Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

It’s hard to believe that October is moving along so quickly, but at least we have been enjoying some really nice late summer/early Fall weather. I saw some statistics lately that a plurality of Americans claim fall as their favorite season of the year. I am not, however, enamored by all things pumpkin spice!

October is also a busy month in terms of church activities. Our two adult formation programs: The Chosen and Walking with Purpose are both off to a good start. It is never too late to join us for either of those programs. Our Confirmandi have their retreat this Friday evening. We have decided to hold this early in the year so as to provide a strong kick-off to their time of preparation. Confirmation will be on March 23rd, celebrated by Msgr. Joseph Rosie, pastor of St. James in Red Bank and the Vicar for Monmouth County.

Ticket sales for the 60th School Gala have reached the point where we are accepting no more reservations! We are still accepting baskets for auction, and if you wish to place an ad in the journal, please make contact with Patti Dickens in the parish office.

This weekend Bishop O’Connell is dedicating the historic old church at St. Mary in New Monmouth as the Diocesan Shrine for Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist. This is a good time to remind parishioners that our own chapel is open 24 hours each day and that we are still in need of adorers for some of the hours in a week. Of course, anyone can stop in at any time. As we are preparing for the full scale diocesan programs around the Year of the Eucharist, spending some time in adoration provides an opportunity to focus and pray.

Next weekend we will observe World Mission Sunday. Pope Francis invites the entire Church to pray and give generously in support of the mission dioceses in Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and parts of Latin America and Eastern Europe. Our prayers and generosity will assist the Society for the Propagation of the Faith in support of priests and religious and lay catechetical and pastoral leaders who serve the world’s most vulnerable communities. Father P.J. Alindogan, pastor of St. Veronica in Howell, heads up the activities for the Society in our diocese.

Sixteen students from our school, representing the various grades from fifth through eighth, joined Bishop O’Connell at the Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine this past Wednesday for the Catholic School’s Mass. This was the first such gathering since October of 2019, so it was a great vibe to see all of the schools together again. This past Spring the bishop placed all of the schools in our diocese under the patronage of Blessed Carlo Acutis, who is the first millennial to be so honored. He is also the first among the blessed, and saints whose iconography is depicted wearing a polo shirt and blue jeans. Due to his
extraordinary devotion to the Blessed Sacrament -- he is best known for documenting Eucharistic miracles around the world and cataloging them onto a website. He died from leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15. There is a photo of Blessed Carlo in the school and we will be including his image in the Hall of Saints.

Have a most blessed week!
Fr. Garry