ST. BENILDE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

1901 Division Street • Metairie, Louisiana 70001

Church Office: (504) 834-4980 • Church Fax: (504) 831-5810 • Church Email: stbenildechurch@cox.net

www.stbenilde.org

CLERGY Rev. Robert T. Cooper, Pastor Rev. H.L. Brignac, Sacramental Asst. Deacon Biaggio DiGiovanni Deacon Stephen Gordon Deacon Clifford Wright

BAPTISMS First and Third Sundays of the month at 12 Noon. Please call the Parish

Office for more information.

MATRIMONY Please contact a priest/deacon 8 months prior to your wedding.

FUNERALS Arrangements may be made at the Parish Office.

March 11, 2018 Fourth Sunday of Lent

ORDINARY FAMILIES

EXTRAORDINARY FAITH

DEVOTIONS Holy Hour in Church

Monday, 6:00-7:00 p.m.

Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Following 7 a.m. Mass on Tuesday

NEWCOMERS Call the Parish Office to receive a New

Parishioner Registration Packet.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY

St. Benilde Conference (504) 233-3246

ST. BENILDE SCHOOL Michael Buras, Interim Principal

1801 Division Street • Metairie, LA (504) 833-9894

MASS TIMES Saturday Vigil … 4 p.m.

Sunday … 9:00, 11:00 a.m. & 6 p.m. Monday—Friday … 7:00 a.m.

Monday and Thursday … 5:30 p.m. First Saturday … 8:45 a.m.

HOLY DAYS OF OBLIGATION See Inside the Bulletin for Schedule

CONFESSION TIMES Saturday … 3:00—3:45 p.m. Sunday … 5:00—5:45 p.m. Monday … 6:00—6:45 p.m.

and by appointment at the Parish Office

DIVINE MERCY ADORATION CHAPEL Eucharistic Adoration from 7:00 p.m. Sunday

till 4:00 p.m. Saturday

Parish Motto—Building the Kingdom of God

Ministers of the Liturgy March 10 & 11, 2018

Saturday - 4 P.M. Intention: George Spaulding, Beverly Manfre, Joseph Segari,

Jess Matherne, Jr., Raymond Asprion, Betty Pourciau,

Merle & Charles Dittmer, Patrick C. McKinney,

Flora Maria Be, Austin Burroughs, Roger Ettienne,

Madeline Gohres Grunewald, Carol Aymani,

Melissa Mendel Zimmerman

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion:

C. Casente, K. Hartdegan

Cantor: Trish Foti Organist: Jared Croal

Sunday - 9 A.M. Intention: Parishioners

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion:

C. Frederick, L. Director, J. Zeringue, G. Rojas

Song Leaders: Traditional Choir

Sunday - 11 A.M. Intention: Albert Roux III, Paul J. Hymel, Jr.,

Joseph Donald Bernard, Todd Hillburn,

Mary & Melvin Ducote, Kelvin Ducote, Joy Rojas,

Emile Fichter, Jr., Bill C. Johnson, Thomas Prunty,

Ronnie & Dianne Z. Harrision, Miriam Whitman,

Juan Pablo Passarelli, Orin Joseph Brelet, Alice Brin,

Paula Roux and Family (L), Fred Leonard Sandoval

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion:

N. Bostick, L. Frey, J. Hutchison, J. Hutchison

Song Leaders: Contemporary Choir

Sunday - 6 P.M. Intention: Russell Joubert

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion:

L. Daigle, B. David

Cantor: Lauren Gisclair Pianist: Beth Kettenring

Weekday Masses Monday 7:00 a.m. Danny Powers (L)

5:30 p.m. Joy Rojas

Tuesday 7:00 a.m. Linda Atzenhoffer (L)

5:30 p.m. Lloyd Pablovich

Wednesday 7:00 a.m. June & Marvin Ackermann (L)

8:15 a.m. Betty Kuchelman

5:30 p.m. Mary Catherine DiMaggio (L)

Thursday 7:00 a.m. Julian Laine, Jr.

