Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

A most blessed Divine Mercy Sunday to one and all!
This more recent observance, introduced to the Church for the Sunday within the Octave of Easter by Pope St. John Paul II, calls us to appreciate and celebrate more specifically the hope and promise of God’s mercy in our lives. Specifically through the lens of the visions and diary of St. Faustina Kowalska, Divine Mercy focuses on the fulfillment made to St. Margaret Mary Aloqoque in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Today we will assemble at 3pm in church to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. This will be followed by a reflection on mercy delivered by Matthew Butler who teaches theology at Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft. Mass will be celebrated as usual at 5pm. The opportunity for Confession will be available throughout the 3-4:45 pm time frame.

I wish to reiterate my deepest appreciation for the hardwork and commitment of our parish ministers: deacons, music, office staff, buildings and grounds team, for the attentiveness and beauty of the celebrations throughout the Triduum. Likewise, thank you to all for your generosity to Father AL and myself during this time. We very much appreciate your thoughtfulness to us.

Certainly it feels like Spring -- perhaps even a taste of Summer - - has finally arrived. Like many of you, Father AL and I are afflicted with a bad case of the seasonal allergies. This does hamper our ability to both speak and to chant appropriately. Sorry about that, Allergies are just a small price to pay for the beauty of the season.

Once Easter has arrived, things seem to move forward quite quickly. We are celebrating First Holy Communions beginning this weekend, and continuing throughout the month of May, We will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation for adults of our parish at the Pentecost Vigil, May 27 (8 pm). Weddings begin in earnest and the baptisms are celebrated each weekend. Spring makes it feel like everything is coming alive!

You may have noticed that the electronic sign on the corner of Hillcrest and Bethany is now dark. Maintaining this sign is no longer tenable and we are looking for viable options to replace it. The cost of an exact replacement is just over $20,000 which is not immediately in our budget.

Likewise, the school shooting in Tennessee a few weeks ago challenged us again on the security of our own school. We are fortunate to have a full-time guard in the school, but we recognize that we need to replace the front doors of the school with more substantial materials. We have already priced that out, and will be using some security funding, plus a campaign in the school to secure the necessary funds to replace those doors asap. Overall, things here seem to be going well. School opens Monday after the students and faculty had a much needed and deserved eleven day break. It will be good to have them back in the building -- it is too quiet around here without them!
 

There is still room in the Summer Campout which is being sponsored by the school. Please check the bulletin and the school website for more information.

May everyone have a most blessed week,
Father Garry