-
BackForwardPauseCaption
-
A message from father charles
Dear Friends,
Archbishop Aymond has written an article in last week's Clarion Herald on the wearing of masks. If you are like me, you may be getting very tired of wearing a mask: possibly dealing with feelings of claustrophobia, suffering from the extra heat, and of course the fogging of glasses.
Archbishop Aymond reminds us that the wearing of a mask displays true Christian love of one's neighbor, thus explaining why we strongly encourage the wearing of masks at Mass, as well as out in public.
Have a great week and I look forward to seeing you at Mass this weekend.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Wearing a Mask Displays
True Love of Neighbor
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us into a new way of life that has brought fears and uncertainty. Has it brought blessings?
• More time with family.
• A deeper appreciation of the need to trust in God.
• A vision to see our own needs and the needs of others.
• Hungers: Some for the next meal; also the hunger to be with others, thus appreciating family and others at a different level.
• Hunger for the Eucharist.
• More free time to pray and reflect – this has even led some to think of a deeper meaning to life and their vocation.
We have many questions:
• There are many fears.
• What are some of the blessings God sent me?
• How can I keep those blessings/attitudes alive beyond COVID-19?
Every aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been perplexing. Not only has an invisible enemy taken the lives of more than 125,000 people in the United States, but it also has forced millions of Americans into unemployment and created a firestorm of fear and anxiety about the future.
Who is next? What is next?
Only God knows.
In the meantime, as we go about our daily lives trying to love God and love our neighbor, it is important that we do everything we can on a personal level to keep our part of the world as safe as possible during this global plague. We need only look at the spike in the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations since the loosening of social-distancing restrictions in some parts of the country to understand that we need to do our part to be good neighbors to each other.
There are far too many unknowns about the virus itself, but this much we do know: Wearing a mask in public and keeping a safe distance from those outside of our immediate household are true “acts of charity” toward our neighbor.
Wearing a mask in public – and certainly at Sunday Mass – is a small act of charity and may well save lives. This is a question much more about care than about fear.
There is virtually no scientific disagreement that wearing a mask reduces the possibility of dispersing into the air particles that may contain the virus and also reduces the possibility of inhaling any particles from another person.
As we have seen, many people who are infected with coronavirus are asymptomatic, which means they do not know they are sick and are capable of spreading the disease. Wearing a mask in public protects your neighbor in the grocery store, in the bank and in church.
Admittedly, wearing a mask can be an irritation, but doing so is a small act of charity that we as Christians are called to offer out of love for God and neighbor. Far from being a sign of weakness, wearing a mask is a sign of strength, selfless love and prudence.
In the Archdiocese of New Orleans, I’ve been humbled to see so many people spread out in church for Mass, wearing masks, and taking every precaution to keep a safe distance from each other. I’ve asked priests and extraordinary ministers of holy Communion to sanitize their hands and to wear masks as they give out the Eucharist. In an abundance of caution, we have asked Catholics to receive Communion in the hand and not on the tongue.
Some may make the argument that public advisories to wear masks infringe on our constitutional rights. I would hope, however, that we would view caring for the public health – the common good – as acting, as Christ would, as a servant to others. We are caring for our friends.
In New Orleans, masking takes on a meaning all its own during Carnival. We hide our faces behind masks to become someone else for a day. No one seems to complain that breathing through a mask on Mardi Gras is a bit odd and cumbersome. How much more important is it now to mask – when we’re talking not about a pair of beads but about a life.
We need to show we care. Please wash your hands. Please wear a mask. Please save a life.
Look into your neighbor’s eyes, and a stranger’s eyes, with love.
-Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond
This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of Saint Benedict, the patron of our parish! The sign-up page for Masses is now live. You may use this link (click HERE) to sign up for Mass.
As a reminder, if you sign up for Mass, please show up or cancel your reservation if you do not plan on attending. If you do not cancel and not attend, you are denying fellow parishioners the opportunity to participate at a weekend Mass at which they might want to worship!
The following guidelines have been established for the safety of all:- The number of people who can gather in the church while observing social distancing is 110 for the 2 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 8 a.m. Masses. Since the 10:30 a.m. has more families attending and a family unit takes up less space than the same number of couples or individuals, the 10:30 Mass limit is 120 people.
- To assist the ushers in regulating attendance, people must make reservations to attend Mass.
- Upon entering the church, everyone must sanitize their hands.
- Everyone is encouraged to wear a mask during Mass. If you do not wear a mask during Mass, you are asked not to sing to help prevent the spreading of germs.
- Only those over the age of 65 may attend the 2 p.m. Vigil Mass. Those attending the 2 p.m. Mass MUST wear a mask during the Mass.
- Social distancing (6-ft separation) must be observed at all times before, during, and after Mass. Families in the same household may sit next to one another in a pew.
- Not everyone will be able to sit in their normal place, and some will have to slide to the center of the pew in order to observe social distancing. Now, more than ever, is a time for each of us to exhibit Christian Charity.
- Social distancing also applies to the distribution of communion. Please observe the six-foot markings for spacing during communion.
- There will be no passing of collection baskets at Mass. Baskets will be placed at the entrance of the church for you to place your offerings. The safest way to make a contribution is for you to make use of our online giving platform: https://giving.parishsoft.com/app/giving/stbencov
- The sign of peace is to be given by bowing to others.
- Communion on the tongue is not encouraged during this time.
- The chalice with the Precious Blood of Christ will not be offered.
- Please do not come forward to receive communion wearing gloves.
- As people depart from Mass, social distancing must be observed.
- Please reserve the use of restrooms for emergencies only. If you must use the restroom, please follow the instructions to clean the restroom fixtures immediately after use. (The instructions and cleaning supplies are in each of the restrooms). Parents will have to accompany children and clean the restroom fixtures after their children.
-
prayer for medical professionals
Lord Jesus,
you came into the world to heal our infirmities
and to endure our sufferings.
You went about healing all
and bringing comfort to those in pain and need.
We come before you now in this time of pandemic
asking that you sustain health care workers
and medical professionals
that they may have strength in body,
courage in spirit,
steadfastness in moments of exhaustion or pain,
and hope in the midst desolation.
Uphold them, we pray,
and restore those already afflicted with the Coronavirus
by the grace of your healing and deliverance,
so that united more closely to your family, the Church,
we all may give praise and honor to your name.
Amen.
-
-
-
-
-
-
Click for printable Resources
-
Prayer forhurricane season
O God, Master of this passing world, hear the humble voices of your children. The Sea of Galilee obeyed your order and returned to its former quietude; you are still the Master of land and sea. We live in the shadow of a danger over which we have no control. The Gulf, like a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its seeming lethargy, overstep its conventional boundaries, invade our land and spread chaos and disaster. During this hurricane season, we turn to You, O loving Father. Spare us from past tragedies whose memories are still so vivid and whose wounds seem to refuse to heal with the passing of time. O Virgin, Star of the Sea, Our Beloved Mother, we ask you to plead with your Son in our behalf, so that spared from the calamities common to this area and animated with a true spirit of gratitude, we will walk in the footsteps of your Divine Son to reach the heavenly Jerusalem where a storm-less eternity awaits us.
-
online giving is now available for st. benedict church!
Online giving will allow you to donate to our general collection, our building fund, and our ministries. (The ability to give to Second Collections will be added later.)
Donations can be made by checking account or through Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Debit Card, or Check Card. Donations can be scheduled as a one-time gift or a recurring gift.
Click on the link below to set up an account and make a donation.
Please call the parish office if you need assistance.
Thank you for your generosity! -
parish office hours
The parish office is now open with “summer office hours” from 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday. We are asking that only one person come into the office at a time, and that you wear a mask.As previously communicated, Father Charles is available to visit anyone in danger of death, and is scheduling individual appointments for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If at any time you are in need of Father Charles, please call the office and if the voicemail answers, please follow the prompt and press “2” to be routed to the emergency line.
-
Sandy Rauber, Jim Sweard, Anthony Sorrentino, Dee Sylvia, Earline Todd, Hunter Wagner, Julie Wagner, Tina Zocco, Clara Armstrong, Dr. Jerry Casey, Lisa Valley, Carol Everhardt, Bennett Miller, Joanne Leber, Anna Isone, Gerardo Antonucci, Presley Patrick, Kaiden Lessard. -
Find us on Facebook