If someone is having surgery and would like the Sacrament of the Sick, please contact the rectory to make arrangements with one of the priests. In an emergency please do not hesitate to call the rectory day or night.
Girl scouts of Amherst central
Daisy Enrollment
On Saturday, September 18th, the Girl Scouts of Amherst Central will host a “Teddy Bear Tea Party” to enroll both Daisy Girl Scouts and Troop Leaders to form new troops. It will be held at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 4007 Main Street near Eggert from 2:00 to 3:00 pm in the church hall. Parking and the event entrance are at the back of the church. Girls entering kindergarten and first grade this September are eligible to join Daisy Girl Scouts. Parents, adults and girls interested in finding out more about Daisy Girl Scouts should reserve their spot at the Teddy Bear Tea with the Recruitment Manager by calling the Girl Scout Service Center at 935-6082. Reservations must be in by September 15th. To become a Daisy Girl Scout the day of the Tea, girls and parents will need to sign registration forms and pay the membership fee of $12.00.
Catholic charities thanks you!
Labor Day is a yearly national tribute to the contributions American workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country. Not only do you work hard to help this country remain strong and prosperous, you also show compassion and generosity by returning a portion of that hard-earned money to your God and to help others through your support of Catholic Charities. Enjoy your Labor Day and accept our gratitude for your labor and your gifts.
Catholic elementary school reunion
Save the Date!
An ALL Catholic Elementary School ALL YEAR reunion will take place on Sunday, October 31 from 2 to 5 pm at the Buffalo Convention Center. All graduates from every Catholic Elementary School in the Diocese of Buffalo are welcome. Bishop Edward U. Kmiec will be on hand for a blessing. Light refreshments and cash bar $20 for singles, $35 per couple. Please RSVP by completing the registration form on the Catholic Alumni Partnership page at www.buffalodiocese.org, by phone to Charlene at 847-8380 or via mail to: Catholic Alumni Partnership-Reunion, 795 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203.
Steven’s Driving School NYS 5-hour pre-licensing driving course every Tuesday at 5:00 pm in the school. For information call 674-2340.
Intentions & Readings for the Week
Monday, September 6-Labor Day
1 Corinthians 5:1-8; Psalm 90 & Luke 6:6-11
9:00 am Tom Ehrenreich req Dombrowski Family
Tuesday, September 7-Weekday
1 Corinthians 6:1-11; Psalm 149 & Luke 6:12-19
7:00 am Mr & Mrs Frank Pfalzer req Family
8:15 am Anniv. John P. Carroll req Dr. & Mrs. Frank Cain
Wednesday, September 8-Nativity of the B.V. Mary
Micah 5:1-4a; Psalm 13 & Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23
7:00 am All Souls
8:15 am Rosaria Trusso req friends, Val & Louise
Thursday, September 9-St. Peter Claver
1 Corinthians 8:1b-7,11-13; Psalm 139 & Luke 6:27-38
7:00 am For the Parishioners
8:15 am Anniv. Mildred Hoen req Family &
Friends
Friday, September 10-Weekday
1 Corinthians 9:16-19,22b-27; Psalm 84 & Luke 6:39-42
7:00 am Anniv Gertrude Rieker req Family
8:15 am Alice Miller & Family
Saturday, September 11-Weekday
1 Corinthians 10:14-22; Psalm 116 & Luke 6:43-49
5:00 pm Vincent Pierino req Family
Sunday, September 12-24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Wisdom 9:13-18b; Psalm 90; Philemon 9-10,12-17 & Luke
14:25-33
8:00 am HN & RA Societies/Living & Deceased
10:00 am Daniel McCarthy req Matt & Agnes Smith and Family
11:30 am Anniv Hazel J. Provenzano req Mr. & Mrs. Martin Tricoli & Family
Please pray for all the sick members of our parish, especially, Marie Zack, Paul Cummings, Nicholas Mule, Cindy Watson, Bill Gorman, Albert & Mary Alice Pepe, Marie Woods, Russell M. Alessi, Jr., Denise Cullen, Donald Bayer, David Pezzino, Helga Dombrowski and all our parishioners who are homebound or in nursing homes. We also pray for our beloved dead Gary G. Laing, Ken Rummunie.
COINS FOR BABY BOTTLES
Latest Results
Last week Total
Bottles turned in: 6 848
Amount collected: $136.87 $14,506.06
Average per bottle $17.11
Thank you for supporting the baby ministry at Harvest House.
First Rosary and Altar and Holy Name Hot Breakfast Mass—Next Sunday, September 12 at the 8am Mass. Plan to be there. Also, most importantly, please call the Rectory Office to let us know if you are coming and how many. It helps us to “be prepared”.
The first meeting of the Fall for the HNS is Tuesday, September 14 at 7pm in the Teachers’ lunch room. Plan to be there and learn what the program for the next 10 months will be and how you can become a part of it. Also, we will talk about getting a table of ten at the Awards Banquet. Do you want one of these “free” tickets? Be at the meeting. In March of 2011 our parish will once again host “The International Breakfast”.
