This weekend is Hospitality Weekend. Members of the Parish Pastoral Council will be at all the Masses to distribute the 2015-2016 Pastoral Life Report – a summary of our Parish’s financial standing and pastoral activity for the past fiscal year. Please make plans to join us for coffee, donuts, and fellowship after Mass.

RCIA will begin Monday, September 12th. The weekly classes are held on Mondays, at 7:30 p.m., in the library. The RCIA program is open to those wishing to become Catholic as well as Catholics desiring a better knowledge of their faith. Please call the Parish Office for more information.

The Solemnity of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is NOT a Holy Day of Obligation this calendar year. However, because of the importance of this Feast Day in the Universal Church, we will have Mass on Monday, August 15th at 7:00am and 5:30pm. Even though the obligation has been dispensed this year, all are invited and encouraged to attend Mass to ask for the special intercession of our Lady. Please note that the Parish Office will be closed on Monday, August 15th in observance of the Feast Day.

We have begun the work of replacing the flooring in the Church. The project should be completed by the beginning of August. There will be no interruption to the normal Mass schedule. Thank your for your cooperation as we continue to make repairs to the Lord’s House.

Attention all young adults 18 to 39 years old. Would you like the opportunity to build relationships and grow in faith with other young adults in our parish and throughout the archdiocese? If you do, you are invited to attend the St. Benilde Young Adult Group meeting this Wednesday, August 3rd, from 7 to 9 p.m., in the Teen Center. The movie Do You Believe? will be presented. For more information, please call the Parish Office.

The Legion of Mary is the right arm of the pastor. We visit the sick in homes, hospitals and nursing homes, teach CCD, and are RCIA sponsors. We assist in many other Spiritual Works of Mercy needed to help our pastor. We meet most Saturdays at 2:05 p.m. in the Parish Office. We need your help. Will you answer Our Lady’s call? For more information, please call Diane Schexnayder at 504-577-4190.

FRESH FIRE 2016, a day-long gathering for those desiring refreshment and empowerment in the Holy Spirit will take place Saturday, July 30, 10am-3pm, at St Benilde Cafeteria, 1901 Division St., Metairie. The event is sponsored by the Catholic Charismatic Renewal of New Orleans (CCRNO) and was formerly called the Regional Ministries Gathering. Speakers will include Johnny Bertucci, Casey Sprehe, and Alex Lorio – all leaders in Catholic Charismatic Renewal locally, regionally and nationally. The theme for the day is “All His Ways Are Mercy and Truth” and will focus on the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis. Music will be provided by Jamie Diliberto. Registration is $30 per person and includes lunch. Special price for youth ages 14-35, $10. This event is open to everyone. Pre- registration is available at www.ccrno.org no later than Wednesday, July 27, by 12:00 noon. Call CCRNO at 504-828-1368.

Have you been wanting to play a more active role in sharing the Catholic faith? Do you have an hour a week to spare? If so, we are looking for a high school-level CCD teacher (catechist) for our 2016-2017 program. Classes run from September 11, 2016 through May 7, 2017, on most Sundays, from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. Class size is about 12 students. There are short courses available this summer to obtain credit toward catechist certification. There is also a teacher’s manual and additional resource material available to you. There is a publisher workshop that you can attend to help you prepare for the lessons. To be a catechist you must be a practicing Catholics at least 18 years of age who are willing to share your faith with children and progress toward certification. You must meet the Archdiocese of New Orleans safe environment criteria. If you would like more information, please call Mary Kelly at 834-4980 ext. 113, or 616-2823.

Mass in observance of Independence Day will be celebrated on Monday, July 4th at 7:00 AM and 5:30 PM (The 5:30 PM Mass will be followed by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament until 7:00 PM.) The Adoration Chapel will close at 3:45 PM (Prior to the 4:00 PM Vigil Mass) on Saturday, July 2nd and will reopen after the 7:30 AM Mass on Tuesday, July 5th. The Parish Office will be closed on Monday, July 4th in observance of Independence Day.

Rev. Robert T. Cooper, Pastor of St. Benilde Church and School released the following statement: "This morning, June 14, 2016, the Times-Picayune/NOLA.com released a slideshow entitled The 11 School Cafeterias with the Most Critical Health Violations. St. Benilde School was listed amongst the schools in the article. Please be assured that as pastor, I take the health and welfare of our students very seriously. Each day, I collaborate with the administration and faculty to ensure that we are providing a holy, healthy, and happy environment for our little ones to be formed in the values of the Gospel and the teachings of the Church. The majority of the health violations cited in the article where due to the construction and installation of our new cook-in kitchen which took place in the summer of 2015. It is also to be noted that many of the violations were duplicates as changes were being made to ensure the new facility fulfilled the requirements of the Health Department. It is my understanding after speaking with our principal and archdiocesan Food and Nutrition Service staff, which operates the cafeteria, that the violations have been addressed and any issues rectified as the new kitchen was completed. Our school continues to work collaboratively with Food and Nutrition Services of the Archdiocese of New Orleans to ensure that we are providing the best possible services to our students. I am grateful to Food and Nutrition Services for installing and operating our school cafeteria, and I am confident that they are providing a safe and healthy lunch program for our children."

