Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

Hard as it might be to believe this week we say farewell to summer and begin the autumn season. Of course, there doesn’t seem to be any fall weather in the forecast, but with the rapidly diminishing number of daylight hours it is easy to tell that the seasons are changing.

Speaking of changes, you may have noticed that the pastor’s residence has taken on a darker hue. This is the color that won the contest we held earlier in the spring. Finishing touches are being put on it this week and then next week we will begin on the parochial vicar’s residence/food pantry. That house will be painted a different color – the close runner-up to the pastor’s blue.

As I mentioned previously I am on vocations business out of the parish this weekend and the next two. This weekend I am at St. Joseph, Toms River. For me this will be a bit of a homecoming as I was assigned there before I landed here in 2015. Hopefully I am able to plant some seeds for vocations there. We will do a focus here as well this fall.

The youth groups – junior and senior – along with the young adult ministries are getting into full swing this week. Thankfully the restrictions have eased a little from where we were this time last year, so more students are able to get involved. Ciro Saverino and his team of volunteers are doing a great job in getting the youth involved in parish life.

Speaking of parish life – please take note of the upcoming Ministry Fair. As I have mentioned previously we are looking for new ministers in all phases and aspects of parish life. You will have opportunities both this weekend and next weekend to investigate, to talk and then to make a decision as to how you might become involved in parish life.

This weekend was carnival replacement weekend and the weather in advance certainly looks nice. Please join us Sunday afternoon (Sunday, September 19th) for BINGO. See the parish website or the bulletin for more details. The 50/50 drawing is also this weekend (Saturday, September 18th; 10:00pm). Winners will be notified on Sunday morning. Thank you to all who participated and a special recognition goes out to Lori Ulrich for all of the time and effort she put into making this weekend work. While some parishes held their carnivals, and others chose to cancel and not do anything, we felt that this was a good compromise to make everyone feel comfortable and to have an enjoyable time.

Also this weekend we celebrate our many Catechists on Catechetical Sunday. We are grateful to our many professional and volunteer staff members who witness to the faith through instructing and modeling faith for the children of our parish. Now that we are able to do more things, we will also be expanding our adult faith offerings throughout this year.

We would also like to see the formation of new men’s and women’s groups for biblical study, faith, and prayer. Anyone interested should make contact with me through the parish office.

The devastation of the Gulf Coast of our country, and even some communities here in New Jersey, as well as the destruction in Haiti as the result of a recent earthquake highlight the need to be of assistance and to work to alleviate suffering. I encourage you to make contributions to Catholic Relief Services (CRS). The money they receive goes quickly to the victims and helps them to rebuild their lives.

ERRATUM: In last week’s bulletin I misstated the number of students in SBS. The number enrolled now is 429.

Have a great week,
Fr. Garry