Diocesan Union of Holy Name (DUHN) Societies will hold its annual Awards Banquet on Sunday, October 17, at 5pm in Kiebzak’s BEGINNINGS in Sloan. The cost is $40 per person which includes dinner and an open bar.
The Holy Name Societies of Buffalo Diocese and St Catherines Diocese (Canada) are sponsoring a weekend retreat at the Columban Center (Derby, NY) October 29-31. The cost will be $117.00. It begins with dinner on Friday and ends with Mass and brunch on Sunday. Tell Fr Paul if you are going. We have to give the Center the number attending so they have the proper food. We are asking $50 down and the rest at the center. Deadline is October 24.
Save the Date - Oct 23
The next “Fr Paul Steak Dinner” will be Saturday, October 23 following the 5:00 pm Mass. Tickets go on sale October 1st. Cost is only $20, includes open bar and dinner. If you tell us ahead of time, you could have chicken or an 8oz burger made by Fr Paul from ground steak.
Annual Top Hat Dinner
The Diocese of Buffalo St. Vincent DePaul Society Central Council is holding its 15th Annual Top Hat Dinner on Thursday, September 16 at the Millennium Hotel in Buffalo. Kevin O’Connell will again be our Master of Ceremonies. Last year there were over 300 guests in attendance. The dinner was a huge success! If you are interested in attending and need tickets or more information, please contact the downtown office of St. Vincent de Paul at 882-3260.
Food collection
This Weekend
The St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Generations of Faith are asking for your help in supporting food pantries of our neighboring parishes. At all the Masses this weekend, we ask that you bring any non-perishable food items you are able to donate. Please leave them in the Vestibule of the church and they will be taken to St. Francis of Assisi, St. Aloysius or Blessed Trinity for distribution. The donated items will be included in the procession of gifts by members of Generations of Faith, representing the generosity of all donors.
Calling all singers!
Rehearsals for our 11:30 choir begin for the Fall on Tuesday, September 14 at 7 pm in the choir loft. If you sang in your high school or college choir and have “fallen away”, this is your chance to get your “chops” back. We also extend a special invitation to high school students. This is an enjoyable and challenging way to earn your service credit. Singers and instrumentalists are also invited to participate in the assemble at 10:00 Mass. Singers from fifth grade and up are welcome. You may also ring hand bells. If you are free on weekday mornings, perhaps you might consider singing with our funeral choir. This ministry really makes a difference by supporting those who are grieving. We have also received several compliments on our present funeral choir! For further information, please contact Glenn Hufnagel at 833-5033.
Religious education news
Registration of Grade One public school students
Religious Education classes for students attending public school will be starting September 20 & 22nd. New families in the parish and new grade 1 students need to be registered. Please call Sr. Virginia at 836-6444 for more details.
Religious Education Teachers Needed!
The Religious Education program is in need of teachers willing to volunteer their time and efforts in sharing the Catholic faith with the young people of our parish. Classes are on Monday afternoons and Monday and Wednesday evenings. Class size is small-approximately 10 students. Teacher materials are excellent and easy to use. Please consider helping us out! For more information, please contact Sr. Virginia at 836-6444 or 895-0995.
The first gathering on Generations of Faith families will be Sunday, October 3rd from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. This is a wonderful program of families sharing the faith together. If any family is interested in joining us, please call Sr. Virginia at 836-6444.
Becoming catholic!
Do you know someone who is thinking about joining the Catholic Church? You can help by guiding them along the way. That is the original idea behind “sponsors”. You can also help by having them contact Deacon Bill at deaconhynes@gmail.com or by calling the Rectory. We will then guide them into our Catholic Family.
Adult sacraments
Are you an adult who has never been Confirmed? Perhaps you have never been Baptized, or never made your First Communion? If so, please contact Deacon Bill at deaconhynes@gmail.com or by calling the Rectory at 834-1041. St. Benedict’s has a parish ministry to help you receive the sacraments of initiation. It is never too late! You are in our prayers as you take the next step on your Faith journey.
Stop by the Library in the Tobin Room after mass to get a good book for the weekend.
The first meeting of St. Benedict’s Youth Group will be on Sunday, September 19th at 7:30 pm. Watch the bulletin for further details.
PETER’S PENCE COLLECTION
Collection to help the Pope
This weekend is the annual Peter’s Pence Collection, which will be taken up in parishes throughout the United States. It provides all of us with an opportunity to support the Holy Father and his work to relieve the suffering of the world’s most vulnerable people. Please give generously to this special collection.
RECTORY CLOSED
Labor day
The Rectory will be closed this Monday, September 6 for the Labor Day holiday. Regular office hours resume on Tuesday at 9:00 am. There will be only one Mass on Monday at 9 am.
