The beautiful poinsettias and greenery that adorn our altar and sanctuary are a special part of the celebration of Christmas at St. Benilde Catholic Church. We invite all parishioners to share in the experience through a memorial or thanksgiving gift by using the Christmas Flowers Memorial Envelopes found in the vestibule of Church. Donations toward the cost of Christmas decorations in the Church may be made in memory or honor of your family members and friends. This is a wonderful way to remember loved ones, honor friends, and offer thanksgiving to God for prayers answered and blessings received during this past year. The suggested donation is $10.00 per rememberance. Please place your envelopes in the collection basket, the Poor Box or bring it to the Parish Office by December 26th. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Memorial Envelopes will be placed on the altar throughout the Christmas Season and names will be printed in the bulletin.

The parish will have a Holy Hour from 6:00pm till 7:00pm on Monday, December 18th as we prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of the Christ Child at Christmas. Both Fr. Cooper and Fr. H.L. will be available for Confessions from 6:00pm till 7:00pm.

Immediately following the Bless the Baby Jesus devotion on Sunday, December 17th as part of the 11:00 a.m. Mass, there will be a hot Breakfast with Baby Jesus including eggs, bacon, and biscuits served in the Cafeteria. Hospitality coffee and donuts will also be provided for those not wishing a full breakfast. The suggested donation is $5.00 per family. We will have several activities for the children: making a nativity ornament, constructing an advent wreath, and camel food to name a few. Our CCD high school students, accompanied by other volunteers, will also put on the brief play about keeping Christ in Christmas. Please come and join in this faith-filled, family activity!

The Bless the Baby Jesus devotion will be held with Fr. Cooper on Sunday, December 17th as part of the 11:00 a.m. Mass for the Third Sunday of Advent. This is an excellent opportunity for families to grow in faith as the “domestic church.” All Children are invited to bring a figurine of the baby Jesus, particularly from their family Nativity Crèche to be blessed by Fr. Cooper during Mass. Fr. Cooper will invite the children to sit at the foot of the step of the sanctuary for the homily and then to come forward to have their figurines blessed. Please come and enjoy this beautiful Advent Mass and devotion.

Tuesday, November 28th was the third annual #iGiveCatholic Day of Giving. Fr. Cooper challenged St. Benilde School to raise $24,000 in24 hours. Thanks to over 270 parents and parishioners, we were able to meet and exceed that challenge! Between on-line giving and checks sent in, we raised $25,820! With the matching donation from the Whitman Family Foundation, we received another $20,000! There was also a contest where schools with the most early donations would win $1,500 and we won that prize for the most early donations. Finally, there was a contest where schools with the most donations the day of #iGiveCatholic would win another $1,500. We won that one too! So thanks to all of your hard work and generous hearts, we were able to raise $48,820!

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Holy Day of Obligation. Vigil Mass will be celebrated at 5:30pm on Thursday, December 7th. Masses on Friday, December 8th will be at 7am, 8:15am (School Mass – all are welcome to attend), and 6:00pm.

Make your plans now to join us for the Fourth Annual Men’s Club Chili Cook-Off Trifecta on Saturday, December 9th. Teams begin cooking at 8:45 AM, with gates opening to the public starting at 12:00 PM, with the best tasting chili in the South ready by 12:30 PM. A gate charge of $10 (children 10 and under are free) gets you unlimited tastings, great music by the band Weathered and inflatables for the kids. If you would like to enter a team, please contact Dax Barret at 504-931-7489 or David Mockin at 504-352-6124, or email sbschilicookoff@outlook.com. Teams must cook chili, participate in the corn hole toss, the jalapeño eating contest, and create your favorite Louisiana-inspired dish.

The Giving Tree will be in the Church foyer beginning the weekend of November 25th and 26th. Please take an angel ornament and return the gifts no later than December 12th. Please be sure to attach the angel to the gift securely. Thank you for making Christmas a little brighter for some of the less fortunate in our community.

The St. Benilde Parish and School community was extremely generous during the 2016 #iGiveCatholic Day of Giving. Our community went above and beyond by raising over $25,000 in 24 hours! We had the highest number of individual gifts of any organization among all participating dioceses. This year’s #iGiveCatholic Day of Giving is November 28th. We hope to meet and even exceed last year’s numbers! Every gift of $25 or more will go further with $20,000 of matching funds provided by the Whitman Family Foundation! Advanced giving begins now, so between November 10th and November 28th, you can donate to St. Benilde School through the #iGiveCatholic website. There are links on both the school and parish websites. Each and every donation will go to help our children by improving our facilities, purchasing classroom resources, and ensuring the school remains accessible to all in our community. Every gift, no matter the amount, will make a significant difference. Thank you in advance for your generosity in ensuring a quality education for all St. Benilde Students!

Our Home & School Association will be kicking off the holidays with a week of festivities December 4th - 8th. On Monday, December 4th from 5:00 - 8:00, parents and guests can do holiday shopping with a drink or two (beer & wine) and a light bite to eat. Then on Wednesday through Friday school children in grades PK2 - 7th will have the opportunity to shop for their family and friends at the Christmas Boutique.

