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.

Dear Parishioners, I always chuckle when someone asks my age and how long I have been ordained a priest. Usually, the remark following my answer involves something along the lines of: “you have a long way to retirement!” Fortunately, I hope to have many years working hard in Christ’s vineyard building up the Kingdom of God. As we know, however, there are many priests in our diocese who are retired. When a priest retires, he remains a priest. Once a priest, always a priest. While much of the administrative work ends in retirement, the life of a priest continues. Retired priests in our diocese continue to say Mass, hear Confessions, offer counseling, give the Sacrament of Anointing to the dying, and so many other acts that bring Christ to the people. Here at St. Teresa parish Fr. Bernie O’Reilly continues to provide much appreciated support and sacramental coverage. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Last week you may have noticed a few things missing on the property: trees, a fence, and the green shipping container. After the break-in of the convent a few weeks ago we needed a way to increase building visibility. The fence near the convent was in terrible disrepair and we removed it easily. We emptied the green shipping container and sold it to Wood and Wire Fence Company. Finally, Stanley Tree Service removed three trees from the property: two near the convent and one near the rectory garage. While I do not like cutting down trees it needed to be done. Two trees were dying, and another was at risk of falling into a neighbor’s yard. With those tasks finished we now have a much better view of the convent building. In the weeks ahead we will be doing more to beautify that area of the property. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Another summer is coming to an end, and with that the beginning of another school year. Here at St. Teresa Parish we are blessed to have a Religious Education Program and a Parish School. Lindsey Rutkowski recently took over our Religious Education Program from Susan Levesque. You can find a brief biography about Lindsey in our bulletin this weekend and we have been able to hear firsthand from here at the Masses. I can now say that we have both a rockstar and a television star working at the parish (our new Youth Minister published a music album and Lindsey was an extra in LOST). I look forward to working with her. Both she and Sue have worked tirelessly to prepare for another year. A big thank you to them and the volunteers who will prepare the next generation of Catholic children to become followers of Christ. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, We said goodbye to our seminarian Joseph Brodeur last weekend. Granted, he will keep his room here at St. Teresa until he departs for Rome in September. His time here with us brings up an important question: what is a priestly vocation? Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, This weekend we celebrate the feast day of Blessed Michael McGivney. He is the founder of the Knights of Columbus. Here at St. Teresa we have a vibrant and active council; one of the oldest in fact! Our Delaney-St. Teresa Council proudly bears the number “57.” What started in Connecticut has spread throughout the entire world. There are now more than 1.7 million members and 14,000 councils. You can find Knights throughout the world and in every ministry: from soup kitchens to college campuses, from parishes to military bases. They spread the Gospel by living out their four key principles that form the basis of their order: charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism. This wonderful fraternal service began with the work of Blessed Michael McGivney. So it is right that we spend this weekend learning about him and asking for his intercession. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Last week I announced at Mass that our parish convent building was broken into and vandalized. One exterior window was broken to gain entry. Inside we found broken sinks, mirrors, glass, cabinets. Pawtucket Police and the diocese were notified. After the 4:00pm Mass last weekend Pawtucket Police apprehended three teenagers who had reentered the building. Since then we have secured the building by blocking the lower windows with wood. We also removed the old fence to increase visibility. Eventually the green container will be removed as well. Please pray for protection for our parish and school. Also, please pray for the conversion of those involved that this might be an opportunity for them to believe in Christ. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Last weekend our school ran a fundraiser to help improve our school yard. Clothes, household goods, and bedding were all donated to raise money for this project. I am happy to say that we had a very good turnout. At the time of writing this we are still waiting for the final numbers. I wanted to thank everyone who participated. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, We have big news in the parish this weekend. I am very happy to announce that we have a new Youth Minister: Mrs. Liz Pfunder. Liz, along with her husband Robert and young daughter Grace, are parishioners of the parish. If you attend the 9:00am Mass on Sundays, you can find them seated in the front row. Liz has a lot of experience as a youth minster, college campus minister, singer-songwriter (she has an original album called “Unglued”), and worship leader. She graduated from Providence College with a bachelor’s degree and from Franciscan University of Steubenville with a master’s degree. Her dynamic and driven personality will certainly engage young people. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, This past week Fr. Battey and I attended a Pastor’s Conference at Notre Dame University in Indiana. Titled, “School Pastors’ Institute” we heard presentations on topics ranging from “Working with Parents and the School Board,” to “Planning School Liturgies.” I do not think they left any stone unturned. It also gave us a chance to talk with fellow priests and get their insights into leading a parish with a school. We hope to take what we learned and apply it here in Pawtucket. