Dear Parishioners,
 
Our parish bazaar was a big success. Vendors, shoppers, parishioners, volunteers, and families came in great numbers Saturday and Sunday last weekend. It was good to see so many people come together not simply to buy goods, but also to simply come together. As you can imagine such an event does not happen on its own. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Nicole Latendresse, our bazaar coordinator, and her many volunteers from our St. Teresa Cheerleaders. The bazaar would not have happened without her. She was not alone. Thank you to Al Hervieux for planning and coordinating. Likewise, I want to thank John Bianchi who provided the delicious food throughout the weekend and his kitchen and cleaning crew. I think we had a lot of fun serving up clam cakes, chowder, chicken tenders, and chili cheese fries (a late favorite). I also want to thank Kathy Sowa and her crew of volunteers at the Penny Social and 50/50 raffle. This involved a lot of work organizing the gifts, calling the numbers, taking names and everything else needed. Thank you so much to everyone who donated goods, baskets, gifts, and items (they were all very popular!). Thank you to our Seniors, Knitters, and Sewers Group who provided and ran a parish table of knitted goods to support the parish. There were many impressive pieces for sale. Finally, thank you to the Scouts who helped set up the hall for the event (especially hauling the chairs out of the hall to give us more space). In a word, thank you to everyone who helped make this a success.
 
We are officially without a bishop. The term in Latin is sede vacante (literally “with the chair being vacant”). The “chair” in this case being the chair that the bishop sits in at the cathedral. The chair can become vacant when a bishop retires, is transferred, dies, or is removed. Over a year ago, we were fortunate that when Bishop Tobin retired, Bishop Henning was already a “coadjutor,” which meant that we did not need to wait for our new bishop to take control of the diocese. Unfortunately, with his transfer to Boston, now Archbishop Henning, did not have a “coadjutor” assigned to him prior to his transfer. So, we here in the Diocese of Providence are in a period of sede vacante. The big question is: “when will we get a new bishop?” That is a very difficult question to answer. Right now, there are more than 200 dioceses without a bishop. So it could take several months before ours is filled.
 
Meanwhile Canon Law provides for situations just like these. A group of diocesan priests, known as the College of Consultors, met on Friday, November 1st and elected Msgr. Albert Kenney as Diocesan Administrator. Monsignor currently serves as Vicar General of the Diocese. He is more than capable to handle the administrative tasks in the absence of a bishop. Please pray for him in this role and for a new bishop.
 
There is some more sad news to report in relation to bishops. Bishop Louis Gelineau, who served as the sixth Bishop of Providence for more than 25 years, has passed away. He spearheaded many of the programs, institutions, and structures still serving the diocese during his long tenure. He retired in 1997 and was living at Saint Antoine Residence in North Smithfield. His funeral will be this Saturday at the cathedral. Please pray for the repose of his soul.
 
In Christ,
Fr. Barrow