5:30 p.m. Rose Mary Silbernagel

Friday 7:00 a.m. Joseph Conrad

5:30 p.m. Judith Theisges

The Church Sanctuary Lamp burns in memory of

The Souls in Purgatory

The Blessed Mother

Votive Lamps burn

For Reparations for Sins

Adoration Chapel

Sanctuary Lamp burns

in memory of

Stuart & Gloria Fourroux

Adoration Chapel Candles

burn for

Seminarians and Novices

Altar Ladies Week of March 11

J. Dunn, C. Batt, L. Segari

Linens Large - K. Birrcher Small - A. Duersel M. Meece

The St. Joseph Votive Lamps

burn for an

End to Violence in our City

St. Benilde Catholic Church

The Altar Flowers are in memory of

Deceased Parishioners

Stewardship of Treasure Weekend of March 3 & 4

Envelopes …………………………………$10,618.00

Loose …………………………………………2,864.00

Electronic Giving ……………………………...401.00

Repairs & Maintenance ……………………3,007.00

Msgr. Richaud Fund ………………………….489.00

Totaling …………………………………...$17,379.00

“Let us focus on generosity, or returning God’s gifts

with increase, through the generous sharing of our time,

talent and treasure.”

~ Fr. Cooper

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion

March 17/18 4 PM A. & P. Delaup 9 AM C. Rispoli, B. Soleto, J. Tusa, P. Cifreo 11 AM S. Gordon, L. Peters, J. Ackermann, J. Wright

6 PM M. Drawe, D. Powers

Out Of Reverence For The Lord Jesus

who so generously shares with

us His Body and Blood in the

Eucharist, worshipers are

earnestly invited to remain with

the congregation until Mass is

concluded.

St. Benilde Catholic Church Volume 36: Issue 10

Parish Motto—Building the Kingdom of God

Lenten Masses, Confession

Times & Devotionals For our complete Lenten Schedule visit:

www.stbenilde.org/lent Easter Memorial Flowers and Lilies

The beautiful Easter lilies and spring flowers that adorn our altar and sanctuary are a special part of the celebration of Easter at St. Benilde Catholic Church. We invite all parishioners to share in the experience through a memorial or thanksgiving gift by using the Easter Flowers Memorial Envelopes. Donations toward the cost of Easter flowers 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. The suggested donation is $10.00 per remembrance. Please place your envelopes in the collection basket, the Poor Box or bring them to the Parish Office before April 2nd. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Memorial Envelopes will be placed on the altar throughout the Easter Season. The names of all those for whom our Easter flowers are in memory of will be printed in the parish bulletin in the weeks following Easter. Sunday.

The Paschal Candle

During the 50 days of the Easter Season the Paschal Candle (Easter Candle) will burn at all Masses celebrated at St. Benilde Church. The Paschal

Candle represents Christ, the Light of the World.

The pure beeswax of which the candle is made

represents the sinless Christ who was formed in

the womb of His Mother. The wick signifies His

humanity, the flame, His Divine Nature, both soul and body. Five grains of incense inserted into the

candle in the form of a cross recall the aromatic

spices with which His Sacred Body was prepared

for the tomb, and of the five wounds in His hands,

feet, and side. During the Easter Vigil, the deacon carries the candle in procession into the dark

church. The candle, representing Christ himself, is

blessed by the priest who then inscribes in it a

cross, the first letters and last of the Greek

alphabet and the current year. If you would like

the Paschal Candle to burn in memory of a loved one or in thanksgiving for prayers

answered throughout the Easter season, please

contact the Parish Office. The cost of the

candle is $300.

