Benny Ruiz blends finance, liturgy, and music
An architect by training, Benny Ruiz sees structure in everything. He first worked at Holy Trinity Parish in Dallas in seventh grade answering phones. Now, at 61, Benny serves as liturgist for the parish, as well as regional treasurer for the Congregation of the Mission Western Province. Holy Trinity also affords him an outlet for his other love, music, as he sings in the choir and as a cantor.
Benny studied architecture at the University of Texas Arlington and pursued a career in structural engineering. In 1990, when he was between jobs, Fr. George Weber, C.M., Provincial of the Southern Province at the time, offered Benny a position as his office administrator, which he gladly accepted.
Benny later became treasurer for the Texas House of the Vincentians, which includes the priests and brothers in Texas and New Orleans. Benny is also employed by the parish as liturgist, for which he oversees liturgical ministers, assigns clergy assignments for Masses, and teaches classes for RCIA.
“Architecture got me thinking in terms of structure and time-management,” Benny said. “Building design has a rhythm and a flow, like music does, with quiet spaces where the melodies come together. The liturgical year has a structure as well; we never come back to the same point but are constantly moving upward in a spiral and progressing.”
Last year, Benny was recognized as an affiliate of the Congregation of the Mission for his contributions and dedication, and he accepted the honor with gratitude. At the heart of everything he does is the Vincentian charism of serving the poor.
“Not just the monetary poor but the poor in spirit,” he said. “Everyone is in a different state, some happy and some looking for something more, who need a boost. We minister to everyone here. That is what Holy Trinity is all about.”