans, and numerous other clergy and faithful. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, There are two important events that take place at the end of January. First, the annual March for Life in Washington D.C. The March began in January 1974 after the legalization of abortion in 1973. Since then, millions of Americans have attended the march in an effort to not only change the law but change the hearts and minds of Americans. Protecting the life of unborn children in the womb is of paramount importance. The principles behind the pro-life movement have far reaching consequences beyond abortion. A pro-life mentality opposes euthanasia and the killing of those with mental handicaps. It values all human life regardless of race, sex, or ethnicity. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Last weekend we bid farewell to Mr. Alfred Panone our parish Director of Music for the last five years. In that time he has helped us worship God with his playing, singing, and directing. For the last year and a half it has been a pleasure working with Al. I thank him and wish him well in his retirement. If you would like to send him a thank you, you are welcome to send it to the parish and we will forward it to him. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Last weekend Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed from this world to God. We pray that he may rest in peace. He was one of the most influential figures in the Church in the last one hundred years (up there with St. John Paul II and Mother Teresa). While a quiet man by nature, his influence spread through his work as a thinker, theologian, and author. His book series Jesus of Nazareth is a wonderful work on our Lord. He gave us the hermeneutic of continuity interpretation of the Second Vatican Council; that the Council should be interpreted not as a break with the past, but as continuous with it. He was only thirty-five years old when he was made a theological expert to the Council. As such he had an influence on many of its documents. He would spend a lot of his life defending and trying to give a proper interpretation to the Council. In addition, he fought against (his words) the “dictatorship of relativism.” Above all, he was in love with Jesus Christ. His last words were “Lord, I love you,” the same last words as our patroness St. Therese of Lisieux. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Happy New Year to everyone. Many at the beginning of the New Year form lists of resolutions and promises, but why exactly do we celebrate the New Year when we do? Many of us take for granted the dates and times of the months and years, but where did we get our current calendar? Part of the answer reveals an important truth about Catholicism: that it is concerned with all aspects of human good, including the dating of time. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners Merry Christmas to everyone! The day for which we have spent the last four weeks preparing has arrived. We remember this weekend, and for the next several days, that God took the much longer journey to us to save us. He did not come with a display of power or might, but instead as a helpless infant. He did not come in the palaces of the greatest empires of the time, but in a manger. He did not come on his own, but in a family. How blessed we are that God should come to us in this way. The mystery of Christmas cannot be celebrated in just one day. So for the next several days the Church celebrates the octave of Christmas. During those days I pray for a blessed and healthy Christmas to everyone. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Another thank you to our parish Knights of Columbus Council and to those who donated to their Operation ROVAC (Remembering Our Veterans at Christmas). The breakfast and donation drive were a huge success. We had eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, and pastries. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, You may have noticed a ring of Christmas trees around the statue of our patroness. Our parish school, religious education program, and youth group organized a Christmas tree decorating event this past Friday. Each tree is decorated by a different grade or group. I want to thank everyone involved who helped organize this event, provide a beautiful decoration for our parish, and for bringing the community together. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Congratulations to our newest altar servers: Catherine Cirello, Julian Maldonado, Benjamin Medeiros, Stella Morris, Jeremy Neves, and Christian Rutkowski. They are now ready to help serve either parish Masses, our parish school Masses, or both. I thank them and their parents for their willingness to help in the celebration of Mass. May God reward them for their work. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope that everyone had a blessed day. Here at the parish we had the Mass at 9:00am. After the Mass we had our traditional blessing and handing out of bread for families. Last Saturday (November 19th) we had a pasta dinner to raise funds for Odin Mello. He is a 1 year old who suffered life threatening trauma after being attacked. The money will go to help defer ongoing medical costs. Thank you to our Knights and to everyone who participated in this fundraiser! Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Throughout November we have been praying for the deceased, particularly those who passed away this past year. Our board in the sanctuary and the list in the bulletin helps us remember and pray for them. Unfortunately, we accidently omitted some names from this past year. I am very sorry to the families, and I take responsibility for their omissions. The lists have been amended. Please add to your prayers: Antonio Almeida, Jeanne “Claire” Boardman, Leonne Cote, Mary Grinsell, Raymond Johnston Jr., Genevieve McLellan, Luis de Nobrega, Robert Papineau, Irene Sweeney, and Gloria Vecoli in your prayers. If any other names of those who died this past year whose Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated here at St. Teresa are not on this list, please let me know to add to our list. