May 26, 2019 Sixth Sunday of Easter

ORDINARY FAMILIES

EXTRAORDINARY FAITH

ST. BENILDE ROMAN 1901 Division Street • Metairie, Louisiana 70001 Church Office: (504) 834-4980 • Church Fax: (504) 831-5810 • Church Email: [email protected] www.stbenilde.org

DEVOTIONS CLERGY MASS TIMES Holy Hour in Church Rev. Robert T. Cooper, Pastor Saturday Vigil … 4 p.m. Monday, 6:00-7:00 p.m. Rev. H.L. Brignac, Sacramental Asst. Sunday … 9:00, 11:00 a.m. & 6 p.m.

Deacon Biaggio DiGiovanni Monday—Friday … 7:00 a.m. Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Deacon Stephen Gordon Monday and Thursday … 5:30 p.m. Following 7 a.m. Mass on Tuesday Deacon Clifford Wright First Saturday … 8:45 a.m.

NEWCOMERS BAPTISMS HOLY DAYS OF OBLIGATION Call the Parish Office to receive a New First and Third Sundays of the month See Inside the Bulletin for Schedule Parishioner Registration Packet. at 12 Noon. Please call the Parish

Office for more information. CONFESSION TIMES ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY Saturday … 3:00—3:45 p.m. St. Benilde Conference MATRIMONY Sunday … 5:00—5:45 p.m. (504) 233-3246 Please contact a priest/deacon Monday … 6:00—6:45 p.m. 8 months prior to your wedding. and by appointment at the Parish Office ST. BENILDE SCHOOL Mr. Thomas Huck, Principal FUNERALS DIVINE MERCY ADORATION CHAPEL 1801 Division Street • Metairie, LA Arrangements may be made at the from 7:00 p.m. Sunday (504) 833-9894 Parish Office. till 4:00 p.m. Saturday St. Benilde Catholic Church

Ministers of the Liturgy The Church Sanctuary Lamp burns in memory of May 25 & 26, 2019 The Souls in Purgatory Saturday - 4 P.M. Intention: Hubert LaBorde, Flora Maria Be, Patrick C. McKinney, Merle & Charles Dittmer, Gussie & Vicky, Rita G. Vaccaro, Pete Muscarello, Jr., The Blessed Mother George Spaulding, Austin Burroughs, Votive Lamps burn Anna Reinhardt, Annette Chaplain Rasnic, Melissa Mendel Zimmerman, Joseph Segari, For Reparations for Sins Joy Koch (L), JoAnn Peterson (L), Duane Koch (L) Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: C. Casente, P. Delaup Cantor: Kevin Rouchell Organist: Jared Croal The Paschal Candle

Sunday - 9 A.M. burns in memory of Intention: Parishioners Joy Rojas Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: C. & R. Ayers, K. Klapatch, R. Theriot Song Leaders: Traditional Choir Adoration Chapel Sunday - 11 A.M. Sanctuary Lamp burns Intention: Judy O’Connell, Paul J. Hymel, Jr., Russell Mayeur, O’Sullivan & Zito Families, in memory of Duane Koch (L), Darren Dunaway (L), Stuart & Gloria Fourroux Helen L. Dean, Joseph Evola, Ruth Stengle, George Schminke, Eddie Richard (L), Poor Souls, Adoration Chapel Candles Joseph Donald Bernard Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: burn in Thanksgiving for N. Bostick, L. Frey, M. Bangs, J. Wright Blessings Received Song Leaders: Contemporary Choir

Sunday - 6 P.M. Altar Ladies Intention: June & Marvin Ackermann (L) Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: Week of May 26 D. Childers, A. Duersel A. Duersel Cantor: Lauren Gisclair Pianist: Beth Kettenring

Weekday Masses Linens Monday 7:00 a.m. Venita Morel Large - K. Klapatch 5:30 p.m. Beverly Vacarri Small - C. Jones Tuesday 7:00 a.m. Melvin Ducote Wednesday 7:00 a.m. Michael Borrello Thursday 7:00 a.m. Venita Morel 5:30 p.m. Joy S. Rojas The Altar Flowers are in Friday 7:00 a.m. Joy S. Rojas memory of Saturday 8:45 a.m. & Altar Society Deceased Parishioners

Parish Motto—Building the Kingdom of God St. Benilde Catholic Church Volume 37 Issue 21

Extraordinary Ministers Stewardship of Treasure of Holy Communion Weekend of May 18 & 19 June 1/2 Envelopes ……………………………………$3,861.00 4 PM A. & P. Delaup Loose …………………………………………..2,624.00 9 AM M. Evola, P. Fleming, R. Meche, B. O’Hara Electronic Giving ……………………………….236.00 11 AM J. Hutchison, J. Hutchison, K. Archer, K. Sorensen Repairs & Maintenance ……………………….166.00 6 PM A. Calongne, M. Plaideau Msgr. Richaud Fund …………………………...122.00 Totaling ……………………………………...$7,009.00 Parish Office “Let us focus on generosity, or returning God’s gifts with increase, through the generous sharing of our time, Closed talent and treasure.” ~ Fr. Cooper The Parish Office will be closed on Monday, May 27 in observance of Memorial Day. We will reopen on Tuesday, May 28, at 9 AM.

