Feed HIs Flock - Bishop Kmiec

FEED HIS FLOCK

Please help us help the hungry. In the spirit of Bishop Kmiec’s motto of charity and service, we invite you to collect non-perishable canned goods for donation to Saint Francis of Assisi Food Pantry.

Simply bring your canned goods to Saint Benedict Church or School.

Feed His Flock is a Diocesan initiative of the Division of Catholic Education to collect Non-Perishable Canned Goods from now until October 21, 2011 to honor our Bishop, The Most Reverend Edward U. Kmiec, D.D., S.T.L., on the occasion of his Jubilee Celebration for his many years of service to the Church.

The Division of Catholic Education will present Bishop Kmiec with a certificate showing the total number of items collected throughout the Diocese to commemorate this charitable effort undertaken in his honor.

Our thanks to Bishop Kmiec for his decades of service to Christ and His Church.

And thank you for your generosity to the needy..

Music Notes - 11 September

MUSIC NOTES FOR SEPT. 11

       The author of our Sirach reading this weekend had a keen understanding of the human heart. Something in us loves to feel sorry for ourselves, to nurse a grudge, to nurture revenge.  The anniversary of 9/11 looms large, but it ought not to obscure our memory of equally horrific events. In 1995, our own Timothy McVeigh, veteran of the first Gulf War and disgruntled by the events at Waco, bombed the federal building in Oklahoma City and was executed on June 11, 2001. Before and since, the genocides at Srebernica and in Rwanda, sectarian massacres in Sudan and India, repeated incidents of terrorism, and the helplessness of the international community to address them. Closer to home, aggressive driving fuels road rage, or a perceived “diss” is an excuse to get even. How to break the vicious circle of hurt?  Sirach, our psalmist and St. Paul suggest that we let go of our own hurt and turn outward toward others, and further, that we strive for a God’s-eye view of the situation.

       In writing his Rule, St. Benedict “sketched out a blueprint for world peace.” Joan Chittister describes Benedictine peace as “the presence of a lifestyle that makes war unacceptable and violence unnecessary. . . . The armies of the world simply demonstrate the war that is going on in our own souls, the restlessness of the enemy within us. . . .” Benedict’s plan is well-expressed in the prayer of St. Francis, “Make Me A Channel of Your Peace,” and in the song “Let There Be Peace on Earth.” The mission is carried further in Michael Joncas’ setting of John 15, “No Greater Love,” with its exhortation to “lay down your life for a friend.” “Be Still, My Soul,” set to Sibelius’ Finlandia theme, is a powerful affirmation that God is still in charge. Our meditation mantra is Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s affirmation, “Goodness is stronger than evil, love is stronger than hate; light is stronger than darkness, life is stronger than death.”

       Music at 10:00 begins with an invitation to let Jesus come in for a visit, “Somebody’s Knockin’ At Your Door.” The communion song is based on the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread,” continuing, “to go from here and share this love you gave to me.” Mass concludes with “Blessed Be Your Name,” an assurance that God is with us both in adundance and want, in sunshine and in suffering.

-Glenn Hufnagel

Statues of St. Benedict's

St. Benedict - transept
explanation below

We are blessed with many beautiful works of art in our parish. Our windows are truly spectacular, as is the Gothic architecture of our church building.  However, for Catholics, it goes without saying that all art pales in comparison with the glory of God and the glory of His people.  We Catholics surround ourselves with sacred images to remind us of our family. We never worship images; we worship only God. But we never worship alone.

Here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says about sacred art : 

2502 Sacred art is true and beautiful when its form corresponds to its particular vocation: evoking and glorifying, in faith and adoration, the transcendent mystery of God - the surpassing invisible beauty of truth and love visible in Christ, who "reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature," in whom "the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily."(Heb 1:3; Col 2:9). This spiritual beauty of God is reflected in the most holy Virgin Mother of God, the angels, and saints. Genuine sacred art draws man to adoration, to prayer, and to the love of God, Creator and Savior, the Holy One and Sanctifier.

Our statues of Jesus are the most important of course. Here is the crucifix over our altar. Jesus is the center of our Church and the center of our parish.



Crucifix in natural light

On the right side of the main altar, we have a side altar dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  As you know, the Sacred Heart of Jesus is also shown in the western transept window as well. It is a presentation of Jesus, accenting his humanity, that comes from the visions of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. 

Perhaps the one statue of Jesus that needs explanation is the small Infant of Prague statue in the transept.

Here the Child Jesus is shown crowned and holding a globe surmounted by a Cross. This signifies Christ's Kingship over all. His right hand is shown in the traditional symbolic gesture used on icons and art work of Christ. The two fingers symbolize the hypostatic union (Jesus is BOTH God and man). The three fingers symbolize the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).

Mary, whose titles include the "Blessed Virgin" and "Theotokos" (Mother of God), is well represented at St. Benedict's.  Here are some photos of our statutes of Mary...

Mary statue with Butterfly plant - Main Street

snake at base of Marian statue - detail
see Genesis 3:15 - the protoevangelion
and Revelation 12 - "the moon under her feet"

face of Mary - side altar statue, detail

Mary with Christ Child - rectory garden

We have a wonderful statue of St. Joseph in our transept.  St. Joseph is the Patron saint of the whole Church and of the Diocese of Buffalo.  That is why Joseph gets a special place opposite our parish patron, Benedict.

St. Joseph - transept



St. Joseph and the Child Jesus - detail



Our patron, Saint Benedict, is also one of the patrons of Europe and of monks.Our transept statue was the first one in this article. He is shown as an abbot carrying a crozier and the Rule of his Benedictine Order (the book he carries).  Benedict is often shown with a dove as well.  He saw the soul of his sister, St. Scholastica (we have a window of her in the sacristy), rise to heaven like a dove.

Here is our outside statue of St. Benedict on the Eggert Road side of the church.

St. Benedict - outside, Eggert Road

St. Francis of Assisi, Il Poverello (the little poor one) also has statues inside and outside of our church. Here is our inside statue of Deacon Francis:

St. Francis - inside

skull from base of St. Francis statue - Sister Death
  

St. Francis, school garden
in remembrance of the Franciscan Sisters who taught in our school


St. Anthony of Padua has a statue in our transept. Here he is shown with the Child Jesus. He is often invoked to help find lost objects.

St. Anthony of Padua - transept statue

The two patron saints of missionaries are represented in St. Benedict's. There is a transept window of the great Jesuit, St. Francis Xavier (who did mission work in Asia).

There is a statue of the great Carmelite, St. Therese of Lisieux (who wanted to be a missionary but could not).  St. Therese is sometimes called the "Little Flower."  Known for her great humility, her statue is an obvious place to end this presentation.

St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower - transept