The sixth annual Jazzin' on the River fundraiser for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul will be held July 9th, from 6 to 9 p.m., on the Steamboat Natchez. (Cruising will be from 7:30 - 8:30 p.m.) Admission tickets are $100 per person. The cost includes dinner, drinks, dancing, and silent auction. Music will be provided by the Dukes of Dixieland. In addition to give-a-ways and other prizes, there will be a raffle drawing for "Dining at the Top 10 Restaurants in Metro-New Orleans. You do not need to be present to win the raffle. Members of St. Benilde SVDP will be on hand the weekend of June 18/19 with more information, raffle tickets, and to accept cruise registrations.

Our CYO members will again participate in the All Catholic Youth Relay for Life on June 24 & 25. The event this year is at St. Angela Merici. The purpose of the Relay is to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Members will be selling luminaries next weekend after each Mass. They may be purchased in thanksgiving for a cancer survivor or in memory of a loved one who died from cancer. The cost is $5 each. Please support this great event. The Relay for Life would like to invite cancer survivors to attend the opening ceremonies on June 24. Please contact John Stiegman at 504-382-4081 so an invitation will be sent to you.

Even though the school year ends, St. Benilde does not. After a week to clean the school and recharge our batteries, SBS is back with “Summer at Benilde.” If you have never joined us before, here is what awaits you. Early Childhood Programs: Our year round early childhood programs keep going for children from birth to age two. During summer, you can expect everything you enjoy during the other ten months of the year, but add wet days and many “on campus” field trips. Camps: Elementary school students can participate in any number of our popular camps. Base Camp is for every student, and includes arts, crafts, games, weekly on campus and off campus “field trips,” and weekly trips to the pool. For an additional fee, children can participate in one of our many specialty camps. They keep their trips to the pool and field trips, but can spend part of their day learning more about art, science, soccer, dance, cheer, and more. Tutoring: Does your child need some more focused attention this summer to fill in some remaining gaps in their learning? Would you like them to deepen their knowledge and advance their learning? Would you like for them to avoid the “summer slide” and be more ready for next school year? Then sign up for one of tutoring programs, all of which utilize our distinctive personalized approach to student learning. Summer School: For students of SBS or other schools, we offer a special summer school program using our personalized approach to learning that is designed to fulfill the summer school requirements for admission to the next grade level. These programs are offered both on campus and through our SBS Online learning environment.

A special thanks to all who completed our Parish Survey. Your candid and thoughtful responses have helped the Parish Pastoral Council assess various areas of parish life as we now plan for the future. If you would like to view the survey results, please visit the parish website: www.stbenilde.org/parish-survey

We are very blessed at St. Benilde to have our Adoration Chapel. We recently marked the 10th anniversary of its opening on Divine Mercy Sunday. Would you like to spend some quiet time in prayer with the Lord? Please consider becoming a committed adorer. For more information, please call Joy at 504-834-5525.

Registration forms for St. Benilde's Vacation Bible School are now available in the Parish Office. Bible Down the Bayou will be held July 5th – 8th, from 8:30 a.m. until 12 noon. The deadline to register is May 27th. More information and the registration form can be found on the parish website www.stbenilde.org or call Anita at 504-874-1210.

I extend my personal congratulations to Earl and Cecilia Wilson, Melanie Plaideau, and Cathy Francis, the recipients of the 2016 Order of St. Louis IX Medallion, for their outstanding service and commitment to both St. Benilde Catholic Church and to the local Church in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. This award recognizes the lay faithful who, by their loving service to the Church in and of New Orleans, continue to spread the Good News of the Gospel to all whom they encounter. Congratulations to all three of you on this most deserved honor and recognition! ~ Fr. Cooper

All Volunteers who have ongoing contact with minors, even one unsupervised contact with minors, and all who participate in an overnight event, must attend Safe Environment Training prior to volunteering for the first and every three years thereafter. Safe Environment training will be held at St. Benilde on May 2, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria.

Congratulations to Matthaeus Dischner for being selected as the representative from St. Benilde Catholic Church to receive the 2016 Altar Server Award from Archbishop Aymond. Because of his faithfulness to this important ministry in the Church, our parish community is proud to nominate him for this honor. We extend our personal congratulations to Matthaeus, and we extend our thankfulness to all the boys who are dedicated to serving at the Altar of the Lord.

When Mrs. Miriam Whitman was ten years old and a student at St. Catherine School, the nuns found out that she could play piano pretty well. Since they needed someone to play the organ at school masses, they sat her down and showed her how the pedals work. Since then, Mrs. Miriam has been playing the organ -without pay - virtually her entire life. In fact, the only time she did not play the organ at Church was a ten year period during which she had her nine children (you read that right… ten years; nine kids!). Today, Mrs. Miriam continues offering her services playing the organ at weekend Masses and the school’s weekly Mass. She shows up without fail each week, and offers her help to the school’s choir and choir director with her trademark humility. We cannot think of anyone better to honor for her constant giving of time, talent, and treasure to our parish and school community. That is we are proud to announce that Mrs. Miriam Whitman is this year’s recipient of the Benilde Medal for Service to Parish and School. We look forward to formally recognizing her and giving her the medal during this year’s Luck of the Irish Spring Gala on April 9th starting at 7:30 PM at the Landmark Hotel in Metairie.