A Blessed Sunday Morning to you Church Fam!
Here are the latest happenings at St. Benedicts!
As we take our pilgrimage of Lent together,
we invite you to join us in walking together and encouraging each other to refresh and rediscover our faith, our hope, our godly love for all.
Use the resources provided to journey in quiet ways through this Lenten season. (Provided at the doors).
Please make sure to choose according to your need:
for the family, for a child, or for you individually.
Please choose one or the other and only one as needed.
Also join us as we walk the Stations of the Cross on each Friday at noon,
during Lent, here at St. Benedict.
Or join any other Divine Mercy community if their times are more convenient.
(See times listed in the below).
This is Our Jubilee Year for Pilgrims of Hope.
Throughout Lent operation Rice Bowl will help us pray, fast, learn,
and give in solidarity with those in need around the world.
We encourage you to be part of this Lenten journey
at home with your family and loved ones.
Rice Bowls are available at the back of the church.
Please return the bowls the weekend of Palm Sunday,
April 12 & 13, 2025.
OR
Simply CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW to make your Rice Bowl Donation Today!
CALLING ALL STRONG MEN AGAIN!
Yes, MEN!
St. Benedict Family,
As always, St. Vincent de Paul-St. Benedict Conference wants to thank you for all your help in bringing a little joy to the needy in our community.
Most of you know that we help our neighbors with food and utilities.
Throughout the year, your generous donations to the second collection taken on the 4th Sunday of each month go toward our Ministry of helping those less fortunate in our community.
BUT,
We need your help during this Lenten Season.
We need those STRONG MEN again who so graciously helped these Fabulous Ladies with the Preparations of the Food Boxes during the Holiday Season.
It becomes a challenge handling those heavy boxes
and your strong arms were a HUGE help!
If you wish to volunteer, come to Fr. Jay Matthews Hall on
Wednesday, March 26.
Distribution is from 9am to 11am.
Please arrive EARLY!
If you know one of your neighbors who needs help during this Lenten Season,
please have them call our Hotline 510-632-2063 and someone will return their call. Church Family please, don't forget to bring brown groceries and plastic bags.
We are still in need.
Thank you, and God Bless You!
Wallita Sykes-Bush, President
SVdP St. Benedict Conference
AND NOW, WE KNOW!
The presentation on Port Chicago was a huge success.
Most of us had little or no knowledge of the event.
Now we are all the wiser about this extremely important part
of Naval and Bay Area Black History.
Thank you so much to the Soublet family
for providing this wonderful presentation and sharing their father’s stories,
as well as stories from others who survived or lost loved ones in the event.
You are appreciated.
May they never be forgotten.
On behalf of Grand Knight Bro. Leonard Pete & Grand Lady Lil Brown-Parker,
and Knights of Peter Claver & Ladies Auxiliary,
Fr. Jay Matthews Council & St. Benedict Court #336,
We wish all of you a Blessed Lenten Journey.
Interested in joining our Noble Order?
Here are our upcoming events!
Fish-Fry-FRIDAY Returns!
CLICK THE FLYER BELOW to RSVP TODAY!
DEADLINE TO RSVP is SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2025!
Remember,
YOU MUST HAVE RSVP TO PICK UP DINNERS!
No Dinners sold at the Door!
Here are the latest things happening with our extended Family,
DIVINE MERCY PARISH
Click on the Flyers below to Sign-Up!
CLICK THE FLYER ABOVE TO SIGN-UP TODAY!
The God of Us All – Praying with Black Spirituality
Directed by a team of spiritual directors
YOU ARE INVITED to an 8-night Ignatian retreat to enter into prayer with and through Black Spirituality. This individually directed retreat offers participants an opportunity to spend time in song, prayer, and community to experience the transformative nature of the Spirit moving through two deep traditions:
Black Spirituality and Ignatian Spirituality.
HISTORY OF THE RETREAT:
The Jesuit AntiRacism Sodality (JARS) started designing and planning this retreat in August 2020 with the active engagement, input, and accompaniment from the Black Jesuits of the United States. In June 2021, 19 people (Jesuit and lay) gathered together for the inaugural retreat experience.
This summer’s retreat will be the fifth annual JARS Retreat.
LOGISTICS OF THE RETREAT:
Directors for this retreat will be individuals who have been formed in both Black and Ignatian Spirituality. Our days together will begin and end in communal prayer, including daily Mass, to highlight the daily graces which frame this sacred time of reflection and prayer. Throughout the retreat, Black Sacred Song, optional films, and other supplemental prayer resources, illustrating the Black experience, will enrich the graces of each day and serve as guideposts to the grace.
WHERE:
WHEN:
Thursday, June 19 to Friday, June 27, 2025
FEE: $950, all-inclusive of a private room and bathroom, all meals, snacks and beverages, daily spiritual conversation, and access to 20 acres of beautiful grounds and walking trails alongside the Chattahoochee River.
(Financial support is available as needed).
For your planning considerations,
the schedule for this retreat includes the following days:
– Thursday, June 19: Check-in is at 3pm;
Retreat begins at 5pm, followed by Mass, dinner, & film
– Friday, June 20 – July 26: Seven full days of retreat
– Friday, June 27: Faith Sharing, end with lunch followed by departure at 1pm
As a silent retreat, you are expected to maintain a sacred silence throughout the experience, including at meals, unless otherwise noted.
AAPC (African American Pastoral Center) News!
Courtesy of our own, Dr. Chiquita Tuttle
You can find ALL of the latest Newsletters from 2024 & 2025 below:
And lastly,
Your Support is needed and greatly appreciated!
It is because of your support that we are able to keep the AAPC up and running.
Your support is needed to make sure that our Voices continue to be recognized and continue to be heard throughout the Diocese.
If you haven't done so already, please click the Support Banner below
to begin giving to the AAPC today!
As always, thanks to those who have been utilizing our newest Online Giving tool.
It's easy and it's SECURE!
And it goes DIRECTLY to St. Benedict Catholic Church.
As always, simply Scan the QR Code below, or simply go to
Set up your offering any day, any time, however many times and to whichever collection or ministry you choose.
Didn't grab a Bulletin? Remember you can always grab them here:
Couldn't make it in person to Church this weekend?
Remember you can always watch our Livestreams here:
Make sure that you hit the SUBSCRIBE Button,
so that you are always alerted when we go LIVE!
And that's all for now!
Thank you Church Family for your continued support!
God loves you and so do we!
St. Benedict Catholic Church
Oakland, CA