Fr. Cooper will celebrate a special Thanksgiving Day Mass on Thursday, November 24th at 9:00 am. Thanksgiving Day is a special time to remember the blessings we have received from God, so that we can be a more thankful people every day. The reasons for having grateful hearts make up a long litany: the gift of life itself, faith in a God who loves us and is very near to us, good health, loving family, caring friends, opportunities to serve, food on our tables, roofs over our heads. Yes, we have our times of doubt, our aches and pains, our family conflicts, and our economic struggles. But in spite of all these challenges, we are incredibly blessed! There will be no 7:00 am or 5:30 pm Mass on Thursday, November 24th.The Adoration Chapel will close at 11:59 PM on Wednesday, November 23rd and will reopen at 7:30 AM on Friday, November 25th. The Parish Office will be closed on Thursday, November 24th and Friday, November 25th in observance of Thanksgiving Day. We will reopen on Monday, November 28th at 9:00 am.

With the calendar year almost over, please be reminded that many of you indicated during school registration in January 2017, that you desired to be a registered, active, and supporting (RAS) family of St. Benilde Parish. Thank you for your commitment to our parish and for your desire to support the work of the Church in proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel! Please note that to be recognized as a RAS family at St. Benilde Parish, a contribution level has been set at $520 per calendar year. This is a friendly reminder that if you do not maintain the status of a RAS family by December 31, 2017, you will have to pay a higher non-participation tuition rate per child for the 2018-2019 school year. This has been a long-standing policy of our parish and is consistent with our neighboring Catholic Churches in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. If you would like to check your current contribution level, please call the Parish Office at 834-4980.

Our parish will be participating in a life-affirming Baby Bottle Fundraiser to benefit the Woman’s New Life Center. The Woman’s New Life Center is a non-profit professional counseling center and medical clinic serving women and families struggling with an unplanned pregnancies. They offer free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and professional counseling for unplanned pregnancies and for those struggling with a past abortion. Since its opening in 2001, over 2,000 babies and families have been saved from abortion and your contribution will help them continue their mission to save lives. Baby bottles will be available after all the Masses the weekend of November 11th and 12th. Simply return your baby bottle filled with a donation the following weekend (November 18th and 19th). This is a great way to show your support for LIFE. Thank you in advance for your participation in this worthwhile endeavor.

The 2018 Mass Book opened on Thursday, November 2nd, for Mass and Candle Intentions. Mass intentions are $5 each; and all candle intentions are $10. Candles burn for the week for your intention.

An Informational/Orientation Meeting for the 2018 Pilgrimage to Rome, Southern Italy, and Sicily (October 6-20, 2018) with Fr. Cooper will take place on Saturday, November 11th at 5:00 PM at St. Benilde Church (immediately following the 4pm Vigil Mass.) Representatives from Magnificat Travel will discuss all the details and pricing for the pilgrimage. Just to “tickle” your taste buds …. We will be visiting: ROME, TIVOLI, MONTE CASSINO, SORRENTO, CAPRI, NAPLES, POMPEII, AMALFI, SALERNO, PAESTUM, CONSENZA, REGGIO CALABRIA, TAORMINA, CATANIA, SIRACUSA, PIAZZA ARMERINA, AGRIGENTO, CEFALU, PALERMO and MONREALE. This is an open invitation meeting, so please feel free to bring anyone who may be interested in journeying with Fr. Cooper. Please Email Carol Ingrassia for additional information: pilgrimages@frcooper.info

On the Weekend of November 4th and 5th, grocery bags will be available in the Church foyer with a list of the most needed items to help us provide Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner for the less fortunate in our parish. Please return food donations to either Church or the Parish Office. If you would like to make a monetary donation of any amount instead, it would be greatly appreciated. The money may be left in the poor box, put into the regular collection marked “St. Vincent de Paul,” or brought to the Parish Office. Thank you very much for your generosity.

On All Souls Day we honor all of our deceased loved ones in a special way. Here at St. Benilde Church we will be remembering your deceased loved ones both on this day with the celebration of Holy Mass (Thursday, November 2nd) and at all of the Masses throughout the month of November. In that spirit, we invite you to inscribe the names of those you wish for us to remember and pray for on All Souls Day and during the Masses throughout the month of November on the special All Souls Remembrance Envelopes found in the vestibule of the Church. Please place your envelopes in the collection basket, the poor box or bring them to the Parish Office before November 1st. The suggested donation is $5.00 per name recorded on your envelop. Mass remembrance envelopes will remain on the altar throughout the month of November and names will be printed in the Parish Bulletin.

All Saints Day is Wednesday, November 1st. It is a Holy Day of Obligation. The Vigil Mass will be celebrated at 5:30 PM, Tuesday, October 31st. Masses on Wednesday, November 1st will be at 7 AM, School Mass at 8:15 AM, and 6 PM. The Parish Office will be closed on Wednesday, November 1st in observance of All Saints Day. We will reopen on Thursday, November 2nd at 9 AM.

Come for the Food and Stay for the Fun at this year’s Foodie Fest October 27-29… and for added fun, enter for a chance to win $10,000 in the Foodie Fest Reverse Raffle! A $50 chance wins you a guaranteed 1/400 chance at winning $10,000. To learn more and to purchase your raffle doubloon, go to 501auctions.com/sbsgala. Chances can also be purchased in the parish and school offices during regular business hours.

The Annual Foodie Fest is Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 27th through 29th. Don’t miss the delicious food, family-friendly games, great music, and fellowship. The hours on Friday are 6 to 11 PM, Saturday from noon to 11 PM., and Sunday from noon to 9 PM. The Band Schedule: Friday Night (Louisiana Spice from 7:00 - 11:00 PM), Saturday Night: (Uptown Phunk from 7:00 - 11:00 PM) and Sunday Evening: (Category 6 from 5:00 - 8:00 PM). Come for the Food … Stay for the Fun!