St. Benedict’s Rosary Altar and Holy Name Societies will begin our 2010-2011 year with Mass and a tour of the St. Jude Center, 760 Ellicott Street (at Carlton Street) on Monday, September 13, 2010. Mass is at 4:30 pm. The tour and history of the Center will be given by Father Richard Augustyn , the Director of St. Jude’s Center. We will meet in St. Benedict’s parking lot at 4:00 pm, so we can carpool. Parking is available at the Center, if you decide to drive directly there. After the tour, we will return to St. Benedict’s (about 6-6:30pm) for pizza and beverages. Hope you will be able to join us for all or any part of this first gathering. If you have any questions, please call Dolores Byron at 833-8030
Monday Night Bible Study will resume in September with the start of the New Testament. Come hear the Good News found in the Gospels. Our first night will be Thursday, September 16 from 7 to 8 pm in the Faculty Lunch Room. Future sessions will meet on Monday evenings at 7 pm beginning September 20th. For more information, please contact Carol at 633-1693.
Great adventure bible study
EPIC: a Journey through Church History is a 20-part study of adventure, intrigue, rebellion, reform and devotion. This story is, in fact, our story. This is our family. If we know our past and how we fit into the story, we will be better prepared to face whatever may come in the future. Come and visit us on Wednesday, September 15th in the Tobin Room at 7:00 pm to find out more about this “journey”. Call Allan Cecchini at 833-6138 for more information
We would like to thank all the parishioners who donated to this year’s Parish Drive. We also want to thank the Rosary Altar, Holy Name and Seniors for their gifts to the parish. This summer we have been able to complete a substantial number of projects because of these donations. We wanted to share the list with you. Thank you also to all the vendors who made this work possible.
Bequests
Remembering your parish
In the past year we have receive several substantial bequests from parishioners who have passed away. These additional funds have allowed us to complete many of the projects this summer. Have you considered remembering St. Benedict Parish in your will? When planning a funeral, have you considered making the parish a recipient of the memorial donations? There are additional spots in the Memorial garden for trees and bushes. There are other opportunities to memorialize your loved ones. Please consider the parish as you are making end of life and funeral decisions.
Parish Drive Pledges
If you made a pledge to the Parish Drive, please consider making your payments this fall. We would like to complete all pledges by the end of the year.
Financial Facts
Amount Collected for the weekend of August 29
Envelopes ................................... $8,096.39
Loose.............................................. $496.00
E-Basket ……………………………$555.00
Thank you for your generosity!
The weekly collection pays our bills.
We would like to welcome back all our returning families and especially our new families to St. Benedict’s 2010-2011 school year! There are a lot of new and exciting things planned for the year ahead. We would also like to welcome some new “faces” this year. Mrs. Laurie Wojtaszczyk will be leading our 3 year old Pre-K, Miss Dawn Owczarak will be our Middle School Math teacher & 6th grade homeroom teacher, and Mr. Anthony Ambrose will be our new Middle School Social Studies teacher. Our opening school Mass will be this Thursday, September 9th at 8:15 am. Please consider joining us. Once again, “Welcome Aboard to ALL!!”
pARISH WEBSITE
New Calendar
We have a new software package for scheduling events and publishing a calendar. If you go to the website you can see the new calendar which can be updated as changes happen during the month. We hope this will make it easier for you to find parish events and times.
Registration on line
We have received our first three electronic registrations. This is an easy way to submit a registration form to join our parish. The forms are available on the website - www.saintbenedicts.com. If you are not currently registered at a parish, please consider becoming a member of St. BenedictChurch.
www.saintbenedicts.com
Lottery and football tickets
In addition to the $3 lottery tickets for October, there are $5 and $10 tickets for football this fall. They are in the Sacristy or the Parish Office. See Fr. Paul for details.
Banns
Banns II
Nicole Caypless & Joseph Arena
Banns III
Chelsey Kutz & Andrew Calvillo
Gospel Reflection
Labor Day weekend doesn't appear as a celebration in the cycle of the church year. But Monday's holiday does affect a lot of what many people do this weekend. For some, three days off means the opportunity for a short trip out of town. Others may schedule a vacation for the week before to take advantage of the extra day off. Grocery stores have sales, highlighting products that can be consumed at picnics or prepared on outdoor grills. A holiday honoring labor becomes the effective end of summer for most folk.
Labor shows up in some interesting ways in the Scriptures for this weekend. The only time in the three-year Lectionary cycle that we read from Paul's Letter to Philemon comes this week. Paul is sending back Philemon's slave, Onesimus, who had run away. In the interim, Onesimus has become a Christian and, from Paul's view, a brother in the Lord to Philemon. So what is Philemon to do with this worker that he had owned? How was he to act?
The Gospel includes a description of the work of building a tower. Jesus compares the calculation of the work involved to that taking up the cross and being a disciple. When Philemon became a Christian he may not have understood that his life might change radically-that he was expected to deal in a new way with one of his slaves who became a Christian. At Paul's insistence, Philemon's adherence to the faith was requiring that he act differently from the society in which he lived. We are confronted with the same situation as Philemon. In the workplace, in the market, in our leisure, and while on vacation, we are called to adhere to the faith just as we do in church on Sunday. That is the real work we have, and it is not always an easy job. We don't have to carry Jesus' cross, but we do have to carry our own.