Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

The election is over; the campaigning has ended, and now it istime for us all to pray for the new leadership in our country -- our new president, the new senator from our state -- and all those who have been elected to office. These are not easy times and there is much to address. Hopefully we as a nation transition power more smoothly now than we did in either of the past two presidential elections.

The temporal needs of our community are great and the food pantry and St. Vincent de Paul Society are in great demand. The Christmas Giving Trees will be in the Narthex before Thanksgiving, though it is already live on the website. Please be as generous as you can to assist the needs of others.

You may have noticed that Father Adam has been out for the past month. He is suffering badly from sciatica pain and isfinding little relief from the various procedures he has undergone so far. He is getting understandably frustrated with the lack of progress and constant pain. Please remember him in your prayers as he seeks other solutions to this condition.

I am grateful, as always, for the assistance of Msgr. Jack Carroll and Fr. Tony Carotenuto during this time, as well as Fathers Francis Cheruparampil, Jarlath Quinn, Ronald Cioffi, and Thomas Vala who have pitched in over the past few weeks and will going forward.

A special thank you and a blessing to all veterans of the military who are present with us this weekend and all those who are members of our parish. Thank you for your service.

This weekend we hear from members of the Bereavement Support Group. This is a vital ministry from our parish that serves a diverse group which acknowledges their shared grief and loss. We pray for all of them and for the success of their work. Thank you to Carol DeMuria for spearheading this ministry.

Next Tuesday, November 19th we will celebrate our annualMemorial Mass as we remember all those who were buried from St. Benedict’s Church over the past year. Everyone is invited to attend.

All is good,
Fr. Garry