The celebration of Pentecost concludes the Eastertide (50 days) this year which began on Easter Sunday. At the end of the 5pm (Sunday) Mass, we removed the Paschal Candle from the altar as a symbolic end of the Easter Season.

I thank everyone for your participation in liturgies and personal prayers, especially during the Eastertide. Special thanks to the Liturgy Committee, the Art and Environment Ministry and those who participated in the Novena to the Holy Spirit over the past nine days. May we be strengthened with the gifts of the Holy Spirit on this day, and may God continue to bless our parish community with peace, love and unity as we conclude the Eastertide and move into Ordinary Time.

On behalf of our parish community, I wish all mothers, grandmothers, stepmothers and Godmothers a Happy Mother’s Day and God’s blessings! On this day, we thank our mothers, by birth or adoption, who have nurtured and supported us through life. The challenges confronting mothers in our generation are unprecedented. Mothers today are faced with raising their children in a culture that often does not honor the sanctity of family or faith. Nevertheless, the vocation of motherhood is one of the most joyful and fulfilling roles in life. By carrying human life in their wombs, giving birth and nurturing life, mothers share in the creative power of God, the author of life. A mother’s love is about the best image and reflection of God’s love and care for us. Today especially, we entrust all mothers and future mothers to the love and care of Mary, our Blessed Mother, that she will intercede for them before the throne of God.

On behalf of the parish and St. John Bosco communities, I would like to congratulate Jamie Bescak for being selected as the new Principal of our St. John Bosco school. Ms. Bescak is well known to everyone in our school community and also well involved in our St. Benedict parish community. She previously wore many hats as our Preschool Director, Coordinator of Marketing and Promotion, Facility Manager and classroom teacher. Ms. Bescak has been a very passionate, positive and visible face of our school for the past six years. Her first day as Principal is July 1, 2021.

Congratulations to the 46 children, teens, and one adult from our St. Benedict community who received the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Communion on Saturday, April 24. This was such an exciting and important part of their faith journeys. It seemed fitting that these sacraments were being celebrated on the weekend of Good Shepherd Sunday since we are all part of God’s flock. As fully initiated members of the Church, these young people will now be strengthened by the Holy Spirit and can continue sharing the Good News and living as faithful disciples of Christ. Thank you to all of the catechists, parents, teachers and sponsors who gave their support and time to help prepare all of the candidates.

We thank God that the rate of new cases of COVID-19 is declining consistently with more people vaccinated. After a careful evaluation of our current Covid-19 related safety protocols, and paying attention to the Diocesan and CDC guidelines, we have modified our parish protocols to reflect the current situation. I am happy to share with you some things you may now notice that have been changed:

With the Lenten season and Easter Sunday behind us I am excited to continue giving you some updates on what is going on in the parish, especially regarding our Church redesign plan.

The first exciting news is regarding our 35% share of the Diocesan campaign, Together Let Us Go Forth~Juntos Sigamos Adelante. I am glad to inform you that, so far, the Diocese has given us three disbursements from our share of the campaign for a total amount of $76,000. Earlier during the campaign in 2019, we had identified five areas in our parish and school where the money would be best used as a “restricted donation.” These areas are: the main crucifix in the new Church, the pews in the new Church, the remodeling of the St. Vincent De Paul on-site pantry, tuition assistance for SJB students, and the upgrading of the telephone and security systems at SJB. Each item receives 20% ($15,200 each) of the total funds sent to us. I look forward to giving you an update on this when we receive the next disbursement from the Diocese. Thank you for your continuous support of the campaign.

The Lord is Risen, Alleluia! I wish you and your loved ones a Happy Easter and God's blessings. Thank you for your commitment to the Lenten practices and for your participation in the Triduum and Easter Liturgies. My special thanks to the Liturgy Committee, Art & Environment Ministers, Parish Staff, Sacristans, Lectors, Extra-Ordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, Hospitality Ministers, the Choir, Altar Servers, Deacons and Fr Wilfred and everyone who helped in different ways to make the Liturgies very beautiful.

Welcome to the Holy Week which began on Palm Sunday. We all missed the Holy Week last year as a result of the Pandemic. I know most of us are excited to hear that our Governor has relaxed a number of the COVID-19 restrictions. However, given the usual high number of Mass attendance at this time, I appeal for your patience and suggest we continue to wear facemasks and keep physical distance through the Holy Week until we determine how to implement the changes safely in our parish community. I am looking forward to welcoming everyone back to Mass soon.

I thank everyone for your prayers, support and understanding during the announcement of our new Church building plan last weekend. Moving from the original building plan to the current one is a major decision born out of prayers, reflection and a careful evaluation of our current situation as a parish community. You noticed that I was not able to present the plan with enthusiasm because I know we all needed time to mourn the loss of the initial plan and to move in the new direction.

As you might have noticed, we suspended giving updates and announcements regarding the progress of our "Living Our Faith, Building Our Home" Church Building Campaign for over a year as a result of the pandemic. This was to be sensitive to the plight of many of our parish families who were directly affected by the pandemic. Within this time period, we were continuing to evaluate the progress of the Campaign redemption, while the Building Committee kept working hard behind the scenes to monitor the rising cost of building materials.