Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of Saint Benedict:

I was recently asked by a parishioner where she could buy a particular religious item and I was admittedly caught off guard for a moment as I knew we had what she was looking for at the Angelus kiosk in our narthex. As I directed her there she said she “didn’t know it was there.” But of course, she always parks in the back and never passes through the narthex of the church. It is easy to forget that something is somewhere you don’t usually go. So, this is a reminder to everyone – we have the Angelus kiosk in the narthex of the church. Like the parish office, it is open on Sunday mornings for everyone’s convenience. We manage a fair number of sales each weekend, and it has already proven to be a valuable resource for everyone. During the week you can come to the parish office during regular office hours and can, from there, visit the shop and make a purchase.

Another subtle but significant change happened in the church a couple of weeks ago. In an effort to go completely keyless (which we will do this Fall) we have installed an electronic door between the church and the hallway leading to the school. This area is generally accessed when someone needs to go to the Father Anderson Library or to the restroom during Mass time. The center doors used to be propped open for that convenience. Now the door to the left (from inside the church) is automatically unlocked for access to that area. We placed a sign in the window so that you can easily find the right door. Most people have figured it out without our having to say anything, but here is the announcement anyway. In addition, various doors around the building will unlock and then lock according to a preprogrammed system. Soon no actual physical keys to the complex will work. Those who need access to certain areas will receive a swipe card and their access will be controlled as to time and place according to their need. This will help to ensure the safety of all – especially the school children – and add to the sense of security around the complex. Frankly over the years, many keys have been issued and now no one is absolutely sure how many people have keys to the buildings.

The desire to heighten security was highlighted recently as there were thefts of chalices at St. Clement Church in Matawan and at the old church of St. Gabriel in Marlboro. We know that the perpetrator also cased out our church as she was seen here two weeks ago. Many of you might remember that in 2103 Father Dan Swift’s chalice was stolen from the sacristy on a Sunday morning. This chalice has never been recovered. We will be taking more steps to keep everything here secure and safe. The aforementioned woman was arrested in Matawan and some, but not all, of the chalices were recovered and returned to the churches. As previously mentioned we are dedicating proceeds from the raffle and carnival to additional security for the entire complex.

We are in the process now of getting bids to replace the front doors of the church. This has the double effect of increasing security on one hand, and also increasing our energy efficiency, as these doors are not sealed and they leak a lot of air. It seems like there are a lot of projects going on, but since this is a middle aged complex we are always in need of something. I also believe that it is best to be proactive on some issues as it can save not only money but some residual issues as well.

Sorry for a boring technical letter, but sometimes they are necessary.

Have a blessed week,
Fr. Garry