Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

A most blessed Gaudete Sunday! So called as it is the opening word, the Introit, for the Mass for today. We are called to Rejoice knowing that the time of salvation is at hand; our period of waiting and penance is almost at an end. For this reason it is common to wear rose colored (not pink) vestments for the day.

As Christmas falls on a Sunday this year this is the earliest date on the calendar when we celebrate Gaudete Sunday. Thank you for your generous response to the annual giving tree
programs, and for all that you do for the parish, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and the RAINE Foundation during this time of the year. It is especially important that we are mindful of the poor, neglected, and lost at every moment of the year, but especially during these difficult times and this holiday season.

Next weekend we will hold our yearly Advent Penance Service. Students in the religious education program will be receiving First Penance that day, and all members of the parish community are invited to come sometime between 2 and 4 pm for Confession. It is not necessary to be here at 2. We have over a dozen priests scheduled to be here, so Confessions can move smoothly.

This weekend we are having our Adopt-a-Seminarian collection. We presently have twelve seminarians, one of whom is a transitional deacon. As three of them are in their third year of theological studies, we anticipate 1 priesthood and 3 diaconate ordinations this year. Not only do we need to continue to prayerfully and financially support our seminarians, we also need to pray that more men will respond to the call of God in their lives to serve as priests for our church. There are several men presently in the discernment program, so we anticipate at least three additional men entering seminary in the coming year. Yet, with the number of priests slated to retire within the next five years, we will have roughly fifty pastors to serve ninety-eight parishes.

It is very much ‘beginning to look like Christmas” here at the parish. A special “thank you” to the Knights of Columbus for their work in decorating the church, along with our buildings and grounds crew and the parish office staff. Seasonal flowers are coming in gradually, but as this is the weekend to “rejoice” we are especially festive. Yet, it seems there is much to do to get ready. I know I haven’t started shopping yet!

May this week bring us all a sense of joy, and may the stresses of the season not overwhelm us
Fr. Garry