Please join us in the Catechetical Center on Saturday, April 17th after the 5:30 p.m. Vigil Mass to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Father Charles’s Ordination to the Priesthood. This will be a reception- style celebration with plenty of food and beverages, along with space to spread out. Please make a special effort to attend to honor Fr. Charles and to visit with our fellow parishioners.

Attention Teenagers of the Parish: Mark your calendar for a Youth Ministry Barbeque on Sunday, April 25th after the 10:30 Mass.

Parents will be receiving a letter explaining some exciting changes to our Religious Education Program here at St. Benedict’s. Next year we will be having Family Faith Formation (Family Catechesis) in place of our PSR. So instead of class once a week, it is class ONCE A MONTH FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY. (It will be a one-hour long class.) The program is designed to go back to the basics in a way that is accessible for everyone in a family, giving the parents the tools they need to grow their family faith. We are asking all parents to attend one of two upcoming meetings to find out more information about the program: Wednesday, April 21st at 6 p.m. or Sunday, April 25th at 9:10 a.m.

The Men’s Club will be hosting a parish grounds work party on Saturday, April 24th starting at 8:00 a.m. and ending at lunch with boiled crawfish. We are inviting all parishioners (regardless of age) to come and help with a variety of cleanup activities. This will be a great opportunity to meet new friends and renew earlier acquaintances; but more importantly, it will be a time to spruce up St. Benedict’s. Please call (892-5202) or email (office@stbencov.org) the office if you plan to help so we can have a number for the crawfish.

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

Please join us on Saturday, April 17th after 5:30 p.m. Mass to celebrate 20th Anniversary of Father Charles’s Ordination to the priesthood. Food and drinks will be provided.

THANK YOU from the MEN’S CLUB! The Men’s Club would like to thank everyone who supported the Fish Fry Fundraisers. This year we served 1,411 dinners. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! Your generosity is very much appreciated!

There has been much discussion of late over the COVID-19 vaccines becoming available to the public as a means of bringing the pandemic under control. For Catholics in particular there has been much discussion and debate about moral and ethical questions around the development of the vaccines in regards to their use of morally compromised cell lines created from two abortions that occurred, one in the 1970s and one in the 1980s. The Archdiocese of New Orleans, in light of guidance from the Vatican, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and The National Catholic Bioethics Center affirm that though there was some lab testing that utilized the abortion-derived cell line, the two vaccines currently available from Pfizer and Moderna do not rely on cell lines from abortions in the manufacturing process and therefore can be morally acceptable for Catholics as the connection to abortion is extremely remote. It is under the same guidance that the archdiocese must instruct Catholics that the latest vaccine from Janssen/Johnson & Johnson is morally compromised as it uses the abortion- derived cell line in development and production of the vaccine as well as the testing. We maintain that the decision to receive the COVID-19 vaccine remains one of individual conscience in consultation with one’s healthcare provider. We also maintain that in no way does the Church’s position diminish the wrongdoing of those who decided to use cell lines from abortions to make vaccines. In doing so, we advise that if the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine is available, Catholics should choose to receive either of those vaccines rather than to receive the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine because of its extensive use of abortion-derived cell lines.

Please remember that we resume our regular Mass and Confession schedule the weekend of April 10th, and we will no longer have the “Special 2 p.m. Vigil Mass.”

Please join us in congratulating John Karpa and Tom & Earline Murray for being selected to receive the Order of St. Louis IX Medallion this year. Archbishop Hannan established the award in 1975 to honor those members of the laity who have made significant contributions of their time and talents to the local church. Archbishop Aymond will confer the award this year on Sunday, March 21st. Congratulations John, Tom, and Earline, and THANK YOU for all you do for St. Benedict Parish!

Join our St. Benedict Faith Community—and more than 12,000 Catholic parishes across the United States—in a life-changing Lenten journey with CRS Rice Bowls. Pick up your family’s CRS Rice Bowl from the back of Church beginning this week. During the 40 days of Lent, let’s reflect on how hunger and malnutrition affect our human family, and how our generosity can make a difference. 25% of monies raised stays in the Archdiocese; 75% is aid to our global family. Visit crsricebowl.org to learn more.

