Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

This week we begin the Summer Religious Education Academy. This has been an important development in the faith formation of the students in our parish. Most of the religious education students in our parish will complete the majority of their required hours of instruction during one of the next three, week-long sessions. The program includes several required family day events through the course of the year, so that we can maintain contact with these students and their families for purposes of enrichment and on-going formation. We all know that faith formation is not principally the responsibility of the parish but truly belongs to the parents with the parish offering necessary programs and opportunities to strengthen and augment family formation. We also all know that given the realities of family life, busy schedules, and non-comprehensive formation on the part of the families, that the church has assumed the onus of this formation. Practically, it makes the most sense. I am happy that this program of summer formation along with the days of on-going contact throughout the year has been well-received here, and that it seems to be bearing fruit.

Last week Monsignor Casas inspired and challenged us through his preaching on the conditions of his home diocese in the Philippines. The third largest Catholic country in the world (after Brazil and Mexico) we are all shocked and saddened by the level of anti-Christian violence incited by the Islamist rebels there. We must continue to pray for him and his diocese. If you would still like to make a contribution to the work of his diocese, please make contact with the main office or place your donation in a special envelope indicating the contribution. Checks are payable to our parish.

This coming week we celebrate our Patronal Feast— St. Benedict of Nursia – on July 11th. As we are permitted to transfer this feast as a Solemnity to the closest Sunday, we will observe this feast next Sunday instead of celebrating the Mass for the Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time. This will provide us the opportunity to focus more on St. Benedict and his contribution to the church. A Co-Patron of Europe, Benedict’s reform of the monasteries sparked a revival of the church throughout Europe in the sixth century. Today we pray for one like Benedict who will inspire the new evangelization not only of Europe but of the entire world. The Lord always sends us the right saints at the right times. We are confident that one walks among us in our time. In light of the above on Philippines, we are reminded as Tertullian (c. 197 AD) penned so long ago: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”

As you might remember our coordinator of religious education/youth and young adult minister Matt Santucci resigned in May and moved back home to Virginia. We decided to split the position into two part time positions with one focusing on youth and young adult and the other focusing on the religious education and family day programs as an assistant to Mrs. Dayton. I am thrilled to announce that effective Monday Mr. Ciro Saverino will serve as the youth minister here. I have known him for over a decade and am deeply impressed with his commitment to the faith formation of the youth. A graduate of CBA and the University of Scranton, Mr. Saverino teaches Spanish and Religious Studies at his alma mater. We will introduce him to the parish later this summer. I look forward to working with him. The other position is still unfilled, though we are reviewing some very promising resumes and we are close to filling the position. We are still open to other candidates, so if you are interested or know someone qualified, please let us know asap.

I hope everyone had a wonderful fourth – though this weekend could also be the fourth of July holiday – so enjoy this one, too!

Blessings –
Father Garry