Pastor’s Message – Church of Saint Benedict

March 20, 2026
Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent

By your help, we beseech you, Lord our God, may we walk eagerly in that same charity with which, out of love for the world, your Son handed himself over to death. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.

Collect for the Mass on the Fifth Sunday of Lent

Brothers and Sisters,

On the final Sunday prior to Holy Week at Mass the Gospel reading is the Raising of Lazarus (John 11:1-45). It is the seventh and final great miracle, or sign, in the Gospel of John in which reveals the divinity of Jesus.

On the two previous Sundays we have heard of the encounters in which Jesus is revealed at the Savior. Each lead to people making a profound profession of faith. With the Woman at the Well Jesus is revealed as the Living Water. In response the Woman brings others to encounter Jesus.

With the Man Born Blind Jesus revealed as the Life of the World. In response, the Man Born Blind acknowledges Jesus as Lord and offers his worship to Him.

This Sunday Jesus is revealed as the Resurrection and the Life. Martha and Mary, grieving over the death of their brother Lazarus, encounter Jesus. As with the Woman at the Will and the Man Born Blind the encounter with Jesus leads to a gradually deeper understanding of who Jesus is.

He is more than a miracle worker and healer of the sick. In His humanity Jesus weeps over the death of His friend. In His divinity Jesus, God the Son, reveals that He has authority over the death and the grave. The Raising of Lazarus prefigures the Resurrection of Jesus that we will celebrate on Easter Sunday and prepares us for Holy Week.

Our encounters with God’s grace, especially when aided by our Lenten fasting, penance, and charity, are to move us as well. Step by step, day by day. They lead us to a more intimate knowledge of Jesus, a deeper love of Him and greater desire to follow Him.

As Holy Week draws near, may we come to profess, as does Martha, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

Our Parish

Stations of the Cross begins tonight at 6:00pm in the church, followed by the Lenten meal in McGuire Hall. All are welcome.

Congratulations to the Whitworth family who are presenting their children for baptism this Sunday.

Congratulations to Leo Lorez, who will be making his First Holy Communion at our 9:00am Sunday Mass.

Condolences to the family of Tom Levell, who died recently after the brief illness. His funeral Mass and burial were held in his hometown in Indiana.

Thank you to the volunteers who this week will be cleaning the pews in the church.
Thank you to the Men of Saint Benedict for taking on the project of repairing the outdoor Stations of the Cross.

The Parish Council will meet this Wednesday at 6:00pm.

Lenten Confessions

Two neighboring parishes are having Lenten Reconciliation Services next. Each will have multiple priests hearing individual confessions. St. Anne Parish in Broken Arrow will have its on Tuesday, March 24 at 5:30pm. St. Bernard Parish in Tulsa will hold its service on Thursday, March 26, also at 5:30pm.

Our parish’s confessions are on Saturday at 3:30pm, on Sunday prior to each Mass, Tuesday at 6:00pm and Wednesday at 5:00pm. There will be additional times for confession during Holy Week.

Additional Adoration Hours

During the final days of Lent the St. Scholastica Chapel will be open for extended 24-hour Adoration from Thursday, March 26 to Palm Sunday, March 29. You are welcome to sign up for adoration time in the commons this weekend.

Tenebrae Services

Holy Week offers several opportunities for special prayers and devotions. One of them is the traditional Tenebrae services. The name “Tenebrae’ comes from the Latin word for “darkness”, reflecting the somber nature of the prayer. It is characterized by the gradual extinguishing of candles, symbolizing the abandonment of Jesus by His disciples and the darkness that fell over the earth during the crucifixion. The time of prayer includes chanting of the Lamentations of Jeremiah, in addition to the Psalms and readings of the Divine Office.

During Holy Week there are two opportunities to take part in Tenebrae services. The first will be at Holy Family Cathedral on Palm Sunday, March 29 at 7:30pm. The second will be at the St. Francis Hospital Chapel, Yale Campus, on Holy Thursday, April 2, Good Friday, April 3 and Holy Saturday, April 4, all at 6:00am.

Called by Name: Honoring Faithful Young Men

On Good Shepherd Sunday, April 26, the Vocations Office of the Diocese is sponsoring Called by Name: Honoring Faithful Young Men. At Mass you will have the opportunity to invite young men of our parish, ages 16+ and unmarried, to consider a vocation to the ordained priesthood. Cards will be placed in the pews for you to write down the names and contact information of those you believe should be considering this vocation. These cards will be collected and the information shared with the Vocations Office. Parishioners who are members of the Serra Club will be coordinating Called by Name at St. Benedict.

God bless and keep you safe.

Fr. Bryan