The St. Benedict Soup Kitchen is in operation Monday through Friday 11:30am-12:30pm at the corner of 9th & Walnut Streets.                      All are welcome!

 To inquire about voluteering in the Soup Kitchen please call            812-232-8421. 

Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter
St. Bernardine of Siena, priest
(Acts 15:22-31; Jn. 15:12-17)

The upshot of the Jerusalem community’s decision not to require gentile converts to keep the entire Mosaic Law was not to place any undue burdens on the new members of the Church, but the things that are mentioned that Gentile converts need to observe can strike us oddly.  Refraining from unlawful marriage is pretty self-explanatory, but what is the point about meats of strangled animals doing in there?  Is that even a thing?

A more urgent question might be why didn’t the Jerusalem community say anything about the 10 Commandments?  Are they included in the things that the new members can safely ignore?  One thing about the 10 Commandments is that, although they are contained in the Mosaic Law, they have in their nature a universal characteristic that applies to all cultures.  In every culture life can only thrive when the people of that culture adhere to common efforts like protecting the lives of all the culture’s members, like not abandoning the elderly, like making sure that married life holds a place of honor in the culture, like respecting the property of others.  Cultures in which no accommodations are made for such realities do not last long.

Some of the restrictions of the Mosaic Law, however, come across to us as a bit arcane.  They arose from understandings of the world and how it works that we do not share today and were not commonly acknowledged among the peoples of the world in ancient times, either.  In such cases, the thrust of the Jerusalem community’s decision seems to be an effort to make building the bridge between cultures easier, especially in matters that one or the other side would find some practices abominable.  If you were a Jewish Christian it would be hard to worship with someone you know who just married his sister for example.  Table fellowship would need to be organized in such a manner that all who took part could do so comfortably.  That’s how community is built—making room for where the others are coming from and making it easier for them to feel like full members of the body of Christ.

This is a perpetual undertaking.  Where does it come into play in our parish community?  How are we responding to the challenge?

 

Masses for St. Benedict Church are on the YouTube Channel (search St Benedict Catholic Church Terre Haute, IN OR click on the YouTube icon below.

The Parish Catechetical Leader serves as an assistant to the Pastor and under his supervision in the coordination of a wide range of parish activities and programs. These activities and programs include: RCIA for adults and children of catechetical age, sacramental preparation for Baptism, Confirmation (excluding high school age youth), Eucharist and Reconciliation, religious education for preschool through eighth grades, young adult ministry and adult faith formation in collaboration with the Faith Formation Committee.
(posted on 3-24-2022)

For more detailed information about this position, please see the document below titled 'Parish Catechetical Leader job description'

Interested persons must submit resume and references to  searchcommittee@stbenedictth.org  

        Weekly Announcements for             
May 21-28, 2022

• THYM Welcome Palooza! We will be hosting a board Game Palooza on Sunday May 22nd from 12:30 to 2:30 at St. Pat’s gymnasium! Any 8th Grade student or high school student is welcome to attend!

• Faith & Racial Justice Series continues this Thursday at 7:00pm in Hellmann Hall

• Monday, May 30th, a Deanery Memorial Day Mass will take place at Calvary Cemetery at 9:00 am. Please make yourself comfortable by bringing your own lawn chairs.