Masses on Christmas Eve, Monday, December 24th will be celebrated at 4:00PM and 6:00PM. Masses on Christmas Day, Tuesday, December 25th will be celebrated at 9:00AM and 11:00AM. Please note that there will be No Christmas Midnight Mass this year due to marginal attendance over the past three calendar years. In Addition, there will be No Confessions or Holy Hour on Monday, December 24th at 6:00PM.

There will be a special Second Collection taken at all the Christmas Masses to help support Priestly Formation at Notre Dame Seminary and to assist with the various Charitable Organizations of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Thank you for your generosity as we help our young men studying for the priesthood.

The Bless the Baby Jesus devotion will be held with Fr. Cooper on Sunday, December 16th 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. Immediately following the Bless the Baby Jesus devotion, 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. Please come and join in this faith-filled, family activity!

Thanks to all who took an angel off the Giving Tree to help make Christmas a little happier for the less fortunate in our Parish. Additional angels are still available on the Giving Tree in the vestibule of church. The deadline to return the gifts to the Parish Office is Wednesday, December 12. It is very important to include the angel attached securely on the outside of the gift.

Join your fellow parishioners for the BEST ADVENT EVER, a free email program from Dynamic Catholic. Advent is a time to prepare our hearts for Christmas, but we often get distracted and busy. Don’t let this Advent pass you by. Slow down and focus on what matters most with BEST ADVENT EVER. Each day, you’ll receive an email with short inspirational videos from Allen Hunt and Dominick Albano, practical tips for your everyday life, and real-life stories to encourage you in your faith journey. All you have to do is sign up at BestAdventEver.com.

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 Friday, December 7th. Mass on Saturday, December 8th will be at 9:00am.

The 2019 Mass Book is now open. Mass intentions are $5 each. The sanctuary lights and candles in Church and in the Adoration Chapel are $10 each and burn for the week. The weekly altar flowers may be purchased for $120. Please note, we do not carry over intentions from year to year.

Tuesday, November 27th, is the #iGiveCatholic Day of Giving. Monies raised during this 24-hour period will benefit St. Benilde School by providing funds for scholarships, financial aid, capital improvements, new technology, and much more. You may donate online by visiting: https://neworleans.igivecatholic.org/organizations/st-benilde-school.Every gift of $25 or more will go further with $34,000 of matching funds provided by the Whitman Family Foundation! For question or additional information, please contact St. Benilde principal, Thomas Huck, by email at thuck@stbenilde.com or by phone at 504-833-9894. Thank you for your generosity.

Just in time for the Advent Season, we invite you to join us for the motion picture “Silent Night.” Learn the true story behind the most popular Christmas carol of all times. This 90-minute film is an inspiring story of faith, hope and perseverance. The movie will be shown on Friday, November 30, at 7 PM in the Teen Center. Snacks and refreshments will be available. For more information, please contact Val Hebert at valencemet@aol.comor at 504-427-0327.

On the weekend of November 24th and 25th, the Daughters of St. Paul will be at all the Masses with a display of books and religions articles. Please make plans to stop by after Mass to support the work and ministry of the sisters. Why has Pauline Books and Media become one of the most trusted Catholic publishers in the U.S.? The Daughters of St. Paul are passionate about the new evangelization and the power of the media to permeate society with the word of God and the hope brought by Jesus Christ.

On the weekend of November 17th and 18th, we will kick-off our annual Baby Bottle Campaign to assist the Woman’s New Life Center. Baby bottles will be available after all the Masses. Please return your baby bottle filled with a donation the following weekend, November 24th and 25th. Thank you for your continued generosity as we support the life, faith, and family!

Fr. Cooper will celebrate a special Thanksgiving Day Mass on Thursday, November 22nd 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 22nd. The Adoration Chapel will close at 11:59 PM on Wednesday, November 21st and will reopen at 7:30 AM on Friday, November 23rd. The Parish Office will be closed on Thursday, November 22nd and Friday, November 23rd in observance of Thanksgiving Day. We will reopen on Monday, November 26th at 9:00 am.

Everyone is invited to an organ concert on Friday, November 16, at 7 PM in Church. Jared Croal, our Church Organist, will be playing works by the great composers such as Bach, Handel, Mozart and more. Admission is free; however, donations will be accepted. All proceeds will benefit the University of Holy Cross Theology Club. Thank you for your generosity.

Thanks to everyone who took a grocery bag to help St. Vincent de Paul with the Christmas baskets for the needy in our parish. The deadline to return bags is Friday, November 16th. Filled bags may be returned to either the church foyer or the Parish Office. If anyone still needs a grocery bag to fill, you may pick up one in the Parish Office.

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. Rita of Cascia’s Msgr. Champagne Complex in Harahan. The series will be for three (3) Saturdays, November 24, December 1 and December 8, 2018. Hours are 8:30 AM –noon. The materials for the series cost $25. To register go to our website https://nolacatholicfla.regfox.com/annulment-writing-workshop-novemberdecember-2018. For more information, please call Cathy, 504-861-6243.

Hurricane Michael has left families in the panhandle of Florida homeless and without the basics of food and water. In the popular vacation community of Panama City, there is still no electricity or water in the community. While many of the reports are focused on the beaches and beach communities, there is great need inland where there are residents and a higher level of poverty. We in the Archdiocese of New Orleans know the impact of generosity in storm recovery. The following are some ways we can help the people of the Florida Panhandle: Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida has set up a website that lists the needs of the area as well as volunteer opportunities. They estimate they will need 75 volunteers, 7 days a week for several months to work in recovery. For those wanting to help, go to https://ccnwfl.org/ to find out what collections are being accepted and how to sign-up to volunteer. For anyone with family or who know of families or individuals that have been displaced by Hurricane Michael and are now in New Orleans, Catholic Charities case managers are available to help. Please call (504) 227-3440. Those wanting to send a monetary donation to assist in the recovery may send a check for Hurricane Michael Relief to the Archdiocese of New Orleans, 7887 Walmlsey Ave., New Orleans, LA 70125.

Our Annual Foodie Fest is November 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Don’t miss the delicious food, family-friendly games, great music, and fellowship. The Foodie Fest runs from 6:00 - 11:00 PM on Friday, from Noon - 11:00 PM on Saturday, and from Noon - 8:00 PM on Sunday. The St. Benilde Foodie Fest … Come for the Food … Stay for the Fun!

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 (Friday, 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 by 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.

St. Benilde Parish will participate in the international 40 Days for Life campaign to end abortion. This year the campaign runs from September 25th through November 3rd. St. Benilde is committed to adopting October 27th to pray outside the Women’s Health Care Centre, located at 2701 General Pershing Street in New Orleans. We invite you to pledge at least one hour in prayer with us. For more information, please call Deacon Cliff Wright at 834-9706 or Sandra Brady at 885-3780.

All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation. Vigil Mass will be celebrated at 5:30pm on Wednesday, October 31st. Masses on Thursday, November 1st will be at 7am, 1:00pm (School Mass – all are welcome to attend), and 6:00pm. The Parish Office will be closed on Thursday, November 1st in observance of All Saints Day. We will reopen on Friday, November 2nd at 9:00am.