Masses for St. Benedict Church are on the YouTube Channel (search St Benedict Catholic Church Terre Haute, IN OR click on the YouTube icon on the top of this webpage in the upper right hand corner. 

Effective Monday, June 29^th the weekday Mass schedule with be:
Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 12:05 p.m.
 
Effective Saturday, July 4^th the weekend Mass schedule will be:
Saturday evening (vigil Mass) at 5:30 p.m.
Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m.
 
This schedule will be in effect until further notice.

CONFESSIONS
Saturdays 4:00—5:00pm  (outside by the south handicapped door of church.  Look for the blue and white   canopy between the church and the friary.)

The parish office will operate with limited office hours of M-F 10:00am-2:00pm.

Just a reminder about our new weekend Mass schedule. We will have one Mass on Sunday, at 10:00 a.m. The Saturday schedule is as usual: Confessions from 4:00 to 5:00 and Mass at 5:30.
The events of the last few weeks have reminded us that the corona virus remains hidden to a great degree. People may be coming to church who have been infected but don't know it because they are asymptomatic. They can still infect others, though. Do not come to Mass is you are particularly vulnerable! There is only so much we can do to alleviate the risk. Please wear a mask if you are coming. You may be the one who is asymptomatic!

PUBLIC MASSES RETURN TO SAINT BENEDICT PARISH

“While commending our pastors and parish life coordinators who have gone to great lengths to assure safe worship spaces in our churches, due to the increase in the COVID-19 cases in our state, the Indiana bishops have decided to extend the dispensation from the obligation of Sunday Mass attendance beyond August 15 until November 1, 2020, unless further developments determine otherwise.”

The St. Benedict Soup Kitchen is in operation Monday through Friday 11:30am-12:30pm for To-Go Lunches, all are welcome!
 To inquire about voluteering in the Soup Kitchen please call            812-243-0873. 

Memorial of Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian, September 16, 2020

(1 Cor. 12:31-13:13; Lk. 7:31-35)

It’s good from time to time to take a look at this passage from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians from outside the context of a wedding ceremony.  Even though the language is so poetic that it’s well suited to just such an occasion, the original context in which Paul was writing was vastly different.  At a wedding love is “in the air” and finding scripture passages that have to do with that is what the bride and groom are about.  In Corinth that wasn’t the case at all.  There the focus was on “gifts” and which gift was better.  It’s ironic that for the Corinthians the gift that tops their list is one that we rarely give any thought to:  speaking in tongues.  Paul has to do something about that.  He does acknowledge the reality of that gift but puts it in the context of all the other gifts that are present in the community, especially those that tend to get overlooked because they are so pedestrian.  The gift of administration comes to mind.  Because he has allowed himself to get diverted into a secondary conversation Paul feels the need to come back to the main point:  love is the greatest gift of all.  Without love the rest of the list loses its meaning.

That can be hard for us to accept, especially if we are blessed with some gift or expertise that is in high demand.  That makes it tempting for us to try to leverage that gift so as to get out of the more difficult challenge of putting it at the service of the community in a way that fits the community’s needs.  We can use our gift as a form of control, a way of getting our way or at least as a negotiating tool to get a better deal for ourselves.

Love doesn’t go there.  Love allows our gifts to be used as needed, without conditions that put ourselves on top.  Jesus suffered a lot or ridicule from the powers that be because he did just that.  Starting from the conviction that God wanted even the tax collectors and sinners to be saved, Jesus simply approached them, sat with them, engaged them in conversation, even ate with them without preconditions.  He didn’t worry about being infected by their lack of righteousness.  He had confidence that his relationship with the Father was up to the challenge of bringing them into the realm of God’s mercy.  He showed love to them. 

And they noticed!  And that effort presented them with a motivation to look at their lives and ask themselves if they wanted to make the changes necessary to receive God’s love more fully.  That’s the question for all of us:  Do we want to make the changes necessary so that we can benefit more fully from the grace and mercy and benevolence of God?  The same glass can’t be filled with both wine and water.  We have to make a choice of which we want the most.

Dear Friends,
There are many ways of counting the year: calendar year, fiscal year, school year, etc. I believe that the life of the parish is most affected by that third way. The opening of the new school year, even in the best of times, brings many changes: a new location perhaps, new routines, an indication that the seasons are changing once again.
We had many hopes that the beginning of this new school year would be accompanied by progress in confronting the upheaval that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought. We do know more about the disease than we did in March, but the hard-won early progress seems to have dissipated and we are faced with a great deal of uncertainty as the season changes. The parish staff, to a person, is showing the signs of dealing with everything that a prudent response to pandemic requires. Fatigue and anxiety are no strangers to us, and I am sure that is true for everyone. It would be nice to be able to speak with some certainty about what you can expect, regarding religious education, Mass times, seating limitations, the lessening of mask requirements, etc., but so many questions are still up in the air. We do seem to have arrived at a fairly stable way of celebrating the Eucharist, even if on simpler terms, and it has been good to be able to hold first communion, funerals, weddings, and even a few confirmations in church again. What we would normally be doing at this time of year, though, is still largely on hold and it appears that it will remain that way for some time yet. That is discouraging, to say the least. And yet, it is the hand w have been dealt, and we will try to play it out without losing our serenity and sense of humor.
News about the development of a vaccine has been generally positive and that can be a reminder that the current situation will not be permanent. We will try to respond to the needs of the parish as best we can, knowing that significant limitations are still the order of the day. Thank you for your forbearance in such difficult times. I appreciate all the affirmation that has been offered to keep up the good work, and all the efforts staff and volunteers are making to do as much as we can while exercising prudent judgment.
Let's continue to pray for one another, especially for those who are anxious about their health, living situation, economic prospects, or any of the other stressors in life that threaten us. We cannot forget to praise God for all the good He is doing, but we can pray for a speedy development of a good vaccine!
Yours in Christ,

Fr. Martin

August 24, 2020
Dear Parents,
We are pleased to share with you the plan for St. Benedict’s religious education program which will begin September 2020. Although it will look different from previous years, we believe that the approach outlined in the attached document will provide high quality religious education for your child while keeping students, parents, and catechists safe.
The Church has long believed that the Mass is the source and summit of our Catholic Christian life. The Eucharistic liturgy is the preeminent form of faith formation; the liturgy forms us in faith. Any catechesis that is not connected to the liturgy is lacking. Thus, we want to affirm that going to Mass is far more important than going to a religious education class. When you feel comfortable, we hope you and your children will actively participate in Mass. Until then, we hope you find our live-streamed 10:00 Mass to be a helpful alternative.
In addition, the Church has long held the position that parents are the primary educators of their children. Parents are the first to pass on the faith to their children. It is with a firm commitment to this belief in the primacy of the parental role, that we have confidence our online religious education program for fall 2020.
The online curriculum, Pflaum Gospel Weeklies is approved for use by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. A hard copy of the student pamphlets, along with a catechism handbook will be sent home, and will also be available online. Parent teaching guides are also available online.
Furthermore, at home online catechesis will be supplemented by a monthly in-person class and a monthly virtual class via Zoom. The entirety of the program is outlined in the accompanying document. Our first religious education virtual gathering will be Sunday, September 20, 2020 featuring Fr. Martin with an opening prayer for students, parents and catechists via Zoom. Details on how to connect to this online gathering will be sent to you via email.
Last, please go to https://stbenedictth.org/religious-education-registration to register your children for our program. You will also be asked questions regarding your in-person meeting preferences for the coming year. A fee of $35.00 per student is requested to cover the cost of materials, mailings, and the online access to student pamphlets and parent guides. Once you have registered, materials may be picked up at Mass or at the parish office; or they can be mailed to your home. The registration fee can be waived by contacting Rita at the parish office or via email rita@stbenedictth.org.
Thank you for the opportunity to collaborate with you in the ministry of religious education. And, thank you for your ongoing commitment to our St. Benedict’s family of faith! We look forward with hope to the days when we will all be together again in our beautiful church. Please, contact Rita should you have any questions or comments.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Martin Day, OFM Conv.                      Rita Burns Senseman