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This weekend we are kicking-off the Annual Catholic Appeal as I discussed here last weekend. I am speaking about it more extensively after Communion, and we will see the video at that time. Again, I ask that you prayerfully consider your gift, and want to thank you for your generosity in the past to this campaign. Read more.

Next weekend we will launch the Annual Catholic Appeal for the current year. First, I want to thank everyone who contributed last year to the campaign. Last year, with a goal of $90,000 we raised $102,255.25 therefore we should expect $6,128 in a rebate to the parish. While this is less than previous years, we are fortunate to be one of only 36 parishes to meet their goal. This year our goal will be increasing to $95,000. Read more.

This weekend we are celebrating the World Day of Marriage, when we draw a particular focus on the sanctity of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. Our marriage ministry here, under the direction of Lori McCahill – and ably assisted by her husband, Mike – has borne much fruit in its three year history. Not only is our Pre-Cana program still on the forefront of the programs in the diocese, our programs for strengthening and enriching existing marriages has been very positive and successful. This is a time to encourage those of you who for one reason or another are not in sacramentally valid marriages to open yourselves to the conversation and make contact with Lori as how we might make that happen. Some of you will need annulments, a process with which we can certainly assist you. Read more.

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict: We had a very successful Catholic School’s Week. It is good to see so many new families walking through our Open House, with the potential for extended and future growth for the school. Enrollment is, of course, always the biggest challenge. The financial sustainability of the school depends on three things: a) enrollment in excess of 440 students; b) benefactor and legacy gifts; c) fund-raising activities. I prioritized them this way intentionally. While bake sales, walk-a-thons, and various PTA activities are community building and fun, they are not sustainable or dependable streams of income. We cannot survive on cookies and Christmas wrap. Read more.

This week we are showcasing Saint Benedict’s Catholic School as we celebrate Catholic Schools Week. An integral ministry of our parish, the school has been a mainstay here since its founding in 1962. With a current enrollment of 397 students in grades PreK-4 to 8, our students and their families stand as an integral component of the entire life of the parish. Certainly all families of the parish, regardless of their constituent make-up, where they work, or where they attend school, are essential to our life as the Body of Christ and the People of God. Yet, in a unique way, the Catholic School is an aspect of the ministry of this parish and, sadly, a diminishing number of parishes in our diocese. Read more.

Read the March for Life Plenary Indulgence from Pope Francis.

Last weekend Deacon Rich introduced us to the initiative Novena For Life which is the initiative of the Knights of Columbus Councils in the northern Bay Shore area: Our Lady of Fatima (Keyport), Holy Family (Union Beach) and St. Clement (Matawan). We are happy to host two of the evenings of prayer here this week on Monday, January 20th and Tuesday, January 21st beginning at 7:30 p.m. Read more.

Finally it feels like we are back to normal. Typically I write these letters early in the week – the deadline for the printer is noon on Wednesday – but the early deadlines for the holidays meant that even last week’s letter was written before Christmas. Now, at least, I feel like we are current. Read more.

“Little Christmas” – the celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord, stands as a highlight of the Christmas Season. Unlike the rest of the world that begins decorating and celebrating Christmas long before, but then ends Christmas on December 25th, the Church begins Christmas then and concludes on the Feast of the Baptism (Sunday, January 12th). This means we get the time to celebrate this great mystery. In what is now called the Extra Ordinary Form of the Mass – the old Latin calendar which was revised fifty years ago – Christmas lasted until February 2nd, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Read more.

We made it through the Christmas Holy Day/Holiday and now the New Year’s celebrations commence; funny to think that 2020 looms upon us. Does it seem that long ago that we were caught up in the Y2K furor and all of the excitement related to the new millennium? Now we stand on the cusp of the third decade of the century (although, technically the new decade doesn’t start until 2021). Read more.

Allow me to extend sincere “thank you” for your remarkable generosity this Advent Season. The Narthex was overflowing with gifts to fulfill the commitments we made this year. It is sad that such a need still exists, but as long as it does, we will be there to make someone’s celebration of Christmas a joyous and grateful one. Read more.

As I wrote in the bulletin a few weeks ago, the nature of charitable giving has changed significantly over the past few years. As the end of the year is upon us, many of us seek avenues compatible with our philanthropic interests. Your continual dedication to St. Benedict’s Church and School shows that we are in your scope, but for understandably grave reasons, you might be hesitant to make an undedicated gift to the parish outside of your regular envelope contribution. To be blunt, many are concerned that money from ordinary parish income is being used by the diocese to pay for settlements from lawsuits. While this is not the case, the reticence of many to be as generous as usual or as they might want to be, is often clearly stated, and definitely very real. Read more.

Advent moves quickly. This Sunday we are wearing the rose colored vestments as a sign that the penitential period is almost at an end. We are called to “Rejoice” this day, for the Day of the Lord is near at hand. Read more.

What a blessed beginning to Advent! Let us keep the momentum going. The Daily Reflection is still available, if you didn’t get a start last week, it isn’t too late to pick up the book and spend some time each day reflecting on the meaning of the seasons of Advent and Christmas. Read more.

Happy Advent! The season of Advent draws our focus to repentance and renewal in our lives in anticipation of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. While on the one hand we are looking forward to Christmas – the annual celebration of the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity in the person of Jesus of Nazareth some two-thousand years ago – we are also looking at the preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus as the Judge of the World at the end of the age. The first image is rife with sentiment, the second sounds more ominous and fearful. Both images and both responses are honest and to be expected. Read more.

Happy Thanksgiving week! I hope and pray that each of you has the opportunity to spend time with people whom you love and to give due thanks to our Heavenly Father for the many blessings he has bestowed upon you, your families, and our country during this past year. Of course, for some of us these days are more difficult than they are easy. You may not even be feeling all that grateful given the circumstances and situations in your own lives or in the life of our country and our world. Yet gratitude, even in the midst of fear, sadness and even despair, can help to turn our hearts and minds around, even just a little. Read more.

Our parish is one noted for the generosity of the community. The many efforts and hard work of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society here is amazing. We are ever-grateful for the generosity of the time of our many volunteers, and certainly for the donations of food, household and personal items, and money that is donated to the food pantry each week. As the Advent season approaches we will again be offering opportunities to provide for those who are in need. More details will be rolling out in the next few weeks. The annual Raine Foundation Thanksgiving dinner will be on the Monday before Thanksgiving (Nov. 25). All of this serves as a lead-up to a huge note of thanks to the parishioners of St. Benedict’s who have contributed to the Annual Catholic Appeal this year. Finally, after a few weeks of just being under, we have passed the $100,000 mark this year! Many parishes have this year struggled to meet goal and we are grateful to be now $10,000 over goal. Read more.

As a follow-up to last week’s launch of “Called By Name” we wish to thank those of you who offered to call a Zacchaeus out of his tree, and certainly if you find or know of any more out there, please let us know. This is not an easy time to consider a religious vocation, and a religious vocation is itself never easy, but then nothing great is ever done by only taking an easy road. We are all on the journey to eternal life, and we need the assistance and support of a community of faith – a family of faith – to help us to get to Heaven. Read more.

As Zacchaeus is called out of his tree in the Gospel passage for this weekend, so each and every one of us is also in our own trees. We go there for many reasons. Sometimes we are there to hide from God. Sometimes we are there to hide from the crowd. Sometimes we are there to get a better perspective in life. Read more.

Our “Rediscover the Eucharist” event last Saturday was very successful. Thank you to the Faith Formation staff and their team of volunteers, as well as the presenters. We had a good turnout, though like anything else, you always hope for more. Read more.