St. Benedict Church

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.

There will be NO Daily Mass on July 3rd

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.)

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 days 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

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. 

Weekday Reflections - Independence Day - July 4, 2020

When I was studying in Switzerland there was a fellow student of mine who was actually from Germany but was doing his "year abroad" by taking courses at our university. For Spring break I indicated that I was planning to visit Berlin and he volunteered to go with me. He even set up all the accommodations, etc., and so I was looking forward to a relaxing and educational stay. One of our days was spent in East Berlin (we had permission to cross over as the wall was still up at the time) and as we were on our way to see an old Franciscan church that had been bombed during the war and was now only a shell without a roof, we met a man from East Germany who had come into the capital to shop for a pair of pants. When he found out that I was American he was really excited to show me something of his country and invite me to lunch.
We had a very engaging conversation which inevitably turned to the topic of which country was better. I have to admit I thought to myself "This should be easy." In my view East Berlin was really run down. So many of the buildings had yet to be repaired from the war that had ended 40 years before. The stores did not have much in them. Even the bookstores had more shelves than books. I pointed that out to him, and he readily admitted it. What he couldn't understand about America, though, was how there could be such a huge disparity between the rich and the poor. "In East Germany," he said, "we are all poor together." He was expecting that, if the sense solidarity could be that apparent in a poor country, then it would be even more the case in a rich country. I have to admit, I didn't have an answer for that. All in all, though, the day was one of the most enlightening experiences of my entire time in Europe.
Here's the opening prayer for today's Mass:
Father of all nations and ages,
we recall the day when our country
claimed its place among the family of nations;
for what has been achieved we give thanks,
for the work that still remains we ask your help,
and as you have called us from many peoples to one nation,
grant that, under your providence,
our country may share your blessings
with all the peoples of the earth.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. Amen.

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 days 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 not experiencing any symptoms. They can still infect others, though. Do not come to Mass is you are particularly vulnerable or feeling ill at all! 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!
 

In addition to a reflection on the readings of the day, I am going to be sending out these additional comments as we move off of square one and work toward opening up toward a more regular exercise of our Christian communal life together.  That movement has a lot of moving parts and not all of them are in place, not by a long shot.  So, as we move forward, I’d like to highlight various elements of what navigating through these dangerous waters will look like so that we can increase our chances of success and avoid the necessity of going back to square one and starting over.
Please see documents below from Fr. Martin Day:
https://www.archindy.org/worship/coronavirus2020-reopening.html

Survey link for parishioners of St Benedict Church-please click here to take the parish survey about resuming masses. 

June 1, 2020-Initial reflection on the resumption of public Masses at St. Ben’s
PUBLIC MASSES RETURN TO SAINT BENEDICT PARISH
May 23, 2000:  An essential step in the life of our community
May 22, 2020- Slowly but surely, step-by-step…
May 21, 2020-Making use of all the resources available
May 20, 2020-Singing while masked
May 19, 2020-We have a date:  First Mass open to the public set for Tuesday, May 26th
May 18, 2000:  Gathering for Worship in the COVID-19 Era
May 16, 2020-A New Model for Forming Community?
May 15, 2020-Some wrinkles in the process to reopen churches
May 14, 2020-Building Community in the Wake of COVID-19
May 13, 2020-Perserverence
May 12, 2020-An Emerging Need
May 11, 2020-Remembering All our Options
May 9, 2020-Following the Plan
May 8, 2020-Where to Begin?
May 7, 2020-The Calculated Risk
May 6, 2020-A Correction to a Common Misconception

Many have been asking for a good prayer to pray during the time when, watching Mass on TV or on the internet, we would be going to communion if we were in church.  A search on the internet would turn up many options for making a "spiritual communion."  Archbishop Thompson has published his version of this long-standing practice. 

A spiritual communion

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for your children as we deal with the serious challenges to our health and well-being as individuals, families and communities. Inspire us with your courage and steadfast faith. Show us the way to your Son, Jesus and intercede for us before the Throne of Grace. Amen.

Lord Jesus, as you were about to lay down your life for us, you prayed to the Father:

"I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,

so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us …”

Today, as we are faced once again with the division and strife caused by the sin of racism,

we join our voices to your voice, and we pray:

That all of us be one—

All nations and races,

Young and old, near and far.

That all of us feel as one—

Loved, not feared. Safe, not insecure.

Valued, not scorned. Uplifted, not beaten down.

That all of us work as one—

Not to tear down, but to build up.

Not only to stop violence, but also to promote peace.

Not only to restore order, but also to ensure justice.

Not to favor few, but to defend the dignity and rights of all.

May we all be one.

May we all recognize each other as one family, as sons and daughters of God.

May we be united, here on this earth, and may our bonds of charity and love lead us to the eternal life.

Amen

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

In an effort to stay connected we are providing ways to read Fr. Martin's weekend homily, links to on-line streaming Masses in the Archdiocese, link to our weekly bulletin, Religious Educatiuon Curriculum and current information from CDC regarding the Coronavirus.

Click on each link:

St. Benedict Church Virtual Mass

Homilies

Streaming Masses

Bulletins

Pray from home

Religious Education Curriculum

CDC