Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

Our Lenten journey is off to a good start. Hopefully you will be able to take advantage of some of the opportunities offered this season.

Our eighth grade students are in the final preparations for receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. We had the interviews with the SBS candidates this past week and next Sunday we will conduct the interviews with the parish RE candidates.

Next Saturday evening Bishop O’Connell will celebrate the 5pm Mass. We are a stop on his Lenten visit to parishes in the diocese and we are happy to have him here with us.

Next Sunday is our Parish Lenten Confessions. We have about a dozen priests coming to hear Confessions between 2 and 4 pm. Please join us and invite anyone even from outside of the parish to join us that day. The Easter Duty -- requirement to receive the Sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion once between Ash Wednesday and Pentecost Sunday -- is still an important part of our obligations as Catholics.

Also, next weekend is the beginning of Daylight Savings Time. I, too, thought this anachronism was over, but it continues for another year. At least it is a reminder that Spring is just around the corner.

This coming Friday evening the Knights of Columbus are offering their annual Fish Fry. It is a good, inexpensive meal, and a good way to observe Lent and share in community celebration at the same time. Takeout is available. Likewise, join us again on Wednesday for Soup and Scripture following Stations of the Cross.

We are required to submit a report each year to the Diocese -- called a Spiritual Report -- that explains what happens in the parish. Please allow me to share some of those highlights. For the calendar year 2022 and as of December 31, there were 3508 registered households at St. Benedict’s parish. Last year we baptized 137 children (ages infant to 7) and 4 from ages 8 - 17. We Confirmed 135 persons. 119 children received First Penance/First Holy Communion. We had 28 marriages between Catholics and 1 of mixed faith; 13 of the marriages were Convalidations. Father AL and I anointed 152 persons in institutions and 17 persons at home. We celebrated 105 funerals, though more than half of them were for non-parishioners. There were 589 children enrolled in Religious Education programs; 2 are home schooled. We had 33 catechists and 55 aides for the program. SBS has 445 students enrolled.

Those are some pretty solid numbers and each of them reflects an
increase from the prior year.

We will publish a financial report shortly.

All-in-all we are a fairly busy parish. We are happy -- and fortunate -- to have a pastor and parochial vicar, along with 3 active deacons and 1 candidate for diaconate ordination.

Thank you for your support of our parish and allowing us to be of service to your spiritual needs.

Have a blessed week.
Fr. Garry