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.

Sunday, August 13, 2017 Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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 Mr. Matt Downey, 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 August 12 & 13, 2017

Saturday - 4 P.M. Intention: Dorothy Van Hoven, Carl A. Guidroz, Jr.,

Merle & Charles Dittmer, Patrick C. McKinney,

Maizie Marks, George Spaulding, Shirley Akers,

Flora Maria Be, Rose Marie Greco Federico,

Melissa Mendel Zimmerman, Dolores Fallon,

Pierre Thibodeaux, Annie Bollinger, Judith Theisges,

Ray Vitrano, Sr., Wilmon (Butch) Little, Floyd Volz, Sr.,

Sam Sabella Family, Dale Forshag, Joseph Segari

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion:

A. & P. Delaup

Cantor: Trish Foti Organist: Jared Croal

Sunday - 9 A.M.

Intention: June & Marvin Ackermann (L)

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion:

K. Klapatch, R. Theriot, J. Tusa, P. Cifreo

Song Leaders: Traditional Choir

Sunday - 11 A.M.

Intention: Todd Hillburn, Ray Waguespack,

Judith Theisges, Paul J. Hymel, Jr., Claire Senko,

Lina Sosa, Josephine McKenzie, Marie Crawford,

Joseph Donald Bernard, Elaine Von Dullen,

Dianne Z. Harrison, Kelvin Ducote, Miriam Whitman,

Mary & Melvin Ducote, Joyce Fontenelle,

Marilyn Groetsch, Thanks to St. Michael

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion:

N. Bostick, L. Frey, A. Duersel, T. Pitre

Song Leaders: Contemporary Choir

Sunday - 6 P.M.

Intention: Parishioners

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion:

L. Daigle, B. David

Cantor: Lauren Gisclair Pianist: Beth Kettenring

Weekday Masses Monday 7:00 a.m. Mary Ducote

5:30 p.m. Corine Stinchcombe

Tuesday 7:00 a.m. Floyd C. Bangs, Sr.

8:15 a.m. Miriam Whitman

6:00 p.m. Anne C. Gsell

Wednesday 7:00 a.m. Pierre Thibodeaux

Thursday 7:00 a.m. Pierre Thibodeaux

5:30 p.m. Miriam Whitman

Friday 7:00 a.m. Pierre Thibodeaux

The Church Sanctuary Lamp burns in memory of

Todd Hillburn

The Blessed Mother

Votive Lamps burn

in memory of

Marilyn Groetsch

Adoration Chapel

Sanctuary Lamp burns

in memory of

Stuart and Gloria Fourroux

Adoration Chapel Candles

burn in

Reparation for Sins

Altar Ladies Week of August 13 M. Seeber, F. Alvarez

Linens Large - B. McCloskey Small - S. Ronniger

The St. Joseph Votive Lamps

burn in memory of

Marilyn Groetsch

St. Benilde Catholic Church

The Altar Flowers are in memory of

Deceased Parishioners

Stewardship of Treasure Weekend of August 5 & 6

Envelopes …………………………………...$8,643.00

Loose ………………………………………….2,493.00

Electronic Giving ………………………………631.00

Repairs & Maintenance …………………….1,891.00

Msgr. Richaud Fund …………………………..104.00

Totaling ……………………………………$13,762.00

“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

Aug. 19/20 4 PM R. Aucoin, K. Hartdegan 9 AM C. Frederick, L. Director, C. & R. Ayers 11 AM P. & R. Serio, D. Childers, R. Oleksik 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 35 Issue 33

Parish Motto—Building the Kingdom of God

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Holy Day of Obligation. Vigil Mass will be celebrated at 5:30pm on Monday, August 14. Masses on Tuesday, August 15 will be at 7am, 8:15am (School Mass – all are welcome to attend), and 6:00pm. Due to the Holy Day of Obligation, there will be no 6pm Holy Hour and Confessions on Monday,

Willwoods Married Couples Retreat

Would you like to break away with your spouse and

spend quality time together enriching your marriage?

Then join us on our August 26 and 27 Married

Couples Retreat at the beautiful Archdiocese of New

Orleans Retreat Center located along Lake

Pontchartrain in Metairie.

Attending a married couples retreat annually is a

wonderful way to deepen your love for God and

each other! To register or for more info call Jason

Angelette at (504) 830-3716 or visit Willwoods.org.

Suggested donation of $275 is requested but not required.

Confirmation Meeting

Attention High School Sophomores and any Junior who did not register last year and are interested in receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. Anyone who is currently a sophomore or older, and their parents, should attend an informational meeting on Sunday, August 20, at 12 noon, in the cafeteria. Registration forms may be found on the parish website and in the Parish Office. They may be returned to either the School or Parish Office. Please note, the Archdiocese of New Orleans requires two consecutive years of religious instruction before Confirmation. For more information, please contact Cecilia Wilson at 504-782-8943 or my email at cwilson@stbenilde.com.

Parish Office Closed

The Parish Office will be closed on Tuesday, August

15, in observance of the Solemnity of the Assumption

of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We will reopen on

Wednesday, August 16, at 9 AM.

