Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church

FROM THE PASTOR 
A Thought for Pentecost
 
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:                                                                        Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, the 50^th day after the Solemnity of Easter.
The Gospel reading takes us to a room in which the Apostles have locked themselves in.  They are fearful that Christ’s persecutors will crucify them as well.
They are fearful.
They are confused.
They are depressed.
They are powerless.
Then it happens!  The Risen Christ appears in their midst.
Peace be with you!  Receive the Holy Spirit. …and they are transformed…from timid, aimless men to vigorous and purposeful disciples.
Our celebration today reminds us that Jesus’ promise to send an advocate to be with us was fulfilled on Pentecost and continues to be fulfilled today.
There is no single word in the English language that captures the richness and depth of the Greek word, “Advocate.”  But the fullness of this word suggests at least three ways in which the Advocate, The Holy Spirit, is with us, now and forever.
The Holy Spirit comforts us.
The Holy Spirit strengthens us.
The Holy Spirit equips us for our Christian Ministry of Service.
The Holy Spirit is our comforter.  Through the Holy Spirit, God gives us comfort by sitting beside us in our sorrows and difficulties.
We have all had the experience of wanting to comfort someone in time of pain or grief.  We can’t find the words, or our words are inadequate.  So we end up just being there, or holding hands, giving a hug, or just sitting quietly beside the person.  Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, God sits beside us in even the most bitter grief.

May God Bless You,
Fr. Ray

Want to learn more about Jesus' Divine Mercy? Here is one of many sites.

EASTER SEASON - 50 DAYS LONG

The Archdiocese of Hartford has given us permission to begin praying Masses and offereing Confession beginning June 8th. Many steps must be taken before we are able to do so, so that we can worship safely.  Please check back with us to learn more about what OLM is doing to allow this to take place.   We continue to  encourage you to watch the Mass on EWTN.  Also, please download My Parish Ap here and have the information sent to you.  Any questions?  Please call the Parish Office at 860.747.6825.

Our church is open from 7am - 6pm for private prayer.  You are invited to come and spend some time with the Lord in private prayer.

You are invited to pray a novena to end the spread of the coronavius here.

Here are some fresh and new ideas for all ages in learning about our Catholic faith. Crafts for kids, how to read the Bible for all ages, music and informational videos. All at no charge. Share this link with friends and family. Another website with children's activities is Catholic Icing. Let us spread the love of Jesus with one another. God is bigger than all that is taking place in the world today! Take refuge in Him and His Word. Blessings to all of you. You are all in our prayers.

Another great source of information to feed your soul is here at Ascension Press.

CREA, who holds sales of fair trade items at our parish has heard from their artists and providers that they are in desperate situations, as their opportunities for sales has dried up, due to the pandemic. The family of a woman in Guatemala, who makes jewelry, has no means to feed her family. To help support her and others that are assisted through CREA, please contact Sr. Ruth at crea@crea.org. Your donation can save lives and give hope. As well, CREA has fair trade chocolate, coffee, and olive oil in stock, ready for purchase.

Here is the Kids' Bulletin for this coming Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, May 31st. Please print it and share with your children and grandchildren.

FORMED - Faith at Home website is offering 40 days of free Catholic movies for adults, children and families, along with information on the Sacraments, Bible Studies, Lenten Reflections, Rosary Reflections and so much more Catholic content.  Grow in your faith with your children and grandchildren!

We Encourage You to Pray a Televised or Streaming Mass.  Three options below are: 
ORTV
The television Mass is broadcast seven days a week at 10:00 AM on WCCT-TV (WB20) and WCTX-TV (MyTV9). It can also be seen Saturday and Sunday at 5:00 AM on WCCT-TV. The Mass can also be found streaming live at these times.  
EWTN
The Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) is available from many local cable providers, including Comcast Digital, Frontier Fios, Cox Communications, and Cablevision. The daily Mass is televised at 12:00 AM, 8:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 7:00 PM. Various prayers and devotions are offered at different hours of the day.  You may also stream the daily Mass online. 
WORD ON FIRE
Bishop Barron is also offering a daily Mass here.  
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
We also encourage you pray with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration online, so that you may pray before the Blessed Sacrament.  YouTube has many to choose from.  You may use this one among the many. 

Let us all pray to the Lord for ours and others' good health and peace in our hearts!   

Welcome!

If you are new in the parish, please introduce yourself after Liturgy when Masses are being celebrated again.  If you'd like to join our community of faith, please fill out a parish registration form and return it in the collection basket at Mass, to the parish office or via mail at 19 South Canal St., Plainville, 06062.

You can see our Bulletin by clicking here.

Find out how much Jesus loves us when we go to Mass and receive the Eucharist in this inspiring video!         

Dear Padre,

My neighbor is a fundamentalist Christian. He said I won't be "saved" unless I accept Jesus as my personal savior.  Didn't Jesus become my savior when I was baptized?

Your neighbor is probably referring to John 3:7, when Jesus told Nicodemus, "You must be born anew."  Jesus is talking about a spiritual rebirth; we must have a spiritual birth in order to be saved.

As you have correctly noted, Catholics believe this happens at baptism. In John 3:5, Jesus says, "No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit."

We are saved by the waters of baptism. But for Catholics, it's not merely a one-time event.  We continue to accept or reject the salvation offered us by the decisions we make every day.

Your neighbor used the words "personal savior."  Catholic Christians go even deeper through the sacraments.  We develop and nurture  a very personal relationship with Jesus by regularly receiving the Eucharist.  In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we admit we have sinned and ask Jesus to forgive us.  And in the Sacrament of Confirmation, our relationship is "sealed" with the gifts of the Spirit.  

Many Catholics also celebrate the Sacrament of Marriage. The couple's personal relationship with Jesus is deepened through the love the couple shares.

So tell your neighbor you are indeed saved by Jesus.  And because you are saved, you deepen that relationship with Jesus by living a sacramental life.

Fr. Patrick Keyes, CSSR

Here is the document from the Archdiocese of Hartford as to the new rules and regulations of celebrating Mass.

All Masses are suspended at this time.  We are able to resume Mass beginning June 8th, 2020 but must be able to put in place many regulations.  Please check back for updates. We will post when Masses will resume.  OLM is working very hard to meet these regulations.
Weekend Masses                                    Saturday Vigil - 4:00PM 
Sunday - 8:30 & 10:30AM, Liturgy of the Word for Children is offered during these  two Masses.  A Children's Mass is celebrated the first Sunday of the month at the 10:30am Mass. 

Weekday Masses                                  M, T,Th, F & S - 8:00AM
The Rosary is prayed at 7:30 AM before Mass and after the 8:00 AM Mass. 

Adoration is suspended at this time.  You are invited to pray with Jesus at this link.   Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament                                       Friday morning after the 8am Mass & Friday evening at 7:30pm every 4th Friday of the month except during Lent.

Confession will resume some time after June 8th, 2020.  Please check back as to when it will be reinstated again. For an Examination of Conscience go here.
Confession is held on Saturday, at Noon, in the church.  Please stay behind the screen until further notice.

The Office is Located at:
19 South Canal St., Plainville, CT 06062
9:00AM - 4:00PM,                    Monday - Friday
Phone:  860.747.6825
Fax:  860.747.5407
Email: olmct@sbcglobal.net

We, the people of Our Lady of Mercy Church in Plainville, Connecticut are committed to journey together as a community of faith, hope, and love within the Catholic tradition.  We are called to witness to the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives through sharing and celebration of faith and a life of Christian Service.