Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of Saint Benedict:

This week I am off to Israel with a group of pilgrims principally from Monmouth County, although there are some from different places. Deacon Steve and his wife Peg will be along for the journey as well. It should prove to be an awesome experience for those who go, as it is for everyone who makes that trek. This is my third time in the Holy Land. I studied there during the summer of 1990 and then returned as a pilgrim in 2011. I am looking forward to this excursion. I can’t call it a vacation as it is a working event for me. I am the spiritual director in a group being led by Sister Margaret Tierney, S.C. Obviously I leave you all in good hands as Father JM will be around all week.

We do have some priests to assist with Masses during the week and on the weekend. We are to return on Friday, February 24th. We are gearing up for the Lenten observances, which begin on March 1. We are adding some things to the schedule to enhance our experience of the Season. The one new offering this year is something that Denise Contino and I have been planning for a year now: Soup and Scripture.

On Wednesday evenings we will gather for a three-part event, but you are free to attend any or all of the events of the evening. The idea is that participants make a pot of soup that serves 10-12 people (ideally) and that we drop the soup off in the Father Anderson Library beginning at 6:00 p.m. with fellowship (i.e. sharing soup) beginning at 6:30 p.m. We will open the evening with Stations of the Cross at 5:30 p.m. After Soup (and we will provide the bread and a dessert) then comes the Scripture. We have lined-up different speakers for each of the evenings of Lent. Those will be announced later. They will speak for about 30 minutes on the up-coming Scripture for the week. One of the weeks we have the Living Stations, so the Stations will follow instead of precede the Soup and another of the weeks is the Parish Mission. This is a great way to build fellowship within the parish, and to learn and share soup recipes. I have been working on my own soups since New Year and have narrowed my selections now I think. Rumor has it that Father JM also has a recipe or two up his sleeve! Even if you can’t make soup, please come! We don’t want to have too much soup left over at the end of the night. It is a great (and inexpensive) family night out!

There is much more to talk about for the up-coming Lenten Season and we will be rolling out more details as the time gets closer. Keep on checking the bulletin for details and watch for the postcard mailing arriving at your home.

In order to best prepare for Lent, Father JM is offering a two-week series beginning this Wednesday night in preparing for Lent. This will be a great way both to get to hear Father speak outside of the homily on a Sunday so that you can get to know him better, and also to step up to the challenge that Lent offers us as Catholics as we prepare for the Resurrection of Christ this Easter. He will be speaking in the Church from 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.

May the Lord bless you in all of your efforts this week.
Father Garry