Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

This week we celebrate Catholic Schools Week. This annual celebration of the value and success of Catholic Schools certainly reminds many of us, myself included, of the wonderful (and perhaps not so wonderful) times we had in our various Catholic School experiences. Sadly both of the Catholic grammar schools I attended are now closed (St. Francis of Assisi, Allentown, PA and St. John the Baptist, Stiles, PA). But my HS alma mater, Allentown Central Catholic High School, is still doing very well.

In our diocese there are certainly fewer schools than there were twenty years ago, and some of those still open are right on the cusp of survival. Our area is rich with Catholic High Schools, all of which are successful. St. Rose High School in Belmar observes their 100th anniversary this year, which is a significant achievement. Red Bank Catholic High School, although it has a rich history reaching into the latter nineteenth century, was not formally established as we know it until 1927. Christian Brothers Academy opened in 1959 under the direction of the Brothers of the Christian Schools -- the de la Salle Brothers -- as it continues today to serve young men from throughout the area. With the growth of the suburbs here throughout the 1960’s Bishop Ahr announced plans to open a diocesan high school in Holmdel called St. John Vianney. Carved out of property from St. Benedict’s parish, the school opened in 1969 and continues to flourish today. Although not formally recognized as a Catholic School, Trinity Hall opened in 2012, addressing the desire to have an all-girls Catholic high school in Monmouth County. The school is located in Tinton Falls. Most of the graduates from our school attend one of these Catholic high schools, and others attend Catholic schools in the Diocese of Metuchen. I would encourage those of you with children in the public middle schools to consider one of the Catholic high schools for your children. They are all strong academically, and they offer a solid foundation of faith, service, and character formation and development.

Here at St. Benedict School with 454 current students, we are doing well. The number of people who registered for the Open House this weekend is very promising for the future. If you have any interest -- especially in the lower grades and preschool, please make contact with the school office as soon as possible. There are a few available spots left. With a strong and relatively stable faculty, we are able to maintain a strong curriculum, and in conjunction with St. John Vianney High School, offer high school courses to our most advanced eighth grade students.

February looms large as Wednesday is already the first of the month. We celebrate Candlemas, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, on Thursday, when we bless the candles used in the church during the coming year. This is also the midday of winter and observed locally as Groundhog Day. Next weekend we will offer the Blessing of Throats (St. Blaise’s feast is Friday) at all of the Masses. February also brings Marriage Sunday, and the launch of the 2023 Annual Catholic Appeal. Later, on February 22nd, Lent begins with Ash Wednesday.

Hopefully the mild winter weather continues, and we can move easily into the coming spring.

Have a blessed week,
Fr. Garry