News - January 2018 RSS Feed

Catholics often participate in the tradition of having their throats blessed. To do this, the priest consecrates two candles, generally by a prayer, and then holds each in a crossed position on the throat of the person being blessed. At the same time, the following blessing is given: “Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from ailments of the throat and from every other evil. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” Why does the blessing of the throat take place on St. Blaise Day? St. Blaise, a physician and bishop, asked God to cure a child who was choking to death on a fish bone and the child’s life was saved. Thus, St. Blaise is the patron saint of healthy throats. The Blessing of Throats will take place at St. Benilde after the 8:45am Mass on Saturday, February 3rd.

The annual St. Benilde Boy Scout Troop 227 Spaghetti and Meatball Dinner is scheduled for Sunday, February 4th. Dinners will be available for eat-in or take-out, from 10 AM-2 PM, in the cafeteria. Pre-sale tickets will be sold after all the Masses on the weekend of January 20th-21st. The cost is $7 in advance or $8 at the door. This fundraiser helps defray the cost of summer camp. Hope to see you there!

A ten-session video/discussion series featuring Father Michael Gaitley, MIC, will be offered at 7 PM in the Teen Center, on Tuesday evenings: January 23, 30, February 6, 20, 27, March 6, 13, 20, 27 and April 3. (No session on February 13 due to Mardi Gras.) The series is based on Fr. Gaitley’s book “The Second Greatest Story Ever Told.” Itreveals the heart of St. John Paul II's witness for our time, building on the prophetic voices of Saints Margaret Mary Alacoque, Thérèse of Lisieux, Maximilian Kolbe, and Faustina Kowalska. The profound connection between Divine Mercy and Marian consecration will be explored. According to Fr. Gaitley, we must prepare for the Lord's final coming, whenever it may be, not with fear and trembling, but with trust in His Divine Mercy. The cost is $10 per person for materials. Please make checks payable to St. Benilde Church. To register, or for more information, please contact Val Hebert at [email protected] or call (504) 427-0327.

Our second graders will celebrate their First Reconciliation on Saturday, January 20th at 10:00 AM in the Church. The whole parish family shares in the responsibility for the religious education of our children. Through our faithful witness to the Gospel, the parish is called to help our children to understand the nature of sin and be examples of God’s forgiveness. The parish “intercedes for them and helps penitents with maternal care and solicitude to acknowledge and admit their sins and to obtain the mercy of God who alone can forgive sins” (Rite of Penance, #8). The entire parish is invited and encouraged to walk this journey of preparation with our children through prayer and intention as they approach the sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time.

On the weekend of January 20th - 21st, St. Benilde will be welcoming NET Ministries to our parish. NET Ministries is a national organization of Catholic young men and women who participate in the missionary work of the church by traveling the country putting on retreats for different parishes. They will be doing a retreat for our sixth and seventh grade students on Friday and our Confirmation Candidates on Saturday. If anyone is interested in helping these visitors to our parish by being a host family, assisting with meals or making a monetary donation to help defray the cost, please contact Cecilia Wilson at the St. Benilde School Office: 504-833-9894. Your prayers are greatly appreciated!