Join us for the annual blessing of animals on Sunday, Oct. 24th at 2 p.m. All animals are welcome!

We are happy to announce that Sylvia Norton has taken over the coordination of the ministry of Communion to the homebound. If you, or a loved one, is homebound and would like to communion brought to you, please contact Sylvia at (985)-871-9688.

Sunday, October 31st will be our annual Parish Picnic after the 10:30 Mass. Food, Family, and Fun is guaranteed. The parish will supply lunch for everyone – we are asking each family to bring drinks for their own family. Our Youth Ministry will be coordinating games and other activities. As a special addition to the Parish Picnic we will also have Trunk or Treat - a family friendly Halloween event in which children and their families get to enjoy dressing up and receive candy from each of the family friendly themed vehicles that participate. All youth are invited to dress up as their favorite saint or biblical figure on Sunday, October 31st for the 10:30 a.m. Mass. During the picnic we will have our trunk or treat. Everyone is encouraged to decorate their trunks and to bring candy or other goodies to give to those who participate. All are welcome to join in the fun.

Tuesday, October 19 Confirmation Mass at 7 p.m. Celebrant: Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond

The Family Faith Formation workbooks are still available to pick up in the Catechetical Center. Please sign out your books when you come to pick them up. Our first meeting is on Wednesday, October 6 from 6 to 7:15pm in the Church. The Sunday class will be on October 10th from 11:45 am to 1 pm. Parents please be prepared to stay with your children for the duration of the lesson.

In the wake of Hurricane Ida, spammers are at it again impersonating priests. Please remember that Father Charles will never ask for money, gift cards, or assistance via email. He only uses the following email addresses: pastor@stbencov.org OR cbenoit@archdiocese-no.org

The lunch ministry will return to their regular delivery schedule on Wednesday, October 6th. Anyone interested in lending a hand, please contact Janie Ellis at: jellis1129@gmail.com

THANK YOU to everyone who participated in our efforts to assist the NSU Colonel Catholics! To date, we have distributed over $25,000 in assistance to those suffering due to Hurricane Ida. Each day we are getting more requests for assistance, so the need throughout Southeast Louisiana continues to be great. If you wish to contribute, please place your donation in the “Poor Box” or bring it to the parish office.

Temporary Office Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Please be aware that we currently do not have phone service. If you need to contact the Parish, please send an email to: office@stbencov.org OR Fr. Charles email: pastor@stbencov.org or cbenoit@arch-no.org

If any parishioner is in need of assistance because of Hurricane Ida, please contact Fr. Charles (pastor@stbencov.org). Saint Benedict Parish is here to help you!

The St. Benedict Men's Club will have half smoked Cornish hens, smoked sausage, pork and beans, and hot dogs on Monday, September 6th! The drive thru will start at 1 pm and last until we run out of food. Come out and get a free hot meal!

The Archdiocese of New Orleans Racial Harmony Commission and the St. Martin dePorres Society of St. Dominic Church invite people of all faiths to a special prayer service for racial healing on Wednesday, August 25 at 6 pm at Transfiguration of the Lord Church, 5621 Elysian Fields Ave., New Orleans. The event, will call each of us to “build on the values of Jesus, which gives respect to the life and dignity of all people.” For more information or to access the live stream of the event and the discussion questions, visit https://nolacatholic.org/racialhealing.

CONFIRMATION 2021 - Will be rescheduled due to Hurricane Ida.

Christ in the City, an evening of Eucharistic Adoration for young adults in their late teens, 20s, and 30s, will be return to the Chapel at Notre Dame Seminary [2900 N. Carrollton Ave., unless noted] on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm. A social hour will follow. The remaining dates for 2021 are: September 7, November 2, and December 14. For more information, please contact James Behan, Associate Director for Young Adult Ministry and Marriage and Family Life, at yam@arch-no.org. Christ in the City is sponsored by the CYO/Youth & Young Adult Ministry Office of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

Lord, Teach Me To Pray invites you to attend a Weekend of Prayer, September 23-26, 2021 at the Airport Hilton Hotel. Featuring Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes, Archbishop Emeritus of New Orleans; Fr. Patrick Mary Russell MFVA; Fr. Joseph Laramie, SJ; Fr. Wm. Scott Daniels OP; and Mrs. Carol Weiler. REGISTER by August 15, 2021, cost is $150 (includes 6 meals). REGISTER after August 15, 2021 cost is $170 (includes 6 meals). To register go to www.lordteachmetopray.com. Weekend of Prayer or call 504-439-5933. For room reservations call 1-800-872- 5914 & ask for LTMTP rate.

Instead of having the regular Family Formation Meetings and Sacramental Prep Classes for September (scheduled on Wednesday September 8th and Sunday September 12th), we will now have our program begin with Mass during the weekend of September 18th-19th. We are asking that your family attend Mass at Saint Benedict that weekend, and after mass come to gather and sign for your books! The Mass time you choose is up to you! You can attend any Mass time on the 18th or 19th. NO September Class (Sept. 8th or Sept. 12th). The new start is with Sunday Mass on the 18th or 19th. Then the plan going forward is to begin the in person classes in October. Below is the updated schedule reflecting the change in the start date!

Following the Prayers of the Faithful each week, the collection begins and then all that is collected along with the bread and wine are brought forward to the altar. This is a prayer – it is an incredibly significant part of the Mass and one that calls for the full, conscious, and active participation of the assembly. This is the time when we prayerfully gather up all our gifts – our sacrifices from the week, our monetary contributions, our pains, our joys, and our thanksgivings – and we present these along with the central gifts of bread and wine. The bread and wine are central for they are what Jesus offered at the Last Supper and asked us to continue to do in memory of Him. In connecting our gifts (our very lives!) to the gifts of bread and wine which will be transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, we, too, seek to have our lives (with our joys and pains) transformed and offered wholly to God. So each week when we come to Mass, we cannot come unprepared or empty-handed. We must bring our whole selves which we truly place on the altar of our Lord! We bring all that we are – even when that might not seem to be enough – and we trust that as the Lord joins our offering to His own, that we will be acceptable to God and transformed by his life-giving Body and Blood.

The 2022 Mass Intention book will open on Monday, August 2nd for the upcoming calendar year. Until November 1st we will accept no more than 12 weekday (single intention) requests from a household for the upcoming year (unlimited requests for Sunday or Saturday Masses will be accepted). After November 1 , all intentions will be accepted until the schedule is full. Mass requests will be honored on a first-come, first- serve basis in the office. No Mass request will be taken over the telephone. Mass requests must be made in person in the parish office, mailed to the office, or put into an enveloped and placed in the collection. Forms for requesting a Mass can be obtained from the parish office, in the back of the church, or online on the parish website.

A second collection will be taken up next weekend for the Black and Indian Mission Office. The Black and Indian Mission Collection exists to help local African American and Native American Diocesan Communities throughout the United States spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and respond to real and pressing needs on the ground.

Join us on Saturday, July 10th for a catered reception in celebration of the Solemnity of St. Benedict! The festivities will begin after 5:30 pm Mass in the Catechetical Center. See you there!