Serving at the altar is a great privilege, and is not to be undertaken lightly. It should be carried out devoutly and with precision, giving a good example to others of reverence for the Blessed Sacrament. Altar servers must ensure that they are fervent in their devotion to Our Lord, and exact in carrying out their duties on the altar. Accordingly, the parish offers regular training for Altar Servers. They are examined and certified by the Master of Ceremonies and the Pastor, and those who qualify are enrolled as members of the Society of St. Tarcisius.
St. Tarcisius was a 12 year-old Roman acolyte, who was martyred for his defence of the Blessed Sacrament, in one of the fierce persecutions of the third century. He was carrying the Blessed Sacrament to those in prison, and was killed on the way while preventing its profanation. He is one of the patron saints of altar servers, and his example reminds us of the reverence that we must have for the Body of Christ when we are serving on the Sanctuary.
The feast day of St Tarcisius is 15th August, which is also the Feast of the Assumption of Our Blessed Lady.
Contact: Mr. Mark Berardo (mark.s.berardo_at_gmail_dot_com)
Young Menz Group
Meetings are held every First Saturday in the rectory from 1 - 4 pm for all young men of high school or college age. Meetings include one hour of spiritual learning or study and 60 - 90 minutes of recreational activity, ending with an examination of conscience, confession and praying of the Holy Rosary.
Contact: Mr. Richard Davis (radavis2000_at_gmail_dot_com)
Young Friends of Fatima
The Friends of Fatima is open to young girls ages 4 and up. Our Mission is to honor Our Lady of Fatima by keeping the First Saturday Devotion.
Our meetings start with prayer and consist of activities where we read a children's story we can learn from as we connect it to our lives and the way God calls us to live. Bringing that learning point to life is done usually by a craft we work on together, we have a snack and share a Christ-centered friendship.
We meet the First Saturdays of the Month from 1pm to 3pm, followed by confession, praying and meditating on the Mysteries of the most Holy Rosary and Mass attendance.
Contact: Mrs. Thamara Davis (Thamara.davis.md_at_gmail_dot_com)
ACC YLEAD - ACC Youth Leadership Empowerment, Achievement & Development
The Mission of ACC YLEAD is to empower young people to engage more deeply in their faith by becoming more active participants within and outside of their church community.
The Vision of ACC YLEAD is that all Youth will be vibrant, skilled leaders in their church, serve as models for their peers, and positively impact their community locally and globally.
ACC YLEAD activities include Youth Mass (last Sunday of each month); community and volunteer services, evangelization.
Student Leaders: Sonilda Vaz, Pio Shabani, Marie Shabani
Assistants: Jane Eze, Inilda Vaz
Director: Mrs. Nkoli Onye (nkoli.onye_at_gmail_dot_com)
African Catholic Community of RI, Holy Name of Jesus
The African Catholic Community at Holy Name exists to promote the teachings of Roman Catholic Church; to strengthen the faith of its members; to perform humanitarian activities, including settlement of refugees, and support of the sick and the disadvantaged; to promote scholarship and spiritual training in accordance with the teaching of the Church; and to promote self esteem, respect for others, and good citizenship among its members.
Contact: Mr. Victor Ofokansi
African Women's Guild
TBA
African Men’s Guild
TBA
Knights of Columbus -
Mary Queen of Africa Council #73
The Knight of Columbus is the world’s largest fraternal service order for men in the Catholic Church, founded by Rev. Father Michael J. McGivney in 1882.
We are the right hand of the Catholic Church, the soldiers, and freedom fighters of the faith and protection of the priests. We volunteer and support parishes and engage in all different kinds of charities. The Knight of Columbus is open to every Catholic gentleman for membership and to join in the fight for the Catholic faith.
The life insurance arm of our order provides benefits for members and their families, especially in the death of the family’s bread-winner.
Meetings are held in the Holy Name Rectory on the last Sunday of each month after the 12:30 pm Mass.
To join, please contact:
Sir Martin Ezeama, Grand Knight: (mezeama_at_aol_dot_com)
Sir Richard Tarr, Deputy Grand Knight:
Father Joseph Santos: 401-272-4515
Father Lazarus Onuh: 401-644-1251
Or visit: www.kofc.org.
The object of the Legion of Mary is the glory of God through the holiness of its members developed by prayer and active co-operation in Mary’s and the Church’s work. The unit of the Legion of Mary is called a praesidium, which holds a weekly meeting, where prayer is intermingled with reports and discussion. Persons who wish to join the Legion must apply for membership in a Praesidium. The Legion sees as its priority the spiritual and social welfare of each individual. The members participate in the life of the parish through visitation of families, the sick, both in their homes and in hospitals and through collaboration in every apostolic and missionary undertaking sponsored by the parish. Every legionary is required to carry out a weekly apostolic work in the spirit of faith and in union with Mary.
