Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Transfiguration, one of the few events on the calendar of the church that is so important that it supersedes a Sunday celebration. Tradition holds that the Transfiguration happened forty days before the crucifixion of Jesus, so that the two paramount and defining moments in the life of Jesus point back and forward to each other. This is the second time this year that we will have heard this account, as the Transfiguration Gospel is always proclaimed on the Second Sunday of Lent.

August is here and that means the summer is speeding by quickly. Next week we will observe the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother; a holy day of obligation. Mass will be celebrated at 7pm on Monday the 14th, and at 9am and 5pm on Tuesday the 15th. We will also have our annual summer Mass of Anointing of the Sick on Friday the 18th at 1pm. Anyone who is seriously ill, undergoing medical treatment or therapy, or who is preparing for surgery or treatment, and those who are in a steady decline from infirmity or advancing age, are welcome and encouraged to come for the Mass.

Next weekend at all of the Masses we will send off all of the members of our parish who are leaving for college or military service, this fall. Whether a first year student, or a graduate student, we want to extend our blessings and best wishes to the members of our parish who are leaving us temporarily and embarking on this adventure of their lives. Please make sure your college-aged family members are here next weekend for this blessing.

I am happy to report that we have filled-in the few missing pieces and that we are now at a full complement of faculty for the school. We have limited spaces available for students, so if you know of anyone, please have them call the school office.

We are busy getting the school ready for the upcoming year, but we don’t want to rush the end of summer, either, so I hope everyone has a chance to relax and enjoy the “dog days of August.”

Fr. Garry