Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

In a world of uncertainties and challenges we can either seize opportunities or rage against the prevailing tide. There are certainly times when either response is appropriate - this is true when we are able to step outside of the prevailing zeitgeist and gain a broader perspective.

When we look around us there are certainly signs of angst and desperation. The tragedy that is Afghanistan is a source of much pain, and perhaps highlighted as we approach quickly the twentieth anniversary of that horrible day which precipitated our advance into the country in the first place. The sheer uncertainty of the course of this pandemic and the return of some of the restrictions which had been loosened earlier is a source of much anger and frustration. This is seen especially in the mask mandates in the schools and in the requirements now for certain sector employees to be vaccinated.

The political division within our own country, the threat of wide-spread inflation and continuing shortages of some essential goods and services is scary and disruptive.

We are all experiencing a level of emotional fatigue and spiritual malaise in light of all of the above. When we add on the usual life stresses of health, employment, and the various stages of grief, it can just be all too much.

As September 8th is the Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Mother it seems an opportune time to ask for her intercession in healing the wounds of sin and brokenness in our world, to pray for a cessation of the fear and uncertainty that comes from these times, and for a curb on the global pandemic. We will pray the Rosary in the church at 6:30 p.m., followed by Mass at 7:00 p.m.

Of course there is always good news as well. I am happy to announce that this past week our parishioner Anthony Cullen began his studies for the permanent diaconate. We are grateful for his response to the prompting of the Lord to pursue this ministry and we pray for Anthony and his family – wife Anne and children Brendan and Lily – as he embarks on this journey. We will see him more and more active in the ministry of the parish as time goes on.

As unbelievable as it might feel next weekend is Labor Day Weekend, marking the end of the summer season. Our school faculty reports for their orientation days beginning on Tuesday, and they will be present at the 9:00 a.m. Mass to begin their year.

School is ready to start. The number of students enrolled has been very fluid this summer given all of the uncertainty. Our Pre-K 3 mobile classroom has been delayed a week in shipping, but it should be arriving this Tuesday.

The weekend of September 18th-19th is our annual parish weekend. Again, instead of the carnival we are holding a family movie night – Toy Story 4 – along with food and fun for the evening. Sunday we will hold a BINGO event, just a simple game that anyone can play along with and it’s usually a good time.

Hopefully everyone enjoys this “last week of summer” and let us all continue to be safe and stay well.

Blessings and peace,
Fr. Garry