Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

What an amazing carnival weekend! The new venue on the campus worked out very well. While a few minor kinks emerged, they were easily adjusted and some further fine-tuning will make next year even better. We set all kinds of records this past weekend, and we couldn’t be happier. I would like to thank the hundreds of volunteers who worked on every level, and the thousands who came out and enjoyed the weekend. Of course, we also have to be grateful for the beautiful weather that we got for the carnival. Special kudos to the Committee: Tom Angelo, Jim Cavuto, Bob Cognat, Tony Fajardo, Nancy and Ritchie Francese, Fran and Desmond Sullivan, Meg Troiano and Lori Ulrich … their tireless efforts have made this carnival an integral part of the community life here at St. Benedict’s! THANK YOU ALL! There will be more on the carnival in subsequent bulletins, once we have all of the financials settled.

There are a few other topics to discuss, so let me move on.

Mrs. Melissa Dayton, our new Director of Faith Formation, will begin work on Monday. She has had some time to interface with Mrs. Contino, Mr. Santucci, Mrs. Cesario, and some of the volunteers, so she seems ready to take on this responsibility. She will need our prayers and support going forward, but I am confident that she has what it takes to take us to even yet another level of parish faith formation.

Our faith formation programs – school, religious education, adult faith formation, sacramental preparation, ministerial formation, etc. – continue “from womb to tomb.” A host of staff – professional and volunteer – are necessary to make all of this work. Evangelization and its partner, catechesis, is the task of all the baptized. Whether with our children, spouse, grandchildren, co-workers, or friends, we all are agents of evangelization and catechesis. In order to do this well, we need ourselves to be well-catechized and faith-filled. Yes, we are all on a journey, at times our faith is strong and at others it seems like it is under the microscope and nothing seems to be going well. Through steadfast prayer and formation, we are able to remain strong and to be that glimmering light of hope for others. This weekend we formally acknowledge our staff of catechists – the teachers in the school, and in the various formation programs in the parish. We are grateful for their service and commitment, but that does not mean that we are not equally grateful and in awe of the amazing work that each and every one of you does in evangelizing and catechizing the people in your lives. So while Catechetical Sunday acknowledges and honors the few who do this work in a formal way, each of you deserve a blessing and a deep sense of gratitude for your commitment to our shared Catholic faith.

Speaking of adult faith formation, our series on the Papacy begins this week. On Wednesday evening we have Msgr. Robert Wister from Seton Hall University as our speaker to introduce us to the series. We are blessed to have Monsignor with us as he is an internationally known expert on the papacy. His presentations are thorough and engaging. He is not just a scholar, he is an excellent teacher.

Msgr. Raymond Kupke, historian and archivist for the Diocese of Paterson, along with myself and Father JM, will continue the series over a five week period.

Please join us – if you cannot make all nights that is okay, as each era of history is itself fascinating and to learn about it is enriching. I am looking forward to the program as I have much to learn as well!

Prayers and blessings to everyone this week. May we all be blessed by the Lord!
Father Garry