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We mark the passing of seasons and of years through various milestones. While it remains 2020 in the Year of Our Lord, this weekend the church begins a new liturgical year with the First Sunday of Advent. This means on a practical level that subtle changes occur within the Mass itself. Although it is subtle, the readings for the Masses shift to new cycles. We will be using the readings for Year 1 (of 2) for daily Masses. While the Gospel remains the same each year, the first reading changes. On Sundays and major feasts we move into Year B (of A-B-C) where the Gospel is generally from Saint Mark, though there are some includes of John’s Gospel as well. These annual shifts of the readings enable us to read through virtually the entire Bible in the course of three years. A good reminder and point of discussion when someone says to you that we are not a Bible-based church! Read more.

With Thanksgiving this week it is a good time to think of all the blessings which come into our lives each and every day. Even in the midst of a ten-month long global pandemic, political turmoil, and economic uncertainty, we are blessed beyond measure, and it is through our prayers of gratitude that we can begin to become aware of the great need before us as we pray for healing for all of us in spirit, mind, and body, as well as for healing and peace in our homes, our streets, throughout the nation and the world. For many of us this Thanksgiving will be different than in the past. Many are afraid to travel --- even across town – to be with family and friends. Whatever you do, or cannot do, do it with a spirit of gratitude and generosity. As Christians we are infused with hope, and hope is the constant and necessary remedy for fear. Read more.

With the number of Covid positive cases in our area increasing, it is good to know that the Governor has placed no further restrictions on gatherings, and that the church, under the direction of our bishop, is open and functioning. Thank you for observing all of the necessary protocols, even though it is not always easy to do so. We are also most grateful that the school is still able to be open, even with other schools closing around us. Prudence dictates that we remain careful and attentive, and indeed we are. Read more.

As it is Wednesday morning as I pen this missive the final results of the presidential election are as yet unsettled. I know this is leaving many people a bit on edge. Of course, by the time you read this we will have – hopefully – a settled election, and we can allow the pieces to fall in to place. Regardless of the outcome, with the two houses of Congress under control of different parties, the inertia will continue and the battle lines will continue to be a challenge. Let us continue our ardent prayers for peace. Read more.

Happy All Saints Day! Today we celebrate what we all – hopefully – aspire to be: saints among the saints in the halls of Heaven! Tomorrow we are reminded of what we also will be – poor souls in need of purgation and preparation in order to enter the halls of Heaven. Today we celebrate and tomorrow we pray fervently for the souls of the faithful departed. In keeping with our usual custom we will celebrate an evening Mass for the families of those who have been buried from our parish since last November 2nd, we will also be live-streaming that Mass Monday evening at 7:00 p.m. It is an opportunity to remember all of our beloved dead and to pray for them. Read more.

As we embark on the last week of October and the days grow ever shorter, we are increasingly aware that things aren’t getting better any time soon. Let us continue to be vigilant and prayerful during these most challenging of times. Remember to continue to pray the Rosary for our country as we lead-up to election day next week. Also, remember to vote and exercise your moral civic responsibility. Though perhaps voting via mail or drop-off is highly unusual, it certainly opens the window for all qualified citizens to cast their vote. Read more.

It feels like October is just flying by, at least to me. I am not sure why, other than the desire to get through the election season and to be rid of the vitriol on the internet, the news broadcasts, and the like, is the thing to look forward to. I just realize that no matter what happens, it is probably going to get worse and not better. Let us continue our ardent prayers for our country and the world, so that we might find some peace and healing. Read more.

As the Fall Season moves along and we hit Columbus Day Weekend, we continue to try and expand our offerings here while maintaining a need to respect social distancing and the demands of the cleaning of the public spaces. We will be making some important adjustments to the schedule and some announcements soon. Many events are just too far out to speak about with any real clarity. We are not ready to settle on a Christmas schedule, though we are talking about it. Read more.

It has been another hope-filled and promising week here at St. Benedict’s. Last week the recent graduates of our school received the Sacrament of Confirmation, and this week the members of the religious education program will be confirmed on Thursday in ceremonies at 2 and 4:00 p.m. We ask for your prayers for all of them as they embark on the journey of the life of faith. Sadly, many will abandon the faith into which they have just been Confirmed, so we need to be particularly ardent in our prayers for them and their families. Read more.

