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In response to certain challenges that have been before the Supreme Court to the integrity of the religious freedom as secured by the First Amendment to the US Constitution, the USCCB inaugurated the Fortnight for Religious Freedom several years ago, now called Religious Freedom Week. While some are hopeful that a recent Supreme Court decision a few weeks ago securing the rights of a Colorado baker would bring some resolution to these challenges, that case does not establish any precedent. I encourage all of you to be alert to various challenges to our freedoms – not only our religious freedom, but our basic rights to privacy, freedom of speech, and freedom to exercise our conscience. The national dialogue on these matters – indeed the international dialogue as well – is at times very disconcerting. We need to be vigilant, intercede with our congressional representatives and state legislators, and persevere in prayer. When we vote for state and federal officials, we need to be mindful of the whole package and work towards the clarification of our rights and freedoms. The national prayer is observed from June 22nd – 29th. Read more.

First off, Father Michael DeSaye was humbled and honored by the presence of so many at his First Mass here last Sunday, and he is grateful for the prayers, support, and generosity of so many of you. It was an honor to have him here and I hope to have him back before he begins his ministry at St. Joan of Arc, Marlton. Read more.

This weekend at the 9:30 a.m. Mass we welcome newly ordained Father Michael DeSaye as he celebrates his First Mass with us, along with his family (parents Greg and Debbie; brother Christopher; sister Marie and her husband, Doug; and sister Kathleen) and friends. We are honored and blessed to have them with us for this great celebration. Please join us for a light reception and First Blessings after the 9:30 a.m. Mass. Father DeSaye has been assigned as parochial vicar at St. Joan of Arc in Marlton. Read more.

As mentioned previously newly ordained Father Michael DeSaye will celebrate his First Mass here on Sunday at the 9:30 a.m. Mass. While many concelebrants, seminarians, and family members will be present, this is also an ordinary Sunday Mass – for the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ (Corpus Christi) and as such, all parishioners are invited to attend. It is an honor and a privilege for our parish to celebrate a First Mass of a newly ordained priest, and we are happy to have Father Michael DeSaye celebrate with us. Father is assigned as parochial vicar of St. Joan of Arc in Marlton (Burlington County) effective on July 1st. Read more.

Another school year is winding down. We welcome home for the summer the members of our parish who have returned for summer break and congratulate those who have been graduated from institutions of higher learning this past Spring. We will be celebrating your return shortly, and invite all those of college age to our annual Coffee House on June 7th. Check the bulletin for further details. Read more.

Finally some wonderful spring weather! We have come to the final weekend of the First Holy Communions for our parish. I am, as ever, grateful to Mrs. Contino, Mr. Santucci, Mrs. Cesario, and a host of catechists who work so hard and diligently to prepare our students for the reception of this great Sacrament. Let us pray now that they continue to grow in their regular reception of the Eucharist. Read more.

On Saturday evening May 19th at 5:00 p.m., we will begin celebrating Pentecost with Praise and Worship and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by a presentation given by Rev. Monsignor Eugene Rebeck, Pastor Emeritus of St. Catharine Church in Holmdel. Confessions will follow and then the Mass will be at 7:00 p.m. (Last week I said 8:00 p.m., but we reconsidered that). This is an ancient (though new to us) and prayerful way to welcome the Holy Spirit among us. I look forward to it and hope to see many of you there. Read more.

Greetings from aboard the Splendid sailing in the waters of the Croatian Adriatic Sea. I must say that while I have heard it’s beautiful here, it really is beautiful here. After arriving in Zagreb we went to visit the Marian Shrine at Medjugorje in BosniaHerzegovina. It is an interesting place. It is Tuesday afternoon here and we’ve been sailing since Thursday. I’ve been to the birthplace of Marco Polo (well one of them anyway) to a town that celebrates St. Blase as their patron as he saved the town from destruction centuries ago, and to the reputed birth city of St. Jerome. Thursday we disembark and drive through Slovenia to Venice and then to Milan. I will be home Monday night. The weather has been absolutely amazing. Read more.

One of the obligations of a pastor is to make sure that the parish receives an annual statement of financial accounts. In the fall we published details in the bulletin, though a straight ledger format doesn’t necessarily make sense to everyone. Hence, a more detailed use of presentation with more visuals – graphs and pie charts – seems to be more in order. Read more.

As the Easter Season moves along we continue to celebrate in a special way the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the hope and promise that his resurrection offers to us as disciples. The Easter Season is the baptismal season, drawing much of our liturgical focus to the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism-ConfirmationFirst Eucharist). Read more.

Can you believe this weather? It certainly doesn’t feel like Spring or Easter for that matter. Hopefully a warm-up is on the way. We did have a beautiful celebration of the Triduum here at St. Benedict and very strong attendance at all of the Masses. Even the rather chilly Sunrise Mass celebrated outside was well-attended. Read more.

ALLELUIA!! There I said it. It feels good to be able to think and shout out Alleluia! again after being banned from using it since Ash Wednesday. This is Easter: the day of the Resurrection. This is the very core of our Catholic and Christian faith. Let us rejoice and be glad. Read more.

This is the week. While the celebration of the Sacred Triduum begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Thursday evening, as a parish community it is the Living Stations of the Cross as celebrated by the eighth graders from the school that begins our attentiveness to the solemnity of the week. I reminded them, as I now wish to remind all of you that, while this takes on the appearance and character of a theatrical performance, this is instead a prayer. Read more.

Due to the inclement weather and impending storm, please note all of the following St. Benedict Church events are cancelled for this afternoon and evening: Religious Education classes, Stations of the Cross, Soup and Scripture, and Young Adult Bible Study. Stay safe.

Lent certainly has sped quickly past us. The enthusiastic response to the Parish Mission and Father Dave Dwyer was quite refreshing. This past week we were blessed to have the Franciscan Friars lead us in praise, worship, adoration, and penance. Now, as Holy Week quickly approaches, there are even more important moments that we want to draw some focus towards. Read more.

As we approach Holy Week and the Sacred Triduum it is a good time to reflect on where we are in our Lenten journey. We start to prepare ourselves for the rites and rituals of the Holy Season as we will gather on Palm Sunday of the Passion of Our Lord (March 25) in the School Gymnasium for the beginning of all the Masses. Read more.

This week we are privileged to have Father Dave Dwyer, C.S.P. with us for our Lenten parish mission. As he is preaching at all of the Masses this weekend you will get a sense of his enthusiasm and the power of his presentations. I, as I am sure with many of you, like listening to his show The Busted Halo Show and also his Conversations with Cardinal Dolan on the SiriusXM Catholic Radio Channel. Hopefully you will be able to attend the evenings here with him. He will be preaching the morning Masses Monday through Wednesday and also hearing confession after Mass during the week. Read more.

The Season of Lent is meant to show a stark contrast to the season of Easter and the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. We highlight that starkness through various liturgical signs and symbols – and even through the absence of certain signs and symbols. Read more.

We have begun our Lenten journey. Many of us, myself included, have a lot of “work” to do this Lent. I am not speaking about my busy schedule, but authentically responding to the call of God in my life, setting aside those sins that disrupt my life, and in seeking healing, wholeness, and reconciliation in my relationship with Lord and with the people in my life. Read more.