The Parish Office will be closed Monday, July4th in observance of Independence Day. We wish everyone a safe and Happy 4th of July!

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

The Lunch Ministry will be preparing a pasta salad with fresh vegetables and fruit on Wednesday, June 29th. Please bring any extra vegetables or fruit that you can spare to the Catechetical Center by Tuesday, June 28th. Thank you for your continued generosity!

We are currently registering families for our Family Faith Formation 2022-2023 school year. Please return your registration form and payment before the registration deadline of this weekend, June 12th. 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 at psr@stbencov.org. Registration forms are available in the back of the Church.

You will find a book in the back of the church to enroll your loved ones (living or deceased) in the Masses on Father’s Day weekend, June 18/19. This is an excellent way to remember your loved ones on this special day.

As Christians faithful to the teaching to the Church and the Gospel of Life, we have an obligation not only to pray for the overturning of Roe-v-Wade and an end to abortion, but also pray for all pregnant mothers. Please remember all pregnant women in your prayers.

The Parish Office will be closed on Monday, May 30th in observance of Memorial Day and will re-open at 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday, May 31st.

We are currently registering families for our Family Faith Formation 2022-2023 school year. Please return your registration form and payment before the registration deadline of June 12th. 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 at psr@stbencov.org.

During the months of June and July the Parish Office will close at 2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Saturday, June 4th, the Altar Society invites all ladies of St. Benedict parish to join them for a Day of Reflection. The day will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude with lunch. The presenter this year will beSr. Judy Gomila, M.S.C. Come and join us for a day of Spiritual renewal. There will be a sign-up sheet in the back of the church or call Lorell at (985) 892-7494.

CELEBRATING THE 7TH ANNIVERSARY OF POPE FRANCIS’ ENCYCLICAL Laudato Si’ ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME Join Rick and Susan Trueting for an evening of prayer, readings from Laudato Si’ and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a short video, small group discussion, and some ideas for how each of us might respond to Pope Francis’s call to become better stewards of the earth. Date: TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2022 Time: 7:00 P.M – 8:00 P.M. Location: ST. BENEDICT CATECHETICAL CENTER

Many Thanks for your contributions of $961 for this year’s Operation Rice Bowl.

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 next weekend, May 7/8.

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 7/8. This is an excellent way to remember your loved ones on this special day.

Congratulations to Jill Richard and Phil Rapp 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 will confer the award on Jill and Phil on Sunday, May 15th.

The crowning of the statue of the Blessed Mother inside the church will occur at the end of the First Communion Mass on Sunday, May 1st at 10:30 a.m. with a reception to follow in the catechetical center.

Now that Lent is over, please bring your Rice Bowls to the Church or the Parish Office.

The Men’s Club will be hosting a parish grounds work party on Saturday, April 23rd starting at 8:00 a.m. and ending at lunch with boiled crawfish. We are inviting all parishioners (regardless of age or gender) 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.

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 1138 dinners. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! Your generosity is very much appreciated!

Next weekend is Palm Sunday. If you have palms that you wish to contribute to be used for our celebrations, please clean them and bring them to the side of the Church by Friday morning. Thank You!