There are a few places still available if you or someone you know is interested in taking our 50th Anniversary Pilgrimage to Italy this January! Click on the link below for more information or call 337-291-1933.

During the months of June and July, the Parish Office will close every Friday at noon. We will keep our regular hours on Monday through Thursday from 8:45 am to 4:00 pm.

While you are on your Summer travels, please keep two things in mind: first, check out www.masstimes.org for a list of Catholic Churches and Mass times in the area that you are traveling. Second, Summer can be a financially difficult time for many in our area; please do not forget your St. Benedict's contribution. These funds are particularly significant this time of year, not only to help those in need but also to keep the Parish operating. Thank you for your continued generosity. We wish everyone a safe and happy Summer!

Spring has sprung, and the fundraising has begun! The ladies of the St. Benedict Altar Society will be selling tickets for their annual Spring raffle after all Masses the weekends of May 11/12 and May 18/19. Each ticket is $1, and the drawing will be held on Sunday, May 19th after the 10:30 Mass.

We have a book in the back of the Church to enroll your loved ones (living or deceased) in the Masses on Mother's Day weekend, May 11/12. This is an excellent way to remember your loved ones on this special day.

Many Thanks for your contributions of $679 for this year's Operation Rice Bowl! We greatly appreciate your support and generosity for this campaign.

As in the case with many pension funds in secular businesses today, the Archdiocese of New Orleans Priests' Pension Program is underfunded. This deficit is largely due to the growing number of retired priests and the skyrocketing cost of healthcare. 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 11/12.

Our new Bulletin will begin the first weekend of April. We will begin to publish a prayer list for those who are homebound and sick in the parish. If you know of a parishioner who is sick and/or homebound and would like to be placed on the list, please call the office.

Congratulations to Betty Lemoine and Richard Thomas who have been selected to receive the Order of St. Louis IX Award. The award was established in 1975 to honor those members of the laity who have contributed their time and talents to the church. Archbishop Aymond will confer this honor on them at a special ceremony in New Orleans on May 19th.

Registration for the 2019-2020 Religious Education School Year has begun. The fee per student in grades 1-6 will be $40 for the school year, and the fee per student in grades 7-10 will be $45 for the school year. Parishioners will be capped at $100 per family per year. Please be mindful that at these rates St. Benedict Parish still subsidizes approximately $45 per each student in the PSR program, and that our fees are on the lower end of the scale of fees charged by other parishes in our deanery. If anyone is incapable of covering the cost of religious education, please see Father Charles— fees should never be a hindrance for children receiving religious education.

We would like to congratulate Jeremy Surkand as the recipient of this year’s Altar Server Award. In addition to the recognition from our Parish and our Knights of Columbus Council, we have submitted Jeremy's name as our parish's Serra Club Award recipient. A heartfelt thank you goes to Jeremy and his family for enriching our parish with their witness to Christ by their family's faith and service.

Father Charles will have a special blessing the weekend of March 30/31 for couples celebrating their wedding anniversary during the month of March.

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 beginning this weekend. Inside the bowls are suggested prayers, readings, and facts about the work of Catholic Relief Services. Through this tradition, we have helped families around the world and in our Archdiocese by raising our voices and our prayers, and by making sacrificial gifts. 25% of all funds raised by the Rice Bowl Campaign stay right here in our Archdiocese.

Fasting is to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday by all Catholics who are 18 to 58 years of age. Those who are bound to fast may take only one full meal, and two smaller meals are permitted if necessary to maintain strength according to each one’s needs; eating solid foods between meals is not permitted. Abstinence from meat is to be observed by all Catholics 14 years or older on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all Fridays of Lent.

Mass with the distribution of ashes will be at 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Ash Wednesday. On Ash Wednesday we will have a collection for our Social Assistance account. These monies are used to assist people who are in need to help cover utility bills and food bills. Also, during Lent we will pray the Way of the Cross each Friday at 7:00 p.m. 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 8:00 p.m. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is also available every Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

For anyone mourning the loss of a loved one, feelings of sadness, despair, anger, hopelessness, and loneliness can seem impossible to manage. But many find comfort in the support they receive from others who have traveled or are traveling a similar journey. To help people navigate through the journey of grieving a loved one who has died, Saint Benedict Catholic Church will be offering a bereavement/grief support group for parishioners. The group will meet for eight weeks on Thursday at 10 a.m., beginning on Thursday, February 7th. There is no cost for the group (the church will cover the cost of all materials needed for the group), but we ask that you, please pre-register by calling the parish office at 985-892-5202 or emailing the office at office@stbencov.org so that we may have enough materials for everyone in the group.

Do you know a high school senior graduating in May 2019 who is active in service to the Church, school, and community? Please urge that student to apply for the Knights of Colombus Catholic Youth Leadership Award. Information and application packets are available at St. Benedict Church, Covington High School, Archbishop Hannan High School, St. Scholastica High School, St. Paul's High School, and from Grand Knight John Scholl (985-246-6714). Applications are due by January 25, 2019.

Sunday, January 27th, Mrs. Lisa Johnsen was commissioned as a Lay Ecclesial Minister at St. Louis Cathedral by Archbishop Aymond. Lisa has recently completed the certification process at Notre Dame Seminary. Please join us in congratulating her on this incredible achievement!

Each year the Archdiocese of New Orleans honors Catholics who will be celebrating their 50th, 60th and 70th Anniversary in 2019. The Archdiocesan Golden Anniversary celebration, which is a Prayer Service will take place on Sunday, June 2nd at 3:00 p.m. in St. Philip Neri Church in Metairie. To register, please call the parish office at 985-892-5202 before March 1st.

In His Image is a father-son program for young men, ages 11-13, and their fathers. The purpose of this program is to allow fathers and sons to grow together in the knowledge of God's gift of fertility and becoming a man in His image. Presentations include "the gift of sexuality" and "the virtue of chastity." This program is based on the teachings of Pope St. John Paul II's "Theology of the Body," and is meant to foster the relationship between father and son. The program will take place on Saturday, February 2nd from 6 to 8 pm at St. Peter's Catholic Church in St. Mary's Hall. To register, please visit www.stpeterparish.com.