Fr. Cooper’s Corner

To Save Souls You Must Be Holy

If the Prophet Isaiah were alive today, I don’t think God’s message through him would be much different in our times. First, we are instructed to “observe what is right.” This means we take notice of the things around us, that we see and perceive not just the surface but what are the motives of our actions. We must discern and judge the moral weight of the situation we find ourselves in, and then we seek what is proper and moral, ethical and honorable; we honestly seek what is right, good, and true. So that, by our actions, we execute, accomplish, and achieve the goal of our human existence – namely salvation in Christ Jesus, Our Lord. To be just like God means that we are virtuous, impartial, loving all equally, so that before men we are fair-minded in our attitudes, disciplined in our behavior, and give to others what they are due – namely dignity and respect . . . and to love as Christ loves. And why do we do these things? “Because our salvation is about to come . . .” Our means of deliverance from sins, is based solely on our willingness to forgive others, our means of escaping hell is based on our ability to love and show mercy. If we ever hope to receive love and mercy from God, St. Teresa of Avila, the great Doctor of the Church on the spiritual life, firmly taught her sisters, that it would be most beneficial to your souls to learn and understand what Christ saved you from . . . namely eternal damnation in hell. The Prophet warns us, “God’s justice is about to be revealed . . .” which means God is coming to give each person what they are due for a good or bad life. What we think or what the world thinks no longer matters (if it ever did). Now what God thinks is our due is about to be revealed. Moreover, we already know the standard of judgment that will be used against us. Did we treat others the way Christ would have treated them? Have we given to others as if they were Christ Himself? Have we loved like God with the limited time we have been given? This is the standard. Did we live our lives like Jesus’ lived His, as a complete gift of self in service for others? Therefore, we come to the conclusion that we need prayer. God leads us there by saying to the Prophet, “For my house shall be called “a House of Prayer” for all people . . .” When we come before this great and almighty Lord, who is our God, present here in the Tabernacle, is there a certain way we should conduct ourselves? Yes! Yes, there is! The Prophet Habakkuk taught, “The Lord is in His Holy Temple; let all the earth be silent before Him.” The prophet Zephaniah taught, “Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign Lord, for the awesome day of the Lord’s judgment is near. The Lord has prepared His people for a great slaughter and has chosen their executioners.” Even the book of Psalms makes reference to this, “Be silent in the Lord’s presence and wait patiently for Him.” If the Old Testament was not enough guidance to tell us how we should act in the presence of God, we even receive similar advice from the Saints. St. Faustina wrote in her diary, “A soul that has never tasted the sweetness of inner silence is a restless spirit which disturbs the silence of others,” or St. Mother Teresa who taught her sisters, “God speaks in the silence of the heart,” or even the great Father, St. Ambrose, who taught, “What ought we to learn before everything else, but to be silent; so that then we might be able to speak.” The correct posture before Our Lord is one of silence, because God does not raise His voice to be heard. He only speaks in whispers. Therefore, we must be patiently silent and carefully wait for Him to speak. In the meantime, we observe and seek after the good, the true, and the beautiful. These things make life on earth much more fulfilling, far happier, and rewarding. Try and remember the famous, but forgotten, words of Robert Frost, “I took the road less traveled and it made all the difference.” St. Paul gives us a great insight into the mind of God, “For God delivered all to disobedience, that He might have

Parish Motto—Building the Kingdom of God

St. Benilde Catholic Church

mercy upon all.” As St. Paul also taught, in the Letter to the Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Therefore, all humanity is in need of His mercy. We all need His love. He is ever ready to give to us His forgiveness, but the process (at times) may not be so easy. Look at the Gospel of St. Matthew (15:21-28). A woman, a Gentile woman, comes begging our Lord’s help to cure her daughter. She does not ask for anything for herself, but her love for her daughter gives her the courage and the hope to approach Our Lord and get a favorable response. What happens next? “Jesus didn’t say a word in answer to her.” She is completely ignored by Jesus. Ouch! That should hurt us a little, to hear our Lord treated her this way. But, that does not stop her. She persists in her calling out to Our Lord for assistance. Now, even the Apostles are tired of her and say to Our Lord, “Get rid of her.” No compassion or intercession even from Our Lord’s followers. Finally, Jesus somewhat acknowledges her by speaking about her to the Apostles, a clear indication that Jesus still does not want to speak to her directly, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel . . .” Feeling somewhat acknowledged by our Lord, even though indirectly, she cries out, “Lord help me!” And instead of helping her, He appears to insult her, refers to her as a dog. Is this a misprint? Our Lord refers to someone as a DOG, no human dignity or respect in those words. Oh, but this woman is not done. Her love for her daughter moves her to even take Jesus’ insults and name-calling. The woman must have thought to herself, “Insult me, I don’t care, just as long as you help me.” And so she suffers it, to which our Lord responds, “. . . your great faith . . . let it be done as YOU wish. . .” Here we see again the great kindness and mercy of our Lord to help even when He clearly does not want to. But, He does the will of the other, for the sake of the other. Every week we come here and hear of such great faith from those who were around Jesus when He lived on earth. These events in the life of Jesus are meant to inspire us to great faith, to perform great acts of love in our lives. The late Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman, shortly before becoming a Catholic said, “I believe that the Roman Catholic Church is the true Church of Jesus Christ, but where is the mark of holiness? Where are the Saints?” Fantastic question! Where are they? A priest friend of mine often says, “I entered the seminary for five years and when I came out, I could no longer find the Catholic Church.” Where is the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church? Where are Her saints? Why and where are they hiding? To be able to persevere in right judgment, just thinking, to be silent and have a reverential fear before God … to be humble and contrite, this is the path of holiness, the way of the Saints. Because God will have mercy on our human weakness, as long as we are faithful and persevere. We do this because this is what will win us salvation. It may not be the popular or the most rewarding or even the easiest way. But, out of love for our God, we persevere in His ways if they are easy or not; if they cause us difficulty or not. We do not hide as Catholics. We do not run in fear. But, we fight for a better world for those we love. We can no longer sit on our hands when faced with such evils that are in this world today. Therefore, what do Catholics do? We fight, as Pope Leo XIII, reminds us, “Catholics are made for combat.” We were confirmed by the Holy Spirit to be soldiers. Our best weapons are our Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration. But, these are not, and should not be, the only weapons at our disposal. We need to learn our faith so we can defend it. In 1972, Bishop Fulton Sheen asked a very important question, that as Catholics we better wake up and listen to: “Who is going to save our Church?” he asked. His answer: “not our bishops, not our priests, and religious. It is up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church. Your mission,” he continued, “is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops act like a bishops, and your religious act like religious.” This is why Bishop Sheen also said, “To save souls we must be holy, for God does not use dirty tools.” It would do us good to wake up quickly to God’s call to holiness, before the Church is completely gone from our society. Therefore, listen carefully to the words Our Lord gives to us, words of great wisdom, power, and love. Let us aspire to the greatness that is ours as Catholics and with great joy open our hearts to God’s call to authentic holiness, not only in our words and in our prayers, but most especially in our actions.

