Profile: Deacon Bill Benedetto

Deacon William “Bill” Benedetto, former Director of Religious Education at Queen of Peace, is a lifelong resident of North Arlington residing in the same home that his grandfather built here in 1925. Throughout his tenure with Queen of Peace, he has worked as a dedicated teacher of CCD (Religious Education Classes) and as a deacon. After attending Queen of Peace Grammar School, he went on to graduate from North Arlington High School where he met his wife, beloved Queen of Peace Grammar School teacher, Mrs. Lorraine Benedetto. His personal history gives hope to those wavering in their faith. As a matter of fact, his faith is what helped him cope with the passing of his daughter Annemarie, and what inspired his son Reverend William Benedetto to pursue his own vocation as a priest.


Deacon Bill felt the call to the priesthood early on in his childhood, writing about his desire to be ordained in grammar school. Later in his life, he experienced a time where he felt alienated from the church and from his beliefs. Returning home after a four-year stint in the Navy, his lack of spiritual fulfillment weighed heavily on his mind. Despite loving relationships with his family and friends, there was still something missing. A certain kind of love, he felt, was simply absent from his life. One afternoon, as he raked the leaves in his yard, he heard the song “I Want to Know What Love Is” playing in the background, and soon after heard a voice say “I love you.” That was the moment his destiny changed, and his faith rushed back to him. He realized that the love he needed was from God. After this experience, he went on to become a CCD teacher at Queen of Peace, a decision which would lead him down a path of service to God and his Church.


“I felt that when I was teaching, I was being called to do something different.”


It wasn’t until he had been working at QP for some time that he answered God’s call to a deeper vocation and decided to pursue a role in the Catholic Church. An inquiry into becoming a deacon would lead to a revelation by his wife that she had known he was destined to become one for  several years. Upon being asked how he would inspire the hearts of those wavering in their faith, he answered with an emphasis on the importance of reading the bible. “It’s a pathway in life,” says Benedetto. “It’s God’s love letter.”


Deacon Benedetto explains that one can’t understand the New Testament of the bible without a grasp of the Old. His message to the parish at Queen of Peace comes from the Ordination Rite to the Diaconate: “Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach. His personal philosophy that he lives by comes from Micah 6:8 which reads “Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.”


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