Mass with the distribution of ashes will be at 8 am and 7 pm on Ash Wednesday. On Ash Wednesday, we will have a collection for our Social Assistance account. These funds are used to assist people who are in need to cover utility and food bills. During Lent we will pray the Way of the Cross each Friday evening at 7 pm. Immediately after the Way of the Cross, there will be Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament and an opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation until 8 pm (except on Friday, February 19th). The sacrament of Reconciliation is also available every Wednesday from 5 pm to 6 pm, and on Saturday evenings from 4:30 pm to 5 pm.

We are pleased to announce that the Archdiocese of New Orleans will host an annual wedding anniversary celebration for those couples who have been married for 50 years or more. The 2021 Golden Anniversary celebration will take place on Sunday, June 27, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. at St. Philip Neri Church in Metairie. This event is only for couples married in the year 1970 in celebration of their 50th Wedding Anniversary. Please Note: This celebration will not be a Mass, but a prayer service. Attendance of Mass for Sunday obligation will have to be met within one’s respective parish. To register, please contact the parish rectory before Friday, March 12, 2021.

The Archdiocese of New Orleans has scheduled a second collection to help support Catholic Schools. The collection will take place on January 30/31, the kickoff of Catholic Schools Week. This collection supports the Champions of Catholic Education fund, which is dedicated to helping more families afford the cost of a Catholic Education.

Beginning on the Feast of the Baptism Our Lord, January 10, 2021, the local Catholic Church has entered into the Year of the Eucharist, a time of renewal, healing, and communion. This year is dedicated to helping all of us, clergy, religious, and laity, grow in our relationship with Christ. We begin this important year on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord because baptism marks the beginning of our initiation into Jesus Christ, a lifelong journey toward union with Christ and one another. The Eucharist is communion with God. Christ nourishes us with his very Body and Blood so that we can be joined more closely to him and to all humanity. Throughout this year, we will join with Catholics around the world to call upon the prayers and patronage of St. Joseph to help us more fully understand the meaning of the parts of the Mass, the theology of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and the obligation we have as Catholics to participate in Mass on Sunday. As the universal church observes a special Year of St. Joseph as proclaimed by the Holy Father, we in the Archdiocese of New Orleans call upon St. Joseph’s powerful intercession to bring us closer to Jesus in the Eucharist.

Envelopes and Calendars are available before and after all Masses in the Catechetical Center. We encourage all parishioners to make use of the offering envelopes in support of the parish. If you have not asked for envelopes in the past and wish to receive them. Please sign the clipboard in the Catechetical Center or contact Channon in the parish office at 985-892-5202.

We are pleased to announce that the Archdiocese of New Orleans will host an annual wedding anniversary celebration for those couples who have been married for 25 years. The 2021 Silver Anniversary celebration will take place on Sunday, March 14, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. at St Joseph Church in New Orleans. This event is only for couples married in the year 1996 in celebration of their 25th Wedding Anniversary. Please Note: This celebration will not be a Mass, but a prayer service. Attendance of Mass for Sunday obligation will have to be met within one’s respective parish. (To register, please contact the parish office before January 15, 2021)

Contribution statements will be mailed this week to anyone who made a financial contribution during 2020. THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT! If you should see any discrepancies with your statement, please call the parish office at 985- 892-5202.

Thank you to everyone who made our Christmas liturgies beautiful and inspiring. From the music ministry to the ushers, deacons to the lectors, and everyone else who assisted, your commitment to the liturgy and the liturgical environment is very much appreciated. Thanks also to the members of the Altar Society and Men’s Club who helped decorate the Church. In a special way, we would like to thank Betty Lemoine who coordinated the poinsettias and who coordinates the flowers on the altar every week of the year. THANK YOU!

Envelopes and Calendars are available before and after all Masses in the Catechetical Center. We encourage all parishioners to make use of the offering envelopes in support of the parish. If you have not asked for envelopes in the past and wish to receive them. Please sign the clipboard in the Catechetical Center or contact Channon in the parish office at 985-892-5202.