Brothers and Sisters,

This Sunday at Mass we will hear from the Prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 17:5-8). He says, “Blessed is the one who trust in the LORD. Whose hope is the LORD”.

How fitting these words for the Sacrament of Confirmation, which will we celebrate at the Saturday Vigil Mass at 5:00pm. Bishop Konderla will administer the sacrament to nearly 90 children, youth and adults of our parish.

The Mass will be live streamed on our parish’s YouTube channel at: youtube.com/@SaintBenBA as well our Facebook page at: facebook.com/SaintBenBA.

Given the large number of those being confirmed, along with their sponsors and families, we are expecting greater than usual attendance at the Vigil Mass. If this is the Mass that you normally attend, please plan accordingly.

I ask that you keep all of the confirmandi in prayer that once sealed with the Holy Spirit every one of them will be, as the Prophet Jeremiah says, “….like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: it fears not the heat when it comes; its leaves stay green: in the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit”.

May these daughters and sons of our parish seek to live as faithful disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Our Parish

The Funeral Mass for Chris Morrell will be on Tuesday, February 18 in the parish church starting at 10:00am. Chris died unexpectedly on January 28 at the age of 39. Our condolences to his family.

In preparation for Lent, you are welcome to bring your palm branches for last year’s Holy Week to the church commons. They will be burned with their ashes being used at Mass on Ash Wednesday (March 5).

On Sunday, March 9, our parish is hosting a program of the Mental Health Association of Oklahoma called “Ask a Question, Save a Life”. The focus is on knowing how best to help those struggling with suicidal tendencies. It will be from 1:30 to 3:30pm in McGuire Hall and is open to anyone age 18 or older. You can register at: ow.ly/zfhr50UZCc8.

 

Night of Mercy

Our quarterly Night of Mercy will be on Wednesday, February 19. Sponsored by our ACTS Retreat Teams, we will begin in the church with music at 6:30pm, followed by the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Confession will be from 7:00pm to 8:00pm. All are welcome.

 

Faith & Works Appeal 2025

Our Faith & Works Annual Appeal for the Diocese of Tulsa & Eastern Oklahoma is on Sunday, March 2nd. If you have given in the past, you should have already received a letter asking for your pledge in the mail. If you have not pledged, you will have the opportunity to donate that Sunday during all Masses. Whether you have given in the past, or you wish to be a first-time giver, I ask that you give prayerful consideration to donating this year.

Our church family is much bigger than our parish. It is up to all of us to help provide for the 78 parishes and 2 missions in Eastern Oklahoma, including the Church of Saint Benedict, with the services and ministry resources that no single parish could provide for itself. It is also important to remember, many of these services we benefit from throughout the year. The specific services our parish benefits from include the Totus Tuus Missionary Teams, Pre-Cana Retreats, the Marriage Tribunal, the formation of our seminarians and deacon candidates.

Some of the expanding ministries of the Diocese are the ministry activities in the rural areas, revitalization of our Faith Formation Conference, the Sing Praise events, the Alcuin Institute for Catholic Culture, a full-time Director of Child and Youth Protection, our full-time Director of Vocations, and much more. Please join me the weekend of March 1 & 2 in helping our faith go further by making a pledge to the Faith & Works Annual Appeal.

For more information about the appeal, including making an on-line pledge, you can go to: dioceseoftulsa.org/ann.

 

Mission of Hope

Mission of Hope (MOH) is one way our parish carries out the Corporal Works of Mercy. It provides financial assistance to those in need in the Broken Arrow/Coweta area, both parishioners and non-parishioners alike. The focus is assistance to pay utility bills (electricity, gas and water), rent and incidental needs. Those in need are eligible for help once every three months. MOH works in conjunction with other local organizations to offer such aid.

Donations to MOH in 2024 totaled $30,598. This support came from parish organizations, individuals and the second collection at Mass on Easter Sunday.

In 2024, MOH distributed $26,916 on assistance to a total of 302 clients, the majority of whom were not parishioners. Thank you for the generous support that makes possible this help to our neighbors in need.

Thank you to Laurie Haskins, Mark Concienne, Karen McCollum and Mike Hall for their work in directing MOH.

 

Health Ministry Team

After 25 years of service, our parish nurse Jeanne Draughon RN will be retiring at the end of April. At that time Saint Francis Hospital will end their contract with St. Benedict and will no longer financially support the program.

To replace the many ministries that Jeanne has worked with, we are looking for registered nurses and other health care professionals who may be willing to volunteer a few hours a week or possibly less frequently to fill the void. If you are interested and/or would like more information, please contact Jeanne Draughon RN at 918-455-4451 ext. 229.

 

Assistant Music Director

Our parish is currently in need of an Assistant Music Director. For more information, please contact the parish office.

God bless and keep you safe.

Fr. Bryan