Happy Feast Day!

07-12-2021Weekly Flocknote MessageFr. James Aboyi, V.C.

I wish you all a Happy Feast Day as we celebrate the feast of our patron saint, Benedict, on Sunday, July 11. We are blessed to have our parish named after St. Benedict, one of the greatest saints in the history of the Church. The personal life, holiness and vision of St. Benedict has had a great impact on the world order as it is today. His Monastic Rule became the norm for monastic living throughout Europe and a guide for the evangelization and civilization of many European countries in the Middle Ages.

It is believed that the Divine Office we pray today, and much of the western education system, emerged from the Benedictine Monastery. In 1964, Pope Paul VI proclaimed St. Benedict as the patron saint of all Europe and he is commonly referred to as the “Founder of Western Civilization.” St. Benedict is also known as the patron saint for prayers against evil spirits. Many miracles have been attributed to his intercession by those who wear the St. Benedict medal. We will bless and give out St Benedict’s Medals after all Masses this weekend. St. Benedict is often depicted in pictures holding a book, a raven, or a crosier. Given that the feast falls on Sunday this year, plus our current circumstance, we will not hold a special feast day celebration this year.

Welcome to Fr. Manasseh Iorchir, VC

We welcome Fr. Manasseh to our St. Benedict community. He belongs to the Via Christi Society with Fr. Wilfred and I. Fr. Manasseh arrived from Nigeria yesterday and has been assigned to our parish, on a temporary basis, to cover for Fr. Wilfred for two months. He concelebrated at all Masses this past weekend so I could introduce him to the community.

Let us show Fr. Manasseh our St. Benedict welcoming spirit! As I announced last weekend, Bishop Olmsted has assigned Fr. Wilfred on a temporary assignment to St. Mary Parish in Kingman, AZ. This is a two-month, temporary assignment beginning this weekend and ending in mid-September. He will be going there to cover for the Pastor of the parish who will be out of the country for that time period

Have a wonderful weekend and remain blessed.
Fr. James Aboyi, VC Pastor