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, This week Fr. Battey and I head to a Pastor’s Conference at Notre Dame University in Indiana. Over the course of four days, we will have the opportunity to attend conferences on parish and school management. We return before the following weekend. I hope to bring back many insights to help the parish and school. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, It is official: I have been your pastor for one year! What a wonderful year it has been. In that year, as you can imagine, I have experienced many things. I have met many new people and families. I have celebrated Masses, weddings, funerals, Baptisms, anointings, and heard confessions. I have witnessed the good work of the many groups here in the parish such as the Knights of Columbus, Scouts, Seniors, SPRED, Knitters, Cheerleaders, and so on. I have been able to witness and support the good work of our parish school and religious education programs forming the next generation. We have celebrated the great feasts and solemnities like Christmas and Easter together. So many memories in just one year. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, When I was in High School I remember that we were assigned each summer a book or two to read. It was always interesting what the school would choose for us to read (what sticks out in my mind are the dystopias they had us read like Brave New World). When I got to seminary the summer reading assignments ended of course, but a whole world of Catholic literature opened up to me.  It was always interesting to go into the room of a seminarian or a priest to see what kinds of books he had (really to see which ones were missing from your own book shelf). There were of course the classics: a Bible, a scripture commentary, the Code of Canon Law, and of course several books that you put on the shelf and tell yourself that you will get to them eventually. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, June is certainly a busy month for the parish and school. Last weekend our parish Knights of Columbus hosted a “Reading of the Declaration of Independence and Discussion of the American Creed.” All around the church hall Knight Robert Masse hung flags from America’s history: from the early days of the revolution to the first stars and stripes. He then delivered his address to those attending. He read the Declaration as if he were proclaiming it to Americans in 1776. After the reading he explained America’s founding principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It was an excellent presentation and a reminder of the benefits we enjoy in this country. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners, Even though we are officially in summer, lots of things are happening at our parish. As I announced at Masses a few weeks ago, our parish has once again made our Catholic Charity Appeal goal. As of June 2, 2022, 254 families and/or individuals have pledged a total of $51,578 of our $48,450 goal. Of that amount pledged, $47,275 has been paid. While our goal remained the same this year, the amount pledged and the number of parishioners who donated increased. That’s remarkable considering the difficult economic times our country is experiencing. Of course, when times are tough, those in need suffer the most. I am most grateful for our parish stepping up and helping in these difficult times. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners,             Barely a week later and another terrible incident of gun violence. In light of these and other evil events we keep our focus on the cross and the resurrection. The crucified and risen Christ show us that evil does not get the last word. At the same time, we can pull from the vast resources of Catholic moral theology to strategize how to prevent or mitigate these types of events. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners,             This past week we celebrated the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. I remember a song when I was growing up: “God is watching us from a distance.” I would often think of those lyrics in relation to the Ascension. It made me wonder: Why did Jesus leave His apostles? Why didn’t he stay here on earth? In fact, this solemnity seems to put us Christians at a disadvantage. Whereas the Apostles and the early Church had Christ with them, we have Christ from a distance. Yet, the solemnity of the Ascension is meant to tell us the precise opposite: that Christ is with us in an even more intimate way. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners,             This past week our nation was gripped by news of a mass shooting. Our nation grieves at this news and any acts of violence against the innocent. Confronted by the problem of evil we naturally ask the question: why? The Gospel for this weekend, taken from John’s Gospel gives the answer. The words our Lord speaks are repeated at every Mass after the Our Father and before exchanging the sign of peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” These words cut through the grief, sadness, and despair that comes with such news. We learn at every Mass that the peace which Christ brings is unique. His peace does not mean the absence of war or violence. In fact, he says these words on Holy Thursday night; the day before his violent crucifixion. In a word, peace comes even amid violence. Click the title to read more.

Dear Parishioners,             I have exciting news for our parish. This summer we will host a summer seminarian, Mr. Joseph Brodeur. Bishop Tobin and Fr. Christopher Murphy, rector of Our Lady of Providence Seminary assigned him here for eight weeks. He is currently finishing his second year at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. This will be his first summer assignment after living, learning, and praying in Rome for two consecutive years. My first assignment after my two years in Rome was to St. Pius X parish in Westerly, Rhode Island. There I first met Joseph who was an altar server and a member of the parish youth group (among the many other activities and groups to which he belonged). In God’s providence we have ended up back together; this time with me as a priest and he as a seminarian. Click the title to read more.