Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of Saint Benedict:

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.

As a follow-up to our Reformation series last November, we are focusing (beginning Wednesday) on the Saints of the Reformation. Every challenge that the church has faced throughout history has been a period in which the saints flourish, and the Reformation was no exception to that rule. Please check the Faith Formation page of the bulletin to see the details. Hopefully you will be able to join us for this teaching event.

January also brings us the reminder of the national crisis over legalized abortion. It will be 45 years ago on January 22nd that the Supreme Court handed down the Roe v. Wade decision. There are several events planned on the diocesan, state, and national level to mark this event.

a. Pre-March Pro-Life Mass at St. Robert’s Co-Cathedral, Thursday evening, January 18th at 7:00 p.m.;
b. Participation in the Pro-Life March in Washington, DC itself, January 19th;
c. Post-March Pro-Life Trenton State House Rally Mass at the Cathedral, Monday morning, January 22nd at 9:30 a.m., prior to rally.

The Holy See has extended a Plenary Indulgence to those who participate in the rally in Washington. Please see more information about this further on in the bulletin.

We have a short stretch until we hit the ground running with Lent, as Ash Wednesday is February 14th (yes, that’s Valentine’s Day). Further on in the bulletin you will read about our Lenten Series and speaker, Father Dave Dwyer. Those of you who subscribe to Sirius Radio might know of him from his show Busted Halo on the Catholic Channel. He is a gifted speaker and will offer us a wonderful Lenten reflection.

Prayers and blessings to all of you this week.
Fr. Garry