Contact: Mrs. Rita Dure
The Society's work at our parish is on the front-lines of addressing need in our community, through financial assistance for housing and utilities, food assistance in the form of gift certificates to grocery stores, and referrals to agencies providing more comprehensive services, including programs for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
St. Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) was born in Pouy, France and ordained to the priesthood in 1600. He devoted himself to the service of the poor by organizing regular distributions of relief and visiting their homes to discover their needs and circumstances. His legacy continues today in the charity of those who contribute to and organize the distribution work of the Society. Poor boxes are set up throughout the Church to support the work of the Society, and contributions are always appreciated.
Contact: Mrs. Tamera Rocha 401-556-1806
or Mr. Kingsley Ezeama 401-300-4655
Una Voce was founded as an association of the laity, to foster the Western cultural heritage of the Latin rite in music, art, literature and architecture; to promote the availability of the traditional Catholic Mass - also known as the "Extraordinary Form"; and also to encourage the use of Gregorian Chant and sacred polyphony in Catholic worship.
Contact: Mr. Allen Maynard (allen.m.maynard_at_gmail_dot_com)
Gospel Choir
The Holy Name Gospel Choir is one of the true treasures of the parish, providing a spiritual base for the African American parishoners who are an integral part of the Holy Name family. The Choir is also a powerful evangelization tool. It praises God and ministers His love by singing the Gospel and spreading the message both inside and outside the parish.
Contact: Ms. Joyce Braboy (jmbraboy_at_gmail_dot_com)
African Catholic Community Choir
TBA
Contact: Mr. Ignatius Ahamiojie (diggysoft_at_gmail_dot_com)
Schola Cantorum of St. Ambrose
St. Ambrose Schola Cantorum provides music at the 11 AM Latin Mass from September through June and on Holy Days of Obligation through out the year. In season, rehearsal are held weekly following the 11 AM Mass from 12:30 pm – 2pm. The schola’s repertoire focuses on traditional Gregorian chant and polyphonic music and seeks to enhance the beauty of the Traditional Latin Mass through song. New members of all abilities are always welcome! Please speak to one of the schola members following any sung Latin Mass for more information.
Contact: Mrs. Jenn Galipeau (jennifera1_at_aol_dot_com)
Scholar Club
The mission of the Holy Name Scholar Club is to help Holy Name parishioners send their children to Catholic Schools. Catholic Schools represent an oasis in today's secular world, and the Scholar Club helps to pass on our Catholic values and beliefs to the next generation. However, the cost of attending a Catholic School in Rhode Island is rapidly growing out of reach for many of our own parishioners. The parish does not provide tuition assistance from general parish funds; the only money available for tuition assistance is raised through a contribution from the Holy Name School Alumni Association and the sale of tickets to Holy Name Scholar Club members.
The cost of a Scholar Club ticket is $60 - that's only two dollars per week! You can pay a small amount from time to time (the amount is up to you) or you can pay the full amount at once. Once you've paid at least $25.00, you are entered in our weekly raffle (the weekly prize is $25.00). The sooner you pay, the better your chances of winning a weekly drawing!
Your $60.00 entitles you to enjoy a beautiful brunch in June with other Scholar Club members at Twelve Acres in Smithfield. At the brunch, your name is entered into an additional raffle where larger cash prizes are drawn. The brunch provides us with a fun opportunity to meet new people, socialize with old friends and share a relaxing, delicious meal in an elegant environment. It brings our parish together!
Contact: Mr. John Fortes
Bereavement Ministry
The Holy Name Bereavement Committee began as a support group for parish family members during their most difficult times. Members of the committee lend support by attending the funeral services of Holy Name parishioner’s deceased loved ones. We give our support by greeting family members and providing support during the time of their family member service.
New members are always welcome.
Contact: Mrs. Rita Dure
Prayer Network
In 1998 Holy Name Church started a prayer network. Small baskets were placed in the main church and chapel along with paper and pencils, and our parishioners were invited to place their intentions in these baskets. They were then transferred to a special basket under the altar and were prayed for at every Mass. They were printed weekly and placed at the entrance of the main church and chapel. At that time we had 18 parishioners on our telephone network.
The Internet soon started and most of the requests now come by email or by phone. But the baskets are still there for all entering the church. Our prayer network has been very powerful and many small miracles have occurred.
New members are always needed and welcome. It only takes a minute to make a call or text a prayer and to pray for the intention requested.
To join the Prayer Network, please contact us.
Contact: Mrs. Rosemary Gomes (rnr518_at_yahoo_dot_com)
Church Decorators
Contact: Ms. Joyce Braboy (jmbraboy_at_gmail_dot_com)