My Dear Parish Family:

Obviously, I have returned and have been “catching up” with all the business of our parish this week. I had a great vacation!

It was relaxing and filled with family and friends.
While I was away, Fr. Dan has been hard at work helping our parish community in countless ways, but particularly in the ways of online activities. Fr. Dan is so good at computers and has already created a new active website for our parish. He has schedules and forms that you, the parishioners, can download to better help you and the parish office staff serve the community. Fr. Dan produced a beautiful webpage and it is connected to our facebook page as well as other sites. Please take a moment to look at our webpage, and thank you Fr. Dan very much for all your hard work.

A very special thank you is extended to Bailey Provetto for the many years she was in charge of our website. Bailey got us started and worked tirelessly in maintain- ing our website. Her help to our parish and me specifically has been invaluable. Bailey was a great resource and support to Fr. Dan as he worked on our present webpage.
God bless you, Bailey!

Shortly before I left for vacation, and certainly since I have been away, more serious and bad news about the Catholic Church have been uncovered and it is a great sadness to me as I am sure to all of you. It has been revealed that Cardinal McCarrick has been accused of sexual mis- conduct. Now former Cardinal McCarrick has been placed on prayer and penance by Pope Francis while an investiga- tion is being conducted. There is so much to be ashamed of in this latest scandal of the Church, but especially that yet again, members of the clergy are seen as not trustworthy with the great gift of being priests called to serve God’s people, not to abuse God’s people.

As a priest, these allegations and scandals always cause me great sadness, but it also prompts me to ask, again, for your prayers for all priests and bishops. We, members of the Catholic Clergy, have been given an unbelievable gift in be- coming priests of Jesus Christ and we need your prayers every day! Please do not misunderstand, any priest, bishop, Cardinal or even the Pope himself if ever accused should be subject to punishment! However, that does not mean that we should stop praying for all the members of the clergy. Yes, especially members of the clergy like now former Cardinal McCarrick.
Jesus Christ is always ready to extend HIS mercy even to the greatest of sinners which does not mean that the per- son should not be punished according to the crime commit- ted. However, we should all want every person, no matter how horrible the crime they commit, to go to Heaven. We need to pray for the redemption of all, especially clergy, who abuse their position in this world and ask God to forgive all us poor sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
I want to assure each of you that I never forget my re- sponsibilities as your Pastor and priest especially when it comes to your children. I love them dearly, but am always conscious of the incredible gift of being a priest and the re- sponsibility of pastorally as well as properly loving all the members of the Parish, especially the children.
I am not perfect! I know this truth about myself and you certainly all know it as I begin my ninth year at St. Benedict’s. Therefore, I beg you to pray for me, Fr. Dan, and all the members of the Catholic Clergy, that we will keep our hearts focused on being men of prayer and men dedicated to humble service for the salvation of souls.
Until next week, St. Benedict and Cardinal Cooke, Servant of God, pray for us!
Fr. Stephen P. Norton