Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of Saint Benedict:

Worship and ministry are, of course, the heart of the parish. While “dispensing the mysteries of God” is always our first call, the parish has always stood as the foundation of community. As you travel through Europe you get a sense of that feeling as the churches stand as the central focus of the town or villages.

Many of our small towns in the Northeast followed a similar matter of construction. While it is far less true in city planning today, for the faithful, the church does still provide a sense of centering and focus. It is the church we turn to for those most important moments of life: baptism of our children, celebration of marriage, and the rites of mourning and burial for our family members. Along the way, we turn to the church in times of emergency and crisis. For the Catholic the church stands as a compass orienting our lives. The church, and especially the priest, is expected to be – and is – available twenty-four hours a day; every day.

The priest is not, however, the sole ministry provider. While only the priest can celebrate Mass, hear confessions and administer the Anointing of the Sick, both diaconal and lay ministries must flourish in order for the work of the church to be accomplished and effective. We rely on our professional staff to assist in the exercise of and coordination of ministry. But it is those who volunteer or, rather, seek to fulfill their baptismal commitment as “priest, prophet, and king” who stand as the backbone of ministry (service) in and for the church. We rely on parishioners to staff the food pantry, to visit the sick and take Communion to them, whether at home or in a health care facility, and to instruct our children in faith formation programs.

While we are beginning to grow and expand our sense of church beyond the individual parish to the Cohort (#13) of which more will be forthcoming in a few weeks, the needs of an individual parish within the Cohort still need to be addressed and met.

One of the growing needs within our community is working with those who have lost a loved one. Parishioners provide a tremendous service in assisting families plan the funeral for their loved one. It isn’t always an easy task, sometimes it is very difficult. The planning process provides the family with a necessary catharsis, even though the task itself can be daunting and stressful. The planning also assists the priest in the preparation of his homily for the funeral. For most families the work of bereavement only begins with the funeral, it does not end there. Through the efforts of Denise Contino (Director of Faith Formation) and Carol DeMuria, one of our bereavement ministers, we are planning on inaugurating a bereavement group ministry. The plan here is that parishioners would have a support group to walk them through these difficult and challenging times.

To that end, we are expanding our pastoral care here at St. Benedict. On Tuesday, June 6th there will be a meeting on pastoral care in Father Anderson Library at 7:00 p.m. There is an announcement further on in the bulletin with more details.

I encourage everyone to consider some ministry involvement here at St. Benedict’s parish the exercise of our faith keeps us healthy, positive, and moving in the right direction.

A blessed, safe and Happy Memorial Day to everyone!
Fr. Garry