Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

At the Mass last weekend Bishop O’Connell blessed and dedicated the icon of St. Benedict that hangs prominently in the front of the church. The Bishop was very happy to be with us and commented on how friendly and welcoming that you all were after Mass.

Last week we will held the first week of the Summer Religious Education Academy, as 120 students from first through seventh grades participated in the program. Another 100 are due this week for the second week of the program. Overall it has been very successful and I am very grateful to all of the volunteers, and our staff of Mrs. Melissa Dayton, Miss Rachel den Hartog, Mr. Ciro Saverino, Deacon Rich Morris, Mrs. Carol Cesario, and our seminarian Anthony Gentile, who worked diligently to make sure that the students had the opportunity for enrichment in their knowledge and practice of the faith.

The heavy thunder storms we had on Tuesday, July 6th, knocked out the internet for the entire parish. It took over a week and a great deal of jerry rigging to get the system back up and running again. This was also complicated by shortages of supplies and delays in shipping. Fortunately this did not happen when school was in session, but as most of the programs the parish uses, as well as the phone system, are all internet based, this was crippling. Many of the staff either worked from home or used personal hotspots to get work done. This is why the live-streaming of daily Mass was sporadic this past week. We were also unable to cut cheques, and last weekend we were not able to publish the weekly bulletin. While this was not the first time we have had this problem, what this did do was expose our vulnerability and our need to reevaluate our system.

As we were unable to announce last weekend that this weekend was to be the annual summer mission appeal, we will hold that next weekend instead. The Hospitaler Sisters of Mercy are making their appeal to assist with their work throughout the world. Here in New Jersey the Sisters operate Villa Raffaella in Pleasantville (Diocese of Camden) which is an assisted living facility. Due to their concerns over the pandemic, the Sisters will not be represented here next weekend instead they will make a virtual appeal.

Also next weekend we will celebrate the first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. With the theme “I am with you always,” this new annual celebration is designed to focus our attention to the vital role that grandparents and the elderly play in our communities and in the mission of the Church. We will have a blessing for all of the Grandparents and more senior members of our parish at all of the Masses next weekend. With many, though decreasing numbers, of our parishioners going back to the very beginnings of this parish (1959), we rely on their wisdom and sense of history as we continue to build on the legacy of this parish. All communities – secular and religious – are best served when they appreciate, acknowledge, and celebrate its most senior members.

Sadly today, due to a variety of socio-economic conditions, grandparents are often in the role of serving as loco parentis for their grandchildren and even other members of their extended family. This, too, becomes a burden with diminishing resources and their own health concerns. Our love, our prayers, and our support serve to recognize this reality. This event is to be celebrated, by initiative of Pope Francis, on the Sunday closest to the Feast (July 26th) of Saints Joachim and Ann, the parents of the Blessed Mother and, therefore, the Grandparents of Jesus Christ.

On August 17th, we will hold a Mass of Anointing of the Sick for all of the infirmed members of our parish community. It will be held at 1:00 p.m. More on this later.

Be safe … be well …
Fr. Garry