The Lunch Ministry will be preparing a pasta salad with fresh vegetables and fruit on Wednesday, June 25th. Please bring any extra vegetables or fruit that you can spare to the Catechetical Center by Tuesday, June 24th. Thank you for your generosity!

If you are grieving the loss of a spouse, child, parent, relative or friend, we are here to help YOU. GriefShare© is a Christian-based program to help you navigate your loss and grief through a grief recovery support group. It is a 13-week cycle to help those grieving to discover what to expect in the days ahead and what is “normal” in grief. Since there are no neat, orderly stages of grief, you’ll also learn helpful ways of coping with grief, in all its unpredictability – and gain solid support each step of the way. The fee is $25 made payable to St. Benedict Catholic Church. This fee includes your GriefShare workbook. Sharon Hoffman, a widow and parishioner of St. Benedict Church, will facilitate the GriefShare© support group. Each session is self-contained so you can join at any week, but registration is required. To register, go to griefshare.org and click “find a group” and register. For more information, contact Sharon at hoffmansha@charter.net and leave your telephone number so she can contact you. This summer GriefShare© support group will meet from May 28-August 20, 2025, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm. St. Benedict Catechetical Center, Covington, LA.

The summer is here and so are vacations, if you haven’t already noticed our annual decrease in Mass attendance during June and July. We hope you are enjoying a change of pace and some time away. If you are vacationing, please remember two things. First, we do not take a vacation from God. Please check out www.masstimes.org for a list of churches in the areas you are visiting and their Mass times. Secondly, the needs of the parish and those seeking social assistance do not take a holiday in June through August. In fact, many times we received more requests for financial assistance during the summer months. Our ability as a church to pay our own bills and help those facing the loss of electricity or water due to their inability to pay, or to help one of our parishioners facing a financial crisis, depends on the continued generosity of our congregation. Please don’t forget your offering to St. Benedict’s this summer when you are traveling or away for vacation. The safest and most secure way to make contributions to St. Benedict’s, however, is to use our online giving, which can be accessed at: https://giving.parishsoft.com/app/giving/stbencov

Join us on Saturday, June 7th for a Ladies Day of Reflection hosted by the Ladies Altar Society! Sr. Marjorie Hebert will be our speaker. The morning begins with Mass at 9 AM and concludes with lunch. See you there!

The Parish Office will be closed on Monday, May 26th in observance of Memorial Day and will re-open at 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday, May 28th.

We are currently registering families for our Family Faith Formation 2025-2026 school year. Please return your registration form and payment before the registration deadline of June 9th. If you have a second grader (First Communion) or tenth grader (Confirmation) your child needs to complete sacramental preparation through the Parish. Please feel free to contact Corina if you have any questions or in need of a registration form at psr@stbencov.org.

Please pray for those who will receive First Communion this weekend: Ariana Jane Acosta Avery Eleanor Blaise Steven John Chappetta Carter Coen Cleveland Adelynn Elizabeth Cullen Camille Elizabeth Dwight Ellie Belle Foret Brandon Michael Giarrusso Josie Anne King Elodie Ruth Lehmann Elizabeth Marie Long Hazel Grace Massa Harper Hayes Sharp Barytt Raymond Sutton Joseph Peter Untz, III Breccan Elizabeth Pilie

Lord, You guide us through your visible shepherd on earth, the Pope. We ask you to make yourself present during the upcoming Conclave. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon the cardinals present, Lord, that there may be a renewed Pentecost in your Church. Give them the wisdom, prudence and fortitude they need to elect whom you have chosen to lead and guide us. We need you, Lord. Hear our prayer and grant us the gift of a holy successor of Peter to govern in your name. Amen. Then pray one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

As in the case with many pension funds in secular businesses today, the Archdiocese of New Orleans Priests’ Pension Program is underfunded. This is largely due to the growing number of retired priests and the skyrocketing cost of health care. This collection is separate from the annual collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious, which supports religious orders and institutes across the United States. Please show your generosity on the weekend of May 10/11.

You will find a book in the back of the church to enroll your mother, godmother, and grandmothers (living or deceased) to be remembered at Masses on Mother’s Day weekend, May 10/11. This is an excellent way to remember your loved ones on this special day.

Please bring your Rice Bowls to the Church or the Parish Office.

The Men’s Club would like to thank everyone who supported the Fish Fry Fundraisers. This year we served 822 dinners. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! Your generosity is very much appreciated!

Congratulations to Wayne Adams and Paul Erny for being selected to receive the Order of Saint Louis Award this year. The Order of St. Louis IX award was established in 1975 to honor those laypersons who have made an extraordinary contribution of their time and talents to local churches in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Since its establishment, more than 10,000 individuals have received the medallion for their Christ-like service. Archbishop Aymond conferred the award on them last month.

The Men’s Club will be hosting a parish grounds work party on Saturday, April 26th starting at 8:00 a.m. and ending with lunch. We are inviting all parishioners (regardless of age or gender) to come and help with a variety of cleanup activities. Please call (985) - 892 - 5202 or email office@stbencov.org if you plan to help so we can have a number for lunch.

The second collection on Easter is to help cover our assessment of $10,043 for the salaries and benefits of priests working in hospital and nursing home chaplaincies, seminaries, and high schools. Please be generous, if you are able. Thank you!

Our Confirmation Class is collecting nonperishable food items for the Northshore Food Bank. Please take a brown bag from the back of the church and return it with non-perishable items to assist those who are in need during this time of the year.

THANK YOU for the success of our Baby Bottle Drive. This year the parishioners of St. Benedict’s donated $18,138.28, to which the Knights of Columbus Council 3061 added $1,000, for a grand total of $19,138.28. THANK YOU for your support of human life from the moment of conception!

Our parish and Catholic Communities throughout the United States do something amazing each Lent. We come together to pray, fast and give alms-and by doing so we help lift families and communities out of poverty and put them on a path toward resilience, prosperity and stability. That’s the CRS Rice Bowl effect. Rice Bowls will be available for pick-up in the back of church. Inside the bowls are suggested prayers, readings and facts about the work of Catholic Relief Services.

Our Lenten Mission is THIS WEEK Pilgrims of Hope March 24, 25, and 26 at 7 p.m. . Presented by Sr. Judy Gomilla, M.S.C

Mark your calendars for our Lenten Mission Pilgrims of Hope March 24, 25, and 26 7 p.m. Presented by Sr. Judy Gomilla, M.S.C.