Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

The summer is coming to a quick close and we are ready to open school! The faculty will report for their orientation sessions onTuesday, September 2, and students will work their way back on September 3 and 4, with the full open and school Mass on September 5. All of the projects we planned for the summer are complete; we are still working on the approval and permits for the construction of the music room, hopefully we get that through the planning board in October, and we can move forward quickly thereafter.

The brick sale is launching this weekend. Patti Dickens will be in the Narthex this weekend to provide assistance or to answer any questions. This project will be undertaken next summer, so there is ample time to get on board with the project.

The Annual 50/50 tickets are also available, and will be sent to your homes in the coming week. The drawing will be on Sunday,September 28.

It is with much sadness and disappointment that we heard of the financial issues which have been uncovered at a local parish. For many of you, this is a reminder of a similar issue here uncovered twenty years ago, where a financial officer embezzled some $800,000 from our parish. That was a painful experience then for all involved, and it remains so now, twenty years later.

In light of this issue, allow me this opportunity to note that the protocols which the diocese put into place then remain in place today, even though we could have discontinued them by now. Each month the parish undergoes an outside audit to make surethat everything is clear and accountable. We hold ten finance council meetings each year, and we routinely rotate members ofthe council. Speaking of which, due to a recent resignation, we are now in need of a member with a finance background,especially in the investment world. Send me an email with a brief cv if you are interested. We have recently consolidated theaccounts for the various school associations to insure that all of the money contributed to the school is clearly accounted for andis spent appropriately. The parish also does not use a credit card; some payments are made via the debit card, but its use istightly controlled. I physically sign every check issued from the parish, which is attached to the invoice being paid.Mr. Cammarano co-signs every school check so that he is aware of school spending. All checks over $5,000 are signed bymyself and either Father Adam, Mr. Cammarano, or Robert Smith, parish trustee. Payroll is handled by Fran DeMuria and Lorrie McGee; Pat Tobino, HR Director, handles contracts and works closely with Fran in monitoring employee activity. As the 2024-2025 fiscal year has just ended, and the finalized statements are almost complete, we will be publishing the financial statement for the parish in the bulletin in the next few weeks.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to make contact with me or with Fran DeMuria.

It is difficult to think that this sort of thing would happen, but human nature is what it is. We extend our prayers for the parish,its pastor, and all who are involved.

I hope everyone traveling this week has an enjoyable and safe last week of summer!
Fr. Garry