Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

This week begins our three-week session of Summer Religious Education. Nancy Arkin, Director of Faith Formation, Ciro Saverino, Director of Youth/Young Adult Ministry and the coordinator of the Confirmation Program, and a host of volunteers of all ages, are poised and ready to walk with the youth of our parish on their journey of faith. Almost 500 students are registered for the three weeks. There is still some space in weeks two and three if you have yet to register. The Registration for the traditional program and the Confirmation Program on Sunday evenings are also now open.

A schedule of Family Days and related activities will be forthcoming from the Faith Formation Office soon. This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of our Patron, Saint Benedict of Nursia, (c. 480 - 547) founder of the Benedictine monastery at Monte Cassino and father of Western monasticism. His Rule is the norm for monastic life and religious communities throughout the church, both West and East. In 1964, St. Pope Paul VI proclaimed him the patron saint of all Europe. The Rule of St. Benedict is a timeless document - although written for monastics, many of the issues addressed in the Rule can be applied to our ordinary lives of discipleship. The qualities which make up a valued life: humility, patience, simplicity, solitude, caring for others, and living in community expressed in a concern for everyone. These specifics of the Rule, and the framework it provides, have great meaning for people who are seeking to live out their faith in the world today.

The Rule of Benedict continues to be followed by every Benedictine monastery and convent in the world today. Just the idea that a guide for living could not only last 1500 years, but continue to be followed by thousands of people makes its study valuable not only for monks and nuns, but offers lessons that enrich the lives of all of us.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, to assist us in enhancing our sense of community as a parish, we are “introducing” a parishioner/family each week in the bulletin and on the website. This will certainly help us put some names to faces and faces to names. I am grateful to Patti Dickens for undertaking this initiative. Our first introduction is for Joseph and Doris Carroll, nonagenarians who have been active members of this parish for well over fifty years.

The plans for the Sixtieth Anniversary Gala for SBS are well-underway. The various school parent committees have divided up the responsibilities and the work commences. You will be hearing much more about this as the summer unfolds.

I hope everyone has a blessed and enjoyable week,
Fr. Garry