St. Benilde Catholic Church Volume 36: Issue 10

Parish Motto—Building the Kingdom of God

Archdiocesan Lenten

Confession Nights

During the Holy Season of Lent, Archbishop Aymond is asking all churches in the Archdiocese of New Orleans to have a light on in the confessional on Wednesday, March 7; Wednesday, March 14; and Wednesday,

March 21 from 5 PM - 6:30 PM as a sign that Christ is not only the light of the world but one who is eager to forgive and to heal us. If you have been away from the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we invite you to come back to God’s loving mercy and forgiveness.

St. Benilde Catholic Church

Parish Motto—Building the Kingdom of God

Family Movie Night

St. Patrick: The Irish Legend will be shown on Friday, March 16, at 7 PM, in the Teen Center. Born into nobility in Britain, Patrick was kidnapped at the age of 16 by Irish raiders. He escaped after six years, only to return to the turbulent country as a missionary to preach the faith and liberate Ireland from pagan beliefs. Please join us for this exciting feature film depicting the life of a world famous Irish hero. Light refreshments will be served. For more information please contact Val Hebert at valencemet@aol.com or (504)427-0327.

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and Readers Needed

We are in great need of Readers and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion to serve at weekend Masses. Basic Liturgical Workshops for Extraordinary Ministers of Communion will be held April 21 and May 5 at the Archdiocesan Administration Building, 7887 Walmsley Ave., NOLA. A Basic Liturgical Workshop for Readers will be presented on March 17 at St. Clement of Rome Church, 4317 Richland Ave., Metairie. All workshops are from 9 AM until 1 PM. Please consider serving in these very important ministries. You must get Fr. Cooper’s permission before registering with the Parish Office. Please call the Parish Office for more information.

Palms Needed for Palm Sunday

Please save your palms to help us supply the congregation with palms for Palm Sunday. To help lessen the work of our volunteers, please bring only fresh, healthy, cleaned palms. Containers will be available in the Church foyer Monday, March 19 through Thursday March 22 to place the palms in. Thanks so much for your help.

St. Joseph Altar

St. Benilde Parish will be hosting a St. Joseph Altar

on Monday, March 19, from 9 AM to 5 PM, in

the Teen Center. Donations of

cakes, breads, cookies, fruits, flowers,

and any religious articles are

welcome. Please leave donations in

the Church foyer on March 17 & 18,

or in the Parish Office during regular

office hours. St. Joseph candles will

be available for purchase during

viewing. For more information please call Bonnie at

504-628-1642 or Beth at 504-920-7302.

MARCH 11, 2018

ST. BENILDE CATHOLIC CHURCH – ID # 113850

1901 DIVISION ST.

METAIRIE, LA 70001

504-834-4980

NANCY CAROLLO

504-834-4980

MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAYS - 9 A.M. TO 3 P.M.

FRIDAYS - 9 A.M. TO 12 NOON

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: