We begin today, our great journey through Holy Week culminating with the Holy Triduum beginning on Holy Thursday. It is my firm wish and hope that you’ll be able to join us this week for some or all of the services and Masses that will be celebrated.

Holy Week quickly approaches as we celebrate what was traditionally the Passion Sunday, our readings shift the focus from the call to conversion to the mission of Christ in the world for the salvation of souls and the reparation of sins. Next Sunday is Palm Sunday and we begin then the journey into the Triduum.

Please join us this Sunday afternoon (3/15) for the Sacrament of Confession. Our Easter Duty as Catholics requires us to receive the Sacrament during the Lent or Easter Season and this open Confession time provides easy access to multiple priests. If you cannot make this one, St. Mary in Colts Neck will hold their Confessions at the same time and in the same format next Sunday (3/22). We also offer the Sacrament each week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings following the 9am Mass.

If it’s Sunday morning when you are reading this you are probably in a grumpy mood as you lost an hour of sleep last night. I know I am not a fan. Be careful this week as cardiovascular events, strokes, and various work place and car accidents spike the first week of DST.

I guess I missed the memo that 2026 is the Year of Snow, but here we are. I hope everyone did well through the storms this past week, and hopefully, it is all finished for the season. Unfortunately, the weather does some serious damage to the bank account. We had spent $65,000 in snow removal this winter before last weekend. That is certainly a hard hit to the budget.

This weekend we launch the Annual Catholic Appeal. The video message from Bishop O’Connell is compelling, and we are happy to welcome Carol DeMuria to speak to the parish about the appeal. Carol has been coordinating the parish side of the appeal for many years and is very attentive to the program and its impact on the diocese and on the parish level. I am happy to report that the silent phase of the appeal has brought us to over 10% of goal. Thank you for your support. An important aspect of the appeal is new donors. Regardless of the amount contributed, the kickback to the parish increases based on new donors. I ask all of you who have never donated before to make a donation to assist us in achieving this benchmark.

Our Lenten journey begins this week as we observe Ash Wednesday, Once again, we are offering many opportunities for you to share in the Liturgy of the Word and receive ashes. While there is no requirement to be marked with ashes, it is a noble statement of one’s intention to enter into Lent with a new purpose and a focus on conversion of mind and heart. Given the current world situation, it is good that we take this Lenten opportunity to sacrifice for the cause of world peace.

This weekend we observe Marriage Weekend, and we reflect on the importance of the Sacrament of Marriage in the development of society and the formation of families. The public sharing of vows before a priest or deacon, expressing one’s intention to remain faithful to the marital covenant freely and without reservation, builds up the community, and provides the grace necessary to fulfill those promises. It is not easy, but it is the call that the vast majority of people have in their lives. Lori McCahill, Director of Marriage Ministry, and her “plus-one” Mike, are addressing our ministry and some initiatives of that ministry at all of the Masses this weekend. Anyone who is civilly married should seek the convalidation of their marriage to make it a sacramental marriage. This is generally a very easy and simple process. Please make contact with Lori for more information.

Well that was a snowy weekend like we haven’t seen in a long time. Given my Lehigh Valley roots and college seminary days in Scranton, a good snow storm is always a relaxing and pleasant experience. I know not everyone feels that way.

As I write this letter it is looking like most of you will not be reading it as you will be home watching the snow piling up on your driveways. Nonetheless, there are some important things to address. As you know we are in Catholic Schools Week, and we are excited to celebrate the success of our school; to recognize the hard work and dedication of our faculty and staff, and to support and encourage our students. Certainly we are grateful to all of the families who entrust their children to our care for their formation and education. It is an awesome responsibility, and one that we take very seriously here. Thank you to all those who make this mission possible for our parish family.

The new year seems to be moving along rather quickly, and we are already looking forward to the beginning of the Lenten Season. Ash Wednesday is fairly early this year, coming in on February 18. It would seem that not much happens between now and then, though some of the events are worth noting.

I write this letter from the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican awaiting the audience with Pope Leo XIV. I arrived in Rome on January 2 and by the time you read this letter I will be back at the parish. I have been in Rome with Bishop O’Connell and some fifteen priests. It has been fairly cold and the rain has been very heavy at times, so there were a few things that we intended to do but did not due to the weather. Nonetheless, it has been a nice break and a good experience.

I hope everyone had a safe and blessed New Year. Please be assured of our prayers here for blessings in the year ahead. This past Christmas Season was a good and productive one for us here at St. Benedict, and hopefully the same is true for your families as well.

As much as we anticipate the coming of Christmas, in an instant it seems like it has passed. One of the beauties of our Catholic faith is that as a season, Christmas, what one calls Christmastide, continues for a few more weeks. As we have previously mentioned, the calendar of the old Latin Mass continued Christmas for forty days, as we do Easter, meaning it ends on February 2.

The shopping is done, the presents are wrapped, plans for dinner and the other celebrations are in place and all is ready for the festive season. At St. Benedict parish we are all grateful for the faith-filled enthusiasm that each member, each family brings to our community. Our shared commitment to handing-on the faith, celebrating the Sacraments, and our care for the disenfranchised, the marginalized, and the suffering members of our community is a great witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our Advent Season brought us some good opportunities to prepare ourselves for the coming Christmas celebrations. We are grateful for the dedication and hard work of our broader ministerial team

As Advent is a time of spiritual preparation for the coming Christmas Season, the Sacrament of Penance (or Confession or Reconciliation if you will) should be a part of our journey. This Sunday we are offering Confessions beginning at 3pm. With multiple priests in attendance, it is a good opportunity for the entire family to come together. There is no accompanying prayer service and the lines do move fairly quickly.

This weekend we are lighting the parish Christmas Tree and it is certainly beginning to look like Christmas. I want to acknowledge and thank the recently established Father’s Club, formed under Rich Romero (Director of Buildings and Grounds) who volunteer to assist with various projects around the property. This not only eases some of the burden on the maintenance staff, but also helps us to not have to always hire an outside contractor to do some of the jobs. They have been busy getting us ready for Christmas.

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving week with your loved ones, and now the quick rush to the Christmas Season is underway. This weekend we observe the First Sunday of Advent, and the inauguration of the new liturgical year. We are now in Year A of the Sunday readings and Year II of the weekday readings. Our Sunday Gospel readings this year are primarily from Matthew’s Gospel, which means we will hear some more long didactic segments and many of the familiar rhythms upon which the liturgy was built. Matthew’s Gospel has a comfortable home in the Liturgy, and its use of Judaic expressions and images connects us deeply to the practices of Jesus and the early church.

A most blessed Thanksgiving week to all! I hope all travel safely and enjoy time with family and friends during this wonderful holiday. I also remind you to pause and focus on the “why” for this holiday. More than turkey, parades, and football, is we are centered on “giving thanks” to almighty God for life, our freedoms, and the many blessings bestowed upon us, our country, our family, and those whom we love and serve. Mass will be celebrated on Thursday at 9:00 am.