Please return your Baby-Bottles for our annual Baby Bottle Campaign for the Northlake Pregnancy Center and Thank you for your generous support.

The Men’s Club will hold their annual Fish Fry Dinners during Lent on February 27th, March 13th, and March 27th from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.

Are you curious about religious life? Come along on our Nun Run on Saturday, January 31 (8:30 AM–4:30 PM). Participants will leave from Mary, Queen of Peace (Mandeville) and visit four different religious orders, experience their communities firsthand, hear the sisters’ vocation journeys, and gain deeper insight into what it means to be a religious sister. This is an amazing opportunity for anyone discerning God’s call or seeking to learn more about consecrated life. For More Info: https://www.maryqueenofpeace.org/nun-run

The Archdiocesan Silver Wedding Anniversary Celebration will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2026, 3:00 p.m. at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in New Orleans. To register, please contact the parish office by Monday, February 2, 2026.

On Friday, February 13th, we will have our first 2026 Prayer Blanket Ministry Meeting. In case you are unfamiliar with our ministry we would like to tell you a little bit about us. We accept donated material and then ministry members make quilted, knitted, and/or crocheted blankets for parishioners, family members, friends and those who are in need of our prayers. Our Spiritual Works of Mercy call us to comfort the sorrowful and pray for the living. Whether it is from illness, anxiety or other needs, we want them to know that we as a Catholic Christian community are praying for them. We pray that God’s love and peace will fill each of them in their need. It connects us as a community and as a people of God. Fr. Charles blesses the completed blankets at a Sunday Mass for distribution. Our blessed blankets are then available in the church office for distribution. We would love for anyone interested in this Ministry to join us on Friday, February 13th at 10:00am in the Catechetical Center. We also ask that you include all of our blanket recipients in your prayers.

HELP AND ENCOURAGEMENT AFTER THE DEATH OF A LOVED ONE Grief is a complex and often overwhelming experience. The emotions that surface during this time can be painful and confusing, making it difficult to know how to move forward. Whether your bereavement is recent or occurred some time ago, this can be a unique opportunity to connect with people who truly understand what you are going through. About GriefShare® This 13-week support group program is designed to help you learn what to anticipate in the days ahead and to recognize that there is no single “right” way to grieve. There are no neat or predictable stages of grief; instead, the journey is unique for each person. What to Expect Each week you can expect to view a 30-minute video filled with helpful guidance, discuss grief-related issues, and gain personal recovery tips through your participant workbook. Each session is self-contained so you may join at any week, but registration is required. Facilitators and Registration Sharon Hoffman, a widow and parishioner of St. Benedict Church and Sister Kateri Battaglia, MSC, will serve as facilitators. Feel free to contact Sharon at hoffmansha@charter.net; Sister Kateri at srkaterimsc@yahoo.com or 504-453-0618. To register go online to griefshare.org/findagroup. A Registration/Participant Fee of $25 is payable to St. Benedict Catholic Church. Schedule and Location This GriefShare® support group will meet every Tuesday, beginning on January 20 and continuing through April 21, 2026. Please note that there will be no session on Mardi Gras. Meetings are scheduled from 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM in the Catechetical Center at St. Benedict Catholic Church, Covington, LA. Support and Understanding in GriefShare® Many individuals who attend GriefShare® sessions consistently express that they experience a sense of comfort and encouragement by being surrounded by others who genuinely comprehend the challenges of grief.

The Parish Office closed at noon on Friday, December 19th and will re-open Monday, January 5th, in observance of Christmas and New Year’s. We would like to wish everyone a very Blessed and Merry Christmas, and for those who will be traveling a safe trip to and from their destinations.

There will be a second collection at Mass on Christmas to help cover the salaries and expenses of priests serving as Hospital and Hospice Chaplains, Chaplains at Nursing Homes and High Schools, and those involved in retreat ministries. We have already been assessed $11,895 for this. Please be generous.

The Lunch Ministry collected enough items for numerous Christmas Baskets. Baskets were delivered and greatly appreciated by all who received them. THANK YOU for your support.

Thank you to all parishioners who so generously gave gifts to families, seniors and children on our Angel Tree. This year we brought joy to over 200 Angels. St. Benedict’s helped families through the St. Tammany Project Christmas, Fairhaven Orphanage, Trace Senior Living Center, our own church parish and homebound individuals through our own Lunch Ministry. A special thank you to all our devoted volunteers who make this program work so beautifully each year. Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

There will be a Deanery Penance Service this Wednesday, Dec. 17th at 6 p.m. at Most Holy Trinity Church in Covington.

December 8th is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Mary, under the title of her Immaculate Conception, is the Patroness of the United States. It is a holyday of obligation As the celebration of the Blessed Mother under her title of the Immaculate Conception is the Patronal Solemnity of our nation, please make a special effort to attend Mass on Monday, December 8th to pray for our country. Masses will be at 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Starting next weekend, November 29/30 mail bins will be placed at the entrance of the church to begin collecting your Christmas Cards for those in our community in Long Term Care, Nursing, and Rehabilitation Homes. Place as many Christmas Cards as you like… Please include the “thoughts and prayers from the Parishioners of St. Benedict Parish” in your Christmas greeting/signature. The outside of the envelope can be left blank or you may write, “Merry Christmas”. Please place your Christmas cards in the mail bins no later than Wednesday, December 10th. The Card will be distributed on Friday, December 12th and Saturday, December 13th by the Deacons.

Our Annual Angel Tree will be set up in church Saturday, November 22. Please take one or more Angels and complete the attached light green tag with your name and phone number and turn in the tag before leaving church. Team members will be available to assist you and collect your light green tag(s). Purchase one or more gifts from the wish list on the Angel and return to church by Sunday, December 7. The gift(s) should be unwrapped and placed in a gift bag with your Angel securely attached. Again, we look forward to your generous support of this Christmas tradition.

The Lunch Ministry will be collecting canned vegetables, instant mashed potatoes, easy mac and cheese, and stuffing for them to put in the Annual Holiday Baskets for Christmas. Please drop your non-perishables off at the Catechetical Center before December 15th

Come get a taste of what St. Benedict Men’s Club can do. Limited tickets for their Chicken and sausage gumbo will be sold after all Masses the weekend of November 8/9 and November 15/16 for $16.00 per quart or 2 quarts for $30.00. Purchased order pick up will be held on November 22/23 after all Masses

November is the month that we, as a Church, remember and pray for all of the faithful departed. The Book of Remembrance has been placed in the back of the church for you to inscribe the names of your deceased family and friends to be prayed for throughout the month.

The 2026 workbooks are now available in the usher’s room for all Lectors.

For the past 14+ years, Jackie Edrington has coordinated our Blanket Ministry. Primarily an outreach ministry of consolation and prayer, our Blanket Ministry also served an important need in the early days of the Covid shut down making masks and gowns for health care professions in our area. Jacke recently decided to step down as coordinator, though will remain involved in the ministry. Thank you, Jackie, for your years of dedicated service! Please join me in welcoming Susan Treuting as the new coordinator of the Blank Ministry.

The Mass Intention Book will open on November 3rd for all intentions to be accepted throughout 2026. Mass requests will be honored on a firstcome, first-serve basis in the order in which the request is received at the parish office. No Mass request will be taken over the telephone. Mass request must be made in person in the parish office, or in writing and placed in the collection basket or mailed to the office. Forms for requesting a Mass can be obtained from the parish office, in the back of the church, or available online on the parish website.