Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

This is Divine Mercy Sunday, a time when we are particularly reminded anew of the reason for the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. As we reflect today on the forgiveness of our individual sins through the work of the church, at the very instruction of Jesus on the day of his resurrection, we are invited to participate more fully in the life of faith. Please join us for the Divine Mercy prayers and devotions beginning at 3:00 pm on Sunday afternoon.

Also, please make note of our newest devotion, the Stations of the Resurrection, which we are beginning this week -- Wednesday, April 10 -- at 5:30 pm. We will have this devotion, followed by pasta and Scripture, every Wednesday of the Easter Season. Unlike Soup and Scripture, which is a pot-luck soup offering, we will provide the pasta and salad for the evening.

This week -- Tuesday, April 9 -- we welcome our Bishop, David M. O’Connell, C.M. -- for the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation for the eighth grade students in our school and religious education programs. A huge thank you is due to Mrs. Lori McCahill and Mr. Ciro Saverino and their respective teams of teachers and volunteers, who have assisted these young men and women in their preparation for the Sacrament. As a parish community we offer our prayers for them and for their families.

Of course, this means that many other spring events are quickly coming upon us. First Holy Communion services begin this weekend and continue through May 12th .

We also extend our deepest congratulations and prayers to Brandon Ritter who received the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil as well as Skylar Golden, Christine Mahon, and Jacqueline Orlando who were Confirmed at the same time. We welcome them into full communion with the church.

Thank you to all for the gifts and cards over the Easter Season. Father Adam, the deacons, parish and school staff, and I deeply appreciate your thoughtfulness and generosity. Enjoy -- hopefully -- some more spring-like weather this week. Good luck with those final four brackets for the Men’s and Women’s NCAA tournaments this week.

May the Risen Lord continue to pour out his love and mercy upon us always!
Father Garry