St. Benedict School

Welcome, Mrs. Wilson!

Photos from St. Benedict Parish of Blue Island's post

Hello everyone, on this Fourth of July, I want to wish everyone back home a very safe and happy day in which we celebrate our freedom. As we take time today to remember the sacrifices of those who left families and homes to forge our Nations history, please keep our troops and their loved ones in prayer. God bless the United States of America! AMDG Your traveling Pastor, Fr. Ken

Photos from St. Benedict Parish of Blue Island's post

Greetings everyone from sunny Hawaii... I mean Iraq! It just sounded nicer saying that in my head. I hope that everyone is doing well back home as the summer months begin. It's starting to get a little toasty here now and they say it's only going to get worse. As I sit here in my room I can hear the wind blowing outside like a giant hair dryer that's pointed always at the face. It is really hot and in my room I'm waiting for the maintenance people to come and fix my AC. Yes, it broke! I look at the bright side though. Lots of people pay good money to sit in a sauna and I have one right here for free! Some of the pictures that I'm sharing today are from a small camp out west of here. You can see some of the comforts that we have in an old Iraq gun (I think it shoots avocados now!), some of the tents which are like the ones we stay in sometimes when we travel, a coalition truck that seems to have a custom made to fit cammo cover (I want one of those for my car!) and a picture with a small group of Marines that I had mass with one night. Just being able to spend time with the people where we go makes all the hot, cramped and dusty travel worth it. I even made a couple new friends out there, although I'm think they were just in search of some food. Many people form home have sent boxes and we truly appreciate them! I try to get a thank you note in the mail after I get them but it takes quite a bit of time to get back there. We've gone about two weeks without mail now and that's just one of the things we have to put up with. I remind myself that there are troops in some of our remote places who not only rarely get mail, but they rarely get real food, clean water (outside of the bottles) and a real roof over their heads. But in all of this, the morale is high and our troops love everything that's sent our way. Please keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers and as you're praying, say one for me and SSG Ouellette, my chaplain assistant who faithfully goes everywhere I go. Many blessings to you all and keep smiling! AMDG - Your traveling Pastor, Fr. Ken

Photos from St. Benedict Parish of Blue Island's post

Greetings everyone from Anbar Province! First I want to wish all the fathers out there a very happy Father's Day! I was able to get a flight out on a C130 Sunday to celebrate mass for the troops in a pretty remote corner of the Iraqi desert. We fly with our body armor on which just adds to the fun of the experience. It's about 130+ degrees inside the plane but the flight only lasts about 40 minutes (minus the long wait while they load the cargo on). Needless to say, by the time we arrive we are pretty much drenched and ready to get off the plane! It's nice to be able to come and visit though as the troops out here don't have the opportunity to attend Mass for sometimes over a month at a time. So for the little bit of inconvenience that we may have to put up with it makes it worth it to see the smiles and enjoy some good talks afterwards. The stars at night here in the desert are amazing after the sun sets but then the snakes, scorpions and camel spiders tend to come out, which is why I go in! We've been getting a number of boxes from many of you back there with snacks and stuff for the troops which is greatly appreciated! We travel a lot so when we come back and find boxes at our post office and distribute the stuff and bring some with us to these outposts we visit. So thank you to those supporting our troops here! The weather keeps getting hotter but we learn to live with it. Please continue to pray for our safety and be assured of my prayers too! God Bless! Your traveling Pastor, Fr. Ken

Fr. Connor Danstrom - How to be a good father to your sons

I meant to post this yesterday for Father's Day, but didn't get around to it. It's a talk I gave at a men's conference two years ago on fatherhood. Check it out if you have time. https://youtu.be/rBfWRmE1tPQ

Misa de 12 PM Dia de los Padres

10 o'clock Mass

Come watch our 10 o'clock mass and leave a like!

We will be LIVE today for Masses at 10:00am in English and 12:00pm in Spanish in case you can't make it to church today. Please share with family and friends!

St. Benedict School

Timeline Photos

So proud of our kindergarteners who graduated today. You'll do great in first grade!

Photos from St. Benedict Parish of Blue Island's post

Today at the 10:00am Mass the parish recognized Mrs. Sue Rys for her 17 years of dedicated service as principal of St. Benedict School. We thank her for all her hard work, and congratulate her on a well-deserved retirement! We will miss you Mrs. Rys!

Timeline Photos

Greetings everyone! I wanted to congratulate the 2017 graduating class of St. Benedict School! The 19 students who are coming to the end of their time here in St. Ben's have journeyed long and hard to get to this milestone in their lives. As they transition on to different high schools around the area, I want to wish them all the best in their future endeavors. They have been prepared well by our awesome teachers, staff and their families and I am confident that they are going to reach new heights and achieve great things. They will carry on the fine traditions of St. Benedict well into the future and represent our school and parish history well. May God bless them and their families and be with them as they begin this new and exciting time of their lives. Peace! Your traveling Pastor, Fr. Ken Ken Carlson, CH (MAJ) BDSC Chapel APO AE 09305