Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

This weekend we celebrate the first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. I must confess that I found this to be a bit of an unusual arrangement. I discovered, after speaking with several other people and a few priests, that I am not alone in this quandary. I appreciate what Pope Francis is trying to do. I just wonder about the optics and reality of it all. I understand Grandparents, - I had four wonderful Grandparents myself and after my paternal Grandfather passed away my Grandmother married another generous and wonderful man. As a celibate male I also know that I will never be a grandparent, and I am perfectly okay with that. I freely acknowledge that I am even a rather mediocre uncle and even less than mediocre great-uncle. I am all good with celebrating Grandparents. Likewise, I am happy to celebrate the elderly. I just don’t know who they are or how to define it.

The average age for a first-time Grandparent in the US is fifty years old. I do not know any fifty year olds who are elderly – though they are all eligible for AARP! Likewise, I know many people, and certainly in my own family, who, in their mid and even late eighties do not think of themselves as “elderly.”

So, I guess this – if you are a Grandparent and if you think of yourself as “elderly” then today we are celebrating you – your life and your contributions to your family, our parish, and to the wider community.

This celebration will be observed annually on the Sunday closest to the Feast of St. Joachim and St. Anne, the parents of the Blessed Mother and therefore the Grandparents of Jesus.

We have now concluded the Summer Religious Education Academy, and certainly both weeks went extremely well. We had an amazing cadre of volunteers over the two weeks, plus the many teachers we hired to conduct the classes along the way. We are ever grateful to the Faith Formation Office for their efforts in making this program successful. There are other families who have opted for either a hybrid-home school version or for the more traditional weekly program. Faith formation is an increasing challenge, calling us all to be increasingly countercultural in our perspectives and efforts. It is good to see so many young, high school and college age, volunteers so willing and excited in sharing their faith with our students. Let us continue our prayers for them and for the students in our programs so that they will grow strong in faith and come to know Jesus Christ and his church in their lives.

Speaking of matters of faith formation, for whatever reasons – and they are many – there are more than a few adults within our community who have never been confirmed. This becomes apparent when they present themselves as sponsors for baptism or confirmation, or when they seek to get married. We try to accommodate their needs, but many of them have little or no real faith formation. If this sounds like you or someone in your family or circle, please make contact with the Faith Formation office.

We would like to help you to complete the Sacraments of Initiation in an opportune way, and not to have to delay the sacraments for someone else (niece or nephew) while you prepare to receive Confirmation. We understand that this is a process and not a quick remedy, so time, reading, and preparation is necessary in the journey.

This coming week is the final week of internship for our summer seminarian Anthony Gentile. Anthony added a great deal of energy to the office, and contributed in a significant way to the Summer Academy. We are grateful for his enthusiasm and pray that as he enters his major seminary studies this Fall, that he will continue to grow in his love for Christ and his Church.

Have a blessed week!
Fr. Garry