If you normally use weekly envelopes, there was a delay in shipping. Your personalized box of envelopes were shipped first class mail on Thursday, January 7th from New York State. We apologize for any inconvenience.

The Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God on January 1st is a Holy Day of Obligation. The vigil Mass will be Thursday, December 31st, at 4 p.m. Masses on Friday, January 1st, will be at 9 and 11 a.m. There will be no evening Mass.

A reminder to families of St. Benilde school children. In order to maintain the status of registered, active and supporting school family, a contribution level has been set at $520 per calendar year. This obligation must be met by December 31st to avoid paying the higher non-participating tuition rate for the 2016-17 school year.

The Annual Carl Barre Blood Drive will be Wednesday, December 30th. It will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at The Blood Center’s Metairie Donor Center at 2617 Edenborn Ave. Please help us achieve our annual goal of blood and platelet donations. Call the Parish Office for additional information.

The Mass schedule for Christmas: Vigil Masses at 4 and 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve; Mass at midnight; and on Christmas Day, Mass will be celebrated at 9 and 11 a.m. THERE WILL BE NO 6 P.M. MASS ON CHRISTMAS DAY. Please note, the Adoration Chapel will close on Thursday, December 24th at 3 p.m. and will reopen on Monday, December 28th at 7:30 a.m.

A Special Second Collection will be taken up at all the Christmas Masses to help support our seminarians at Notre Dame Seminary and Archdiocesan charitable organizations. Thank you in advance for your generosity as we support the future priests of our Archdiocese.

Make your plans now to join us for the Second Annual Men’s Club Chili Cook-Off Trifecta on Sunday December 20th. 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 band Paris Avenue, an Old Fire Truck, 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 parish will have a Holy Hour from 6:00pm till 7:00pm on Monday, December 21st 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.

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 before December 23rd. 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 second collection this weekend is the annual Retirement Fund for Religious collection. Contributions help to care for our retired brothers, sisters, and religious order priests. Thank you for your generosity.

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday... then Giving Tuesday! We appreciate your support with donations on Tuesday, December 1st, spreading the word about the importance of the mission and ministry of Catholic Education at St. Benilde School, and encouraging others to participate in Giving Tuesday. The Verdict is in .... All By the Grace of God! We achieved our goal! ..... Total raised in 24 hours by 197 individuals: $21,285. With the match from the Whitman Family Foundation, we raised a Grand Total of $42,570!! THANK YOU to all who gave for this campaign! May God bless you abundantly! Know of my gratitude and thanksgiving to each and every one of you! Let the Church say: Amen ... Amen .... Amen!!! Praise Jesus!

The St. Benilde Fund is the annual fund for St. Benilde School. Proceeds benefit our children by ensuring teachers have access to top notch training and learning resources. This year, we launch the St. Benilde Fund with a twist: The #iGiveCatholic giving day is an initiative of the Catholic Foundation for the Archdiocese of New Orleans to promote charitable giving in the schools, parishes, and nonprofits of the Archdiocese. The giving day this year is on December 1, 2015. From 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM, secure, tax deductible donations will be accepted on https://igivecatholic.org/#npo/st-benilde-school. 100% of the donations you make for St. Benilde School will come directly to us! There is even a competition involved. The school with the highest number of new donors will receive a prize of $5,000, with lesser amounts also given to the 2nd and 3rd place schools. So mark down on your calendars December 1st and make your gift through iGiveCatholic.org, and help us win $5,000 more to benefit the children and teachers of St. Benilde School!

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 Monday, December 7th. Masses on Tuesday, December 8th will be at 7am, 8:20am (School Mass), 12 Noon, and 6:00pm. Due to the Holy Day of Obligation, there will be no 6pm Holy Hour and Confessions on Monday, December 7th.

Fr. Cooper will celebrate a special Thanksgiving Day Mass on Thursday, November 26th 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 26th. The Adoration Chapel will close at 11:59 PM on Wednesday, November 25th and will reopen at 7:30 AM on Friday, November 27th. The Parish Office will be closed on Thursday, November 26th and Friday, November 27th in observance of Thanksgiving Day. We will reopen on Monday, November 30th at 9:00 am.

Catholic Charities Immigration and Refugee Services has a long history of resettling families fleeing violence in their home countries. Thirty years ago the late Archbishop Philip Hannan worked to resettle Vietnamese families here, and today the Vietnamese community is a valuable part of our diverse New Orleans culture. Today, we face new challenges as we answer the Gospel call to welcome the stranger and care for the vulnerable. Thousands of families: women, men and children are fleeing violence in the Middle East. Catholic Charities is a grantee agency that receives refugees from many parts of the world, including the Middle East, and we have recently resettled two families from the area. In light of recent events, we take this opportunity to not only reiterate our commitment to the Gospel but also our commitment to the safety of our own families and communities. It is important for the community to know that anyone resettled through our program is referred from the United States State Department after extensive security checks and background screenings. This is not a fast process but one that can take months and even years to complete.

This weekend is Hospitality Weekend. It will be hosted by the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Please join us for coffee, donuts and fellowship after all the Masses.

The second collection this weekend will be for the Campaign for Human Development. The Catholic Campaign for Human Development is the national anti-poverty program of the U.S. Catholic Bishops, working to carry out the mission of Jesus Christ "... to bring good news to the poor ... release to captives ... sight to the blind, and let the oppressed go free." (Luke 4:18) The belief that those who are directly affected by unjust systems and structures have the best insight into knowing how to change them is central to CCHD. CCHD works to break the cycle of poverty by helping low-income people participate in decisions that affect their lives, families and communities. CCHD offers a hand up, not a hand out. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Mark your calendars and prepare to feast at our parish Foodie Fest. It will be held on Friday, November 6th from 6 - 11 PM; Saturday, November 7th from Noon - 11 PM, and Sunday, November 9th from Noon - 8 PM. For those of you who have been around for several years, you may have noticed that we have rebranded, moving from the Fall Fest to the Foodie Fest. Why? Nobody beats our food. Hot, fresh, and made from original recipes of SBS families the food - from Chicken on a Stick to seafood like Blackened Redfish to some of the best jambalaya you will ever have - is a treat for the taste buds. Paris Avenue performs Friday from 8 - 11 PM. The Crescent Kings perform Saturday from 3:30 - 6:30 PM. Finally, the Topcats perform Sunday from 5 - 8 PM. Our school children will also perform on stage on Saturday and Sunday. The St. Benilde Foodie Fest … Come for the Food … Stay for the Fun!

As part of Confirmation preparation for sophomore candidates, the activity "When the Saints Go Marching In" is scheduled for Sunday, November 1st, from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. in the main school building. Please note: it is required to attend this activity or Abby Youth Fest, which will be held March 12, 2016 at St. Joseph's Abby in Covington.

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 (Monday, 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 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.