Priest Mass Schedule 4pm 9am 11am 6pm

June 1 & 2 Fr. Cooper Fr. Cooper Fr. HL Fr. Clark June 8 & 9 Fr. HL Fr. HL Fr. Cooper Fr. Cooper June 15 & 16 Fr. Cooper Fr. Cooper Fr. Cooper Fr. Cooper June 22 & 23 Fr. Cooper Fr. Cooper Fr. Cooper Fr. Cooper June 29 & 30 Fr. HL Fr. HL Fr. HL Fr. HL

Our St. Vincent de Save the Date Paul Food Pantry is running low this time of year. All Grazie Fr. Cooper! donations are welcome, however Sunday, June 23 we are especially in need of peanut butter, jelly, chili, crackers, paper products and St. Benilde Cafeteria toiletries. Thank you very much for helping us to help the less fortunate in our parish. After the 11 AM Mass

Parish Motto—Building the Kingdom of God St. Benilde Catholic Church

Fr. Cooper’s Corner

A Call to Purification (Part II)

Receiving the sacrament of is useful, even if someone does not have any serious sin, for it is not enough to purify the soul from mortal sin. It must be cleansed even of venial sin. Too many people are content with avoiding mortal sin and are not even aware of the many venial sins they commit. Otherwise, how could they come to confession after six months, a year, or even more, and tell their confessor: "I don't have any sins"? Once in a while, it is even impossible to bring a person to mention one single sin, in order to give absolution. Yet St. John declares, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" (John 1:8).

That good Christians may live for months, or even years, with the help of God’s grace, without one single serious sin are not difficult to believe. But to suppose they could live such a long time without one venial sin seems quite incredible: it would require very special graces and an extraordinary fidelity to grace, such as we see in the saints.

Because saints are not all that common, it is much more probable that many good people, while they avoid serious sin, do not attach any great importance to these minor faults, which they commit as naturally as they breathe and forget just as easily. Perhaps some are ignorant and do not know these faults are sins, like the man who had emptied quite a bag of serious sins, was asked if he had committed any sins against charity. "Oh, no, Father; I mind my own business," he said. "You never get impatient, never talk about the faults of others, and never swear at them?" "Oh, yes; but that's not a sin!" he said.

True, many actions are not mortal sins, but they are sinful and not just imperfect. It is the same with human love: many actions may not destroy friendship and yet they harm them because they offend and displease. Perfect friendship requires that anything which offends or displeases even lightly be avoided. To do anything against the will of a friend is bound to displease him. This is exactly what venial sins do. They are not a complete rebellion against God's will, as mortal sin is so the divine friendship is not broken. They are like the little disobediences of a child, who loves his father and wants to obey him, but at times finds it difficult and is carried away by some strong desire or aversion and does what his father has forbidden, or omits what he has commanded.

How many of these small disobediences to our heavenly Father we find in our lives when we examine them more closely! How often we fail to love our neighbor as he has commanded us to! It is so easy to sin against charity through words or through silence, by action or an attitude, by impatience or by coldness and indifference.

So many fail to realize that when they talk about other people's faults, even if it is without malice, they sin against charity, because they are doing to others what they don't want to be done to themselves. They are so little aware of it that they insist they never talk about others. St. James after all, affirms: "If anyone does not offend in word, he is a perfect man" (James 3:2). More numerous, perhaps, are those who pay no attention to the unkind thoughts or feelings they keep willfully, assuming they are not a sin as long as they are not manifested, as if sin were not committed in the heart and as if God did not see the heart. Who accuses these thoughts and feelings before they reach the degree of hate?

Apart from these light failings against charity, how often we commit all kinds of little faults! It may be pride, bragging and boasting, trying to show off, thinking oneself is so much superior to others. It may be vanity or an excessive care

Parish Motto—Building the Kingdom of God St. Benilde Catholic Church Volume 37: Issue 21

about looks, dress, or a desire for admiration. It may be gluttony: little excesses in food or drink, either by taking too much or being too choosy. It may be too much curiosity about people or about news or for unnecessary knowledge. It may be idle words, light indiscretions or imprudent looks or imaginations. It may be laziness, idleness, waste of time, some neglect of duty. One may be too free or too tight with money.

There is no end to the many ways in which one may commit venial sins. They are like germs you cannot count them, and they multiply as easily. Like germs, one does not kill, nor do a few; but as they multiply they weaken the soul and its resistance to mortal sin. Like germs, they are so small that we do not see them and therefore do nothing to avoid them.

This is why frequent confession may be very useful to purify the soul from venial sin. To be done properly, it must be preceded by a serious examination of conscience, which will reveal the faults committed and should be accompanied by a firm resolution to do something to avoid them. If it is frequent enough, it will be possible to remember even small failings, and the resolution being renewed often will not be forgotten and will have a chance to bring results.

