News - November 2017 RSS Feed

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: [email protected]

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.