Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

A great feeling is in the air as spring is moving forward and the property is starting to come alive. Of course, for those of us with seasonal allergies this is a mixed blessing, but a blessing nonetheless.

It is just so great to see so many “old” faces returning to Mass each week now that more and more of us are vaccinated and we are all feeling comfortable with assembling again in church. Hopefully this positive movement continues as the weeks march ahead. Of course, we all still need to be careful and diligent with what is going on around us.

We are in the season of First Holy Communions and, as you will note, there are several candidates receiving their First Holy Communion at virtually all of the Masses on the weekends. We limit the number of children to four at any Mass for the sake of the welfare of the parish as a whole and for the sense of intimacy that it provides for the children. They are less overwhelmed and it becomes a more personal and family experience. Likewise, having the children at Sunday Mass connects them to the broader community of faith and, hopefully, prepares them for a lifetime of participation at Mass.

We have another six adults who are preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation during this Easter Season. We will celebrate their reception of that sacrament at the Pentecost Vigil (May 22nd).

So, now for other – perhaps more “fun” – news. When I first arrived here in 2015 (can you believe it’s almost six years already?) I was bombarded with the mantra of one question repeatedly and I have yet to act on it. So it is now time to address it. Actually, we were prepared to address this problem last year but then delayed it all due to our old friend, pandemic. So here goes. The question was “when are you going to paint those houses and get rid of that ugly/hideous/outrageous (depending on the speaker) blue color?”

Now is the time!

We are holding a “Vote for Your Favorite Color for the Houses” event. You will see in the Gathering Space a table with paint cans and color options. Choose your favorite color for the houses and then place your “vote” into the can – either in cash or check – for the color you want. We will keep a running tally over the next three weekends and whichever color gets the most VOTE$ wins. We will use the “votes” to offset the cost of painting the houses. If the vote is close we are open to painting each house a separate color.

You will notice that other work will be done to the external areas of each of the houses as well. When we were doing the modifications over the winter to the Food Pantry it was noted that the deck on the back of the house above the Food Pantry entrance is badly rotted and in need of replacement.

That project – paid for by the same parishioner who paid to redo the Food Pantry – is underway. The pastor’s house will also get some outdoor renovation over the summer. More on that once I have a schemata for all of that. It will be a small project, but will enhance the house quite a bit.

Overall, things are going along well with the parish and the school. We are gearing up for the summer religious education program, and getting ready for some further growth in the school programs for the coming school year.

Have a blessed week!
Father Garry