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. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, With the New Year and our return to Ordinary Time in the liturgy it seems appropriate to explain the Church’s role in dating and time. 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, With the Christmas season coming to an end, we bid farewell to the decorations in the church and we return to ordinary time. I want to thank everyone who helped to make this Christmas so prayerful. The beauty of the decorations, the celebration of the Masses, the music and all the other pieces that go into the season went so well. Now we look forward to the season of Lent and all of the liturgical traditions that it brings. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Happy New Year to everyone. Now that Christmas has come to an end I thought it appropriate to explain why the Church has octaves. When it comes to celebration, festivity, holiday, and the like, the Church always wants us to know that there is more. For instance, Christmas day is not really one day of joy, celebration, and leisure, but eight days. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Merry Christmas everyone! Once again, we celebrate God’s coming to earth in the most unexpected way: as a little infant. The Christmas story reminds us that the savior of the world has finally come. In trying times, the need for a savior becomes even more obvious. Our Lord’s birth in a manger reminds us that the way to heaven will often involve ups and downs. With no room at the inn the Blessed Family lodged with the animals. The manger reminds us of the Mass. Christ was born in a place where animals ate. At the Mass the altar becomes the stable and we feed on Christ. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, In our search for Christmas decorations Fr. Stephen Battey, pastor of St. John Paul II parish who also lives at St. Teresa rectory, and I discovered the parish archives in the rectory. We found so many interesting pieces of parish history. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Mr. Andres Montoya, Administrator of the Warde-Robe sends his thanks to all at St. Teresa Parish for their donations. He writes: “We would like to thank all those at St. Teresa who participated in the toiletry drive. Toilettries are a major expense that many do not think about when giving donations. Through your generosity, we collected shampoos, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, and house cleaning items. Thanks to these donations, we are evolving into a place that can do more… Our success in the community for the past 25 years is thanks to people like you and the many volunteers and donors who are ready to help those in need.” I echo his thankfulness to everyone who participated in this drive. Click to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Happy Second weekend of Advent. I hope that the Magnificat Advent Companion has been helpful to all with your preparation for Christmas. We had a great turnout for the first of three presentations on Advent given by Mr. Cole DeSantis. Last week he spoke about the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel.” He explained how this passage points to the coming of Christ. St. Matthew in his Gospel explicitly connects the prophecy of Isaiah with Christ. On Sunday, December 5th at 5:00pm he will present on the Incarnation and what it means for God to take on human nature. These lectures are certainly helping me appreciate the readings at Mass and the meaning of Christmas. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, This past week we celebrated Thanksgiving. 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. We purchased the bread from Bachini’s bakery, and it was donated by a parishioner. A big thank you for the donation! Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, This week we celebrate as a nation Thanksgiving Day. We will have Mass here at the parish at 9:00am that day with a blessing of bread for families to take home. The best way we give thanks for our blessings of faith, family and nation is by worshipping God at Mass. In fact the word Eucharist means “Thanksgiving.” The word itself derives from the Greek word eucharistia which means “thanksgiving.” Going farther up the chain of words it also derives from the Greek word kharis which means “grace.” Clink 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, I hope that everyone made it through the storm we had at the end of October. Fortunately, here at the parish we did not lose power, but our school sign on Newport Avenue was not so lucky. The wind ripped it right in half. We hope to replace it as soon as possible. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, At the beginning of the month of November we celebrate two major events: All Saints and All Souls. All Souls reminds the faithful to pray for all the deceased. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us: "All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned" (CCC 1030-1031). A person who dies “in God’s grace and friendship” is someone who at death is free of mortal sin. We remove mortal sin through the Sacrament of Confession, a perfect act of contrition, or the Sacrament of Anointing given to someone unconscious who would have wanted to go to Confession. But what exactly happens to a soul in purgatory? Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Fall has finally arrived. Colder nights, falling leaves, and shorter days are now here. It reminds me of my time with my classmates in seminary. As a way to bring New England Fall to our seminary in Rome one night in October we would make cider, mulled wine, squash and butternut soups, assorted pies, and other autumnal foods. After enjoying a meal together, we would listen to the audio recording of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The exhaustive description of foods at the harvest party at the Van Tassels’ homestead was part of the inspiration for our meal. Fortunately, New England Fall is all around us here in Rhode Island. Please click the title to read more.

There is nothing better in the spiritual life than the Mass. With the Mass, Jesus Christ left us a concrete link to himself as well as spiritual nourishment. There is the need for ministers at each Mass to help with the worship of God. One such minister is the altar server. This is an important ministry at St. Teresa Church. I come asking that you, and your child(ren), consider volunteering to serve in this essential role. It is open to children in grades three and above, and you can choose which Mass times are most convenient to serve. It is never too late to start serving. Training Schedule: Monday, November 15: 4:00pm-5:00pm Tuesday, November 16: 4:00pm-5:00pm Wednesday, November 17: 4:00pm-5:00pm Thursday, November 18: 4:00pm-5:00pm. Please email the sign up form to Mrs. Sue Levesque at [email protected] Simply click the title for the Form.

Dear Parishioners, This week I’d like to take the time to explain an important distinction in the spiritual life. In theology we distinguish between faith which is formed by charity and faith which is unformed by charity. When a person receives Baptism, they are infused by the three supernatural virtues of faith, hope and charity. “Virtue” in a theological sense does not mean a moral norm or rule. We can understand virtues as habits, perfections, new dispositions, or changes of a particular part of a human being. This change enables a person to act in a certain way. The theological virtues enable a person to act in a Christ-like way for the sake of salvation. They also transform a person into a child of God. Without the infusion of faith, hope and charity, a person cannot act in a Christ-like way, but they can still possess acquired virtues. Please click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Last weekend the 8th grade class from our parish school auctioned homemade scarecrows. They are quite the talented and hardworking class judging by the variety and quality of their work. It was a big success. Thank you to those who donated, the students, their parents, and to our teachers and staff who helped organize the event. The donations go to support 8th grade activities like their class trip. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Our parish feast day is here! On October 1st the Church celebrates the memorial of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus, also known as St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Even though October 1st falls on a weekday this year, the Church allows us to celebrate St. Teresa during the weekend Masses as a solemnity. We distinguish three different types of celebrations: Memorials, feasts, and solemnities. Each have different liturgical elements (for instance, we pray the Gloria and Creed on a solemnity, but only the Gloria on a feast day). As our patroness, we celebrate St. Teresa as a solemnity, decorate her statue, and ask for her intercession this weekend. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, God blesses our parish with a school. It gives us a wonderful opportunity to form the next generation. It also gives me an opportunity to visit the classrooms and answer questions. One third grader proposed the question: “How was God able to create the world in only six days?” I always enjoy questions such as these because it gives me an opportunity to speak about the relationship between faith and science. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, I hope that you are able to read this bulletin in printed form. Last weekend our bulletin company was not able to ship bulletins to the parish. The cause: Hurricane Ida flooded their printing facilities, and they were unable to print last week’s bulletins in time. I hope that such incidences will be rare, but in those circumstances, you can always find the most current issue of the bulletin on our parish website and through our Facebook page. Click the title to read more.