Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

Due to publishing deadlines, I am forced to write this letter even before the Fourth Sunday of Advent, so I cannot honestly report just how things went during the celebration of Christmas. Father JM and I pray fervently that indeed it went well, and I sincerely hope that such will be the case when I pen my next missive for the bulletin.

This weekend we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. This commemoration reminds us of the importance of family life within society as a whole, and certainly as the core of the church. The Second Vatican Council document Lumen Gentium identifies the family for the first time as the “domestic church.” The US Conference of Catholic Bishops proffers the following to strengthen our families. I place them here, though slightly modified from the website, for your prayerful consideration:

† Begin praying as a family and reading from Scripture daily, certainly before meals, but also first thing in the morning or before bed. Find a time that works for your family. Use the liturgy of the Church as a model for prayer, and try to include heartfelt unstructured prayer as well.
† Pray a Family Rosary.
† Have a crucifix in a prominent place in the home, and in every bedroom.
† Make the Sacraments a regular celebration – take the whole family to Confession and Mass! † Begin family traditions based on the seasons celebrated in the liturgical calendar. † Make your vacation a pilgrimage by visiting the shrines and saints of our land and the world.
† Make worshiping God a priority. Never miss Mass, even while traveling.
† Teach stewardship and charity to your children, through word and example.
† Demonstrate love within your nuclear and extended family, your neighborhood, and the world.
† Remind your children that they are loved by God and have been given gifts to serve others.
† Talk freely about the presence of God in the joys and sorrows of your life.
† Welcome into your home and support priests, brothers, sisters, deacons, and lay ministers in the Church.
† Participate in the lay ministries and activities of your parish community.
† Allow your children to witness you in private prayer. Encourage your children to pray daily on their own, to listen for God’s call, and if heard, to respond.

This list is formidable and I would suggest prioritizing and adapting it to your own family time and habits. As this is also the beginning of a new year – welcome 2021 A.D! – we are often challenged to make resolutions – the above list presents a real list of resolutions for your household.

We know that these are challenging days. This pandemic has lengthened the amount of family time we have – but has it strengthened the quality and meaning of that family time? Pope Francis has declared this coming year the “Year of Saint Joseph” – a model of fatherhood of what it means to be a man, and a complement of the characteristics of motherhood and the role of women as exemplified in the Blessed Mother, Mary. We will be celebrating Joseph as a parish community and as a diocese this year. Perhaps we can today begin to reflect on the power and strength of St. Joseph in our lives and our families.

Father JM and I, along with our deacons and the entire staff of St. Benedict’s Church and School wish and extend to every one of you blessings for this New Year!
Fr. Garry