Fr. Cooper’s Corner

A Catholic School: Discipleship Formation (Part I)

As we begin a new school year, I think it would be worthwhile to reflect on the nature and mission of Catholic Education. The goal of Catholic education is to help parents raise saints. Now, I know that it may feel like that’s an impossible goal while you battle teenagers who are testing the limits of your will, or trying to find the strength to just get up after a sleepless night, but remember, “With God, all things are possible” (Luke 1:16). Last year I read the book Forming Intentional Disciples by Sherry Weddell, and since then I have focused on promoting authentic discipleship throughout our parish family. This idea of being an authentic, intentional disciple who is ready to leave everything to follow Jesus Christ is at the heart of my vision for our parish family. Jesus truly meant the words “Come, follow me” and, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Lk 9:23-24). To be an authentic disciple means encountering Jesus, falling in love with Him and staying in love with Him. In 1979, Pope St. John Paul II, in his Apostolic Exhortation Catechesi Tradendae stated, “…the definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ: only He can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and make us share in the life of the Holy Trinity.” Pope Francis has invited us into this encounter, just as Blessed Paul VI, Saint John Paul II and Pope Emeritus Benedict did before him. At the beginning of his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis states: “I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since “no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord.” The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk; whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms.” (EG, 3). We must fully understand that forming disciples must be at the center of all that we do at St. Benilde Catholic School. It is the mission of Catholic schools! Any good strategy needs to account for the obstacles that must be

overcome to reach the desired goal, and we need to acknowledge that we are faced with some cultural and moral challenges in orienting our school to becoming discipleship-centered. The most serious challenge is the breakdown of the family. The family was created by God to be a place of life and love that serves as the first school of the virtues. It’s meant to be a place where holiness is displayed by parents and imitated by children. The family is meant to be the first place where children learn about God the Father, who is reflected to them by their parents and the community that surrounds them. All of you know from your work, and perhaps your own families, that leading a family where the love of God animates its life is increasingly difficult to do. And it’s equally difficult to find other families who are successfully doing that as well. The reasons for this are many, but I would like to briefly mention two

Parish Motto—Building the Kingdom of God

St. Benilde Catholic Church

factors. The first is that many parents are much more formed by the world than they are by the Gospel. All too often, they have not had a life-changing, personal encounter with Jesus Christ. This can be the case for people who have been raised in the Church, too. They like the cultural aspects of Catholicism but they have not become disciples. When it comes time to choose a school for their children, these parents often prioritize the intellectual rigor of a Catholic school over finding a school that helps them form their children into authentic, joyful disciples. The second factor is that the institution of the family is being fragmented by distance, divorce, the influence of relativism in their decision-making, and a lack of commitment by couples to marriage. This has wreaked havoc on the support networks for families and disrupted the traditional system of child-rearing. This has resulted in children being raised without a stable home environment, without role models of motherhood and fatherhood, and consequently, without any idea of what it means to be a disciple. These are formidable challenges which we must face squarely, while trusting in God’s help, and asking how He wants us to respond. For we know that, “with God all things are possible.” Our culture as a whole is also losing its common sense of identity as it casts faith aside in favor of secularism. The shared moral commitments of previous generations are no longer agreed upon, and the moral fabric of our society is becoming threadbare. Ever since the French Revolution, when a woman representing the “Goddess of Reason” was placed on the high altar in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Western society has believed the lie that technology and science can fix the problems that plague us. But the problem is not with our tools, and it never has been. The problem is with our hearts. Pope Francis lamented in his homily which opened the Synod on the Family that those societies which are considered the most advanced have the highest percentage of abortion, divorce and other dysfunctions. All of these problems are rooted in a move away from God. The solution to this problem is given to us in the Scriptures, and it involves more than hanging the right pictures in our hallways, having the students attend Mass, and studying the right things. What we need was present in what one could call the first two Catholic schools: the Holy Family and Jesus’ formation of the 12 Apostles. What our Catholic schools need is to become places that form authentic disciples: young men and women who are willing to drop everything to follow Christ wherever He is calling them, whether that’s to become a doctor, teacher, missionary, engineer, scientist, priest or a religious. For that to happen, we need parents, teachers and faculty who are witnesses, who can convincingly share how Jesus Christ has changed their life through the sacraments, through moments of grace and conversion, and sharing their insights about how the subjects that are being studied related to the truths of the faith. This has to begin in our homes, and continue in our classrooms. And when Jesus embarked on His public ministry, He invited 12 men to follow Him. Much like a father or mother teaches their children to tell the truth, be selfless, or be polite, Jesus spent significant amounts of time imparting His way of life to the Apostles. Ultimately, He revealed each of their life stories to them and showed them how they fit into God’s plan. Transformed hearts can be seen in the Apostles; their hearts became more receptive to His mercy, love and teaching and were transformed. They left behind their sinful lives and became a new creation. We are told in the story of the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus how they did not recognize Jesus, but then, “beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” And after the breaking of the bread, He vanished from their sight, the disciples said, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?’ (Luke 24:27, 32). How I pray each day that the heart of every disciple may burn like the hearts of these disciples’ did!

To Be continued Next Week

St. Benilde Catholic Church Volume 35: Issue 33

Parish Motto—Building the Kingdom of God

AUGUST 13, 2017

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: