Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., announced Oct. 1, 2026, the pending retirement of Rayanne Bennett, Executive Director of Communications and Media and Associate Publisher of The Monitor. His announcement follows:
Today, I accepted a letter from Rayanne Bennett announcing her intention to retire from her positions with the Diocese of Trenton on Dec. 31, 2026.
Rayanne’s retirement will mark the completion of more than 36 years of service to the Church through Catholic Communications. She served 15 years in the Diocese of Metuchen, where she first worked as a staff writer for the Metuchen edition of The Monitor and later was the founding editor of The Catholic Spirit. In 2005, she left Metuchen and joined the Diocese of Trenton, working in public relations and soon after, taking the helm of our Communications ministry.
As Executive Director of the Office of Communications and Media and Associate Publisher of The Monitor, Rayanne was an original member of the curia formed under my episcopacy. For the past 16 years, she has served the Communications needs of the Diocese and this Bishop, leading our outreach through The Monitor, our websites, social media and secular media relations, and providing oversight to the Department of Multimedia Production. In 2019, Rayanne and her team converted The Monitor from a bi-weekly newspaper to a monthly magazine and website that together keep our diocesan family informed and inspired.
As we prepare for our next chapter in Communications, I have asked Rayanne to continue for a time in an advisory role to help with the transition and to work with our parishes on building Monitor readership and engagement with all of our Communications efforts.
Rayanne has been a wonderful advisor, confidant and friend throughout my 16 years as bishop, the fifth bishop she has served in the span of her career. I will miss her presence at the Chancery very much but know I can continue to count on her wise counsel as she begins a new chapter in her already well written story!