My Dear Parish Family:

Perhaps it is the intercession of our own Cardinal Cooke but, St. Benedict’s Parish has many great distinctions among the parishes of the Bronx and probably throughout the Archdiocese.

Cardinal Cooke, as we all know, grew up in St. Benedict’s Parish and graduated from St. Benedict’s School. He was a wonderful Cardinal for the Archdiocese of New York for many years before he died. He is now referred to as “Servant of God” which is the very first step when someone is being considered to be a Saint. We should be praying more often as a parish family to Cardinal Cooke for the welfare of our parish, as well as the families of our parish.

We should also ask Almighty God to raise him one day soon to be a Saint because he was certainly a holy and good priest and bishop. How- ever, St. Benedict’s Parish did not stop producing bishops for the Church after Cardinal Cooke. Bishop James McCarthy, who served as a priest during the mid- to-late 1980’s and Bishop Robert Brucato was our Pastor during the 1990’s.

Once again, St. Benedict’s Parish has given the Church a bishop with the Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Edmund Whalen. Bishop Whalen is now in charge of all priest assignments, as well as many other responsibilities. 

However, Bishop Whalen has agreed to come to visit us here at St. Benedict’s Parish. I asked him to celebrate the 4PM Mass on Saturday, March 7, 2020 and he has agreed. After the Mass, we will have a wine and cheese reception for Bishop Whalen so that all the members of the parish may greet him and promise him our prayers. Please mark your calendars and kindly come to congratulate Bishop Whalen. Let us come together as a parish family to celebrate, once again, the gift of one of “our own” former priest and Pastor becoming a Bishop.

Thank you, Almighty God, for choosing Bishop Whalen and give him every grace to be a faithful bishop of the Church.

Until next week, St. Benedict and Cardinal Cooke pray for us!

Fr. Stephen P. Norton