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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.

Ash Wednesday is this week. While the rest of the world will celebrate Valentine’s Day we will be standing as countercultural as possible to the excesses and frivolity of that Hallmark holiday through prayer, fasting, abstinence, and penance. As I reflected on this contrast, I think this is a most timely coincidence. It has been over seventy years since this confluence of celebrations last occurred. In our time we need to shed the excesses of made-up holidays and secular celebrations and return to the austere simplicity of faith and life that prepares us for life eternal. Read more.

We are just two weeks away from the beginning of Lent. This holy season affords us to prepare for the coming of the Easter celebrations marking the very core of our belief: that Jesus Christ is raised from the dead. Read more.

This weekend we begin the annual celebration of Catholic School’s Week. It is a blessing to our parish to have a vibrant Catholic School. It keeps us young and children and their parents become involved in parish life on every level. It is always great to see so many children in church on the weekends, as well as to have their prayers and good works benefitting our parish and the community around us. Read more.

You may have noticed a slight change in the weekly contribution envelopes and in the selections available through Weshare. As the number of diocesan and non-diocesan collections seems to have grown over the past few years, the Finance Council has opted to restructure how we receive and allocate those funds. We have adopted a policy employed by a number of other parishes in our diocese. Here, simply put, is how we are moving forward with second collections. Read more.

Well it looks like we have survived the cold and I am sure that I am not alone in hoping that the worst of the winter is behind us. The green decoration of the church reminds us that we have now entered Ordinary Time. This long liturgical celebration – interrupted though with the Lent and Easter Seasons – reminds us of the orientation of time along the path of salvation history. We are progressing and processing throughout our lives to the call of the Lord in our lives and his plan for each one of us as individuals, and for the whole of creation. Let us use this time to nurture our faith, and to continually turn to the Lord for healing, strength, and wholeness. Read more.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. In much of the world this is the day for exchanging gifts and celebrating what we often refer to as “Little Christmas.” This is the last Sunday of the Christmas Season, which ends, liturgically, on Monday with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. I expect that, after the hustle and bustle of the Christmas and New Year’s festivities everyone is looking forward to getting back to life as normal. Hopefully we’ve seen most of the snow for this season already! Read more.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. This stands as a reminder to us of the importance of our families in our lives. I know it can get very difficult at times. Some of us are separated from our families through emotional or physical distance. Many of us have lost loved ones – some suddenly – during the past year, making the holiday’s all the more challenging. Let us take this time to reflect on the meaning of family, to pray for our families, and to pray for each other’s families as well. Certainly Father JM and I offer our prayers for each of you and your families. Read more.

It has been a whirlwind of an Advent Season and with all of our watchfulness, preparation, and joyful hope, that day is just about upon us. I hope that in the midst of the baking, shopping, decorating, wrapping, and family visits, that we have all had the time to genuinely prepare for the coming of the Lord. Read more.

Because next Sunday is Christmas Eve, and we need to prepare the church and ourselves for the evening celebrations, the Mass Schedule for the Fourth Sunday of Advent is as follows: Saturday, December 23rd at 5:00 p.m.; Sunday, December 24th at 8, 9:30, and 11:00 am. There is no 12:30 p.m. Mass next Sunday. Read more.