Everyone is invite to join the Chers Amis on a road trip from November 26th through December 1st. The group will be visiting the Biltmore Estate in Ashville, North Carolina, touring the Blue Ridge Mountains, visiting the Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum in Atlanta and much more. Registration now being accepted. For more information, call Barra or Kay at (504) 834-7908.

There will be a Safe Environment Training on Tuesday, October 17th at 6:30 PM in the St. Benilde School Cafeteria. This training is one of the three required steps for all adults who wish to work with children at St. Benilde Parish and School, whether as a volunteer or a paid employee. The other two steps are to pass a criminal background check and to complete an online registration component with the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Attendance at the training will allow you to complete all three steps.

Everyone is invited to a special remembrance of the 100th Anniversary of Our Lady’s Appearances at Fatima. It will be held this Friday, October 13th. Mass will be celebrated at 6 PM followed by a showing of the documentary-drama "FINDING FATIMA”, in the cafeteria. Doors open at 6:30 PM and the movie will begin at 7 PM. The rosary will be recited following the movie. Refreshments will be served.

On Sunday, October 8th, at 2 PM, there will be a Sacramental Workshop for parents of children making their First Reconciliation and Holy Communion. One or both parents must attend. The parents should meet in church. All St. Benilde School Sacramental year children must attend an activity that will be held in the school building at the same time.

We are excited to announce the Little Flowers Girls Club and the Blue Knights Boys Club starting at St. Benilde this year! Both groups will meet once a month for an hour, from 4:30 –5:30 PM. Little Flowers will meet in the School Library; Blue Knights will meet in the Teen Center. The clubs are open to children age five (5) and up. We will learn about saints, virtues, complete projects and crafts, and grow in friendship as we grow in faith. The first meeting is scheduled for September 29. For more information or to register, for Little Flowers please contact Casey Sprehe at (504) 583-4465 or caseysprehe@gmail.com; and for Blue Knights Kevin Sprehe at (504) 669-7271 or sprehe19@gmail.com.

Don’t miss our Annual Parish Bingo that the Home & School Association/ Grandparents’ Club are sponsoring Sunday, October 1, from 1 until 4 p.m., in the cafeteria. Doors open at 12:30. An entry fee of $10 includes four interchangeable bingo cards for adults and children age five and up. Children under five are admitted free and receive one card. There will be food, fun, and wonderful game prizes for all ages. Donations are still being accepted from prize sponsors. To donate or for more information, please contact Michelle Rose at 347-385-2953 or via email at stbenildehomeandschool@gmail.com

Sunday, September 24th is Family Day in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Members of the Pastoral Council will be distributing copies of our 2016-2017 Pastoral Life Report after all the Masses. This report includes a copy of our year-end financial statements, information on ongoing projects, and a copy of our five-year Parish Pastoral Plan. Please take a copy home to read about the “good news” happening at St. Benilde Parish.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is sponsoring a “Friends of the Poor Walk” on Saturday, September 30, at New Orleans City Park Reunion Shelter & Festival Grounds. Onsite registration and check-in time begins at 9 AM. The one-mile walk will start at 10 AM. Music and refreshments will be provided from 10:30 AM to 1 PM. Walkers are to solicit and collect pledges. Donations are appreciated. SVDP members will be at all the Masses the weekend of September 23/24 with more information, registration forms, and accepting donations. Forms for pre-registration are also available in the Parish Office or online at www.FOPWALK.ORG. This is an important fundraiser for our SVDP because all money raised at St. Benilde stays in St. Benilde Parish. Thank you for your generous support of our efforts to help the less fortunate in our Parish.

All couples in the Parish are invited to a special night out for “Supper & Substance.” The event will be held at Andy’s Bistro on September 30th, at 6:30 PM. In addition to an evening of fellowship with members of our St. Benilde Family and a delicious meal, Arthur and Shirley Dupre will be the featured guest speakers. The cost is $76 per couple. Please visit the website or contact the Parish Office for more information and to register.

Due to the Priest Convocation, we will have a Communion Service at 7:00am on Wednesday, September 20th and Thursday, September 21st. There will be no School Mass on Wednesday, September 20th. Please pray for of our priest during these days of prayer, reflection and study.