In his encyclical on the Mystical Body of Christ, Pius XII, while protesting against some opinions aimed at turning the faithful away from frequent confession, describes its advantages: "Although there be different means, all praiseworthy, to wash away venial sins, we wish to recommend highly the pious practice of frequent confession, introduced into the Church by an inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It increases knowledge of self, fosters Christian humility, tends to uproot bad habits, opposes spiritual negligence and tepidity, purifies the conscience, fortifies the will, lends itself to spiritual direction, and through the sacrament increases grace. Let those who lower frequent confession in the esteem of the younger clergy know that they are doing something contrary to the Spirit of Christ and very harmful to the Mystical Body of our Savior."

When a priest, as sometimes happens, discourages penitents from frequent confession of venial sins, he goes against the mind of the Church and the practice of the saints. The saints practiced frequent confession: some every day (St. Catherine of Siena, St. Bridget of Sweden, St. Coletta, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Ignatius and others); some twice a day (St. Ignatius in the latter part of his life, St. Francis Borgia and St. Leonard of Port-Maurice). They recommended frequent confession. St. Leonard proposed daily confession to the priests who accompanied him on his preaching of missions, and he exhorted sisters to go to confession as often as they were allowed. St. Alphonsus gave them the rule that they should confess twice a week, and every time they committed a deliberate sin. St. Francis de Sales prescribed the same for his nuns of the Visitation, and for devout souls in the world, once a week and if possible before Communion.

This was possible in the days when there were many more priests. Today it would be impossible most of the time, but at least we should avail ourselves of the opportunity to purify our souls from venial sin when it is offered to us, and priests should not refuse to hear these confessions of devotion and much less turn the faithful away from them.

Of course, for frequent confession to be fruitful, it must not be just routine. One must confess something definite, regret it, and be firmly resolved to do something definite about it. Because of this strict vigilance on one's actions, and these frequently renewed resolutions, one may be able, with the help of God's grace, to avoid, as the saints did, all fully voluntary or deliberate venial sins, since a vow to avoid them is lawful, and if one is committed, it will be rejected without delay.

Parish Motto—Building the Kingdom of God St. Benilde Catholic Church

Six Weeks of Prayer for our June Calendar New Pastor June 1 Legion of Mary—TBD—Parish Office June 4 Consoling the Heart of Jesus—7 PM—TC “The world’s bishops, priests, and deacons June 6 Radio Rosary—5:45 PM—Library need people’s prayers and encouragement Pro-Life Committee—6:15 PM—Teen Center to continually deepen their relationship Finance Council—7 PM—Parish Office with Jesus and serve their community with CALM—7 PM—Church love,” said Pope Francis. With this in mind, it June 8 Legion of Mary—TBD—Parish Office is important that we pray for our new pastor, June 11 Consoling the Heart of Jesus—7 PM—TC Fr. Matthew Johnston, as he prepares to June 13 Divine Mercy Cenacle Group—7 PM—PO shepherd the flock of St. Benilde Parish June 15 Legion of Mary—TBD—Parish Office beginning July 1st. Over the next six Sundays, June 15/16 Hospitality Weekend—Hosted by Chers Amis we will offer a different prayer to be used by Vacation Bible School Yarn Drive—All Masses our entire parish family. May we always June 18 SVDP—6:30 PM - Parish Office sustain Fr. Matthew’s priestly ministry by our Consoling the Heart of Jesus—7 PM—TC love, our constant prayer, and our trust in his June 21 Movie Night (The Perfect Stranger) —7 PM—TC leadership. June 22 Legion of Mary—TBD—Parish Office June 23 Grazie! Fr. Cooper—noon—Cafeteria Week 1: St. Therese of Lisieux’s June 25 Consoling the Heart of Jesus—7 PM—TC June 27 Divine Mercy Cenacle Group—7 PM—PO Prayer for Priests June 29 Legion of Mary—TBD—Parish Office

O Jesus, eternal Priest, keep your priests within the shelter of Your Sacred Heart, Rock ‘N’ Bowlarama where none may touch them. The annual “TERESIAN SISTERS ROCK ‘N’ Keep unstained their anointed hands, BOWLARAMA” will be held at Mid-CityLanes/ which daily touch Your Sacred Body. Rock ‘n’ Bowl, 3000 S. Carrollton Ave., NOLA, on Sunday, June 2, from 6 to 9 PM. The Keep unsullied their lips, money raised will go daily purpled with your Precious Blood. to support their retired and elderly Keep pure and unearthly their hearts, sisters, as well as sealed with the sublime mark of the priesthood. their ministries. It will be a fun-filled Let Your holy love surround them and evening of bowling, shield them from the world’s contagion. dancing, delicious food. There will also Bless their labors with abundant fruit and be a silent auction of may the souls to whom they minister be their great prizes. Tickets are $30 each. For more joy and consolation here and in heaven their information or to order tickets, please call Sr. beautiful and Isabel at (985) 893-1470. Please note: you everlasting crown. must be 21 years old to attend.

Parish Motto—Building the Kingdom of God MAY 26, 2019

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: