Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

We have just about reached the astronomical mid-point of winter. Tuesday, February 2nd might be famous around these parts as Groundhog Day, but here we will celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. This is the traditional end of the Christmas Season, forty days after Christmas.

Of course, Lent is just around the corner – February 17th is Ash Wednesday – and that opens a whole new season and opportunity for reflection.

This week we observe Catholic School’s Week. We are very proud of our school here at St. Benedict’s, our faculty, staff, and our student body have managed well during this time of pandemic. Sadly, with a number of cases in the school now, we have gone to an all-virtual schedule both this past week and the coming week. Hopefully the students will be able to return next Monday (February 8th) for in-person classes. We did well and managed to avoid this crisis until now. Going virtual was the prudent move to do.

Some families were in for tours this weekend and others are scheduled for February 12th. If you are interested in our school – any grade from PreK-3 to 8 – please make contact with the school office as soon as possible. Some of these grades are reaching capacity quickly, so it is in your best interest to get in now.

I want to thank Principal Kevin Donahue, Vice-Principal Christine Keeling, along with school counselor, Noreen Potterton, and the office staff of Pat Tobino and Monica Hurni, for handling all of these challenges with aplomb and professionalism. Our faculty, aides, and general school staff have done a remarkable job throughout the year. We are poised and ready for the year ahead. Hopefully it looks more familiar than does this school year.

Speaking of which, the first installment of the air ionizers were installed in the school this week, with the next installment on the way. This should prove to be a significant improvement over the deep cleaning, sterilization and disinfection process we are currently utilizing. Thank you to those of you who contributed to their install. We have also ordered them for the church, adoration chapel, and all of the offices.

As of this writing we have not signalized the Ash Wednesday distribution of Ashes schedule. Though a noble sacramental, there is no requirement to receive Ashes, yet many will want to for the sake of tradition or spiritual edification. We will be offering services during the day, but will only offer the one Mass at 9:00 a.m. A full schedule will be announced next weekend.

With the Lenten Season, we are also considering the faith formation programs that we can utilize. Between our in-person capacity and the live-streaming ability, we are certainly in a position to conduct some programs for Lent. Sadly we will not be able to hold Soup and Scripture in the usual format this year, but there are other options on the table!

We need to do something to make this Lenten Season a positive and growth-filled opportunity for all of us. The challenges we face on a day-to-day basis are opportunities to deepen our relationship with the Lord and to respond to one another in the love that Jesus Christ calls us to live.

As we begin February, and the days get noticeably longer, may the Lord bless each of us with his peace, healing, and love,
Fr. Garry