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 the St. Benilde Teen Center in Metairie. The series will be for five (5) Tuesdays, September 12, September 19, September 26, October 3, and October 10, 2017. Hours are 7:30 PM -9:00 PM. The materials for the series cost $25.00. To register go to our website http://www.arch-no.org/offices/family-life-apostolate/#annulments. For more information, please call Cathy, 504-861-6243.

Archbishop Aymond is asking all churches in the Archdiocese of New Orleans to have a light on in the confessional on Wednesday, September 13th as a sign that Christ is not only the light of the world but one who is eager to forgive and to heal us. St. Benilde Catholic Church will offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation on September 13th from 5:00pm-6:30p.m. If you have been away from the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we invite you to come back to God’s loving mercy and forgiveness.

40 Days for Life is an international campaign that unites groups in prayer and action to end abortion. This year the campaign runs from September 27th through November 5th. St. Benilde is committed to adopting October 28th to pray outside the Planned Parenthood facility located at 4636 S. Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans. We invite each of you and your family and friends to pledge at least one hour in prayer with us on this day to end the brutal deaths of God’s precious creations. Members of the St. Benilde Pro-Life Committee will be available after all the Masses on September 9th and 10th with more information and the sign-up schedule. For more information please call Deacon Cliff Wright at 834-9706 or Sandra Brady at 885-3780.

Drop off your car Sunday, September 10th, between 8 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and the CYO will wash your car while you are attending Mass. Donations gratefully accepted.

St. Benilde’s CCD Program is offered to pre-K4 through 12th grade students not currently attending Catholic school. Classes begin on Sunday, Sept. 10, in the main school building. We teach religion from 9:30 a.m. until 10:45 a.m. Registration forms are available in the Church vestibule and in the Parish Office. The usual fee/tuition is $50 per student. For more information, please visit www.stbenilde.org/ccd.

St. Benilde Church has purchased a gift for every family in our parish. That gift is a subscription to FORMED, a wonderful website that has been called a “Catholic Netflix.” FORMED has inspiring movies and videos based on studies, audio presentations, and e-books from the Church’s most compelling speakers and authors. To register for free access to FORMED visit: www.stbenilde.org/formed

The St. Benilde Men’s Club invites all Dads, Grandfathers, Uncles, and Friends to participate in a FREE single elimination Cornhole Toss Tournament on Sunday, August 20th at 1:00 pm (Tournament starts at 2:00 pm) in St. Benilde School Yard. Complimentary Food, Music, and Refreshments will also be provided. Come out and enjoy the fun that the St. Benilde Men’s Club is famous for having. It’s a great way to meet the other men in the Parish and to get involved with the Men’s Club.

Attention High School Sophomores and any Juniors who did not register last year and are interested in receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation: Anyone who is currently a sophomore or older, and their parents, should attend an informational meeting on Sunday, August 20th at 12 noon, in the cafeteria. Registration forms may be found on the parish website and in the Parish Office. They may be returned to either the School or Parish Office. Please note, the Archdiocese of New Orleans requires two consecutive years of religious instruction before Confirmation. For more information, please contact Cecilia Wilson at 504-782-8943 or by email at cwilson@stbenilde.com.

Registration for our R.C.I.A. is now open. The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults is a set of sessions to share with others the truths of the Catholic faith. The program is open to those who have never been baptized; baptized Christians seeking to become Catholic; and Catholics desiring a better knowledge of their faith. Weekly meetings are held on Mondays, beginning August 14, at 7:30 PM, in the Library. Please call the Parish Office for more information.

The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Holy Day of Obligation. Vigil Mass will be celebrated at 5:30pm on Monday, August 14th. Masses on Tuesday, August 15th will be at 7am, 8:15am (School Mass – all are welcome to attend), and 6:00pm. Due to the Holy Day of Obligation, there will be no 6pm Holy Hour and Confessions on Monday, August 14th. The Parish Office will be closed on Tuesday, August 15th in observance of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We will reopen on Wednesday, August 16th at 9:00 am.