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, This past week we celebrated as a nation Veterans Day. On November 11, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower called upon all citizens of the United States to observe that day as Veterans Day. In his proclamation he told us: “On [this] day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting and enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.” Veterans Day gives us an opportunity to offer grateful thanks to the men and women who put their lives on the line to defend and protect our precious liberties. We give thanks to our military service men and woman who make it possible for us to gather in peace every day. We remember those who have served, those who continue to serve our country whether at home or abroad, those still suffering the effects of their generous response in times of national need, those families who’s loved ones are away on deployment, and those who gave their lives in the line of duty. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, We have a new way to help those in need at the parish. The St. Vincent de Paul Society recently installed a collection bin for clothing and other items in our church parking lot (the one on Newport Avenue). Likewise, this weekend our second collection is for the Archdiocese of the Military. Every three years the Archdiocese for the Military Services (AMS) conducts a collection to help support their work. The ministries offered by the AMS benefit those who serve in all six branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, Veterans, and their families. It is the mission of this Archdiocese that they be able to seek sacramental preparation for baptism, confirmation, first Communion, penance, and marriage; to benefit from consultation with a priest, and to receive the sacrament of penance as they defend our rights of freedom and speech, and fact constant transition and uncertainty. The AMS also supports men looking to become priests who serve in the military. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, I did not think it would happen so fast. When I was a young seminarian and assistant priest, I heard stories of seasoned pastors who would wait until snow was practically on the ground before turning on the heat in the church. I though to myself, “I will never be like those pastors.” Little did I know what it takes to run a parish! As you can probably tell the heat on the church is not on yet (at least at the time I am writing this bulletin column). It should come as no surprise why: the cost of heating the church. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Our mini-bizarre was a big success this past weekend: Whether it was scarecrows to support our school 8th grade class, baked goods for our parish cheerleaders, or roses sold by our Knights for the Mother of Life Center. A very big thank you to all the parishioners, families, and friends who participated in these events. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, This past week I taught one course on the different Schools of Spirituality in the Catholic Church to those preparing to become permanent deacons. In that course we learned about Dominican, Benedictine, Jesuit, Carmelite, Salesian and other schools of spirituality. While I do not have the room to put the entire course in the bulletin I thought that I would share at least a portion of that course on prayer. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, What a wonderful feast of St. Therese of Lisieux we had here last weekend! Fr. Michael Rubeling from the Archdiocese of Baltimore led us in a parish retreat beginning with his homilies at each of the weekend Masses. Then on Monday and Tuesday nights he led us in prayer and adoration of Jesus Christ in the model of St. Therese. Those nights were very powerful for me and for everyone who attended. In addition, our Youth Minister Liz Cotrupi-Pfunder led us in music. She did a beautiful job and certainly elevated our prayers. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, This weekend we celebrate our parish patroness St. Teresa, otherwise known as St. Therese of Lisieux. This year we are having a mission to celebrate our great saint. The mission will focus on three parts of Therese’s life. During the homily at all the weekend Masses (October 1-2), he will introduce St. Therese as a beloved daughter in her family and how the love and suffering in her family allowed God to overcome fear in her life. On Monday, October 3rd at 7:00pm we will have a Holy Hour and reflection on Therese as a Carmelite sister. We will unpack St. Therese’s life as a Carmelite Sister and how her focus on prayer can improve our spiritual lives. Finally on Tuesday, October 4th we will have a Holy Hour and reflection on Therese as a missionary. We will learn how a young girl who barely left her hometown could become the patroness of missionaries, and how we can follow in her footsteps to allow the Holy Spirit to transform our parish and our families. Please join us for as many of these reflections as you can to learn about our patroness. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Someone asked me the other day about Confession. The question was: I pray privately and ask forgiveness for my actions and thoughts and I am genuinely sincere. Is that not enough? The people who ask this question very often don’t come at it from a theological point of view. They are not questioning the efficacy of the sacraments or God’s mercy, rather they ask it looking for an excuse or a rationalization. They do not want to put in the work of confession. They want cheap grace. They want the feeling of forgiveness, rather than the real thing. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Mark your calendars! In just a few weeks we celebrate our parish feast weekend for St. Therese (October 1-2). This year we will hold a special parish mission to honor our patroness. Fr. Michael Rubeling from the Archdiocese of Baltimore will come and preach all the weekend Masses. On Monday and Tuesday October 3rd and 4th he will offer Eucharistic Adoration reflections on a particular part of St. Teresa’s life. Also, immediately following the 10:30am Mass that Sunday, October 2nd we will have a Eucharistic Procession through the streets of our neighborhood. Click the title to read more.