Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

It has been an exciting week here at the parish as we opened the 2025-2026 school year. It is fun to watch the youngest members of the school make their way into school for the first time toting their backpacks and ready to take on the world! The older and returning students, always sad to see the end of summer, yet enjoying meeting up with their classmates and meeting the new students.

This weekend Pope Leo celebrates the canonization of our newest saints, Carlo Acutis (1991-2006) the first so-called Millennial Saint and Pier Georgio Frassati (1901-1925). The canonization of St. Carlo is of significance here as Bishop O’Connell has placed our Catholic Schools, and all of the youth of our diocese under his patronage. At the opening school Mass we blessed two icons of St. Carlo one that is venerated in the Hall of Saints, and one near the entrance of the school. May Saint Carlo bless and protect our school and all of the youth in the diocese.

The beginning of the school year has been dampened a bit by the events at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.We continue our prayers for the victims of that tragedy, while taking additional pro-active measures here. Holmdel Police Chief Frank Allocco called for a meeting with the administrations of our school and St. John Vianney HS this past week in order to renew our shared commitments to security, while taking on additional measures to provide for the safety of our students. As a result of their recommendation school Masses are now closed events, with no family members in attendance. This is unfortunate, but at least for the time being, and until we can implement other safety protocols, we have to err on the side of caution. Other safety measures, some of which will be apparent, and others which are more subtle, are in place.

Security for the parish on the weekends is also a matter of some concern. There are some procedures we need to tighten, but the church has too many access points to control as much as we would like. I will address some of this in more detail in the future.

Raffle tickets for the parish 50/50 have been sent, and are also on sale here on the weekends. This weekend Patti Dickens, Director of Stewardship, is available to talk about the brick sale initiative. We have already generated a good response for the project, and we will be kicking-off now in earnest.

Overall, things are going well here. Thank you to all who make good things happen in our parish and our school.

Blessings,
Fr. Garry