This year at the Easter Vigil our community was blessed to be able to welcome new members into our faith and to celebrate their initiation as full members of the Catholic Church. These new brothers and sisters committed themselves to follow Christ more deeply and learn about our faith through our Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Please don’t hesitate to continue to pray for our new brothers and sisters during this Easter season.

First row, left to right: James Hay, Denise Allen, Nancy Scarlet.

Second row, left to right: Fr. Jim, Diane Quarles, Elizabeth Onye.

Third row. left to right: David Draper, Eric Schwartz.

Question: How long did Mary remain a virgin?

Answer: The Church since the early centuries of Christianity has believed in Mary’s “perpetual virginity,” i.e. Mary remained a virgin before, during and after Jesus’ birth. This doctrine thus proclaims that Mary had no marital relations after the birth of Jesus nor gave birth to any other children that Jesus. While the Bible mentions “brothers of Jesus,” Catholic, Orthodox and some traditional Protestant interpretations explain that these siblings were either children of Joseph by a previous marriage (hence, the usual portrayal of Joseph as an older man), cousins of Jesus (all relatives in his time were typically dubbed as brothers and sisters), or were closely associated with the Holy Family. By the 4th century, the doctrine was widely supported by the Church Fathers and by the 4th century it had been affirmed on a number of ecumenical councils. This doctrine is part of the teaching of Catholicism, Anglicans, Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy, some Lutherans and Methodists. Keep the questions for Fr. Jim coming! ~Love in Him, , Fr. Jim

This is the time of year when we pray in a special way for those people who have chosen, of their own free will, to enter the Catholic Church at Easter. On Saturday, February 17th, the bishops of the Archdiocese of Detroit formally declared the catechumens preparing for Baptism and candidates preparing for Confirmation and Holy Communion to final preparation for their initiation.

Keep our brothers and sisters in Christ in your prayers this Lenten season.

St. Benedict’s Knights of Columbus donated boys and girls, winter coats to Jefferson International School. Each year, during the Christmas season, our Knights look forward to sharing love and good cheer with those most in need.

Pictured (left to right): Steve Perry, Natalie Stevens, Ed Woolverton, Dana Kennedy, and Grand Knight, Larry Edwards

St Benedicts Council 13485 of Waterford MI recently donated time and funds to support the MI FAR Flyers hockey team.

This is the USA Hockey – Disabled Division Hockey Team for MI and this is the only fundraiser for the team for the upcoming season.  Funds raised at this event help to defray the costs of transporting the team and family members to the Annual Special Hockey Championships held once per year in North America.

The Flyers are former event Champions and other portion of the funds raised is to help pay for ice time and equipment for the players to maintain their form and level of competition.

Thanks to the Knights of Columbus from St. Bens!