Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

It has been another hope-filled and promising week here at St. Benedict’s. Last week the recent graduates of our school received the Sacrament of Confirmation, and this week the members of the religious education program will be confirmed on Thursday in ceremonies at 2 and 4:00 p.m. We ask for your prayers for all of them as they embark on the journey of the life of faith. Sadly, many will abandon the faith into which they have just been Confirmed, so we need to be particularly ardent in our prayers for them and their families.

It is in some ways hard to believe that it is now October, and certainly the pressing importance of what comes with the Fall is upon us. This past week we witnessed the first of the presidential debates between the principal candidates for the office. We need to be attentive and vigilant as we prayerfully discern for whom to vote in this election. As many of us may well be voting early, the time for deciding is short. I did read somewhere that it is expected that 96% of all voters have already decided, leaving the 4% to be influenced by the debates and issues at hand.

While there are many important and pressing issues – economy, jobs, international relations, climate, environment, healthcare, etc., to be considered, the church reminds us of the primacy of the right to life as a guide for voting. Speaking of which, this is Right-to-Life Month. We are reminded first of the plague of abortion in our world and the devastation that it brings to families and to those who are involved. At the same time, we are also conscious of those who treat this situation with a flippant and cavalier attitude. No issue is more divisive in our country. A right to life carries many consequences as well. The proper care for the needs of expectant mothers and fathers, proper medical care for all people from womb to tomb, and the nutritional needs of all, especially children, are of monumental importance as well. Recently the Holy Father, as well as our own bishop, addressed the insidious creep of euthanasia into ordinary medical practice. We must be concerned that end-of-life-care does not become end-life-care.

One of the underreported and discussed consequences of the lockdown these past seven months has been the spike in suicide throughout the country. Increased mental health stress due to the effects of isolation, loss of jobs and benefits have contributed to this increase.

This coming Wednesday is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. We have been invited to pray the Rosary each day for our country leading up to Election day (November 3rd). In a special way let us all remember to pray the Rosary this coming week and especially on the feast, for the intercession of our Blessed Mother for our time and our world.

Overall, things are going well here as we slowly get back to normal.

Please remember to drop food donations for the food pantry. There are bins located outside of the doors to the Adoration Chapel for this purpose. Thank you for your generous support.

Let us continue to pray for and support one another.
Father Garry