My Dear Parish Family:

As all of you are aware I am blessed to be able to study preaching through the Aquinas Institute at St. Louis University in St. Louis, MO. In the program there are many wonderful and gifted preachers and among them is Fr. Dominic Ciriaco. Fr. Dominic is from Newark, N.J. originally but, is now a priest of the Society of St.
Sulpice. The Sulpicians’ main work is seminary formation. This society has been involved in seminary formation for many years and, in fact, were the first priests when our own St. Joseph’s Seminary (Dunwoodie) was founded. They taught and were the administrators at Dunwoodie for many years before the Archdiocese had enough diocesan priests to take over the seminary. Today St. Joseph’s Seminary is one of the best seminaries in the country and we thank, in part, the Society of St. Sulpice for giving us such a strong foundation.

Fr. Dominic belongs to this order and is presently on the faculty formation team at Theological College, Catho- lic University in Washington, D.C. Seminarians from all across the United States study at Catholic University in- cluding our own seminarian, David Birkdale. I asked Fr. Dominc to come to St. Benedict’s for a two-day mission/ retreat like program. Fr. Dominic is an expert on the Saints and will be preaching about the Saints carved around the main doors of our own beloved Cathedral, St. Patrick's in Manhattan (we will need to show him the im- ages carved into our own St. Benedict’s Church when he gets here.)

Fr. Dominic will have two sessions each day. He will celebrate a 12:00 Noon Mass followed by a talk on the Saints found around the doors of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. In the evening beginning at 7 PM will lead us in the Litany of the Saints followed by his talk and end with prayers to the Saints discussed in the Mission/Retreat.

I hope you will be able to attend one of the sessions for what I am sure will be an uplifting two spiritual days in Lent. Mark your calendars and tell your family and friends to be with us for “Praying with the Saints in Lent” a two-day retreat at St. Benedict’s Church on Wednesday, March 11th and Thursday, March 12th.

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

Fr. Stephen P. Norton