Thank you all so much for your overwhelming in support for the annual 50/50 raffle. We broke all records for the raffle this past weekend, with the parish netting some $31,000 from the raffle. Given all of the additional expenses related to the new protocols – especially with regards to cleaning – this boost in the arm will be very helpful. Yes, sadly we were unable to hold the annual carnival, but hopefully everything will be on track for some kind of celebration in the near future. Read more.

The season of Autumn is fast upon us – with the equinox occurring this coming Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. Unbelievable as it might seem the Summer has passed us by. Certainly the chill that has been in the air over these past nights is our reminder of the changing of the seasons. While throughout the Summer many of us began to feel safe and comfortable about going out and getting around, the same may not be true as the cold and flu season looms ahead of us. While some of the new protocols in life might seem strange, we all understand how necessary they are. Let us continue to exercise prudence to insure our health and safety and certainly for those whom we love. Read more.

It felt so good this week to see so many happy students filling the halls of St. Benedict School! After six months of inactivity the halls came alive again. Our teachers and staff have adapted well to this new mode of teaching, and it all seems to be off to a wonderful start. It is good to see. Read more.

Happy Labor Day! Here we are at the “official end of summer” while many of us are probably feeling that summer never really began. We are entering our seventh month of uncertainty given the pandemic and, although you can go into your favorite restaurant beginning this weekend, things really do remain uncertain for sure. Read more.

We can feel the buzz about as the teachers have been in the school setting up their classrooms and getting things ready for this somewhat surrealistic return of the students. They were all here for their first in-person faculty meeting since February! It’s great seeing movement about the building and to hear voices again in the hallways. At present enrollment for the school stands at 422. Third grade is the only in-person grade where we are actively taking students. Most of the classes are now full. Students will return in earnest on September 8th. Read more.

We know that we are living in challenging times. As August marches on to September and we gear-up for the opening of school, we know that there are many variables than can disrupt those plans. The political and social turmoil around us has all of us in a sense of dis-ease. I have addressed this before in some of these letters. Read more.

Certainly in the midst of the social and personal effects of the pandemic the fallout from Isaias seemed overwhelming. As you probably noticed with the disruption of our daily livestream of Mass the parish complex was out of power from Tuesday afternoon until Saturday afternoon. While through the fortunate situation of being on a different grid than the church and school complex Father JM and I never lost power. The disruption to the work of the parish, as we are just now gearing up after the lockdown, was very challenging. We are investigating the purchase of a generator to safeguard against such disruptions in the future. Read more.

Well it certainly has been an interesting summer hasn't it! As I write this the parish is without power and has been now for over 15 hours as the result of the tropical storm that came barreling through here on Tuesday afternoon. I know that many of you are in the same situation as we are here. As inconvenient as it is at least it does not appear that any of us have sustained any serious damage. It does seem, however, that Mother Nature is piling on as we are also still enduring the pandemic. I pray that we are all safe and doing well in the midst of all of this crisis. Read more.

Plans for the fall are coming along well. We are in constant conversation concerning the opening of school, the process for religious education for the parish children, adult faith-formation, and the normal functioning of parish life. We know it isn’t easy, but it all must be done. Read more.

Hard to believe it now but July comes to an end this Friday, it is time to think seriously about what the Fall will look like. I had expected that we would be at greater capacity in church now than we are. While last weekend saw an increase in people present, we are not yet reaching the 1/3 allowable capacity for Mass. Disappointing – yes; understandable – yes. However, it is good to see so many returning to the celebration of daily Mass. Likewise, our M-W-F confessions have also been going well. We will continue to phase in as the conditions and the diocese allows. Read more.

As we break through the mid-point of July I guess we have all come to the sad and troubling realization that life is not returning to normal any time soon. I hope that each of you are able to enjoy some downtime and relax from all of the stresses of the past five months. We need to continue our prayers for an end to the pandemic conditions and for a vaccine and a cure for the afflicted. Read more.