News - January 2016 RSS Feed

In the United States, the annual blessing of throats is a traditional sign of the struggle against illness in the life of the Christian. This blessing is ordinarily given during Mass on February 3rd, the memorial of Saint Blase This Wednesday (February 3rd) is the Feast of St. Blaise. Throats will be blessed after the 7 a.m. Mass and after the School Mass at 8:20 a.m.

Are you one of the few more good men needed to help men and women answer God’s call to the priesthood or religious vocation? The East Jefferson Serra Club would like to get to know you. East Jefferson Serra Club is part of a global organization of lay Catholic men whose objectives are: to encourage and promote vocations to the ministerial priesthood in the Catholic Church as a particular vocation to service, and to support priests in their sacred ministry; to encourage and affirm vocations to consecrated religious life in the Catholic Church; and to assist its members to recognize and respond in their own lives to God’s call to holiness in Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit. The club meets on the 2nd Wednesday of each month for Mass (6:30am) and business at St Mary Magdalen Parish, 6425 W. Metairie Ave. The club meets on the 4th Wednesday of each month for a luncheon meeting at 12 noon at the Holiday Inn at Causeway and W. Napoleon. Please contact Father Cooper (504-834-4980) for more information.

All golfers! Please put on your calendar the 23rd annual Men’s Club Golf Open to benefit St. Benilde School & the Monsignor J.Carter Richaud Endowment Fund. The tournament is Sunday, April 17th at the Riverlands Golf Course in LaPlace with a 12 Noon shotgun start. The tournament is a 4 man scramble with an entry fee of $75/player. Entry fee includes greens fee, golf cart, range balls, ditty bag, beer, soft drinks, and food. There are prizes for flight winners, closest to the hole, longest drive, money hole, and plenty of door prizes. Space is limited. Hole sponsorships are also available. Contact the St. Benilde School Office at 504-833-9894 for more information.

Attention SBS alumni! Our annual alumni liturgy is coming up on February 3, 2016 during the 8:15 AM Catholic Schools Week Mass! Alumni (and their children) will be able to sit in the front pews of the Church during the Mass and will receive special recognition from Fr. Cooper. After the Mass, alumni will be invited to a special donuts and coffee reception hosted by the Home & School Association. To help us prepare, please RSVP to the school front office at 504-833-9894. Have an alumni friend who has not been to school in several years? Bring them with you!

In addition to the regular food and financial requests we receive, the fourth quarter of the year marks a spike in the number of clients we serve because of Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year we distributed 50 baskets. During the months of October, November and December, we assisted 608 needy members of our community with $5,166 for utilities and rent. The food we distributed during this time period totaled $7,425. We could not help the less fortunate in our parish without your generosity. May God bless you!

The Archdiocesan Golden Wedding Anniversary Celebration will take place on Sunday, June 5, 2016, at 3:00 p.m. in St. Philip Neri Church in Metairie. Please Note: This year’s celebration will not be a Mass, but a Prayer Service. Attendance at Mass for the Sunday obligation will have to be met within one’s respective parish. To register, please contact the St. Benilde Parish Office before February 24, 2016.

St. Benilde Boy Scout Troop 227 will hold its annual Spaghetti and Meatball Dinner on Sunday, Jan. 24. Dinner will be available for eat-in or take-out from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the cafeteria. Pre-sale tickets will be sold at all of the Masses next weekend. The cost will $6 for adults and $5 for children. Tickets at the door will be $7 for adults and $6 for children. Subs will also be on the menu. This fundraiser helps defray the cost of summer camp. Hope to see you there!

The Archdiocese of New Orleans will offer a writing workshop for persons seeking an annulment in the Catholic Church or for persons responding to an annulment. The workshop will be held in St. Christopher the Martyr’s Parish Center in Metairie. The series will be for five (5) Tuesdays, February 16, February 23, March 1, March 8, and March 15, 2016. Hours are 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. The materials for the series cost $25.00. To register or for more information, call Cathy, 504-861-6243.

One of the best “date nights” of the year is almost upon us! The Holy Name Society and Home and School Association will be hosting their annual “Night at the Races” on Saturday, January 23rd, in the cafeteria. Doors open at 7 p.m. Admission is $3 per individual and $5 per couple. The way Night at the Races works is this: Volunteer “horses” composed of members of the school’s faculty, staff, parents, and parishioners face off in races. The races occur by the rolling of dice by the emcee. Each roll indicates how many “squares” on the “track” a specific horse may move forward in a turn. The first horse across the finish line wins. Before each race, everyone can bet on the horses involved. Bets go in $1 increments. Right before the race, odds for each horse are announced based upon the number of bets for each horse. There is also plenty of good food and drinks to be had, along with the fellowship that is so important in our community. New this year we will be offering low cost babysitting service in the Rainbow Building for just $5 per family. So especially our parents with young children can come out and enjoy the night without having to spend a fortune on higher priced babysitters. In reality, Night at the Races is a lighthearted, fun, and low cost way to enjoy a night out for our families and members of the wider St. Benilde Parish community. We hope to see you there!